For a long time Toyota was seen by the world as the brand with the motto "the best built cars in the world". Sadly for the manufacturing giant that title was slightly tarnished by the many, many, recalls they've had over the last few years. Toyota has kept the motto though, which irks me a little. They were the best built cars in the world for a long time, but they should take away that motto for a while until they rebuild their reputation.
We've looked at the T250 here before on Car Buyers Guide, and this week we're looking at its replacement, the Toyota T270. This is a much better looking vehicle than its predecessor – the outgoing T250 wasn’t bad looking at all, but it doesn’t even compare to the well-sculpted curves of the T270. Although this car looks great on the outside, sadly it is jam packed with the same type of boring interior as before. Don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly comfortable inside, but any T270s I’ve driven over the years I feel have let me down in the excitement department.
Despite my giving out at the start of this piece Toyota do still build a reliable car. The engines are good, and as time is telling, whenever they find a fault they are quick enough to recall the vehicle and fix potential problems. There is a reason why so many taxi drivers drive these cars around Irish cities and towns. They will generally get you where you need to go.
Like any second hand car older T270s can have a few problems. Owners have complained of the Diesel Particulate Filter blocking up. If you do happen to test drive one of these turn over the engine and if you smell fuel in the cabin then you may have this problem. Other symptoms of this problem include your car running roughly.
Another item which people complain about is with the electric parking brake actuator. What happens here is that the brake releases itself when it should be on. What owners suggest is that if you do park on any description of gradient you should leave the car in gear.
Outside of the problems mentioned above I do feel that the Avensis is a good and reliable car. From my experience it is a bit boring on the inside and in terms of performance, but I have to admit that its exterior styling is nice. If you are considering purchasing a T270, or any other second hand car, please get advice from a mechanic.
If the Avensis T270 is not for you, why not check out the Mazda6, BMW 5 Series, Hyundai i40, Opel Insignia or even a Mercedes C-Class?
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