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Toyota Avensis Liftback S
by blackbob Whether it's the exotic metal like Ferrari,Porsche.Drivers cars like BMW or Audi or even the everyday man's favourites like Ford or Vauxhall there are many well known,well loved car makers that have a loyal and die hard following.One car maker,one who has made millions of cars,one who has been constantly rated as ... making most reliable,cost effective and durable cars for decades now rarely seems to inspire the same kind of passion from it's owners.Possibly because they haven't made the same impact in motorsport as many others,possibly because their cars are reliable and sensible to the point of being bland,the point of being 'white goods'.Afterall it's those little flaws that keepa guy interested :) The Toyota Avensis was introduced in January 1997 replacing the venerable Carina E,a very popular car that had a long reputationh as an incredibly capable and reliable motor.Simple,efficient,tough and it can't be stressed enough incredibly reliable it had become the favourite of taxi drivers the length and breadth of the UK.Carina E's easily racked op mileages in excess of 250,000 routinely. In an attempt to appeal to the European market even more production of the new model was moved to Burnaston,Derby and although it was a completely revamped car it did retain the truly well tested range of engines from the Carina E. The Avensis T210/220) was a large family car similar in size to the Vauxhall Cavalier/Vectra and Ford Mondeo who were it's main rivals.It came in three conventional body styles ,a 5 door hatchback,4 door saloon and a 4 door estate model.With a range of trim levels S,LE,SE,GS,GLS,CDX and SR and with four different engine choices,all 16 valve and fuel injected ~ 1.6 litre 4A-FE - 99 bhp 1.8 litre 7A-FE - 109 bhp 2.0 litre 3S-FE - 126 bhp 2.0 litre TD 2C-TE 89 bhp In the facelift of 2000 there was also a new range of vvt-i (variable valve timing - intelligent) engines on offer but more of them later. 1.6 litre 3ZZ-FE - 109 bhp 1.8 litre 1ZZ-FE - 129 bhp 2.0 litre D4 1AZ-FE - 148 bhp 2.0 litre D4D 1CD-FTV - 109 bhp It had solid build quality,a well equipped spacious interior,smooth ride quality and good fuel efficiency although the performance was fairly unremarkable and it wasn't exactly exciting or fun to drive like a Vauxhall or later model Mondeo but utterly safe and reliable.With electric windows,air conditioning and a trip computer on the facelift models it was well specified. 1998 Avensis 5-dr 1.6 S 0-62 12.9 seconds 113 mph avg 36.8 mpg - ins grp 9 1999 Avensis 5-dr 1.8 GS 0-62 11.2 seconds 119 mph avg 38.2 mpg - ins grp 11 2002 Avensis 5-dr 1.8 vvti 0-62 10.0 seconds 124 mph avg 38.8 mpg - ins grp 10 2002 Avensis 4-dr 2.0 vvti 0-62 9.1 seconds 130 mph avg 36.7 mpg - ins grp 11 2002 Avensis 5-dr 2.0 D4D 0-62 11.4 seconds 121 mph avg 47.9 mpg - ins grp 9 2002 Avensis 5-dr 2.0 vvti auto 9.9 seconds 127 mpg avg 32.5 mpg - ins grp 11 All models were available with a 5 speed manual gearbox or the option of a 4 speed automatic on all 1.8 or 2.0 models.It had conventional disc brakes up front and either drums or discs on the back.ABS and hydraulically powered steering was standard on all models. It had fully independant Macpherson strut type front suspension with telescopic dampers,coil springs and anti-roll bar whilst the rear suspension is of an independant dual link strut type with integeral dampers,coil springs and anti-roll bar making for a steady,safe car. There are drivers and passenger airbags,side airbags incorporated in the front seats.Curtain airbags are standard equipment on some models,optional on others along with seatbelt pre-tensioners making the Avensis also a safe vehicle. My personal experience of owning and driving the Avensis *********************************************** I'll freely admit it wasn't a car that I bought out of any real choice when I purchased my 2000 W-reg 5-dr 1.8 GS (pre-facelift) back in January 2012.My previous car,a Subaru Legacy had failed the M.O.T quite badly and I needed a road legal car as soon as possible for as little money as possible.The Avensis came up with 9 months MOT,a couple of road tax for £400 and as it was the only real car I could afford at the time I took it for a long test run,gave it a thorough check over and bought it. First impressions ~~ ************** It's not particularly good looking car quite bland and indistinct in silver.I soon found out there are a lot of silver Avensis's on the road but obviously they'd never caught my attention before I bought one.It's a well known phenomenon,that you begin to see many more cars of a similar make and colour to the one you've just bought but as a car fanatic I am normally aware of almost all types of car but the Avensis didn't really exist at all before I bought one. It has a typical 5 dr hatchback shape but with the now