By Big Dave Midlands
on 12th Jun 2007
Big Dave Midlands's Ratings| Year Manufactured | 1997-2002 |
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| Length of ownership | 5 years |
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| Doors | All models |
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| Performance | 7/10  |
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| Practicality | 8/10 |
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| Reliability | 9/10 |
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| Value for money | 9/10 |
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| Overall value | 9/10 |
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 Big Dave Midlands's recommendation |
Good Points
Cheap to buy, roomy, well made, reliable, safe with an NCAP 3 star rating (which was class leading at the time) affordable servicing and insurance, understated looks, efficient engines, good fuel economy.
Bad Points
Handling not as sharp as some rivals, lack of image (if that bothers you) Potential issues with 1.8 vvti engined models. 1.6 engines underpowered, quality of dealer network patchy. Over sensitive ABS on pre 2000 models
General Comments
The following comments and review are based upon myself and my family's personal experiences over a period of four years, of test driving, buying, selling and most importantly owning a total of 3 Avensis MK1 models and covering close to 65,000 miles between us.
Background.
The MK1 Toyota Avensis which was launched in 1997 and available in three body styles (hatchback, saloon or estate) has to be one of the most under rated 2nd hand quality family saloon cars for sale in the UK today. Rarer (and much better made) than the ubiquitous Mondeo and Vectra of the same era, more reliable than anything the French can offer in the class, and not so "I bought this because I cannot afford a BMW" as the VW Passat or Audi A4. The British built Avensis which is put together in its British Derbyshire factory quickly established a deserved reputation as reliable, well made, and a well equipped all rounder. The Avensis was at the time a safety class leader with 4 airbags as standard and achieved a Euro Ncap 3 star rating (at the time Ncap ratings only went up to 4). ABS was also standard across the range.
Image.
This cars image statement is "I don't care about image, just give me a reliable and well made quality car to get me from A to B thank you" so if you want to make a 'look at me' statement in the company car park look elsewhere. I enjoy the fact that the Avensis is understated and free from the shackles of trendy marketing and image conscious brand attributes nonsense. It simply gets on with the job required for less outlay than the equivalent VW or Audi models. Build quality is superb, comfort is excellent and reliability up there with the best. The saloons and estates look classier than the slightly dumpy looking hatch which looks too similar to the Carina 'E' predecessor, and as a general guide cars with metallic paint and alloys and aircon sell much easier.
Ownership.
Toyota enjoys an enviable reputation for reliability and build quality, and the MK1 Avensis is no exception. Faults are few and easy to spot. There have been reports of some of the earliest models have occasional power steering rack problems and fuel gauge issues in the dashboard. Apart from other issues that will be due to abuse or neglect, there is not a lot to look out for in the way of mechanical maladies. Based upon personal experience, my only grumbles with the pre 2000 MK1 Avensis are with the suspension and brakes which were improved on post 2000 models.
Insurance and servicing costs are very reasonable with even the 'sporty' flagship SR model only attracting a group 10 insurance rating which compares very favorably with the opposition. Toyota operates a fixed price menu system for the servicing of the Avensis to keep costs low and to help attract fleet owners when they were new, and as a result the costs are very affordable to the private owner with servicing required every 9000 miles on pre 2000 models and every 10,000 miles on VVTi engined models. The cambelt requires replacement every 63,000 miles or every 5 years, so when buying check that this has been done or knock £150 off the price to budget for this essential work. If there is no record of the cambelt being changed, assume it hasn't. From new the Avensis were fitted with platinum tipped spark plugs which should in theory last until 70,000 miles + in order to reduce servicing costs to the fleets, but as the MK1 model gets older and the cars pass onto their third of fourth owner, expect these to have been replaced with cheaper spark plugs to reduce costs.
Driving.
The ride quality and handling is good enough on the motorway and for the long haul, but try and extend beyond this on an enjoyable road, and the Avensis starts to show its limitations particularly with the 1997-2000 models. There is a degree of body roll in the bends and the brakes suffer with over sensitive ABS (easily set off by speed humps!) and squealing from the rear drum brakes at low speeds (only fitted to pre 2000 models). These things are not enough to spoil the car but do take the edge off ownership and driver enjoyment, especially as the two Toyota dealers I used during my ownership of a 2.0 SR for 40,000 miles were never able to fully resolve the squealing brakes issue. The front disc \ rear drum set on the pre 2000 models was in my opinion an odd retrograde choice by Toyota as the Carina 'E' predecessor featured discs all round. The fact that the disc\drum arrangement was replaced by an all round disc setup in the revised 2000 onwards models, bears this out. In keeping with it's refined cruiser image the gear shift is not keen on being rushed, but then again if you want a hot hatch sporty drive you would be unlikely to be looking at the Avensis anyway.
