Advice on which is the best used Avensis to buy 2013-2015?

[kingm]

Hi, I hope you are all well.

I am new to the forum so a big hello from me.

I am currently looking for a car to replace our trusty ford focus estate 2005. A car I loved to drive and use.

We are looking at getting a Avensis Esate as I have heard they are very reliable. Would anyone be able to share their experiences with the Avensis 3rd gen Estate (years approx 2012-2016)?

I just wondered if there were any years I should be targetting as better versions? I was thinking of going for the diesel engines (2.0), to reduce the Tax and then put this saved cash into servicing each year. I also understand that they produce good petrol engines, however I can't seem to find any on the used market at the moment.

From my understanding, the 3rd Gen/2nd facelift (2015-2018) changed their diesel engines to BMW which were not as reliable. Is this the case?

Currently I do 7-10k miles a year and was hoping my mileage/work trip would be enough to clear out the DPF filter? 50 minute (30 mile) trip with half at 30-50 mph and the other half at 50-70 mph.

What would be the best mileage to look out for, where a lot of the parts like disc brakes, clutch etc have been replaced already?

Anything to look out for when looking at a used car?

Any help and advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mark

[Cessna]

There are plenty of petrol estates on Autotrader, including the years you are interested in:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Avensis&postcode=e182ha&sort=price-desc

I have a petrol 2015 estate and I am very pleased with it. They all have the same engine, 1.8l with variable valve timing and lift (called V-Matic) giving 145BHP. They have an excellent reputation for reliability. There does seem to be some evidence that the V-Matic system can fail on early cars, so perhaps avoid pre-first facelift cars (2012ish). Similarly, the electronic parking brake was changed in around 2012 to avoid issues with water ingress causing it to fail. This is important because replacement is ~£1500!

Diesels are pretty much as you surmise (later ones are BMW with reliability issues).

Clutches and brakes will be variable depending on usage, so I don't think there is a general mileage there. Check them yourself or get one of the used vehicle checking services to do so for you.

Not much else to look out for really. The seals around the front quarterlights can degrade causing excessive wind noise, but is not too expensive to fix (I had it done under warranty and I think it would have cost ~£120 had it not been covered). The touchscreen on the multimedia unit can fail - if it needs a hard press or you have to press in a slightly different position to the button you are trying to press then it is halfway to failing. Replacement is ~£800, so worth checking.

Remember that Toyota have an excellent warranty scheme called Relax, where you automatically get 12 months cover when you have your car serviced at a Toyota dealer, if the car is less than 10 years old and has covered less than 100,000 miles. Worth the extra cost of getting the dealership to service the car rather than an independent in my opinion.

These cars are much bigger than a Focus, just so that you are aware (they were equivalent to a Mondeo in the respective product ranges).

[TonyHSD]

Hi Mark, 

I have no experience with Avensis myself and no idea about the engines especially the diesel ones but there are some members here that will help with useful information. The 1.8 petrol in either manual or auto cvt are good option imo. Another thing to point is that many of the estate Avensis are ex taxi, ph or other trade vehicles, as these are indeed good work horses. If no much of a choice and your budget allows you can also look at Auris estate 2016 -> , hybrid even better, or Corolla TS with 1.2T engine. Rare but nice cars. 
Good luck 

[Eddiefh]

Petrol all day , wouldn’t have a modern diesel given 

[NeilAvensisT]

Hi, I have an earlier 2010 1.8 VVT Petrol, but I believe the later cars are a variant / development of the same unit. It is a great engine for reliability, a little low on torque perhaps but all the same a super unit. If you trawl this forum the Diesels do not have a good reputation (as they are bought in BMW units). Go for a 1.8 petrol, similar MPG as a TD and , as stated, superbly reliable cars.

[Cessna]

3 hours ago, NeilAvensisT said:

Hi, I have an earlier 2010 1.8 VVT Petrol, but I believe the later cars are a variant / development of the same unit. It is a great engine for reliability, a little low on torque perhaps but all the same a super unit. If you trawl this forum the Diesels do not have a good reputation (as they are bought in BMW units). Go for a 1.8 petrol, similar MPG as a TD and , as stated, superbly reliable cars.

Good point regarding the torque. It is low on torque at low revs, but has plenty above 4000rpm where the variable valve timing and lift does its thing. So very much like MR2s and various Hondas - keep the revs high if you want rapid progress.

As stated, it is very economical If driven more sedately. It will return 45mpg or so on a long run at 65-70mph.

It is only the later Diesels that are BWM units that have reliability issues (from at or around the time of the second facelift). The earlier ones (Toyota designed) are virtually bullet-proof.

