Avensis 2.0 VVT-i 4-speed auto

[bronc]

I am in the process of replacing mydiesel  Mercedes-Benz with a petrol 02-09 Toyota Avensis in the search of reliability. I would like it to have an auto gearbox as I'm already used to one but I am a bit wary as the Toyota one is 4-speed. What RPM does it maintain highway speeds - say 130kmh (80mph)? Is the engine very loud? My Benz maintains around 2200RPM at those speeds but it's a diesel. I also have the option of an imported 2.4 VVT-i but as those weren't sold domestically getting one with a full service history will be difficult. 

[alan333]

I had a 1.8 vvti auto T25 Avensis (2003-2008 model) for a while.  It had 4 gears but also locked up at about 52mph, giving the equivalent of 5th gear.  I don't exactly recall the engine revs at motorway speeds but I'd guess 2500-3000rpm at about 70mph.  It was, however, gutless at motorway speeds.

I also had a 1.8 valvematic auto T27 Avensis (2009 on model).  It was a cvt auto and IIRC it sat around 2300 at 70mph but the revs rose quite a bit on motorway hills etc.  The power difference between the two models is immense.  

[xzirri]

I have the 2.0 D4 with the 4-speed auto. If I remember correctly, you'll end up at approximately 3000 RPM while doing 130 km/h. The engine isn't noisy but coming from a Benz you'll probably have to put up with a little bit more road noise than you're used to (depending on what Benz you've got of course). Nothing too bad, however.

I guess the 2.4 will have a lower RPM, as they were mated with a 5-speed auto. It's got a little more power as well but I guess you'll have to do lots of motorway driving to save money on fuel over the 2.0

Another thing to keep in mind is that the D4 variants of the engines have direct injection so if there's more than 5 % bioethanol in the regular 95 octane fuel in your country, you'll have to use 98 octane. Some countries have decided to use E10, so the 95 octane is now 10 % bioethanol and 90 % petrol.

[bronc]

Thanks. I'm coming from a W211 E Class so it's definitely a downgrade in terms of quality but I've had my fair share of it so I'm ready to sacrifice some of that for more reliability. I drive only 8-10k km a year ao maintaining a luxury car is not a very practical thing. I'd rather spend the money elsewhere :)

As for the bioethanol, I just checked and local laws require a minimum of 7% of it in A95. However, D4 cars were and still are sold by Toyota dealers locally. Also there are many on the road (not even close to the number of D4Ds but still) so that should be fine, no?

[xzirri]

I’m not sure how Toyota came to the conclusion that 5% is ok and 10% isn’t but the 1AZ-FSE and the 2AZ-FSE are the two only engines not compatible with E10. D4-D is a diesel engine and they don’t have the same issues.

You may want to call your closest Toyota dealer and figure out whether or not 95 will work for you.

Note that there’s also non-direct injection variants of the 1AZ and the 2AZ, think they are called 1AZ-FE and 2AZ-FE. I have been told that the Avensis was sold with these engines as well but I haven’t seen any in Norway. Easy way to tell the difference is that the plastic engine cover reads VVTi instead of D4. These engines can run E10 without problems.

[joyne]

Hello to all, My avensis 1AZ-FSE work very well with E10 (95 and 98).