Toyota Avensis Touring Sports (2015 - 2018) 2.0D Business Edition 5d Owner Review

Whilst the car is mechanically reliable and fairly decent to drive, it is let down by electrical issues, namely at night the forward facing camera throws up a warning fault notice on the dash. This was repaired under warranty a few months back by Toyota but has recurred and to be honest is a bit of a pain. Either I continue taking it back to Toyota or simply have the parking sensors disabled totally. Ironically having driven a variety of Fiats, Renaults and Citroëns for the last 25 years without a single electrical glitch (And they are reputed to have dodgy electrics, but don't believe all that bad press), I discover that my first Japanese vehicle is not the reliable vehicle it is reputed to be. Fuel consumption again is a disappointment with an average of only 45mpg (2.0 diesel) compared to 58mpg in my last car (Citroën C4) and 55mpg in the one before that (Citroën C5 2.0l). Comfort is OK as is the ride, but then French and Italian cars are a hard act to follow in that regard. On the plus side it is generally good to drive with a safe and a solid feel and a strong pulling engine though 5th and 6th gear are a little 'tall and interior room is good and being an estate, with the rear seats folded down there is a world of space, plus below the floor there are 3 very useful storage sections and it does come with a full sized spare wheel. Equipment levels are good though I do miss not having a CD option with the radio. Would I buy another Toyota? Probably not. I would be keen to return to Citroen but then the bulk of their range currently are SUV type cars which don't float my boat which was the reason I moved from that brand. To sum up: PLUS: A safe and mechanically reliable car with decent if not class leading comfort. Good warranty MINUS: Hard on fuel and some electrical issues and upper gear ratios could be better