WHY THE 2016 TOYOTA AVENSIS ESTATE IS TERRIBLE?

Hi this is a review of the Toyota Avensis Business Edition 1.8 CVT auto. We borrowed this car for a journey we were going on. It's safe to say that it wasn't really the most enjoyable of experiences. Enjoy the video!

This is a brief summary of my time in a new 2016 Toyota Avensis Touring. Estate to you and me, business edition.

The car came with a 1.8l 147hp petrol engine with a CVT automatic gearbox. has a top speed of 124mph reaches 62 miles per hour in 10.7 seconds and

It comes with paddle shifts, multifunction tft display with nav and bluetooth although I struggled getting it to play music off my iPhone despite being connected and saying it could.
It’s safe to say the car left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

#toyotaavensis #avensisestate #toyotaavensisestate

0:12 - Overview of Toyota Avensis Touring
0:23 - Engine Specs and Performance
0:38 - Features: Paddle Shifts, Multi-function Display
0:46 - Connectivity Issues with iPhone
0:52 - Car Pricing and Value
1:04 - Initial Disappointment with Performance
1:15 - Driving Impressions Begin
1:25 - Extreme Dislike for the Car
1:41 - Struggle to Find Positives
1:51 - Critique of Buyer's Choice
2:08 - Suggests Alternatives to Avensis
2:27 - Dislikes Car's User Interface
2:53 - Issues with Seat Adjustments
3:50 - Heating and Comfort Problems
4:26 - Criticism of CVT Gearbox Feel
5:06 - Ineffective Paddle Shifts Criticized
5:30 - Wants Better Seat and Heating
6:00 - Sport Mode Lacks Effectiveness
6:30 - Gear Lever Design Criticized
7:00 - Feels Car is Too "American"
7:59 - Describes Car's Design as Lazy
8:27 - Frustration with Gearbox Continued
9:01 - Eco vs. Sport Mode Uselessness
9:36 - Steering Wheel One Good Feature
11:16 - Recommends German Cars Over Avensis

[johntate]

This guy deletes comments. I came on last year and it was absolutely full of people slagging him off. He's not only clueless, he's also a coward.

[SM-prqt]

The Avensis is the most reliable car in the world. I have had two T27 models both Saloon and never had any issues with them at all. What a car

[ThomasMarxJeetKuneDoIFO]

I just bought this car. I like it, switched from my celica to this. Basically the same engine, was driving it for 18 year. There are electric seats for this car as well.

[pbsa]

Probably the best Avensis advert I've seen in a while. Yes, I treat a car as I do any other appliance because that's what it is.
I've not driven avensis with cvt yet but I did about 200k in other toyotas with cvt, ecvt and find them pleasingly boring and extremely reliable, though I agree- not exactly sporty in any way. OK, off to AutoTrader now... Thanks for not sitting on the fence...

[ThePANDA]

That's a brutal review! Very funny too. Yet you've still not managed to deter me from keeping the Avensis on my shortlist as you can pick them up quite cheaply and will be way more reliable than any competitor.

[sanathkumar]

I have a manual 1.8L petrol Avensis. bought it used.
It always starts and never lets me down.

[DaveyMan-rt]

If it was me, I'd get the diesel, specifically the 2.0 d4d business edition. (The d4d is basically a diesel, and it is in 4 wheel drive). Sometimes petrols can be a bit slow. The diesels are better, they are more economical, a bit faster and more efficient, but although they aren't aesthetically pleasing to look at, they are still very reliable.
My neighbour has one of these, I see it literally everyday.
However, if I ever want to buy a Toyota Avensis, I would either get this (the 2015 facelift), or the 2009-2015 pre-facelift. That one may be ever so slightly better really.

[saddoncarrs]

I've been driving an Avensis 1.8 BE CVT for 3 years now. As you say, the infotainment system is less than perfect, as is the CV transmission and changing the "sport" button and flappy paddles for heated seats would have been a good swap.
These cars were built in Derbyshire - and I think the staff there did an excellent job. I find the build quality is second to none - the doors close with a reassuring "thunk", all the controls, knobs and switches have a quality action and there isn't a hint of a rattle or squeak anywhere. Reliability is unquestionable - just breathe on the key and she fires into life first time, every time - and to date, I haven't required any warranty work carried out on the car at all. Barring accidents, and providing it continues to be properly maintained, I think it will outlive any BMW/Merc/Audi etc. I also find the Avensis comfortable, very spacious (for passengers and luggage) and a refined cruiser.
I'd agree that it is certainly not an enthusiasts car, but then it was never meant to be one. If driving pleasure is your gig (and good luck with that on UK roads), look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a spacious, comfortable, frugal, refined, very reliable and noticeably cheap used car, you could do a lot worse than the Avensis. Just be sure to check the service record (which, I suppose, goes for any car).

