BORING...is good?

[Cavcraft]

Offloaded the Transit today and took a Toyota Avensis (2.0SR saloon) in.FUCK ME IT'S DULL. Did Toyota get John Major to design them? Yet to be inspired by a Toyota to be honest, even the new Hilux pickups are mind numbingly plastic.But...quite impressed so far: whisper quiet engine, nice smooth drive, plenty of room inside and nothing feels like it's going to fall off.Only I quite like it in a shite sort of way, even though I'm not a pensioner. Can wrong be right or bland be shite?

[VWPowered]

Can wrong be right or bland be shite?

part of the same i believe

[Station]

I think shite is great, until you have to drive it everyday.

[r.welfare]

Hmm, that sounds like the excessive oil consumption issue that can blight 1.8 Corollas and Avensi. Full marks to Toyota for sorting it out.I reckon if you're on a budget and don't care about driving dynamics or style, an Avensis is pretty hard to beat.

[Mr Lobster]

Had a few through work and they are thoroughly competent at do what they are designed to very well but are mind numbingly dull.Still, as transport for people who are not into cars any recent Toyota is a winner. Agreed about new Hi Lux, very plastic but very handy for towing.

[Milford Cubicle]

I wouldn't say a Celica, Supra or MR-2 is especially dull.

[CIH]

I wouldn't say a Celica, Supra or MR-2 is especially dull.

but are all out of production....

[Guest]

 

Can wrong be right or bland be shite?

You know this is pretty much Hirst's raison d etre, right?

 

I love cars I do, but I want an Auris SR 180. What does this mean then?

 

I don't think it would have any character at all, but I could bet my bottom bollock to a barn dance it wouldn't go wrong.

[Guest]

There's nowt wrong with an Avensis, they drive alright, they're not particularly slow, what's the problem?I reckon people decide whether cars are boring/exciting depending on what others seem to think.

[Milford Cubicle]

I wouldn't say a Celica, Supra or MR-2 is especially dull.

but are all out of production....

Aye, the Avensis Cavette's on about is discontinued too.I agree with Hirst, I don't suppose an Avensis is any duller than a Vectra or the like... maybe it just suffers from not having a 'hot' halo model?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

There's something I like about Jap cars. They're generally reliable, well made, smooth and quiet. They do the job on a minimum of maintenance. They are also deadly dull so you never ever fall in love with them, and as a consequence don't give a flying fuck about that small dent or that ticky tappet. You put petrol in, add oil/fluids/air when needed and run the bastard into the ground.It's as soon as you start to really like a car that it's got you in it's grip.....The Avensis 1 is okay, as was the Carina E.

[shite_meister]

I was having the same discussion with my brother this very day, my opinion was (now that the novelty of fast cars has long worn off) that the average Japanese car whilst typically dull so is many a European car and indeed many a German car can be quite tedious but the average Jap car has an inherent beauty about it in the execution of the build quality and the engineering that is or has become the benchmark of a quality motor. I was always into my German motors, I don't know what it is about them but I just like the conservative styling (compared to say French or Italian cars) coupled with rear wheel drive, four seats and a smooth straight six up-front but I am aware of their short-comings but it was whilst I was working for Toyota/Lexus that I began to view Japanese cars as more than just dull and bland cars and see the fantastic reliability and build quality.Whilst in the 1980s you could feel the differences between the average Jap car and the average German car these days that gap has dwindled to a point where I'm sure the lastest Japanese stuff is possibly the best quality mass-produced stuff you can buy.Plainly people who use the phrase Jap-Crap are living in the 1970s and are loathed to open their narrow minds and appraise something other than their Volkswagens etc.I must make the point though that the Avensis was never designed to set the world alight as its just a family 5-seater so to that point I wouldn't drive one and expect the same sort of excitement as I would driving a Skyline.

[sporty-shite]

I've only driven an early Avensis once, we had a couple on the hire fleet where I used to work, and I found it to be the dullest driving experience ever. Not bad, just dull.However, this doesn't exactly make them a bad car, and let's face it, thousands of taxi drivers can't be wrong!!

[shite_meister]

I've only driven an early Avensis once, we had a couple on the hire fleet where I used to work, and I found it to be the dullest driving experience ever. Not bad, just dull.However, this doesn't exactly make them a bad car, and let's face it, thousands of taxi drivers can't be wrong!!

Interesting what you say there, what are you comparing it to though? a Mondeo? a Vectra? are they really that more interesting or do you think it is more of a case that the interior design was a sea of grey blandness that gave you the perception that the whole driving experience was indeed more bland than that of another car in the same class? Was it under-powered?The Avensis was considered the dog of the Toyota line-up when I worked for them, they always seemed to be plagued by minor issues that the rest of the line-up didn't.

[Pete-M]

The Avensis is a painless car. I don't mind 'em, they're far better than a Vectra or Primera.As for Jap Crap, there's just something mindbogglingly dull about most Jap cars that I don't like. I like the way you can work on a 15yr old Jap car and more often than not nothing will be seized or rounded, and I like the way they tend to have pretty good gearboxes but whilst being good at what they do, the interiors always put me off.With a Jap car I never think to myself "Ooooh, that's nice" when I'm looking at the inside. I've certainly considered buying a Skyline GT-R after driving one but the interior was rank. Nasty carpets, hard and cheap looking dash, Micra switchgear*, vinyl everywhere. I don't want to spend a year driving something that makes me depressed to sit in it. Great fun on the right road at the right time, but stuck in traffic in a grey plastic tupperware cabin just isn't for me.Having said all that, the Audi has a nice interior but it's not exactly my cup of tea either. Comfy, quiet and secure but not quick. Can't win.*Nothing wrong as actual switches, but they look and feel 'orrible.

