Toyota has made many excellent cars over the years, one such car was the Toyota Avensis T250. Replacing the T210/220 in 2003 this model proved to be a massive winner for Toyota. A good way of judging if a car will last or not is to keep an eye out for the number of taxi drivers who drive them, and by my reckoning this is a favourite with taxi drivers.
The T250’s body was massively changed from the T210/220. The new Avensis took its neater styling from the French who really did add a touch of class to this car. In 2004 the Avensis won the Semperit Irish Car of the Year award, it came fourth in the European Car of the Year awards 2004 and What Car? awarded it "Best Family Car" for 2004 and 2005.
The Avensis received a 5 star Ncap rating and it is considered to be a safe enough car for passengers. If you decide to purchase a diesel model you should be pleasantly surprised with their D-4D engines. D-4D engine Toyotas drive like petrol cars but has much better fuel efficiency and lower emissions, and this is always good for the pocket!
The Avensis is a very trustworthy and reliable car and this is visible through the sheer amount of them you see on Irish roads. One flaw which did come to light in April 2013 was that 1,761 of the cars manufactured between 2000 and 2004 were recalled over airbag issues.
There aren’t that many common complaints about the Avensis. Here is a few I have heard of; it takes a long time to de-mist the windows, people have also complained about the air con. There has been some talk about a problem with the head gasket in the 2.2 Diesel, which according to some Toyota forums can occur after 45,000.
If you’re considering a diesel model check the log book to see if the cam belt was changed, it is recommended that it’s changed every 60,000 miles or so, petrol models use chains instead of cam belts, so changing them isn’t necessary, unless of course you do something drastic to it!
Overall the Toyota Avensis T250 is a very reliable car, and despite the recalls of April 2013 it is still regarded as a very well built car. The interior of the Avensis is basic and borderline boring, but this wouldn’t put most people off making a reliable purchase. If the Toyota Avensis isn’t for you why not consider the Mazda 6, a Ford Mondeo, the Skoda Octavia or even the VW Passat?
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2 comments
Very reliable car, I had tat generation and the one before
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Had an automatic one of these - 2008 - loved it.
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