Photo: Toyota
Looking for something a bit more spacious than a normal hatch? Well, one of the best compact MPVs you can get now is the 2014 Toyota Verso.
The new Verso comes with many amenities that puts it a bit in front of the competition as a whole package and here we’ll take a look at some of its nice features.
Starting with the exterior, you’ll see that the old boring looking Verso is gone, with the 2014 version wearing bolder details especially up front, where you can see the new Yaris that took some steroids. The car is also more aerodynamic thus better canceling wind noise and resistance, increasing the passengers’ comfort and taking them further on a full tank.
With the looks being sorted out, let’s head to the revised interior that you’re going to see all the time.
Here you’ll find enough space for five large adults, with the rear individual seats being adjustable and offering a decent amount of legroom. And if you got to pick up two more passengers on your way or have too many children, the Verso comes with two additional seats in the third row. The second and third row seats are very easy to fold down and form a huge flat-bottomed cargo space, which can easily take in a medium sized fridge.
Then comes the new dashboard - clean lines, a double glovebox compartment and a fully adjustable steering wheel with audio controls for the now standard Toyota Touch 2 infotainment system. Also, being an MPV, the driver sits a bit higher so the instrument cluster can now be found on the middle top of the dash, slightly oriented towards the driver for better reading.
The central console is nicely shaped, with large uncluttered buttons and it now ends with a redesigned shift knob for the manual version. On average, you’ll going to change gears for around 100,000 times, so it’s nice to grab something ergonomic and smooth.
Opt for the Toyota Touch 2 with Go and you will get sat nav, TomTom traffic info, Google Street View and Panoramio features. Toyota is the first big manufacturer to offer the 2 features in its multimedia system.
Another big improvement for the 2014 Verso is the new 1.6-liter D-4D turbodiesel which replaces the 2-liter one. The new unit comes with a reengineered dual-mass flywheel, gearbox housing, engine mounts and electronics along with other changes, allowing it to develop 111 bhp and 270 Nm of torque. It is a bit lower than the 2-liter, but it’s 10 kg lighter, better responsive and is emitting only 119 g/km CO2 (10 g less than the 2-liter) while providing a combined fuel economy of 62.8 mpg UK (52.3 mpg US / 4.5 l/100 km).
The suspension is now a bit firmer so the car will jiggle less around corners while the responsive engine will keep you entertained on some winding country lanes.
You also get a 5-year warranty and the Toyota STAR safety system as standard, coming with Anti-lock Braking System, Electronic Brake force Distribution, Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill-start Assist Control and Supplemental Restraint System.
Add the Toyota legendary reliability as well as the best-in-class value and you can easily sell the Verso after around 3 years without loosing too much money.
What else do you need? The Ford C-Max doesn’t come with seven seats and there is no individual seating for the second row. Moreover, you can’t make a flat cargo space if you fold them down. And then comes that awful dashboard with all sorts of angles and tiny little buttons scattered all around the place.
The VW Touran is the same one from 2 years ago basically, a big lump of car with seven seats, large windows and the thrill of a brick, so we’ll leave that alone.
Guess that the other option may be the Citroen C4 Picasso. Despite its fabulous looks and features even as standard, there is no third seats row and then let’s not forget there is French technology working under its skin, which tends to not work pretty quick and depreciate even quicker.
Starting with the exterior, you’ll see that the old boring looking Verso is gone, with the 2014 version wearing bolder details especially up front, where you can see the new Yaris that took some steroids. The car is also more aerodynamic thus better canceling wind noise and resistance, increasing the passengers’ comfort and taking them further on a full tank.
With the looks being sorted out, let’s head to the revised interior that you’re going to see all the time.
Here you’ll find enough space for five large adults, with the rear individual seats being adjustable and offering a decent amount of legroom. And if you got to pick up two more passengers on your way or have too many children, the Verso comes with two additional seats in the third row. The second and third row seats are very easy to fold down and form a huge flat-bottomed cargo space, which can easily take in a medium sized fridge.
Then comes the new dashboard - clean lines, a double glovebox compartment and a fully adjustable steering wheel with audio controls for the now standard Toyota Touch 2 infotainment system. Also, being an MPV, the driver sits a bit higher so the instrument cluster can now be found on the middle top of the dash, slightly oriented towards the driver for better reading.
The central console is nicely shaped, with large uncluttered buttons and it now ends with a redesigned shift knob for the manual version. On average, you’ll going to change gears for around 100,000 times, so it’s nice to grab something ergonomic and smooth.
Opt for the Toyota Touch 2 with Go and you will get sat nav, TomTom traffic info, Google Street View and Panoramio features. Toyota is the first big manufacturer to offer the 2 features in its multimedia system.
Another big improvement for the 2014 Verso is the new 1.6-liter D-4D turbodiesel which replaces the 2-liter one. The new unit comes with a reengineered dual-mass flywheel, gearbox housing, engine mounts and electronics along with other changes, allowing it to develop 111 bhp and 270 Nm of torque. It is a bit lower than the 2-liter, but it’s 10 kg lighter, better responsive and is emitting only 119 g/km CO2 (10 g less than the 2-liter) while providing a combined fuel economy of 62.8 mpg UK (52.3 mpg US / 4.5 l/100 km).
The suspension is now a bit firmer so the car will jiggle less around corners while the responsive engine will keep you entertained on some winding country lanes.
You also get a 5-year warranty and the Toyota STAR safety system as standard, coming with Anti-lock Braking System, Electronic Brake force Distribution, Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill-start Assist Control and Supplemental Restraint System.
Add the Toyota legendary reliability as well as the best-in-class value and you can easily sell the Verso after around 3 years without loosing too much money.
What else do you need? The Ford C-Max doesn’t come with seven seats and there is no individual seating for the second row. Moreover, you can’t make a flat cargo space if you fold them down. And then comes that awful dashboard with all sorts of angles and tiny little buttons scattered all around the place.
The VW Touran is the same one from 2 years ago basically, a big lump of car with seven seats, large windows and the thrill of a brick, so we’ll leave that alone.
Guess that the other option may be the Citroen C4 Picasso. Despite its fabulous looks and features even as standard, there is no third seats row and then let’s not forget there is French technology working under its skin, which tends to not work pretty quick and depreciate even quicker.
Google News