Toyota Avensis Touring Sports estate (2015-2018) - Practicality & boot space

The Toyota Avensis Touring Sports estate boasts generous dimensions and a pretty roomy interior, particularly in the boot. The car is 4.8 metres long and 1.8 metres wide – slightly smaller than the Mazda6 Tourer and Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer. If that sounds like it'll be tricky to park, you should look at the optional parking sensors or camera – or choose a high-spec trim that has them fitted as standard.

Toyota Avensis estate interior space & storage

There's lots of space for passengers inside the Avensis – four adults are able to sit comfortably with plenty of knee and headroom, even taller occupants. Three kids will be fine in the back, as there’s no transmission tunnel on the floor in front of the middle rear seat, so there’s plenty of foot space there, too.

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A huge glovebox, a decent cup-holder in the centre console and good-sized door bins mean there’s plenty of storage sports for everyday clutter, but the most impressive compartment is under the front armrest, where you can comfortably fit a handbag.

Boot space

The Tourer offers 543 litres of luggage space with the standard split-folding rear seats still in place, which is fairly generous in this class. The boot offers some clever practical touches such as side pockets and a hidden storage compartment under the floor for storing valuables away from prying eyes. The flexible parcel shelf folds in as required if you need more space beneath it.

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The back seats fold down easily at the touch of a button. Once they’re folded down, total boot space expands to an impressive 1,609 litres – which is only slightly behind the class-leading Volkswagen Passat's 1,731-litre maximum capacity. Both the Toyota and VW fall short of the huge space offered by the Ford Mondeo Estate, though.