You would be forgiven for thinking the all-new Toyota Avensis is a Japanese car through and through.

But, its design has in fact been finalised at Toyota’s studio in the South of France, and the Avensis will be built exclusively at Toyota’s Burnaston factory in Derbyshire.

The new Avensis is aimed squarely at the tastes and driving habits of European buyers. So will we like it?

It looks smart from the outside, and it’s a clear evolution of the last model.

The Avensis has an aggressive front bumper which protrudes outwards like the front of the smaller Toyota Yaris. There are deep headlamps and it has been given particularly stocky front wheelarches.

A deep groove above its side skirts and a high and pronounced shoulder line running along its flanks give it a strong appearance, which hint at its distant relation, the Lexus IS.

Despite being aimed at European tastes it keeps what Toyota calls the ‘J-Factor’, being instantly recognisable as a model from a Japanese marque.

Both Saloon and Tourer will be available from launch, and it’s the latter which looks the best. The extended roofline and neat spoiler seem to suit the macho proportions of the Avensis better.

It’s a big car - 50mm longer and wider than its predecessor – but its aerodynamic shape allows it to cut through the air as well as any of its competitors, which helps save fuel.

Inside there is an impressive amount of space thanks to the bigger proportions of the car and positioning of the windscreen and rear window as far fore and aft as possible.

Optimum Drive

There are five engines to choose from, two petrols and three diesels. The 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol motors have 145bhp and 150bhp respectively and 132lb/ft and 145lb/ft of pulling power.

Emissions of both units are reduced by 15 per cent over the same-sized engines in the last model, thanks to the addition of ‘Valvematic’ technology, which increases the engine’s efficiency.

We got to sample the 1.8-litre version with Toyota’s new ‘Multidrive’ CVT automatic gearbox. Left in ‘D’ ‘Multidrive’ uses a constantly variable gear ratio to accelerate the car while holding the engine at optimum revs.

When sport mode is selected via a button by the gear selector the engine stays at higher revs for a faster response.

And, if you want more control over how the car feels you can shift the lever into ‘M’ and select from seven pre-defined ratios which mimic a more conventional gearbox. The 2-litre petrol with ‘Multidrive’ also gets paddle gear selectors behind the steering wheel.

It’s the diesels which are likely to dominate sales, and the 124bhp 2.0 D-4D and 2.2 D-4D available with 148bhp and 175bhp are all proven motors which form the backbone of Toyota’s European line-up.

In the new Avensis they have been re-worked, and the fuel is now injected into the engine at a higher pressure to achieve cleaner combustion.

The result is more torque when you first pull away, lower emissions and better fuel economy.

It’s part of a strategy Toyota has named ‘Optimum Drive’, which uses conventional technology (unlike the ‘Hybrid Drive’ made famous by the Toyota Prius) but aims to get the best economy from it.

Low CO2 emissions

Buy the 2.0 D-4D if you want the lowest running costs, its claimed 55.4mpg combined fuel consumption and emissions of just 134g/km (tax band C) make it easy on the wallet and Toyota is expecting it to be the best selling model.

It stacks up well against the competition; the lowest emitting Mazda 6 produces 147g/km

Acceleration from 0-62mph takes a respectable 9.7 seconds for the Saloon and 10 seconds for the Tourer.

The mid-range 2.2 D-4D 148bhp will be popular thanks to its effortless urge, courtesy of 251lb/ft of pulling power.

Emissions are still a low 147g/km – 152g/km, so all models excluding the top-spec T Spirit Tourer are in tax band C when fitted with this engine.

It will be available with a new six-speed automatic gearbox in Spring 2009, and Toyota promise economy almost as good as the standard six-speed manual and a paddle shift manual option with quick changes and ‘blipped’ downshifts which match the engine speed to the new lower gear being selected.

Want the fastest Avensis? That will be the 2.2-litre D-4D with 175bhp and a rippling 295lb/ft of pulling power.

It wasn’t available to drive on this launch, but we expect its claimed 0-62mph acceleration time of 8.5 seconds doesn’t do justice to the mid-range grunt available for overtaking.

The steering, ride and handling in the Avensis all feel designed to offer high levels of comfort over long distances. Considering Toyota expects 80 per cent to be sold to fleet customers covering big miles this is probably a wise move.

But, the Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6 both offer equal levels of comfort as well as more engaging steering feel and handling quality.

Turn into a bend and the Avensis is competent, with little body roll and plenty of grip, but it won’t put a smile on your face like the class leaders.

Strong on safety

You expect an impressive safety package when you buy a Toyota and the Avensis doesn’t disappoint. The previous model scored five stars in EuroNCAP testing, and it would be a shock if the new model doesn’t repeat this achievement when it’s tested soon.

Seven airbags are standard, including a driver’s knee airbag and active front seat headrests have been fitted to help prevent whiplash type injuries.

Toyota’s VSC skid control gets an update, and features a system which can help the driver steer correctly in a slide by adding torque to the steering wheel to make it easier to turn in the right direction.

As you would expect of a modern saloon all mod-cons are available, including dual zone air conditioning, automatic headlights and wipers, cruise control, touch-screen sat nav, Bluetooth, keyless entry, panoramic roof (Tourer only) and premium audio system with 10Gb hard drive.

While the Toyota Avensis isn’t as pretty as a Mazda 6 or as fun to drive as a Mondeo, it’s an eminently sensible purchase.

The Tourer is seriously practical and all models should prove admirably cost effective to run, which is a pleasant surprise given the Avensis is a big car.

We also expect reliability to be second-to-none, so residuals should be as robust as the car itself.