Road test of Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 D-CAT (From Banbury Cake)

Road test of Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 D-CAT

4:51pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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Not so long ago, the only thing the steering wheel would do on a mid-range family car is, you guessed it, steer.

You only have to study the three-spoke wheel of the new Toyota Avensis to understand how sophisticated cars in this market sector have become.

On the left-hand spoke are five buttons to control the hi-fi system, on the right-hand side are four buttons to operate the voice-activated Bluetooth telephone link.

Behind the wheel on the right nestles a short stalk with all the cruise control functions and, to top it off, a pair of ‘Mr Spock’s ears’ paddles, that allow F1-style manual shifting on the six-speed automatic gearbox.

After all that, it hardly comes as any surprise that when you switch off the engine, the wheel lifts itself up and retracts into the dashboard to make it easier for you to get out of the car.

You get the general idea. This is a sophisticated piece of kit and with seven airbags, active front headrests, an impact-absorbing bodyshell and a line-up of active safety systems from anti-lock brakes to stability control, an extremely safe place to be.

Slightly longer and wider than its predecessor,the third generation Avensis is a good-looking, comfortable, smooth-riding, and extremely sure-footed saloon, Power on the test model came from the new 2.2-litre D-CAT 150 engine with automatic transmission, which manages a power output of 148bhp with low CO2 emissions of 169g/km.

The six-speed automatic transmission includes a sequential manual mode, allowing the driver to select gears using the shift lever or the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifts.

With prices starting at about £16,500, it is also a thoroughly European piece of engineering. Designed in the south of France and built at Toyota’s Burnaston factory outside Derby, the Avensis, which is available in four trim grades, uses petrol engines made at Toyota’s plant in Deeside, North Wales, and diesel engines from the company’s plant in Jelcz-Laskowice, Poland.

Toyota’s Polish operation also supplies the new six-speed manual transmission used with the petrol engines.

Standard equipment ranges from air conditioning and a six-speaker audio system with CD and MP3 file player (from disc), to heated, electrically-adjustable door mirrors and electronic parking brake.

If you want to push the boat out, luxury options include a colour reverse parking camera, follow-the-road headlights, lane keeping assist and lane departure warning systems.

Auto facts Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 D-CAT

• Price: £22,565
• Insurance group: Eight
• Fuel consumption Combined): 44.1mpg
• Top speed: 127mph
• Length: 184.8in/469.5cm
• Width: 71.2in/181cm
• Luggage capacity: 17.9 cu ft
• Fuel tank capacity: 13.2 gallons/60 litres
• CO2 emissions: 169g/km
• Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles

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