[HE]

Would have been nice to cover all aspects of the veh like rear seats, boot etc.. I had a pre-facelift 1.8 manual estate as our family car and the 2 years we had it the car was faultless - however it has no driver engagement or life or anything when driving and compared to modern engines this old school 1.8 is just out of date and touch.
The switch gear has not changed in at least 20 years (had mk1 Avensis for 8 years with same switches). In my view toyota have spent all the development budget on hybrid and hydrogen engines with nothing left for how the car drives or feels.
I looked at this facelift at launch and even the toyota salesman stated "it's an avensis what do you expect", saying that he clearly had done no research on the new model as knew nothing about it. I also commented on how bad the toyota auto box is regardless of model and was assured it had been improved since my 2010 experience in a land cruiser, perhaps they were wrong !

Keep up the good work to give honest/independent reviews.

[peetu]

This review didn't age that well, it's only about the car as a new where I totally understand it, it's not even close to the best choice if you are going to use over 30k on a car, tho some people think about the maintenance costs as well which are around 2-4x depending which German car we're talking about and without even considering it, it kills this whole review in the first place, but when they are used it's a totally different story. If you are looking for a affordable 5 years old big car at a pretty low price, you don't have so many options, used bmws and Audis are trash and will take a ridiculous amount of cash to maintain, which probably isn't the best choice if you are looking for a lower priced big car. There are a lot of Mondeos tho which are utter garbage when they are driven over 200k and ofc you have your french shit shows as well which don't even like the cold climate. Passats and Octavias and superbs are ~30% more expensive except TSI ASG which has been an absolute joke and the Mazda 6 is also 20-25% more expensive.

[lucyloo]

The 1.8 with the manual gearbox is a lot better car to drive than the one you had with the dreadful CVT. The CVT makes the whole driving experience dull.But it's not really fair to condem the whole avensis range because you ended up with one of worst .It was nice of you to reply and I'm looking forward to watching more of your reviews.

[keddedermann]

Completely agree,
I own one (Manual shift) for 4 years now, was originally considering a used MB C220D, but I went for the "safe choice" in terms of new car based on quality reports from "ADAC pannenstatistik" and others...
Regret that now...
Quaility has been a huge disapointment, while the dealership is trying to talk around problems until out of waranty, rattle from engine judged "completely normal", suspension has a certain resonance freqency where it has a very slight jitter, making it anoying at certain speeds.
clutch changed on warranty, but only after much discussion and video evidence was presented to the dealer, then it all of a sudden was a "well known issue"
Apparently the shaft seal towards the clutch has a design flaw that leaks gearbox oil into the clutch bell, leading to clutch slipping under load...crap design. amazing as the design is "100 years" old by now...Toyota only facelifted from previous models and made no improvement of quality...
Only good thing to say is, interior has a decent build quality.... wel.... that said, the inner front door-handles has a squecking noise when pulling it (two plastic parts that dont seat fully, so they rub = squek-sound) Poor design or worn out casting tools?
Advice;
Avoid it, if you want toyota quality, buy a 1989 corolla...

[tbir]

Funny review. I don’t like this version at all but the previous two were decent cars. Always ultra reliable - especially the petrol version - which ran and ran without fuss. Which? has it as a Best Buy which goes to show how subjective reviews are. I agree with you about the CVT - the slipping clutch feel / sound would be a serious pain.

[tomwall]

This is not a real Toyota it's just a badge on grill it's not even Japanese engine it's a bmw engine older Toyota's never die but that new modern trash is just disgusting

[arjen]

I just read this review and for me it sealed the deal, in a negative sense. I thought I would like paddle shifters. Glad you set me straight. Now I know the car doesn't have it, but what would your take be on a head-up display? Another useless gimmick?

[theyjustwantyourmoney]

It might not be the best but nothing will deter me from considering it, Toyota is a safer zone to play in, at least.

[superthierry]

The Nissan Juke takes motoring journalism to the next level 🤣🤣 anyway I drive an Avensis Tourer 2.2 d4d 2010 T spirit with a the toys 😁😁. Nothing exciting in fact I thought it handled like a ship🛳️😑 but now I appreciate it's remit as unremarkable reliable transport which is Toyota all over. Previously I owned a Honda Accord Type R.. VTEC Yo.. So I did struggle in the beginning 😩. Moving on the Mondeo, Pug 408, Insignia and Passat alike are all boring cars...? Nobody will look at you, steal it or try to race you.. 🤣 The Mazda 6 is supposed to be a good drive.. Gearbox is lifted from the MX5 and the steering rack from the RX8 awaiting a review? 😎

[hassankhan]

Old Toyotas were best not only that but the older avensis the 1st and 2nd gen were very good built and reliable and everything was good as it did improve in 2nd gen which they had great quality interiors speacily the top range models with leather seats and electric seats electric mirrors and good quality with good engines mainly the 2.0l diesel are the best engines.

[sizif]

Well, Toyotas are reliable work donkeys, not race horses or comfy carriages. One should know that before buying. We all like the driving dynamics and the comfort of the german counterparts, but their reliability record and maintenance expenses in the lasts 20 years has been very poor in comparison to Toyota, to say the least...Especially if you buy second hand.

[stephentaege]

Blimmey this Toyota is nearly identical to my Hyundai i40estate