Faults:

Oil leak, alternator, electronic parking brake issues, suspension, clutch, usual older car stuff.

Minor rust here and there, but nothing major or out of the ordinary for its age. Watch for sub frame rust however as with any car this old. Expensive to replace.

General Comments:

Reliable, modern, nice to drive, but a little dull, that is the Avensis in a nutshell.

I have had this car six years and loved it. Been mostly reliable apart from some wear and tear parts needing attention, the car has lived up to its reputation as a no nonsense reliable car.

T4 is a high spec, the interior is lovely and has all the electronics of the time. Leather seats wearing well. Reverse camera and sat nav very dated looking now however, quite blurry on the center screen. But I can retro fit better if I really want to. Exterior is white and has nice alloy wheels, I still think it looks good for well over a decade old now.

Nice and smooth to drive, 2.0 diesel performance is OK and it does around 48 - 51 mpg on average.

Boot space is massive, very practical car, back seats are also spacious and comfy.

Passed another MOT recently with no issues. Plan to keep this car another six years! Classic Toyota as my summary says - I will always drive Toyota, they have never let me down. Look after it well and it will look after you.

Faults:

ABS.

Rear suspension broken (shocks).

Air con non operative.

Uses oil like it's going out of fashion. A known issue with the 1.8 petrol. As reliable as this engine is, oil is expensive these days so this is annoying! Clearly burning it rather than consuming, there is a bit of blue smoke from exhaust.

General Comments:

Avensis Tourer - a boring estate car. It is good enough for me however as an older car I got for a nice price (usually these cars are WAY overpriced).

Famous Toyota "reliability" seems true, I have had the car a couple of years with no major problems. That oil consumption is annoying though, I'd get it fixed but it probably requires a whole engine recondition to fix, which at this age and mileage is not worth it. At-least I do not have diesel problems like the "D4D" engines get. The 1.8 petrol's strengths are in refinement and low noise. It is also fairly economical for a petrol engine in a heavy estate car - I get around 37 mpg.

Nice to drive, fast enough and handles very well for what it is.

A bit ugly looking exterior, not Toyota's best design.

Inside is dull also but very, very comfortable. T4 model has the lot. Leather, electrics, windows tines, etc.

If you get one at a good price, they are worth it, otherwise they are the same as any car, nothing special about it.

Faults:

Brake pads seem to wear out quickly, don't know why as I drive carefully. Will get my local mechanic to investigate.

Passenger rear windows jammed.

Radiator replaced.

Sub frame rust warning at last MOT test.

General Comments:

Smooth driving car, the Avensis does all you need if you are after a reliable family car.

My silver 1.6 TR is a fairly basic model. Performance is OK and you get around 37 MPG.

Interior comfortable. Exterior OK looking. A pretty boring car.

Smooth on motorways, it is a very nice long distance cruising car.

Reliability has been OK, which these cars are famous for, but mine is 14 years old and rust is becoming a problem. But I got the car for a good price and it has never let me down; if I get another year or so out of it I will be happy.