19th Jan 2003, 08:21
72,000 miles in an R reg Avensis since October 1998. Breakdowns - none. Recalls - one for steering column. Drives well in all conditions. Carries five adults with room for all their luggage. When I was considering buying it, I test drove it for a day and took it to Renault, Peugeot, Nissan, Citroën, VW and Rover, inviting them to beat it on price and equipment. They couldn't.
6th Feb 2003, 06:36
Both my parents had one each. The 1.8 GS and the 2.0 SR. They both seemed to have a common squeal on the front brakes. Dealer couldn't find any problem with it.
I didn't think 1.8 GS finish was up to Toyota's usual standard, but no other problems really.
9th Jan 2007, 17:40
The Toyota 2.0litre turbodiesel estate I bought secondhand 4 years ago had 70,000 miles on the clock. Now it has 224,000 and most of the time these were trouble free miles. The engine has never missed a beat, the only replacement parts were the airbag and a steering assembly part (bought used as the new part was about £700). Don"t ever doubt that Japanese cars are superbly engineered and astonishingly reliable. If you buy a tricky example it may well have been made in Britain.
18th Aug 2002, 14:38
I think you're being a little harsh. We own a Toyota Avensis 1.6 SE Saloon and we have had absolutely no problems with the reliability. The drive is a little dull, but the interior comfort more than compensates. The hatchback does look bloated, but the saloon looks very classy.