The Avanza started off as a compact 7-seater, even before the word MPV had become a mainstream word, save for the 5-seater base variants which became popular as taxis. The All New Avanza has grown in dimensions and is also no longer rear wheel drive, it’s now front wheel drive and joins the MPV market.
Exterior
Admittedly, this is a good looking MPV, its long and sleek, you’ll notice this looks longer and wider than its predecessor. Up front, the first thing you’ll notice is the very large matte black air dam below the thin gloss black grille which is flanked by Split-type LED headlamps, and fog lights high up on the edges of the front bumper.
Looking at it from the side, it looks slow slung but actually has a ground clearance of 190mm, don’t worry can clear pretty much everything cars can and its look is functional, not flashy. It rolls on 195/60’s on 16” two tone alloy rims.
Around back, LED combination lamps flanking the rear hatch, a fin type antenna on the rear edge of the roof and a body color spoiler on the top oedge of the hatch.
Interior
Get in, and behind the wheel you have optitron instrument gauges, all variants have black and brown two tone fabric seats, The second row seats are reclineable, tumble forward and slide adjustable with long sofa mode. The reclinable third row is 50/50 split, tumbles forward and has long sofa mode. All seats have headrests.
The 4–speaker entertainment system has an 8” touchscreen display with AM/FM/Bluetooth and USB with Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
Powerplant
Under the hood is the gasoline ZNR-VE, four-clinder 16-valve DOHC Dual VVTi 1.5L engine which puts out 106Ps at 6000rpms with 138Nm of torque at 4200rpms, mated to a Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT) which sends power to the front wheels.
Safety and Convenience
The Avanza has a good suite of safety features you’d expect from most modern vehicles, like 3 pt. seatbels for all 7 occupants, SRS Airbags (Driver, Passenger, Side, Curtain Shield), 2 ISOFIX points, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Hill Start Assist Control (HAS). Its also equipped with Back up camera, sonar and Blind spot Monitor (BSM). Electric power steering is standard and so are folding side mirrors.
Impressions
The all-new Avanza is a big leap from its predecessor, bigger in all dimensions and can now comfortably seat seven people as opposed to just being able to fit seven. It’s boxy design allows you to easily tell where the corners are making it easy to park and manuever in tight spaces, and the back up camera helps. There’s enough power under the hood to be economical in the city and enough to get you to highway speeds.
It’s got everything you’ll need in terms of safety and convenience, even if it may not have advanced driver assist technology, it’s got everything a seasoned driver needs. Apple Carplay/Android Auto connectivity is pretty much all you’ll need these days to interface with your phone, listen to your playlist and waze to get around traffic.
Its ride is just right, soft-ish shocks, combined with seat foam that’s not too firm makes for a reasonably comfortable ride overall. The long wheelbase also helps counteract some body roll that comes with having a comfortable ride, and also helps iron our roads uneven surfaces. There’s also an abundance of cup holders and bottle holders.
The top of the line Avanza we drove is priced at Php1,059,000 making it one of the most affordable of top of the line variants in it’s category, and it’ll probably hold its resale value a lot longer since it is a Toyota, making it great value for a seven seat MPV, and a practical choice.
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