Toyota Sunderland
Looking to buy a Toyota? Find out what's good, what's bad and what to watch out for from Honest John.
Good: Huge, formidable 4x4 that's extremely capable off-road and as a tow car. Reliable and rated highly by owners. Works best as a 4.2 diesel.
Bad: Lacks refinement on the road. Unsuited to urban life, where it feels massive. The V8 is very thirsty. 'Clockers' like them.
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Good: Comfortable, well equipped and dependable. Huge range of body styles and refined, economical engines. Rated highly by owners.
Bad: Not the most accomplished ride. VVT-i engines can suffer bore liner problem and guzzle oil after 40k miles.
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Good: Reliable, efficient and satisfying to own if you want undemanding A to B transport. Huge range to choose from.
Bad: Bland and dull to drive. Reliability concerns over British-built Y2K Corollas. Sudden thirst for oil on 1.6s.
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Good: Efficient, dependable transport highly rated by those who own them.
Bad: Characterless and unsuited to those who enjoy their driving.
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Good: Smart looks and sharp, rewarding handling. The 190 has a terrific high-revving engine. Well built and so far very reliable.
Bad: The rear seats are tight for space. VVT-i engines can develop a thirst for oil after 40k miles.
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The Auris is a decent enough looking car, a bit like a big Yaris, sitting on a long wheelbase and a few centimetres taller than the average C segment hatchback. It's a bit more interesting inside, with a flying buttress arrangement housing the gearlever higher than most of us are used to, a commodious centre console and a flat rear floor making it a five seater which is genuinely comfortable for five.
Good: Decent combination of ride and handling that will suit a lot of people better than a Golf or a Civic. Quick yet soft T180 2.2 diesel.
Bad: Unadventurous styling.
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The model has come in for some stick from boy racer road testers for not being sporty enough. And indeed, when you come from a Focus, 308, C4, Golf or Leon you think you’ve entered a comfort zone rather than a pitlane.
Good: Squeezes 7 people into a small amount of roadspace.
Bad: Generally crude rear-wheel drive-train.
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Good: Reliable, well-built, undemanding family transport now at low prices. Economical engines.
Bad: For 'undemanding' read 'uninspiring' if you enjoy your driving. Some reports of gearbox and steering rack failures.
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Good: Solid car. Sophisticated multi-link suspension deliberately unstressed for long live. Very quick T180 diesel from July 2006.
Bad: Middle of the road looks have become accepted. Amiable and unstressful rather than exciting to drive.
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Good: Excellent, efficient new 1.8 Valvematic petrol engines: economical, low CO2 and good to drive. 6-speed diesel auto from Spring 2009.
Bad: Poor ride on 245/45 R18 tyres, much better on 215/55 R17s. Not as much fun to drive as Mondeo or Mazda 6. Diesel auto wagon up to 174g/km CO2.
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The fully independent chassis was always capable of carrying more power, and was always adjustable. It wouldn’t take much tinkering underneath to make an Avensis grip and handle like a track day car.
This is the new, leaner, greener Avensis. With new, more powerful, and higher revving, yet more economical, lower emission petrol engines, while diesel engines develop more torque at lower revs to give better real world economy.
As with the new Corolla, you have to feel your way through the over-light and slightly numb steering. It isn't sharp. But, once you've learned how to handle it, the car can be hustled along very well. Far more quickly than a Passat, for example. I strongly suspect there's actually a bit more than 115bhp there too.
The car remains the same amiable old friend to drive. Good company but never likely to get into an arm wrestling match with a Porsche. There’s the usual torqueless turbodiesel flat-spot under 1,000 rpm which means driving in 3rd or 4th in 30 and 40 limits.
As with the new Corolla, you have to feel your way through the over-light and slightly numb steering. It isn’t sharp. But, once you’ve learned how to handle it, the car can be hustled along very well. Far more quickly than a Passat, for example.
Good: Reliable, with decent amount of room for 7 and their luggage.
Bad: Uninspiring to drive.
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It must be a tough life being a car designer these days. There you are, refining the styling of the spoiler on your next imaginary supercar when along comes Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen with an impossible brief for a new small car in Sunderland.
Good: £35pa VED, Congestion Tax exemt from Feb 08, Group 1 insurance, 60mpg, cheap to run and drives decently.
Bad: Doors feel flimsy. Reports of water leaks.
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Good: Exceptionally durable and nicely engineered. Estate versions are roomy.
Bad: Body rusts and replacement panels can be hard to find.
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Good: Very reliable, long-lasting saloons and estates. Comfortable, roomy and quite refined. Estates can seat seven.
Bad: Those looking for an involving drive or a style statement will be disappointed.
