what avensis! decisions decisions

what_car

howdy

i am buying a new avensis luna. nice car and plenty of room.

i am looking at either the 1.8 auto luna or the 2.0 D4D luna diesel saloons.

my question being,

if i went with the auto petrol 1.8 would i notice a big difference between running cost of it and the new 2.0d4d engine model.
would the 1.8 be much more expensive to run than the 2.0 diesel (fuel wise)


the savings achieved going to 1.8 auto petrol is a few bob on tax and about 150 quid a year on insurance.

i do between 15 and 17,000 miles per year. is this average or diesel miles?
i plan to keep the car for bout 4 years.


cheers!

colm_mcm

Get the diesel Luna, it has cruise control, and the 6 speed box is very precise and a joy to use. it's also much quicker than the 1.8 auto.

We're averageing around 50mpg on the diesel, the petrol should be around 35.

Diesel is far more sought after second hand, and cost wise, the diesel will be cheaper overall, regardless of mileage.

colm_mcm

Also, Automatic will take around 4 1/2 months.

maidhc

How it is possible to get 50mpg on a D4d is a mystery to me.

The best I can get is 45, and that is on the far smaller Mk1 Avensis. It isn't my driving style, I can get 54mpg comfortably from my Focus.

Maybe Toyota have improved the mpg of the facelift Avensis beyond all recognition!

ninty9er

Isn't the 6 speed a 2.2

louie

I'll go for the diesel. What you save on fuel could make up for the extra insurance and tax cost.
After 4 years a diesel car has a better value on the market then petrol engines. Now the diesel engines runs as smooth as the petrol, where years ago they used to be noisy, but technology improves every day.

what_car

colm_mcm wrote:

Get the diesel Luna, it has cruise control, and the 6 speed box is very precise and a joy to use. it's also much quicker than the 1.8 auto.

We're averageing around 50mpg on the diesel, the petrol should be around 35.

Diesel is far more sought after second hand, and cost wise, the diesel will be cheaper overall, regardless of mileage.

most of my driving is on free flowing motorway and normally sit at 55mph..
23 mile each way daily commute... i like the drive of an auto... but not sure how thirsty the 1.8 would be on fuel..... the mileage that im doing is just bout average nowadays...like the idea of an easy drive auto. the book figures for the 1.8 auto say, it would do extra urban round 40-45mpg.. is this accurate?


am i mad thinking of an auto these days, with the price of petrol.....fluctuating every so often.

G Luxel

go for a hatchback or an estate, there are far too many saloons around.

what_car

G Luxel wrote:

go for a hatchback or an estate, there are far too many saloons around.

problem is you cant get the luna spec in an estate or hatch!


as far as i know.


a lot of diesels now in the 2.0 liter range give about 45-47 approx mpg,
and not as great as the book figures suggest...having spoken to a few mates that have diesels.... and lots of cars nowadays share engines!

is the toyota petrol and diesel engines, toyota genuine engines? or are they rebadged engines made by other manufacturers?

bazz26

what_car wrote:

problem is you cant get the luna spec in an estate or hatch!


as far as i know.


a lot of diesels now in the 2.0 liter range give about 45-47 approx mpg,
and not as great as the book figures suggest...having spoken to a few mates that have diesels.... and lots of cars nowadays share engines!

is the toyota petrol and diesel engines, toyota genuine engines? or are they rebadged engines made by other manufacturers?

The new 2.0 D4-D 125bhp with the 6 speed manual box gives around 48mpg. It is also smoother and quiter than the previous D4-D engine.

Toyota design and build all their own engines inhouse. The 2.2 D4-D is a detuned version from the Lexus IS220. They did use an old Peugoet 1.9 diesel engine in the Corolla back in 1998/1999 but that was short lived.

colm_mcm

maidhc wrote:

How it is possible to get 50mpg on a D4d is a mystery to me.