[kingm]

Thanks everyone for your comments. That is all very helpful and it looks like the petrol model is the one to go for with this car. Thanks so much, Mark

[kingm]

19 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Hi Mark, 

I have no experience with Avensis myself and no idea about the engines especially the diesel ones but there are some members here that will help with useful information. The 1.8 petrol in either manual or auto cvt are good option imo. Another thing to point is that many of the estate Avensis are ex taxi, ph or other trade vehicles, as these are indeed good work horses. If no much of a choice and your budget allows you can also look at Auris estate 2016 -> , hybrid even better, or Corolla TS with 1.2T engine. Rare but nice cars. 
Good luck 

 

19 hours ago, Cessna said:

There are plenty of petrol estates on Autotrader, including the years you are interested in:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Avensis&postcode=e182ha&sort=price-desc

I have a petrol 2015 estate and I am very pleased with it. They all have the same engine, 1.8l with variable valve timing and lift (called V-Matic) giving 145BHP. They have an excellent reputation for reliability. There does seem to be some evidence that the V-Matic system can fail on early cars, so perhaps avoid pre-first facelift cars (2012ish). Similarly, the electronic parking brake was changed in around 2012 to avoid issues with water ingress causing it to fail. This is important because replacement is ~£1500!

Diesels are pretty much as you surmise (later ones are BMW with reliability issues).

Clutches and brakes will be variable depending on usage, so I don't think there is a general mileage there. Check them yourself or get one of the used vehicle checking services to do so for you.

Not much else to look out for really. The seals around the front quarterlights can degrade causing excessive wind noise, but is not too expensive to fix (I had it done under warranty and I think it would have cost ~£120 had it not been covered). The touchscreen on the multimedia unit can fail - if it needs a hard press or you have to press in a slightly different position to the button you are trying to press then it is halfway to failing. Replacement is ~£800, so worth checking.

Remember that Toyota have an excellent warranty scheme called Relax, where you automatically get 12 months cover when you have your car serviced at a Toyota dealer, if the car is less than 10 years old and has covered less than 100,000 miles. Worth the extra cost of getting the dealership to service the car rather than an independent in my opinion.

These cars are much bigger than a Focus, just so that you are aware (they were equivalent to a Mondeo in the respective product ranges).

This is all reallly good info and what I was hoping for from the forum. So would you suggest to target something between 2013-2015 perhaps. Good to note these cars are bigger than the ford focus too. Cheers, Mark

[Cessna]

5 hours ago, kingm said:

 

This is all reallly good info and what I was hoping for from the forum. So would you suggest to target something between 2013-2015 perhaps. Good to note these cars are bigger than the ford focus too. Cheers, Mark

For Diesels yes, 2013-2015 would be a good choice (actually 2012-2015 but ensure first facelift). For petrols 2012 until end of production in 2018 (first or second facelift).

The first facelift is subtle, but easy enough to tell from the original models once you know the difference (especially the headlights and front grill). The second facelift was more substantial so is very easy to spot.

[Dava]

I have a 2015 Diesel Estate (Icon trim) now on 90,000 miles.

It is thoroughly reliable, economical and comfortable with a very good spread of torque.

I used to use it for my twice weekly commute of 120 miles with my 29er in the back, but since 2020 I am only doing around 4000 miles per year.

Its main use now is a tow car for a caravan, and it is the best tow car we have had so far, the previous one being a Passsat 1.9 TD and before that MPVs ( I have never felt the need for 4WD etc) will cruise at 60 mph and return 30 mpg when towing and 50+ solo.

I will be quite sad when it is no longer sustainable and do not have much of an idea with what to replace it (don't like SUVs).

 

 

[2009joe]

On 7/26/2023 at 3:33 PM, kingm said:

Hi, I hope you are all well.

I am new to the forum so a big hello from me.

I am currently looking for a car to replace our trusty ford focus estate 2005. A car I loved to drive and use.

We are looking at getting a Avensis Esate as I have heard they are very reliable. Would anyone be able to share their experiences with the Avensis 3rd gen Estate (years approx 2012-2016)?

I just wondered if there were any years I should be targetting as better versions? I was thinking of going for the diesel engines (2.0), to reduce the Tax and then put this saved cash into servicing each year. I also understand that they produce good petrol engines, however I can't seem to find any on the used market at the moment.

From my understanding, the 3rd Gen/2nd facelift (2015-2018) changed their diesel engines to BMW which were not as reliable. Is this the case?

Currently I do 7-10k miles a year and was hoping my mileage/work trip would be enough to clear out the DPF filter? 50 minute (30 mile) trip with half at 30-50 mph and the other half at 50-70 mph.

What would be the best mileage to look out for, where a lot of the parts like disc brakes, clutch etc have been replaced already?

Anything to look out for when looking at a used car?