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Good: Spacious saloon stacked full of kit. Relaxed, pleasant drive. Highly praised by those who own them. Cheap now.
Bad: Unable to compete with the BMWs and Mercedes of this world, both for image and driving pleasure.
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Good: Roomier and even better equipped than the previous version. Easy-going, refined drive. Totally reliable.
Bad: Very few about because lacked the image for the money sought by snob-obsessed UK buyers. Imports stopped Spring 2004.
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Ever since the introduction in 1997 of the Toyota Prius – the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle – Toyota has been making a concerted effort to promote and popularise hybrid technology, as part of its high-priority environmental-management policy.
Good: Relaxed, amiable drive. Decent build and capable of high mileage. The 1.6 and 1.8 have a good blend of performance and economy.
Bad: It's no looker. Heavy on front tyres and doesn't handle well. Lambda sensors and steering racks prone to failure.
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Good: They seem to go on forever. Undemanding to own and drive.
Bad: Characterless. Numb steering and mediocre ride. Body parts, lamp lenses, etc getting harder to find.
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Good: Tidy-looking coupe that lasts better than most. The GT Four is quite quick and surefooted on country lanes. Convertible a looker.
Bad: Not as sharp or precise to drive as many European rivals. Age is starting to get the better of it now.
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Good: Safe, enjoyable handling and good engines. GT-Four is a rapid point-to-point car. A front-drive version is the sensible buy.
Bad: Odd looks, sombre interior and a firm ride. Gearbox failure is common on the GT-Four.
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Good: Stylish-looker with a good reliability record. GT-Four is very rapid, but front-drive GT is quick enough and a more sensible buy. Very pretty converti
Bad: Doesn't handle as well as the previous version. Beware of sellers disguising 1.8s as 2.0s.
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Good: Smart looks and sharp, rewarding handling. The 190 has a terrific high-revving engine. Well built and so far very reliable.
Bad: The rear seats are tight for space. VVT-i engines can develop a thirst for oil after 40k miles.
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Good: Solid, durable and undemanding to drive. Extremely cheap these days. GT coupe was quick and the first real 'drifting' car.
Bad: Even a Corolla can't last forever and this generation is starting to shuffle towards the scrapyard in the sky.
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Good: They just run and run, even at high mileage. Stacks of reliability for the money.
Bad: Driving one is as exciting as turning on a dishwasher. Rust is a real problem.
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Good: Efficient, dependable transport highly rated by those who own them.
Bad: Characterless and unsuited to those who enjoy their driving.
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Good: Reliable, efficient and satisfying to own if you want undemanding A to B transport. Huge range to choose from.
Bad: Bland and dull to drive. Reliability concerns over British-built Y2K Corollas. Sudden thirst for oil on 1.6s.
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The engine is sporty and fun to drive rather than dull and anodyne like some other 1.6 litre hatchbacks. Once you dial in some speed the wheel weights up in your hands, you begin to feel the road through it and, much to your surprise, you find that the car handles well.
Good: Solid, undemanding and good looking. Bangkok taxi drivers love them.
Bad: Unavailable in the UK.
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Honestjohn's impartial car review of Toyota Corolla Altis II (2008 - ) with good points and bad points, reliability, car performance, car fuel consumption, car engine options and car technical information.Searchable list of car reviews by manufacturer and car model and derivative.
Good: Comfortable, well equipped and dependable. Huge range of body styles and refined, economical engines. Rated highly by owners.
Bad: Not the most accomplished ride. VVT-i engines can suffer bore liner problem and guzzle oil after 40k miles.
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Good: A capable all-rounder with a huge boot. Easy to drive and dependable. A car that engenders respect rather than affection.
Bad: Not as practical as the hatchback version, and a more limited range. Oil consumption can become heavy on VVT-i engines after 40k miles.
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Good: Roomy, well-built saloon version of the Auris. Excellent crash test rating.
Bad: Unavailable in the UK.
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Good: Enjoyable, well-equipped, versatile seven-seater. Especially good as a D-4D diesel. Five rear seats fold into the floor. Supremely safe.
Bad: It's a compact MPV, so not much luggage space with all seven seats in use. VVT-i engines can develop a thirst for oil after 40k miles.
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Inside, there’s familiar Toyota switchgear for things like windows, doorlocks and mirrors. The good looking black dashboard is rock solid with silver-blue CD and a/c controls in the middle and really nice ‘Optitron’ dials straight in front of you. Read on for more information about the car on the market in Sunderland.
Good: Roomy six-seater taxi that seems to go and handle quite well.
Bad: Not for the UK.
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Good: Four-seater with the ability to do more than 100mpg and emit just 71g/km of CO2.
Bad: It's a concept car and this level of fuel-efficiency hasn't yet made it through to a production Toyota.
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