Toyota Avensis Touring Sports estate (2015-2018) - Engines, drive & performance
On the road, the Toyota Avensis estate doesn't offer much excitement
While the Toyota Avensis Touring Sports estate offers a range of engines, the problem is that none of them really stands out. There isn't a wide variation of performance, as power starts at 110bhp in the 1.6-litre diesel and goes up just to 145bhp in the 1.8-litre petrol.
The diesel engines definitely suit the estate, however you should think twice about ordering the CVT automatic gearbox, because it reduces both performance and efficiency. The steering is pretty average, but overall the Avensis is a comfortable motorway cruiser.
Toyota Avensis estate petrol engine
There’s currently just the one petrol engine available – a 1.8-litre with either a manual or automatic gearbox. On paper, it gets from 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds with the manual gearbox, while the automatic is a full second slower. In practice, it feels rather sluggish when you try to drive it fast. Top speed is 124mph.
Diesel engines
The diesel range consists of a 1.6-litre and a 2.0-litre and both are available with manual gearboxes only. The former will do 0-62mph in 11.7 seconds and go on to a top speed of 112mph. The latter is a little more spirited, but not exactly fast – 0-62mph is done in 9.8 seconds in this case.
Both engines are pretty quiet on the move, but you have to juggle between gears to make sufficient progress with the 1.6-litre engine, which simply doesn't have enough power. The larger 2.0-litre feels more flexible and we think it's the better option.