Maybe Toyota have improved the mpg of the facelift Avensis beyond all recognition!

To be fair it's mostly open road driving, but the 6 speed box really helps. It's definately lighter on fuel than the 116bhp 5 speed

what_car

colm_mcm wrote:

To be fair it's mostly open road driving, but the 6 speed box really helps. It's definately lighter on fuel than the 116bhp 5 speed

so is the 1.8 auto avensis a real dog on fuel? if the book figures say that it does 40-45 or so mpg extra urban how accurate is this?


most of my driving is at 55mph on a motorway. and i really like the idea of an auto box.. also how reliable is the avensis auto box? do they give any problems? and is the oil burning issue sorted out on the avensis 1.8 engine?

also how does the 1.8 engine age, does it take the miles well? and also are the 1.8 auto sought after second hand?



im stuck between the 1.8 auto avensis luna ,and the 2.0 d4d saloon avensis luna...


cant make up me mind which one to go for! any suggestions

bazz26

what_car wrote:

so is the 1.8 auto avensis a real dog on fuel? if the book figures say that it does 40-45 or so mpg extra urban how accurate is this?


most of my driving is at 55mph on a motorway. and i really like the idea of an auto box.. also how reliable is the avensis auto box? do they give any problems? and is the oil burning issue sorted out on the avensis 1.8 engine?

also how does the 1.8 engine age, does it take the miles well? and also are the 1.8 auto sought after second hand?



im stuck between the 1.8 auto avensis luna ,and the 2.0 d4d saloon avensis luna...


cant make up me mind which one to go for! any suggestions

I have a 2003 1.8 Luna manual with almost 110k miles on the clock. It doesn't use much more oil now than the day I drove it out of the showroom.

I read alright about the issue with the 1.8 VVTi drinking a bit of oil after about 40k miles but from what I read it mostly effected engines within a certain chassis range, the majority were sold in the UK market and were from the MkI Avensis. These engines were replaced by Toyota at the time. The car is driving perfect and is serviced regularly, not a bother out of it.

I get about 32 mpg on average which is a combination of some dual carriage way and back road driving. A bit thirstier on fuel than my old Avensis but then again it is a bigger and heavier car.

I cannot comment on the auto as I have no experience of driving or owning one but more than likely as autos in this class car are in small demand this will impact resale values.

Today if I had the money and given the choice between a 1.8 petrol or 2.0 D4-D diesel I would choose the diesel as it will hold it's resale value better, more responsive and is more economical. The downsides are that the diesel initialy costs more (VRT @30%) and has slightly higher road tax.

damo605

My father has a '04 Avensis 1.8 Auto and he has averaged 42mpg since he bought it new - that's from both the obc and his own calculations.
He does drive reasonably easy (not slow though) and it's mostly town and b road driving.
His previous '98 Avensis, 1.8 auto, used only return 30odd mpg.
Hope this helps!

Henry Ford III

damo605 wrote:

My father has a '04 Avensis 1.8 Auto and he has averaged 42mpg since he bought it new - that's from both the obc and his own calculations.
He does drive reasonably easy (not slow though) and it's mostly town and b road driving.
His previous '98 Avensis, 1.8 auto, used only return 30odd mpg.
Hope this helps!

A mate has a similar car, and doesn't get anywhere near 42mpg. Low to mid 30's in mixed town and country runs.

what_car

damo605 wrote:

My father has a '04 Avensis 1.8 Auto and he has averaged 42mpg since he bought it new - that's from both the obc and his own calculations.
He does drive reasonably easy (not slow though) and it's mostly town and b road driving.
His previous '98 Avensis, 1.8 auto, used only return 30odd mpg.
Hope this helps!

is that the new 1.8 engine in the 1.8 avensis auto? i like the drive of an auto but not sure, bout mpg... dont want to buy the 1.8 auto and then realise that its leaving a hole in my wallet!! i like the spec on the luna auto ...

at the minute im spending 45 euro on a 2L diesel and getting 400 miles approx from it.... would i notice a huge difference if i got the 1.8 avensis auto??

