Raising the standard in automotive technology and value is no mean feat. Thanks to competition and strong corporate willpower, a couple of companies manage to pull off this achievement regularly, to the benefit of their customers and to the detriment of the competition. One such earthshaking event was Toyota’s introduction of the Innova in 2005. In one stroke, the company rewrote the rulebook on affordable MPVs, and single-handedly made the AUV category obsolete.
Then Toyota released the sequel, the Fortuner SUV. If these cars were movies, they would be considered a blockbuster franchise: Spider-man 1 and 2. Following up such a successful act can be tricky. And the unenviable task falls to the Avanza compact MPV. On paper, the Avanza is a great idea: a compact seven-seat MPV for the price of a loaded Japanese hatchback. Does the newest member of the Toyota utility vehicle family deliver the knockout punch? A weeklong drive soon answered that question.
From the outside, the Avanza looks the part of Innova’s younger brother. It’s 435 mm shorter and 140 mm narrower than the Innova, and thus loses a bit of the latter’s spot-on proportions. Details such as the single-piece clear headlamps and tall taillamps are de rigueur for a modern van.
Pull on the tiny door handle and the plot begins to unravel. We can forgive an MPV for being plain on the outside, if the interior is up to speed. Unfortunately, interior plastics and fabrics are suspiciously low-cost in appearance and feel. The center console wobbles, and the seat levers feel flimsy.
Inexplicably, some interior controls are stunningly outdated. One is the fixed steering column. It’s difficult to find a comfortable driving position with a steering wheel that doesn’t even adjust for tilt. Another is the single-mode rear-view mirror. A daytime-nighttime switch on the rear view mirror was standard equipment on Toyotas from 30 years ago; we know because we have one in our garage. The rear hatch is convenient—but why does it lack a handle to open it? To do that, you have to use the key, as you would with a sedan’s trunk—not easy when you’re carrying bags.
The seat layout is efficient and roomy. The middle row can seat two comfortably and three in a pinch. The third row has legroom adequate for 1.7-meter tall adults. With all seats up, there’s barely enough luggage room for a laptop bag. The middle row split-folds and tilts forward for access to the rear, and the rear seat can also be folded and flipped forward. With the rear seat out of the way, there’s enough luggage room for an airport run. With both rows folded up, there’s a huge 955 liters of storage space available.
The Avanza doesn’t fall short when it comes to the equipment list: power windows, door locks and steering; dual aircon; CD/MP3 audio; and keyless entry and alarm are standard on the 1.5G. There’s a driver’s-side airbag.
A big plus on the Avanza’s balance sheet is the acceleration to be had from the 1.5 liter inline-4. A typical Toyota engine, it delivers good torque from just off idle. The 16-valve revs willingly to 6500 rpm and with a cheerfully raspy engine note, accelerates the van to 120 km/h with a full load of passengers. At those speeds, full attention and a quick hand at the steering wheel are needed. The Avanza begins to feel light, and it doesn’t take kindly to road imperfections and crosswinds. The four-speed automatic is not as smooth or intuitive as those in Toyota’s other vehicles, but it willingly downshifts and holds gear with prompting from a heavy right foot. Our recorded fuel economy was 9 km/liter.
The MacPherson strut front, live-axle rear suspension delivered more shake and shudder than we would have liked. Body roll and roadholding are acceptable, but twisty flyovers are best taken at more sedate speeds. The small footprint and tight turning circle makes it highly maneuverable on city streets and in parking lots. Braking is thankfully unremarkable.
The Tamaraw FX and then the Revo combined so many functions—family vehicle, semi-upscale semi-SUV, and taxi—that three new models were needed to replace it. The Avanza best embodies the taxi function. The entry-level 1.3 J model only costs P582,000. It even looks good in white.
Is the top-line Avanza G the ideal vehicle for families on a budget? At a price scraping past that of an entry-level Innova, we would recommend the Innova instead. In some ways, the Avanza is still a step forward from the AUV. But after a three-year winning streak of comfortable, supremely refined products, from Vios to Fortuner to Camry, we had expected more from Toyota. It’s as if Spider-Man 3 had featured, instead of the Sandman, a guy with a fishbowl on his head to play Mysterio. Setting the bar high necessitates a truly superior follow-up.
Text By Jason K. Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang
Originally Published in The Manila Bulletin
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