BY car back-window advertising tradition "The car in front is a Toyota". But, sadly it is an advert that has not always rung true.

Take the first Avensis built in 1997, a mid-range saloon/liftback/estate line-up which was too easy to criticise as noisy, a bit sluggish, and not particularly good-looking.

Not so the new range. Here is a smart, well-presented car with an up-to-date engine selection, offering a particularly quiet ride, is a sure-fire class leader for passenger room, and is by no means dynamically backward. And it is GB built, so its design priorities are aimed at the European driver.

Today, there is a certain elegance about the Avensis. The rather eccentric front end of the earlier model has gone. Also the car is larger than the previous model, although still not as large from the outside as many of the rivals such as the VW Passat and Ford Mondeo. Also, its design is not that of a cumbersome large car, but more of one that is roomy and spacious. In fact it is the roomiest in its class.

This Derbyshire-built Avensis proves that Toyota is capable of building good cars and that the updating of its mid-range models is not any kind of casual mid-life makeover. The saloon's street stance is one of commanding presence, with a proud, purposeful nose streamlining back towards the solid and safe seating area, finishing in a fairly brief boot overhang that belies the generous luggage space - the biggest in this class.

However, particularly important is that the Avensis has been awarded the highest score under the stringent Euro crash safety rating system. It is also the first car to be awarded the maximum five stars. The Avensis has nine airbags, and standard active safety features include the latest in anti-lock braking systems matched to electronic brakeforce distribution.

On top of these, systems such as brake assist, vehicle stability control and traction control are all available, depending on the model's specification level.

Toyota's engineers have also moved on when it comes to providing engines. The lean-burn petrol units that powered earlier models have been scrapped in favour of the super-efficient VVT-i designs, the two-litre with direct injection, and the very effective two-litre D4-D, an economic and clean common rail turbo diesel which used to be restricted to the SR model but is now available right across the range. Engines are matched to either manual or automatic with sequential shift. Acronym fans may like to know that VVT-I represents Variable Valve Timing-intelligent, another way of saying that the latest Avensis petrol systems are leaner, greener, and more tax efficient.

Toyota has introduced the new Avensis in different versions, dispensing with the different letter grading and adopting the T2, T3S, T3X, T4 and the T Spirit, now found on all new Toyota ranges. If you want loads of passenger space and good luggage room too, then the Avensis excels. When you look at the amount of legroom in the rear seats, you just cannot imagine why some other cars in the same category - even some saloons a size up - are so cramped.

Power seats are standard on the T Spirit grade with ten-way adjustment. There is even a knee airbag for the driver, a first for such a car.

Also the suspension has been improved, to perk up the handling while keeping an absorbent ride, which is pure executive car stuff.

The Avensis has a revised instrument panel, and now offers automatic rain sensors, a dual zone climate control on the T3X and higher grade models, while others come with a sunshine roof, or both. There are anti-glare rear view mirrors, while a new audio system manages to combine radio, cassette and CD player into one unit. Happily, all the audio controls are finger-tip size on the dashboard, and the driver can still retain control using handily-placed dimple buttons on the steering wheel.

Interior trim, with details like a dimpled leather steering wheel rim in some versions, has been upgraded. For the first time, Toyota has fitted a dual-stage seat-belt reminder system which warns if either front seat has an unfastened seat belt. There is an initial warning light which switches to an irritating buzzer once the car reached 10mph, and for those slow to react, the noise gets increasingly louder and louder.

The amount of storage space is another plus, with CD holders, drink grips as well as a rear console box which doubles as an armrest for the back seat riders. The saloon has rear seats which split 60/40 but the boot is huge anyway and can carry most family-size luggage.

The VVT-i engines transform the performance of the 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol types while actually improving the economy over the old lean-burn designs. And the turbo diesel is right up with the best in its class for mid-range pull, frugal running and low noise levels. That is another thing people who dismissed the previous Avensis did not realise - this is a car which provokes very little road noise.

On-the-road prices start at £13,995 for the T2 saloon. Another bonus is that the Avensis residual values are likely to remain high. For example the 1.8-litre T2 petrol is expected to retain seven per cent more of its value over a three-year or 60,000 mile period compared with the Mondeo and about nine per cent more than the Renault Laguna. Yet another tick for the Avensis is that its low exhaust emissions of 171g/km for the 1.8-litre manual and 155g/km for the 2.0-litre diesel make it extremely acceptable to company car drivers.

Toyota made mistakes with the previous Avensis, the car that did not quite live up to the first-out-of-Derby predecessor, the Carina E, but there are absolutely none worth putting down on paper insofar as this latest model is concerned.

The pricing is pitched very nicely, and the overall quality does not play second fiddle to anything in this market segment.

Updated: 16:29 Thursday, September 11, 2003