Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
Last year, Toyota Europe chief executive officer Johan van Zyl let it be known that the Avensis’ future is under survey due to a downfall in terms of sales and a contracting segment. Happily, however, this set of spy photos suggests that the automaker’s European big shots took the decision to keep the ball rolling.
Spied in station wagon guise, the pictured 2018 Toyota Avensis is masked by tons of camouflage decals, faux body panels, as well as a pair of work-in-progress headlights. It appears that only the windows, wheels, and taillights are production-spec, but then again, Toyota has a lot of development work to do before bringing the new generation of the Avensis to market.
Word on the street is the Japanese automaker will focus on dropping as much weight as possible to help with drivability, though it’s a better bet that improved fuel economy is the focal point for Toyota. A sure bet would be a newly-developed 1.6 turbo with 120 to 150 horsepower. On the diesel-fueled front, BMW powerplants displacing 1.5 and 2.0 liters could replace the 1.6 D4D.
Appearance-wise, the Avensis Touring Sports pre-production prototype caught in the action by the carparazzi also gives the impression of a slightly longer wheelbase and more space. By comparison, the current model is 4,820 millimeters long and it rides on a 2,700-millimeter wheelbase, whereas the trunk can swallow 543 liters of luggage with the rear seats in their upright position. Fold them down and cargo capacity hikes up to 1,609 liters.
Toyota needs to get the 2018 Avensis and its station wagon-bodied counterpart right this time from the get-go, especially when you bear in mind that the current generation was gifted with not one, but two facelifts. The second was applied three years after the first, which is a tell-tale sign that the outgoing Avensis is long overdue a replacement. As a brief refresher, Toyota revealed the third generation of the Avensis in 2008 at the Paris Motor Show.
The 2018 Toyota Avensis is believed to debut this fall in Frankfurt.
Word on the street is the Japanese automaker will focus on dropping as much weight as possible to help with drivability, though it’s a better bet that improved fuel economy is the focal point for Toyota. A sure bet would be a newly-developed 1.6 turbo with 120 to 150 horsepower. On the diesel-fueled front, BMW powerplants displacing 1.5 and 2.0 liters could replace the 1.6 D4D.
Appearance-wise, the Avensis Touring Sports pre-production prototype caught in the action by the carparazzi also gives the impression of a slightly longer wheelbase and more space. By comparison, the current model is 4,820 millimeters long and it rides on a 2,700-millimeter wheelbase, whereas the trunk can swallow 543 liters of luggage with the rear seats in their upright position. Fold them down and cargo capacity hikes up to 1,609 liters.
Toyota needs to get the 2018 Avensis and its station wagon-bodied counterpart right this time from the get-go, especially when you bear in mind that the current generation was gifted with not one, but two facelifts. The second was applied three years after the first, which is a tell-tale sign that the outgoing Avensis is long overdue a replacement. As a brief refresher, Toyota revealed the third generation of the Avensis in 2008 at the Paris Motor Show.
The 2018 Toyota Avensis is believed to debut this fall in Frankfurt.
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