Toyota, for all its trouble over the last four months is still one of the strongest manufacturers in this country. The funny thing is that despite all of its bad press I reckon they are going to get even more sales in Ireland, the reason for this being that they are under such scrutiny that you might be right in guessing that anything they sell or build from now on will be perfectly put together. And who knows, at some stage in the future that tag line they coined “The best built car in the world” may be deserved again.

This week we’re looking at the new Toyota Avensis. For a long time now this car has been the taxi drivers favourite and it’s no surprise as to why. This car is a work horse that allows more miles than the average car. It’s spacious, comfortable and feels safe.

The most important thing is that this car is reliable. Despite recent news and recalls, the Avensis trusted – according to Irish sales figures!

The new Avensis comes complete with a facelift, and changes made to this car have been pretty dramatic. Despite what other reviewers may say I used to really like the look of the old Avensis, and I’m equally impressed by the new look. It now looks very similar to the Lexus IS, and in my eyes this can only be a good thing. One thing I will say though is that this car can look very boring in grey/silver, so I’d highly recommend you go for the black.

I had the Tourer version and as far as estates go, this is one of the better looking ones.

Inside the Avensis is comfortable. I have to say however that the cabin of this car is one of the most boring I have ever sat in. Everything in the model I was driving was grey and straight. The dashboard is curveless. I’m really disappointed with this as I’ve been in a few of the last Avensis and I don’t remember it being so dull. If only Toyota could be more exciting in this regards, like Mazda with the 6 and Opel with the Insignia.

The Avensis drives very well with excellent handling and a nice comfortable ride. It’s steering is perfect.

The Avensis is available in saloon and tourer models. Those who will buy one have a choice between 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre in petrol. Diesel models include a 2 litre, and 2.2 D-4D. Prices are between €24,165 and €42,365.

The 2 litre D-4D tourer will give you 0-100 km/ph in 9.7 seconds, it has bhp of 126 and its’ co2 emissions are 135g/km of co2. It’s economical too, using 5.1 litres per 100km.

The Avensis is a good reliable car, but its cabin is severely lacking in style and is boring as sin. Other than that…..

www.toyota.ie

For more go to www.newstalk.ie/motormouth