Specifications.
Engine wise the 1997-2000 petrol engined 1.6, 1.8 models featured multi valve 'lean burn' engines essentially inherited from the Carina 'E' which to be honest especially in 1.6 perform only adequately. The trouble with the lean burn engines is they lack torque lower down the rev range and they feel underpowered for the size of car. As a result of this, they have to be revved to make decent progress which defeats the point of the lean burn idea as fuel economy suffers. The best choice by far is the 2.0 petrol model which offers a far more relaxing drive with smooth and strong torque throughout the rev range which makes for relaxing and easy progress. The early 2.0 td diesel models although efficient and boasting a 'fly by wire' throttle lack refinement and the post 1999 D4D generation diesels are a much better engine and worth the extra, if an oil burner is your preference. Trim wise the options are the base S (no aircon and best avoided for resale, 1.6 engine only) GS (aircon, 1.6, 1.8 engines only) GLS (aircon, upgrade to CD stereo and 'wooden trim' on the dash, front fogs, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.0td engines only) CDX (top spec with leather, wood, CD player, alloys, front fogs, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.0td engines only) SR (introduced in 1999, spec as GLS plus Momo 5 spoke alloys, front fogs, CD player, rear spoiler, metallic paint as standard, unique seat trim 2.0 and D4D diesel engines only). There was a limited edition 1.8SE (5 door hatch only) and 1.6SE (4 door saloon only) which were briefly available in 1999. The offered little above the GS spec other than a set of alloys as standard and a Sony CD player so value as per the GS. Don't pay over the odds for one of these as they were only a model introduced to help Toyota sell the last of the pre VVTi engined model that were introduced the following year. Apart from the S, SE and SR models all versions are available in Saloon, hatchback and estate form. CDX estates are sought after second hand, especially if it is a diesel.
Post 2000 the petrol engined Avensis MK1 switched over to Toyota's new generation of VVTi engine technology with the 1.6 and 1.8 capacity engines gaining 10% more power, and the 2.0 petrol model gaining a power boost up to 147bhp, not bad for a reserved family saloon. Further improvements were made to the Suspension which was lowered slightly to improve the handling and as I mentioned previously, the braking arrangement was improved to a disc brakes all round setup, which addresses my two main criticisms of the pre 2000 model. The car also received a mild restyling of the front and rear light clusters and grill and also a revised dashboard with Sat Nav built into the dash and CD player as standard equipment. The base S spec model was now deleted with the new base spec called 'Vermont' aimed at the private buyer which was a GS spec car with alloys and rear spoiler fitted (1.8 engine only) Next is the GS (1.8, D4D) GLS (alloys and wood trim, front fogs, 1.8, 2.0, D4D) CDX (larger six spoke alloys, plus leather and wood front fogs, 1.8, 2.0, D4D) SR (multi spoke alloys, rear spoiler, front fogs, 1.8, 2.0 D4D) Again as per the pre 2000 model all models were available in hatchback, saloon or estate form apart from Vermont or SR.
Something to be aware of are rumours of (although I have not personally experienced this) potential issues with 1.8vvti engined models. There have been cases of premature engine bore wear leading to high oil consumption and potential engine failure which would appear to be possible around the 50,000-80,000 mile mark. Provided the car has a full Toyota service history it would seem that Toyota are replacing engines that develop this problem free of charge.
Recommendations
The Avensis is a durable and reliable car which wears the miles well, so look for signs that the car has been a taxi or clocking. The paintwork on the leading edge of the bonnet and the color matched grill on the SR model chips easily. Don't be put off by a higher than average mileage if the car has a full service history. Avoid base spec cars without air con and the 1.6 engine as it does not have the power to cope with the heavy body. Also avoid cars fitted with a tow bar as the clutch, suspension and brakes will have had a hard life.
As the prices of these are so affordable now with price differences between specs very small, I would go for a 2.0 petrol or diesel engined car with a high spec and full service history. The engines in the Avensis are very efficient and 40mpg or more is easily achievable with the petrol 2.0 litre engine.
Avoid abused or neglected high mileage cars and the MK1 Avensis will provide dependable, reliable service. For sure it won't set your world alight or be the ultimate driving experience, but for no nonsense affordable, reliable and in this writer's opinion reasonably handsome looking transport the MK1 Avensis is worth a serious look.