modern trend of the steeper raked bonnet line that seems to drop quite sharply.The bonnet line drops to a angled front end with oddly sort of fat wedge shaped headlight/indicator units with a radiator grill thats vaguely semicircular with the rounded side at the bottom where it meets the bumper.The front bumper isn't that deep but has an opening in it to let air into the oil cooler and radiator that ends in two apetures at either side.In higher spec models they'd be where the foglights are housed but in the GS model the openings are blanked off with black plastic.The openings don't echo either the shape of the headlights or the grill.There's no sense of harmony in the styling making it seem clumsey,an after thought. The rear is not only sitting a bit higher because of the suspension settings on the hatchback in particular but because of the overall wedge kind of shape it looks heavyish.There's a swage line that runs down the length of the car above the door handles and along the front wing and typical black plastic mouldings along the side of the doors at the same level as the black plastic upperpart of the front and rear bumpers,with again an oddly shaped side repeater in the front wing moulding that doesn't echo or hint at the shape of the headlight,door handles or any other part of the car. Obviously our opinions about a car's styling is subjective,to many people it's an irrelevance but to others it's a very important part of what makes a car.To those who consider styling to be of some import then the Avensis won't be the top of your list.It's an automotive photocopier i.e there's no sense of it being styled just a bland,inoffensive exterior that won't excite or offend anyone.I will add that the saloon is slightly better looking but not much.Picture a cross between a Renault Laguna and a Citreon Xantia but with less pleasing aspects of both being highlighted you'd be getting the idea !!! Inside the car ~~ *********** Ok,so it isn't a looker but things do get better when you open the door and sit behind the wheel.Firstly,you no longer have to look at it,haha.In a similar way the interior is nothing revolutionary but it is a pleasant place to be.The seats are comfortable and the driver has a good lumbar support.They're not sports seats but they do seem to hold you nicely,give you support yet are comfortable at the same time.There's a bar under the front which you lift to let slide it back and forward and a wheel at the base to tilt the back up or down.The seats are of reasonable hard wearing material too and between the adjustable steering and seat it's no problem to find a comfortable seating position.In the driving seat the pluging bonnet lines is actually a bonus when it comes to visibility. The standard type steering wheel we've come to expect on cars with an airbag has a nicely thick rim which feels nice to hold.It is also adjustable meaning you can set it high like your driving a bus or have it down near you're knees like I prefer.lol The instrument layout,again,will be familiar to most with the speedo to the left,revcounter to the right and their flanked by the smaller temp and fuel gauges either side.The centre of all four dials are on the same line so and in the space below the smaller gauges sits a panel with the usual array of indicator lights for low fuel,ignition,abs,airbag,indicators,lights etc.The controls are what you'd expect with a shortish gearlever that's positioned nicely so you never have to wonder where it is,also the gearknob feels thick and positive like the steering wheel.The steering column stalks are also robust with the usual twist switch for the lights,forward for full beam,up and down for the turn indicators on the left and on the right all your wiper controls.With an intermittent setting and a twist switch for to shorten or lengthen the interval.There's also the usual two speed setting,pull washers,rear wiper with a washer.There is one feature I do like particularly and that's the washer jets.Unlike most cars where you spray the washers then the wipers activate 3 times,which is too many times by the third wipe the screens dried out making the wipers squeal n scrape the last movement,the Avensis only wipes twice.It may be a simple thing but it does make a difference especially at this time of year. Theres an intergrated dash,centre console which is trimmed in fake carbon fibre effect laminate.With a line of chunky switches at the top of the panel that have a vaguely wedge shape as of the four switches the hazard flashers closest to the instrument panels is largest then a blank,the heated rear windscreen,then another blank which would be functional on higher spec cars.Below are the two airflow vent that can flow cool or warm air depending on the heater or a/c settings.Under that is a simple slider control for outside/recirculated air and a small button to switch on the air conditioning.Unusually it