BrianD3

Is the 1.6 Avensis available in Luna trim. 1.6 is no ball of fire but seeing as you only drive 55 mph on a free flowing motorway you're a bit of a dawdler (no offence!) Cheaper to buy, cheaper to tax and possibly insure, possibly easier to sell on given Irish people's dislike of "big" engines

what_car

BrianD3 wrote:

Is the 1.6 Avensis available in Luna trim. 1.6 is no ball of fire but seeing as you only drive 55 mph on a free flowing motorway you're a bit of a dawdler (no offence!) Cheaper to buy, cheaper to tax and possibly insure, possibly easier to sell on given Irish people's dislike of "big" engines

the reason i sit at 55 is that if i try and stick to 75mph im constantly being slowed by cars pulling in and out of slow lane and overtaking. so i find it handier to sit at a constant 55mph... and have a more relaxed drive.. also saving fuel in the process! and the cars that pass me at 75mph , are not that far ahead when i get to my exit off the motorway!

BrianD3

I see now that the 1.6 Avensis is available in Strata trim which looks to be below Luna trim. If you were happy with that trim level it is the one I'd go for. At 55 mph I get close to 50 mpg from my 1.6 petrol Renault Laguna so I presume the Avensis (similar weight car and size engine) would be similar. I don't think you are doing high enough mileage to justify the D4D

damo605

what_car wrote:

is that the new 1.8 engine in the 1.8 avensis auto? i like the drive of an auto but not sure, bout mpg... dont want to buy the 1.8 auto and then realise that its leaving a hole in my wallet!! i like the spec on the luna auto ...

at the minute im spending 45 euro on a 2L diesel and getting 400 miles approx from it.... would i notice a huge difference if i got the 1.8 avensis auto??

Not sure which engine it is, just that it's '04 1.8
Autobox in it is a nice drive too and has tiptronic as standard.
It sounds like you're getting about 45mpg at the moment, if you were to get 40mpg out of the 1.8 auto, over 15,000 miles per year, at approx 110c per litre, you would probably be paying roughly 200-250 euro extra per year in fuel. You'll be saving a few bob in tax which would nearly offset it.
If I was you I would decide which car you prefer to drive, auto petrol or diesel manual and base your decision on that moreso than anything else.

what_car

im going to keep it for 3-4 years.

17500k miles a year = 52500 miles over 3 years or 70,000 miles over 4 years.

bazz26

BrianD3 wrote:

Is the 1.6 Avensis available in Luna trim. 1.6 is no ball of fire but seeing as you only drive 55 mph on a free flowing motorway you're a bit of a dawdler (no offence!) Cheaper to buy, cheaper to tax and possibly insure, possibly easier to sell on given Irish people's dislike of "big" engines

No the highest spec 1.6 is the Strata which does without climate control, traction control, front arm rest and folding mirrors. The 1.6 litre Avensis like most 1.6 litre cars of this size is a little bit underpowered but there is very little difference in economy from the 1.8 litre as the 1.6 has to work harder. The 1.6 will still easily cruise on motorways though.

You are right it will sell all day long in Ireland alot faster than the 1.8 litre.
Also the 1.8 litre is the smallest engine offered in the Avensis with an auto box.

Anan1

what_car wrote:

most of my driving is on free flowing motorway and normally sit at 55mph..
23 mile each way daily commute... i like the drive of an auto... but not sure how thirsty the 1.8 would be on fuel..... the mileage that im doing is just bout average nowadays...like the idea of an easy drive auto. the book figures for the 1.8 auto say, it would do extra urban round 40-45mpg.. is this accurate?


am i mad thinking of an auto these days, with the price of petrol.....fluctuating every so often.

