Faults:

Dirty turbocharger kept cutting out the engine when accelerating.

Dual-mass clutch is faulty.

Driver's side window moves slowly.

Passenger seat has developed an irritating bump.

General Comments:

This is my second 'pre-owned' diesel Verso. I'm very sorry they've stopped making this model.

First car was excellent. Utterly reliable, cheap to service, very frugal on fuel (550 miles for 65 litres).

Second car is also good on fuel. But it has a faulty clutch and turbocharger. The (honest) dealer told me that when Avensis clutches start to rattle, it's going to go, and it's a £1500 repair. The turbocharger is so slow to respond that it can cut the engine out when accelerating - frightening and dangerous when you're overtaking. Needs a moderately pricey clean, but dealer couldn't guarantee this would fix the problem.

Bottom line: If the car hasn't been badly treated in a previous life (as this one probably was), Avensis Versos are a delight.

Faults:

Nothing yet.

General Comments:

We chose the Avensis Verso after considering full sized MPVs such as the Galaxy and Alhambra and also the mini-MPVs such as the Zafira and the Scenic.

In the end the Avensis Verso won because it suited our needs perfectly. We are a young couple with a toddler and expecting our second child next month.

This car is huge, but doesn't have the van like looks of the full size MPVs. It is longer than a Galaxy by a few millimetres, but slightly narrower and shorter hence it looks more like a large estate car. The boot with the two seats out is enormous.

It is reasonably economical considering its size for a petrol engine. We achieve 26-28mpg in town traffic and 36-38mpg on motorway trips.

This car is very versatile, it converts in minutes to a seven seater. Contrary to the motoring press the back seats are suited for an adult - we recently had two toddlers and an adult in the middle row (pushed forwards) and a six foot adult in the back comfortably.

There is a fair bit of body roll though not as much as you might expect for a car of these dimensions.

Faults:

Alarm over-sensitive, readjusted and no further problems.

Front brake disks warped and replaced at 8,000 miles.

CD unit/SatNav controller died at replaced at 24000.

Handbrake not releasing. Possible handbrake cable fault, currently under investigation under warranty.

General Comments:

This is a great car that has been used for everything. It has proven to be very versatile and we would not be without it.

Enough room for 2 adults (I am over 6'4" tall), 3 kids, 3 big dogs and camping equipment for two weeks. The adults and dogs also manage sleep in the back when the rear seat are removed.

The diesel economy is very good, 45mpg for general running around and 40mpg+ for motorway long runs with a full load.

The SatNav system is great, but make sure you get an up to date data CD.

Faults:

None yet, but it's early days.

My first Toyota and I'm guessing that they're as good as Nissans. Let's hope so.

General Comments:

Only 1000 miles so far so I will provide better updates later in the year, but I was keen to get a review of this new model on the site as there doesn't appear to be one yet.

The Verso is made in Japan unlike its saloon/hatch namesake which is made in the UK. And the name is all that they share; there are no common components. Toyota obviously plumped for the Avensis name in an attempt to make it clear where this car sits in their ever-expanding range of MPVs (Previa, Yaris Verso, Corolla Verso). It's also much better than carrying-over the old Picnic name!

The Verso is a similar size as a Galaxy type MPV, but it has been styled to make it appear a bit more compact. It's advantage is it's extra length which gives it a useful boot even with all 7 seats in place. Even better is the under floor area in the boot which gives an extra 90 litres of secure, out-of-sight space. Brilliant. The spare wheel is underneath the car near the driver's seat by the way.

Seats are standard MPV fare. 7 individual. Back 5 come out, fold into tables, slide, etc. Legroom in middle row is excellent. Back row not really a place for adults.

Separate heater and aircon units in back are useful. MPV's that don't have this usually have to blast the front seat passengers with hot/cold air to have any effect on the back row passengers. The Verso's system works very well. We can even have it hot in the back and cool in the front (or vice versa).

Upfront is typical Toyota. Tad bland but well equipped and put together. Auto is column shift which makes life a lot easier and frees up a walkway between the two front seats.

Satnav is standard on the GLS and is excellent and simple to use. Still just a gimmick though in my view.

Visibility is as expected on an MPV. High with lots of glass. Driving position is good and very adjustable.

Stereo is only OK. The size of the cabin seems to make it sound a bit lost unless you crank it up.

Driving is good. Very smooth transmission and acceptable power from their newish VVT-I engine. Starts to get a bit wheezy and boomy over 90 but otherwise very good.

Handling is quite astonishing. A multitude of electronic aids turn it into something really quite fun.

So far so good. Its nowhere near as fast and smooth as my old car. But it was the only full sized MPV I could find with auto and reasonable economy (32mpg so far) and it's rapidly becoming an essential part of the family.