[Gompo]

A friend has one of those last model Corollas with the VVTLI engine as a runabout. 1.8 with 189bhp (I think), so quite similar to a V-Tec engine and obviously meant to be a hot hatch.He reckons it's one of the most boring cars he's ever driven. He's a bit surprised that although it does have a few added bits of plastic he gets treated very well by other road users compared with his proper car.

[sporty-shite]

I've only driven an early Avensis once, we had a couple on the hire fleet where I used to work, and I found it to be the dullest driving experience ever. Not bad, just dull.However, this doesn't exactly make them a bad car, and let's face it, thousands of taxi drivers can't be wrong!!

Interesting what you say there, what are you comparing it to though? a Mondeo? a Vectra? are they really that more interesting or do you think it is more of a case that the interior design was a sea of grey blandness that gave you the perception that the whole driving experience was indeed more bland than that of another car in the same class? Was it under-powered?The Avensis was considered the dog of the Toyota line-up when I worked for them, they always seemed to be plagued by minor issues that the rest of the line-up didn't.

Was comparing to 2002 Mondeo TDCi, which were pretty quick in a lag/boost sort of way, and Primeras of a similar age which were absolutely God-awful, to the point where I flatly refused to drive one, and would choose to go home in an Escort van first. My God, the mere thought of one of those Nissans, with it's stupid centre mounted speedo is enough to make me shiver

[Milford Cubicle]

If I remember correctly you have to enter a menu system to access all the heater controls on those Primeras. Safe!

[shite_meister]

I've only driven an early Avensis once, we had a couple on the hire fleet where I used to work, and I found it to be the dullest driving experience ever. Not bad, just dull.However, this doesn't exactly make them a bad car, and let's face it, thousands of taxi drivers can't be wrong!!

Interesting what you say there, what are you comparing it to though? a Mondeo? a Vectra? are they really that more interesting or do you think it is more of a case that the interior design was a sea of grey blandness that gave you the perception that the whole driving experience was indeed more bland than that of another car in the same class? Was it under-powered?The Avensis was considered the dog of the Toyota line-up when I worked for them, they always seemed to be plagued by minor issues that the rest of the line-up didn't.

Was comparing to 2002 Mondeo TDCi, which were pretty quick in a lag/boost sort of way, and Primeras of a similar age which were absolutely God-awful, to the point where I flatly refused to drive one, and would choose to go home in an Escort van first. My God, the mere thought of one of those Nissans, with it's stupid centre mounted speedo is enough to make me shiver

Ah now I worked for Nissan when that Primera was new and I did remember thinking to myself that they were a bit rank, yes I understand that Jap car interiors were generally a sea of grey plastic and a bit uninspiring and that a Mondeo or Vectra interior was perhaps just that little bit nicer but my point was that the quality of a Japanese car is leagues ahead.I was wondering if people were actually comparing like-for-like i.e for example a 1.8 Avensis against a 1.8 Mondeo, is the Mondeo that much better to drive?

[Cavcraft]

I wasn't comparing the Avensis to an Aston Martin in my initial post, just remarking how dull it seems.However I believe some people who say (insert manafacturer or model here) are rubbsih very often do NOT compare apples with apples and almost any marque will have crap spec models. So to say a bog spec Mondeo is crap when compared to say a car twice it's price or a top spec isn't really fair.From a cursory glance round I'd suggest most Mondeo sized cars are probably pretty much the same and not many will be setting the world alight and have people ditching their sports cars to buy one.

[Milford Cubicle]

Some of them have stand-out features though, like Primeras with their sharp handling and 406s with their sumptuous ride quality. I guess the trouble with cars like the Avensis is that they don't stand out in any way.

[Mash]

Being a big fan of Japanese cars I probably would never have anything else as a daily. It's true the more modern ones (like the Starlet I just bought) are bland, dull even, but I look at them as a just a means to an end - utterly reliable and predictable transport, not too fussed about what it looks like or if it handles like a sports car.For me the older Japanese stuff (say before the mid-80s) has so many variations and levels that they could never be boring - there's always something a bit quirky to find.The wacky styling of my Violet is a good example and my Mazda 323 GT is a very underrated hot hatch I reckon with excellent handling and a very good quality feel to it (much better than a contemporary Nissan).

[Mr Lobster]

Interesting what you say there, what are you comparing it to though? a Mondeo? a Vectra?

I've driven the recent Avensis as well as Mondeo, Vectra, Laguna, Passat and would always always always pick the Avensis last (yes, even over a Vectra). Not that the Avensis does anything wrong because it doesn't. Its just unremittingly bland. Mondeo nicer to drive, Laguna more comfortable, Passat better equiped and so on. Avensis was ok but just not at all engaging, did everything you would expect but you just don't grow to like it at all.That said, in ten years it'll be the Avensis thats still running and has cost the least to keep on the road...