2012 Toyota Avensis

Exterior

When it comes to the European D-segment, customers have plenty of models to choose from and, despite the fact that the Avensis has established itself as a leader in this market area, it needs to be improved now and again so that it stays on top. For that the new generation Avensis has received a bolder, more refined frontal treatment with a change in the proportions of the upper and lower grilles. An emphasis was placed on enlarging the latter for a more assertive, dynamic look.

The car gets a new, wider bonnet, a more powerful grille design flanked by narrower, more expressive headlamps and larger air intakes. The rear gets a newly designed rear bumper incorporating a center guard on sedan models and a new, sleeker, chromed license garnish design. The car will be offered with a new set of 16” steel wheels, but customers will also be able to opt for 17" or 18" Fuji alloy wheels. The list of exterior paint finishes includes Dark Blue, Galaxy Purple, Ultra Silver, Barcelona Red, Ash Gray, Olive Green, Granite Gray, Night Sky Black, and Pacific Blue.

Interior

There will be four grade levels to choose from for the Avensis: Avensis, Sol, Executive, and Premium. Depending on the trim level customers will get: perforated leather upholstery in a choice of Ice Grey, Warm Grey or Black colors; HID headlamps with an Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)’; a Touch & Go Plus navigation system; and an 11-speaker Display Audio system with rear parking camera.

The new Touch & Go Plus system features advanced voice recognition for navigation address input, one-shot destination entry, music search and play, and phone contact search and call. Internet addicts can also opt for the ability to send and receive email, get a text-to-speech message readout facility, a calendar and, through a Gracenote database, a ‘Play More Like This’ music function.

Engine

The new Avensis will be offered with six engines from the previous generation: three petrol and three diesel engines.

The most improved engine would be the 2.0 liter D-4D turbodiesel which features a new turbocharger, extensive combustion chamber modifications, and improved glow control. With these improvements, the engine will deliver the same 124 HP, but fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have been lowered by about 15%.

Next to this engine, customers will also be able to choose between a 150 hp 2.2 D-4D unit, a 177 hp 2.2 D-4D DPNR variant, and a 132 hp 1.6 liter engine, a 147 hp 1.8 liter engine, and a 152 hp 2.0 liter petrol engine. All engines will be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, but the 150 hp 2.2 D-4D DPNR unit may be equipped with an optional 6-speed automatic transmission.

Prices

Prices for the new generation Avensis will be announced closer to its market launch.

Competition

The first two competitors that come to mind for the new Avensis is the newly launched Opel Insignia and the Mazda 6 sedan.

The Insignia is one of the greater looking vehicles on the on the market. It also gets a range of seven engines, starting with a four-cylinder 115 hp unit and getting up to a V6 with 260 hp.

The Mazda6 also gets a range of engines, including a 1.8 Liter engine, a 2.5 liter DISI engine, and a 2.2 Liter diesel four cylinder engine. These engines have outputs ranging from 129 HP all the way up to 180 HP. The 2.0 Liter DISI power plant benefits from direct injection in order to improve fuel economy.