We’re expecting five-star performance from Toyota Avensis Touring Sports’ safety systems. At the core of the car the body structure has been strengthened over the previous car, with extra welding to make the shell stronger.

There are several airbags on board catering for front and rear passengers, two ISOFIX child seat lashing points on the rear seats, stability control, hill-start assist, tyre pressure monitoring, cruise control with a speed limiter and an electric parking brake.

The firm is famous for building strong and safe vehicles, and there is a raft of features called Toyota Safety Sense as standard which aim to keep you and those around you away from harm. All models get a pre-collision system which prepares the car’s brakes for optimum performance for an impact, while automatic emergency braking is on hand too, stopping the car at up to 19mph and mitigating the effects of a crash above that speed.

On all models above base Active specification you also get lane departure warning, automatic high-beam headlights and a system which reads and displays traffic signs such as speed limits or no-overtaking signs for your information, should you have missed them.

Other available safety systems include dusk-sensing LED headlights and automatic wipers on higher trim levels.

There’s enough room for five adults in the cabin, though the middle rear seat might be a bit of a squeeze for long journeys.

The boot measures 543 litres, which is a useful 34 more than the saloon, but crucially the boot opening is far easier to access and the load lip is lower too. If you fold the rear seats down there’s 1,609 litres on offer, and there’s also a small load space under the boot floor to store items you don’t want on show or rattling around the luggage area.

But those boot figures once again lag behind the VW Passat Estate, which has a far bigger 650 and 1,780 litres respectively on offer.

You’ve got just one cup holder (featuring a sliding cover) in the front unless you choose to employ the one hidden under the adjustable armrest in the centre console. Under that there’s a decent-sized storage space, and the glovebox is of a reasonable size too.

In the door pockets you’ll fit bottles into along with documents or the like. Rear passengers get an armrest (unless there’s three of you) that includes a pair of cup-holders.