To be honest, an auto probably won't be of that much benefit to you in the driving you describe. I love autos, but they're at their best in heavy, stop/start traffic. I'd agree with the other posters that a diesel will be a substantially cheaper ownership proposition for you.

what_car

the 1.8 luna avensis auto is a pleasure to drive... the steering is so light,
and the engine so refined and smooth!

a really tough decision!

what_car

what_car wrote:

howdy

i am buying a new avensis luna. nice car and plenty of room.

i am looking at either the 1.8 auto luna or the 2.0 D4D luna diesel saloons.

my question being,

if i went with the auto petrol 1.8 would i notice a big difference between running cost of it and the new 2.0d4d engine model.
would the 1.8 be much more expensive to run than the 2.0 diesel (fuel wise)


the savings achieved going to 1.8 auto petrol is a few bob on tax and about 150 quid a year on insurance.

i do between 15 and 17,000 miles per year. is this average or diesel miles?
i plan to keep the car for bout 4 years.


cheers!

at last made decision. went with the 2.0 D4D Luna Saloon. bought it today.

colm_mcm

Good choice.

you should go for the intergrated bluetooth handsfree that works off the buttons on the steering wheel. just launched.

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote:

Good choice.

you should go for the intergrated bluetooth handsfree that works off the buttons on the steering wheel. just launched.

Can this be fitted aftermarket?

colm_mcm

yeah, not sure if it can be fitted to the 03-06 pre facelift model. but on the newer type 06,

the mode button (round button on the left of the wheel) controls the handsfree when held down for 2 seconds. (when handsfree isn't fitted, holding down mode button for 2 seconds switches radio off) it is all voice activated and very simple to use.

There is a button on the older 03-06 avensis steering wheel on the right which controls the trip computer. To my knowledge, if a Toyota handsfree is fitted, this button works the handsfree, if held down for 2 seconds.

what_car

is it possible to convert the trip computer on the new model to MPG rather than L/100KM?

you could do it in the old model.. just wondering if you could in the new model

bazz26

what_car wrote:

is it possible to convert the trip computer on the new model to MPG rather than L/100KM?

you could do it in the old model.. just wondering if you could in the new model

On the 2003 - 2006 model the trip computer was located at the top of the centre console. Select the MPG display. If you kept you finger on the "Display" button for about 20 sec it changed the reading from MPG to KPG and vice versa.

Not sure about the new facelifted model as they have moved the trip computer display to below the odometer afaik.

what_car

as far as i know there is only one button on the steering wheel to flick through the trip computer screen.

ie


avg fuel in L/100 km

range

on the fly fuel consumption in L/100km

its a pain trying to convert L/100km to mpg......!

dont know what reports these cars are getting,,, ie the 2.0d4d luna diesel new version.... havent spoken to anyone who has one.

colm_mcm

06 model trip computer l/100km or km/l only.

what_car

colm_mcm wrote:

yeah, not sure if it can be fitted to the 03-06 pre facelift model. but on the newer type 06,

the mode button (round button on the left of the wheel) controls the handsfree when held down for 2 seconds. (when handsfree isn't fitted, holding down mode button for 2 seconds switches radio off) it is all voice activated and very simple to use.

There is a button on the older 03-06 avensis steering wheel on the right which controls the trip computer. To my knowledge, if a Toyota handsfree is fitted, this button works the handsfree, if held down for 2 seconds.

is there much work involved in installing this toyota bluetooth kit?
also is voice commands the only option , for using it ? or is there buttons that can be used? ie to scroll through phonebook...


cheers

colm_mcm

what_car wrote:

is there much work involved in installing this toyota bluetooth kit?
also is voice commands the only option , for using it ? or is there buttons that can be used? ie to scroll through phonebook...


cheers

As far as I can see you can use voice tags, or call out the persons number. there is no display so everything is done via talking menus, a bit like when you ring Axa and the computer asks you what services you require!

what_car

well i picked up the new car, drives great and fuel economy is great too,...