had air conditioning and an electric sunroof.It has electric front windows but winders for the rear passengers. Then there are 3 round dial switches.Closest to the driver is fan heater fan speed,the temp mixture,then the airflow selector then below that the radio apeture below which is a typical DIN size.I fitted a CD/Digital Radio Head unit I had although the standard speakers in the front passenger door was pretty blown it was easy to fit and sounded ok.Below the radio was a similar size cubby hole with a opening door then the usual opening behind the gearstick under that.There was a large stowage bin between the seats with a hinged lid along with two opening cubby holes in the door panels,another in the dash below the drivers airflow outlets plus a large lockable glovebox.There's certainly no shortage of stowage space for all the typical junk you taki into your car. Rear legroom and headroom are ample,the rear seats comfortable and supportive for longer journeys,or so I've been told.The boot is large and will swallow any amount of luggage,a full weeks supermarket shopping without the slightest trouble or as in my car a large selection of tools,welder and a big box of valeting products.There's a standard thick cardboard parcel shelf attatched to fixing points on the rear hatch. Driving it ~~ ******* The 1.8 GS had the venerable 7A-FE engine which is a thoroughly tried and tested twin cam 16 valve engine but don't let the twin cam or 16 valves fool you it's no performance motor.In Toyota engine coding F stands for narrow angle economy DOHC,G for wide angle performance DOHC and E for electonic fuel injection so this being an FE it's the economy engine.The engine always starts first turn of the key and when cold idles around 1200 rpm but at normal temperature 650 rpm.For a DOHC 16 valve engine it does feel quite flat until over 3000 rpm when it starts to get squarely in it's power curve.Even then it isn't powerful or that torquey.I find it very similar to an early 1.8 Zetec 16 valve from a Mondeo,a steady power delivery with very little increases or surprises anywhere but combined with the 5 speed gearbox it's easy enough to keep it up in the revs if you want to nip along a little faster.You can push it to 5,500 or 6,000 rpm in each gear to get every last bit of performance out of it but it's not worth it as even at 5,500 rpm plus it's still not making a significant amount of extra power.If driven normally this is a steady,forgiving and pretty effecient engine that's capable of in excess of 250 - 300,000 miles if looked after. The gearchange is quite nice,positive feeling except when you try and change quickly when it gets notchy and less happy to slide nicely into gear going from 4th to 3rd or up from 2nd to 3rd but,again,for steady everyday driving the actual ratios in the box are more than adequate and well thought out. The steering,although power assisted does have a degree of feel to it that is often lacking on a Japanese car which are often over assisted making the steering very light,feeling almost remote from the front wheels.Being built in the UK,very much like the Nissan Primera built in Sunderland,the steering is more suited to European tastes although it's not as direct or 'live' feeling as in a Vauxhall or Ford.All the same it does give confidence when cornering at speed .The car holds the road well alrhough it's not quite as good when it comes to handling at speed.The combination of higher ride height at the back and a more 'comfortable' suspension set up makes it unsettled when manouvering at high speeds.Having never driven a 2.0 SR model I would expect it to be more contolable near the limit of grip.The brakes,however,are excellent whether just pootling around the town or suddenly having to brake hard they pull you up strong,straight with little fade,always feel positive and inspire confidence.On my 1.8 GS,it has drum brakes at the rear although it still has ABS.The handbrake is also positive with little travel in the lever and no wear so far in over 15,000 miles of use. Pros and cons ~~ *********** This depends very much on your general feeling towards cars and driving in general.The Avensis is a practical,reliable,spacious,comfortable,efficient car that will NEVER,NEVER let you down,As an example of it's reliability I'll tell you about the time I was heading home after work which is a 20 mile drive.I was tired and on autopilot which explains why I never saw my water temperature gauge climb past the red and off the scale.The first I knew was about a mile from home and the engine began to knock (pre-ignite) badly to the point it wouldn't run.Shaken out of my autopilot state I suddenly noticed the needle on the gauge at it's highest possible position so I jumped out,opened the bonnet to find high pressure steam escaping in a stream from a coolant hose.I sat until the needle was under the red then started her up n