Any help and advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Mark

i have  a 2014 business edt 2.0d4d avensis and its a cracking car drives smooth and well its a great car cant fault it one bit starts great and drives well .i got it through my friend who is a car dealer and he got it for me threw the British car auction. when i got it it was serviced threw Toyota  and it had only 38k on the clock . so i would advice to get one like mine great car. 

[kingm]

Just picking up on a comment above about the Avensis been a lot bigger than the Focus.

Would the Auris be a btter choice and have similar reliability? Was looking at the 3rd gen Auris Touring Sports estate (2013-2015) 1.6 V-Matic petrol, which are a bit more reasonably priced too.

Thanks!

[2009joe]

21 minutes ago, kingm said:

Just picking up on a comment above about the Avensis been a lot bigger than the Focus.

Would the Auris be a btter choice and have similar reliability? Was looking at the 3rd gen Auris Touring Sports estate (2013-2015) 1.6 V-Matic petrol, which are a bit more reasonably priced too.

Thanks!

i think the auris is more or less like the avensis without the boot tbh 

[kingm]

I was looking at the Auris Estate, but good to know they are similar with regarsd to reliability.

[TonyHSD]

11 hours ago, kingm said:

Just picking up on a comment above about the Avensis been a lot bigger than the Focus.

Would the Auris be a btter choice and have similar reliability? Was looking at the 3rd gen Auris Touring Sports estate (2013-2015) 1.6 V-Matic petrol, which are a bit more reasonably priced too.

Thanks!

The Auris estate is exact equivalent of a Focus estate where the Avensis it’s actually a Mondeo. If you looking at this focus golf segment then the Auris is the more suitable option in terms of size. The reliability will be very similar. Usually the most reliable Toyotas of recent times are the hybrids. Then the petrol only and then at the end the diesels which doesn’t necessarily mean they are not good. 
Here we have my most favourite petrol used Toyota estates on autotrader , if me I will buy one of these. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306158567633?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Corolla&page=1&postcode=HP3 9EB&fromsra

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307089431266?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Avensis&postcode=HP3 9EB&year-from=2014&fromsra

 

[kingm]

Thanks for the comments. I would love to get these cars! However, we have a budget of about 5-7k unfortunately so need to look at something a bit older like 2011-2013 probably. Should I be aiming for the 1.8 leter petrol engine around this time. Cheers!

[kingm]

On 7/26/2023 at 6:38 PM, Cessna said:

There are plenty of petrol estates on Autotrader, including the years you are interested in:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Avensis&postcode=e182ha&sort=price-desc

I have a petrol 2015 estate and I am very pleased with it. They all have the same engine, 1.8l with variable valve timing and lift (called V-Matic) giving 145BHP. They have an excellent reputation for reliability. There does seem to be some evidence that the V-Matic system can fail on early cars, so perhaps avoid pre-first facelift cars (2012ish). Similarly, the electronic parking brake was changed in around 2012 to avoid issues with water ingress causing it to fail. This is important because replacement is ~£1500!

Diesels are pretty much as you surmise (later ones are BMW with reliability issues).

Clutches and brakes will be variable depending on usage, so I don't think there is a general mileage there. Check them yourself or get one of the used vehicle checking services to do so for you.

Not much else to look out for really. The seals around the front quarterlights can degrade causing excessive wind noise, but is not too expensive to fix (I had it done under warranty and I think it would have cost ~£120 had it not been covered). The touchscreen on the multimedia unit can fail - if it needs a hard press or you have to press in a slightly different position to the button you are trying to press then it is halfway to failing. Replacement is ~£800, so worth checking.

Remember that Toyota have an excellent warranty scheme called Relax, where you automatically get 12 months cover when you have your car serviced at a Toyota dealer, if the car is less than 10 years old and has covered less than 100,000 miles. Worth the extra cost of getting the dealership to service the car rather than an independent in my opinion.

These cars are much bigger than a Focus, just so that you are aware (they were equivalent to a Mondeo in the respective product ranges).

Just checking the dates you mentioned trying to get because of issues. Should I be aiming for a minimum 2012 / 1st face-lift model and above? Thanks, Mark

[TonyHSD]

41 minutes ago, kingm said:

Just checking the dates you mentioned trying to get because of issues. Should I be aiming for a minimum 2012 / 1st face-lift model and above? Thanks, Mark

I would say yes, preferably 2012+ variants.
Auris also not a bad choice 1.6 petrol manual. These two engines are almost identical. 
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305317980079?sort=price-asc&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Auris&postcode=HP3 9EB&year-from=2014&fromsra

[Oisin]

I would definitely go with the 2012 facelift model.  These were produced until late 2014 but you will find some 15 plate ones out there.  Make sure to only get diesel if you are doing enough mileage.  Pottering around town in a diesel will cause lots of trouble.  They need to get on the motorway to keep healthy.  1.8 petrol ones are available although they will be harder to find due to not selling as well.