one niggly issue, is that the two front headlamps in the evening have a bit of condensation on the inside of the light.... the passenger one had a fair bit of condensation last night but by this morning was gone, but however the drivers side headlight has always a bit of condensation in it...


bit annoying on a brand new car.

went back to the dealer and he said he has to contact toyota to see what they want to do...

i did a google search and found out that this was an issue with earlier avensis models,

is there an easy way to fix this? other than replace both headlamps?

im not sure the garage would be able to align the headlamps back to factory specification if they replaced them.(is there much involved in aligning them,. or is it a case of just putting the new ones in)....and i dont want them pulling a new car apart!!!!

:mad:

colm_mcm

I haven't seen this problem on any of the facelifted Avensis yet, It was an issue on the older type as some of the headlight unit would melt and cause condensation (also causing the bulb holder to detach from the unit, and go out of focus - also common on 03 Almeras) Given that the car is under warranty, you'll get them replaced for free.

Re: worries about alignment, all Toyota garages will use approved headlight alignment gear, BTW headlight alignment is adjusted in the pre delivery inspection anyway.

what_car

its a pain with a new car!

there must be a production fault with these headlights, cause the 2 of them have some condensation in them,,

sometimes it goes away then sometimes its back

colm_mcm

perspex lenses are very vulnerable to condensation.

what_car

colm_mcm wrote:

perspex lenses are very vulnerable to condensation.

of the many new cars ive owned , with perspex lights, i have never seen this issue before.......mmm the PDI inspection should have picked this out...

colm_mcm

what_car wrote:

of the many new cars ive owned , with perspex lights, i have never seen this issue before.......mmm the PDI inspection should have picked this out...

not necesserily, it only happens in certain conditions, eg. after the headlamps have been on, and then cool down, or in cold or rainy conditions.

maidhc

colm_mcm wrote:

not necesserily, it only happens in certain conditions, eg. after the headlamps have been on, and then cool down, or in cold or rainy conditions.

It happens with my Focus, and pretty much every other one I have seen. Ford regard it as normal.

damo605

My father had the same problem with his 04 Avensis which is (obviously) pre facelift and Toyota had a fix for it under warranty, was actually a recall if I remember right?

colm_mcm

damo605 wrote:

My father had the same problem with his 04 Avensis which is (obviously) pre facelift and Toyota had a fix for it under warranty, was actually a recall if I remember right?

the recall was more to do with the lamps going out of focus due to park of the bulb holder detaching from the unit, but condensation was a symptom too.

what_car

well first tank of diesel used and got 920 km from it.. not bad at all from first tank of fuel on a new avensis 2L diesel 575miles.

suppose when it breaks in proper ill get more!


cool.

colm_mcm

yeah, there'll also be less turbo lag after a few thousand kilometers, they get nice and free when they get a bit of mileage on them

what_car

maidhc wrote:

It happens with my Focus, and pretty much every other one I have seen. Ford regard it as normal.

the moisture now has completely gone!

colm_mcm

Woohoo! it fixed itself. go Toyota!

what_car

the luna badge on the back of my new avensis was never put on.
despite numerous calls to the dealer who said he would post it out, nothing arrived.

calls to toyota ireland customer service ,well they dont want to know.

also the pdi on the car was not done properly, with a sticky substance left on the alloys, and paintwork, and an oily footprint in the carpet in the rear, nicely covered with a mat.

i wouldnt buy a mars bar from this garage...and there impossible to get hold of,,, put in 15 calls to them one day ...none were returned, when i called in the 16th time i got someone............once they get ur money the dont care.

colm_mcm

Funny one - the Luna badge isn't available as a part from Toyota. PM me your address and I'll post you one out. I have a few lying around.

Some dealers don't fit the luna badges to diesels as the D-4D badge goes where the grade badge usually sits.

You will be receiving a questionaire from Toyota in the next few weeks, point out the faults on the comment card.