drove her the less than a mile home. It took 4 hours for the engine to cool down enough for me to work on it.It hadn't just overheated,it had literally boiled dry all it's coolant.I found the problem,a gasket had blown where the coolant hose came from the cylinderhead.There's an alloy casting and the gasket between it and the head had gone.By now it was nearly 10pm and 20 + miles from town so in the absence of anything better I made a gasket out of a scabby old bit of kitchen lino I found in the garage.I put it together,refilled her with coolant/anti-freeze and fired her up.Once I'd bled the air from the coolant she ran perfectly,didn't leak or overheat one bit and even more miraculously boiling it dry hadn't cracked or warped the head in the slightest.That was on an engine with nearly 150,000 miles on the clock.I ran it for another 6,000 miles with a lino gasket and it never missed a beat.That is reliability and durability that few manufacturers could hope to achieve !!! So like I was saying for steady,safe,easy,trouble free motoring with real peace of mind there are few cars that can seriously rival the Avensis but if you're like me and you think a car should be enjoyable and fun to drive,should be responsive and produce plenty of power on tap,that a car should look good and at the least have a character then the you can live with the Avensis but it will frustrate you with it's characterless,viceless ways. I remember when I had my mk2 Astra GTE.It was a great car,great performance,fun to drive,responsive and alive.Driving to work or down the shops was enjoyable in that car but it also had it's issues,it's moods and vices.I realised that just like the best,exciting girlfriends they come at a price which is that they can be great one minute,tempremental the next.For me,the best cars are often the same. The Avensis is a nice,good natured,quiet girlfriend that would be the sensible one to marry but you just know the wild one with the fiery soul is the one that moves you,the one you want :) Read the complete review |
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Toyota Aygo
by ssupernova Have owned my Toyota Aygo for 7 Months now, have found it a good economic run around. The car is mainly used for commuting to and from work and I regularly achieve over 45MPG driving on minor roads (No motorway driving). Although the car is not very powerful at a 1.0 Litre it can still pull away quite well to start off with, you then ... feel slightly underpowered when accelerating from 30MPH upto 70MPH for me this is not a problem as I don't feel the need to accelerate any quicker. The inside of the car is very basic with plastic trim that feels very flimsy. The boot is very small but that is to be expected with such a small car and you would only just fit a weekly shop in the boot. The streo is very basic and only plays radio and normal CD's (No MP3 CD's). Having bought the Aygo Blue we also have bluetooth connectivity for making calls and Air conditioning. Read the complete review |
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Toyota Camry (pre 1996)
by harlihall I got this car for free from my uncle. When I received the car there were just over 300 thousand miles on it. I had no faith that the car would last me a year in college, but I have been proven wrong. There are about 350 thousand miles on it now and it still runs as well as it did when I got it from my uncle a year ago. I do ... not love the cars interior. Both of the seat adjusters for the front seats have broken off. They still do the job, but there is some exposed wiring that is potentially hazardous. The seats are a carpet like material and collect anything floating around in the air with ease. They have to be cleaned at least once a month or the interior gets very dirty feeling and smells funny. The lights on the dashboard are beginning to fade, but I knew I would have to change those fairly soon when I got it considering they are the same lights that have been in there since 1995 when the car was made. The outside of my car has a lot of paint chipping and looks very old and weathered. I don't care that it looks like that, but other people comment on it all the time. The paint is old and chipping happens. I don't like the color of my care, it is a copper-ish shade, but has a definite green undertone to it. The really amazing thing about this car is that I can fill up the tank for $40 and it will last ages. I filled up 6 months ago for college and I just barely had to refill a couple weeks ago! It seriously lasts forever. I have driven from Ogden to Rock Springs and back and it only used under half a tank. This car has been amazing and I will probably not git rid of it until I absolutely have no other option, but to get a new car. The features on the car all work and it runs like a miracle. Read the complete review |
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