[Cessna]

19 hours ago, kingm said:

Just checking the dates you mentioned trying to get because of issues. Should I be aiming for a minimum 2012 / 1st face-lift model and above? Thanks, Mark

Yes, especially for the V-Matic system on pretrols. The EPB was modified by 2014, but I am unsure of exactly when, so it might be worth going for at 2014 onwards if you can. Having said all that, I don't think many people suffer with V-Matic or EPB issues, so I would not worry too much.

One problem with the EPB is that it seems that the EPB error message seems to flash up for any kind of failure, so there have probably been a fair few EPBs replaced when they did not need to be 😔

[2009joe]

On 7/31/2023 at 8:36 PM, Oisin said:

I would definitely go with the 2012 facelift model.  These were produced until late 2014 but you will find some 15 plate ones out there.  Make sure to only get diesel if you are doing enough mileage.  Pottering around town in a diesel will cause lots of trouble.  They need to get on the motorway to keep healthy.  1.8 petrol ones are available although they will be harder to find due to not selling as well.

i got a diesel 2014 2.0 business edt but unfortunately i dont do many miles 😞 to justify having one as with my new job and company van .but im adding those diesel dpf etc additives to my diesel i hope it cleans it out a  bit. just now sure what i would be getting myself into when the problems start .with my dpf clog up with low miles and is this hard to clean out and be ok again 

[m456an]

I think this is in your budget, looks like a Lexus but it has done 300,000 miles and is sold private seller. It has also had a new gear box, though maybe after market:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202307260086473?sort=price-asc&advertising-location=at_cars&body-type=Estate&fuel-type=Petrol&include-delivery-option=on&make=Toyota&model=Avensis&postcode=e182ha&fromsra

Though my Avensis 2007 at 103 000 miles though bought 6 years ago at £1900 probably has not lost any value. Though it has gained a couple of dents, which have been reduced by 2/3 though have ordered a slide hammer which may reduce the dent more. Only problem was in the last mot, 2 springs went, one of them was a year old! Though I prefer the wives Yaris 2005 for motorway driving which had no service history at £900, no problems for 5 years.

[Shavestick]

On 7/27/2023 at 10:29 PM, kingm said:

Just picking up on a comment above about the Avensis been a lot bigger than the Focus.

Would the Auris be a btter choice and have similar reliability? Was looking at the 3rd gen Auris Touring Sports estate (2013-2015) 1.6 V-Matic petrol, which are a bit more reasonably priced too.

Thanks!

The Auris is a narrower body, so you might look at a similar capacity but slightly different shape inside.

Everything else has already been covered in earlier posts. I am running a 2010 1.8 TR manual Estate, and so far, it only needed a new clutch at 140k ((£430 in 2022) and the usual consumables like brake and suspension parts. I wished for more torque at the lower revs, auto box and an uncomplicated parking brake, but I am trading this for excellent reliability and good MPG (fully loaded, you can easily get 45mpg even in hilly terrain like Cornwall). Also, I need to point out that the rust-resistant on the T27 series is fantastic, at least here in the west country.

The biggest issue I will have is what to replace it with if this moment will come. Service it once a year (It is a simple car most garages can work on), and it should last. Regarding the EPB in early cars, just ensure you don't drive through deep water or have water ingress from the boot area (and don't let spillages happen there). The EPB  (Electronic Hand Brake) is located above the cross members under the car floor, so in most cases, as this car has good ground clearance, you should be ok. It said here that the EPB is sealed better in later 2012> cars, but I did not see evidence yet.

 

[NeilAvensisT]

On 7/30/2023 at 10:25 PM, kingm said:

Thanks for the comments. I would love to get these cars! However, we have a budget of about 5-7k unfortunately so need to look at something a bit older like 2011-2013 probably. Should I be aiming for the 1.8 leter petrol engine around this time. Cheers!

I can only speak from my experience but I specifically went out to look for an 'older' 1.8 petrol, in view of their relative simplicity and haven't been disappointed. I did manage to find the proverbial needle in a haystack mind you, 2010, 1 owner, FMDSH, 40k miles!

[Konrad C]

I have one of the earliest T27 Mk3 1.8 Valvematic Tourer first registered January 2009. I have owned it since September 2015. It may need a few things done to it, but it was the car I wanted when it was first announced. I owned the Mk1 1.8 leanburn hatchback before that and enjoyed that car too! If I have to replace my Avensis, I would go for later version. Living in Greater London, my Avensis is ULEZ compliant. I have had to fix a few things, but most things are wear and tear. like the clutch. All I say is get the best spec and condition as possible.

Read my posts to see things I have done, which is not too much.