Used Toyota Avensis cars for sale

First released in 1997, the Toyota Avensis is a practical, mid-size family car. Over its three generations, the Avensis has been released as a four-door saloon, five-door liftback and an estate, demonstrating its all-round suitability and adaptability.

Good running costs are a large part of the Avensis’ appeal, with a good range of petrol and diesel engines all offering good fuel economy. As well as its affordability, the model has been designed with a spacious cabin across all its iterations, ensuring it remains a popular family car regardless of its different facelifts.

Thanks to its competitive price, good comfort and practicality, the Mk3 Avensis competes with other practical models, such as the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and Mazda 6.

Updates and facelifts to the Toyota Avensis

The Avensis was first released in 1997. The Mk1 came with a selection of four engines and was available as a saloon, liftback and estate. It received a facelift in 2000, which added sat nav and new trims to the model.

The Mk2 Avensis was launched in 2003 with a saloon and estate body and an extensive selection of trims. A facelift in 2006 remodelled its front grille, head and rear lights, bumpers and front fog lights. New tyres, wheels and door mirrors were also added. Inside the cabin, new materials and finishes were added to the dashboard.

The Mk3 was released in 2009 only as a saloon and estate. This model came with technology, such as an adaptive front lighting system and cruise control. It received a facelift in 2012, which added a new front grille and taillights. A second facelift in 2015 added new engines and even more styling.

The Avensis remained in production in the UK until August 2018, when it was discontinued.

Practicality of a used Toyota Avensis

The Mk3 Avensis saloon has a length of 4,750mm, height of 1,480mm and width of 1,810mm, which makes it one of the more compact models in the saloon class. The third-generation estate has a length of 4,820mm for even more cabin legroom, and is also one of the more compact estates on the market.

The Avensis saloon has reasonable boot space of 509 litres, which can be expanded to 1,320 litres by folding the rear seats down. This is more boot space than many of its rivals, including the Ford Mondeo’s 500 litres or the Vauxhall Insignia’s 490 litres, making it well suited to day-to-day bags and shopping. In its estate body, the Mk3 Avensis has a slightly larger 543-litre boot, which can grow to a larger 1,609 litres with the seats folded down.

The Avensis is a useful model for family getaways with its maximum towing braked capacity of up to 1,300kg, meaning it can tow some small trailers.

Running costs

The Avensis is a reasonable model to run, with the saloon’s insurance group running from 15 to 26, which is average when compared to the Mazda 6 Saloon’s range of 18-31 and Ford Mondeo’s 17-30. The estate’s premiums fall between groups 15 and 28. The Mondeo estate’s groups range from 15 to 31, while the Mazda 6 estate falls between 16-31.

Both body types of a used Toyota Avensis qualify for a maximum annual road tax of up to £290, which is good for this class of models. The Ford Mondeo also qualifies for a maximum of £290 while the Vauxhall Insignia qualifies for a maximum of £570.

How a used Toyota Avensis drives

The Avensis model has come with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines over its different generations. In the Mk3, only the petrol engines are available with an automatic gearbox – a Multidrive S CVT. A six-speed manual gearbox is available on both petrol and diesel options.

In its petrol lineup, an Avensis can come with a 1.6-litre engine with 130bhp. This engine returns 44mpg and accelerates from 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds.

There is also a 145bhp, 1.8-litre engine, which returns 47.1mpg and can reach 62mph in 9.4 seconds.

The 2.0-litre petrol engine generates 147bhp, achieves around 50mpg and accelerates to 62mph in 9.1 seconds.

In the diesel range, you will find a 1.6-litre D-4D engine, which produces 110bhp. It achieves 67.3mpg and achieve 0-62mph in 11.8 seconds.

There is also a 2.0-litre option which has 141bhp, helping it get to 62mph in 9.5 seconds. This engine also achieves good economy and delivers 62.8mpg.

The 2.2-litre engine can produce either 148bhp or 175bhp. The former accelerates to 62mph in 8.9 seconds and returns 51mpg. The latter gets to 62mph in 8.6 seconds while achieving 46.3mpg.

Engines and official MPG

Please refer to the table below for a comprehensive list of engines and their official MPG figures.

2015 - 2019

Engine	Official NEDC MPG
1.6 D-4D	67.3 mpg
1.8 V-Matic	47.1–58.9 mpg
1.8 V-Matic automatic	46.3–58.9 mpg
2.0 D-4D	58.9–62.8 mpg

Features you can expect to find in a used Toyota Avensis

Interior

Inside the cabin, the Avensis has a very good amount of space. Three tall adults can sit comfortably in the rear with more than enough leg and headroom for staying comfortable on long journeys. These rear seats also recline, ensuring rear passengers always have a comfortable position.

The Avensis has a well-organised and practical interior. In the Mk3, soft-touch plastics feature on the centre console and dashboard, giving these a robust feeling. Soft fabric seats also mean there’s plenty of comfort to be had throughout.

The Avensis has a reasonably high seating position, giving the driver a good view of the road. Depending on the age and trim of your model, you will also have a leather multi-functional steering wheel and gear stick with a satin chrome insert. The Mk3’s driving seat’s electric lumbar support is a welcome addition and helps you stay comfortable over long distances.

Entertainment in the Avensis is provided by a functional radio and CD player, which supports MP3 and WMA. In the Mk3, mid-grade trims also come with an eight-inch multimedia display on the centre console. This display has Bluetooth connectivity, displays sat nav and supports the model’s hands-free dialling system.

Mid-grade Mk3 models will also have a 4.2-inch TFT digital instrument display, which shows all your model’s important drive information, such as your average speed, distance driven and fuel consumption.

Technology

A used Avensis comes with drive-enhancing technology such as a pre-crash safety system with autonomous emergency braking, cruise control, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and power windows. On the exterior, you will also find LED head and rear daytime running lights.

There is also a vehicle stability control system, traction control, tyre pressure monitoring system and a hill-start assist to make pulling out of difficult spots easier.

Safety

Toyota has a strong safety record, with the Avensis awarded the maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. It also achieved an adult occupant score of 93% and a child occupant score of 83%. You will find two ISOFIX points in the outer rear seats for easily attaching child safety seats. Its safety features include surround airbags, emergency braking and seatbelt alerts.

Trims available on a used Toyota Avensis

Toyota Avensis Active

This trim comes with 16-inch steel wheels, a Piano Black front grille with a chrome insert, LED front and rear daytime running lights and halogen headlamps. Inside, there is black and grey fabric upholstery, satin chrome side and front air vents, fabric door trim, air conditioning, a six-speaker sound system and an electro chromatic rear-view mirror.

Toyota Avensis Business Edition

This trim comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic dusk and rain sensors, a partial leather door trim, black fabric seat trim with a Lunar Grey or Golden Copper Alcantara leather insert and a smart entry and start system. You will also find heated front seats, a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster, 8-inch multimedia display, dual-zone automatic climate control and a rear-view camera display.

Toyota Avensis Business Edition+

The Mid+ trim comes with black leather upholstery, push-button start, privacy glass on the rear windows, power retractable door mirrors and Lunar Grey stitching across all armrests.

Toyota Avensis Excel

The top-end Premium trim comes with 18-inch bi-tone alloy wheels, aluminium scruff plates, dark beige stitching throughout the interior, power sliding front and rear seats, driver’s seat memory functionality and a power tilting cushion, a ten-speaker sound system, Wi-Fi connectivity and voice recognition software.

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