Having dealt with a spell of minor problems with my beloved B4 80 in recent months, it's now with a local VW/Audi specialists to have some rather more pressing problems investigated/repaired. In the meantime, I have this hire car to drive...
Now without seeming to be ungrateful because I do need a car to get me to/from work whilst mine is being repaired, and the hire company have fulfilled my every request in so far as providing me with a similar sized car that isn’t blue, and for once it is at least clean on the inside (outside could do with a chamois!), but seriously, what the *beep* has happened to basic simplistic driving controls, driver comfort, and the sheer joys of driving a car?
Upon first sitting in the
Toyota Avensis Icon D-4D Saloon, the first thing that became apparent to me was that I couldn’t see either the front or the back of the car, and even after adjusting the seat/mirrors/etc, this was a struggle. With nothing else available however, and with the offer to swap for something else later in the week if I want to, I decided to at least give it a go.
So, next up, a lesson from the hire company re controls and driving the car, and believe me, just the starting and reversing procedures alone took some getting used to on account of there being no central pull-up style handbrake anymore, but rather a button that requires pressing or pulling depending on what you want to do!
Most other controls, indicators and wipers for example, are much the same as my own car, the controls for the CD/radio on the steering wheel are nothing new to me, the on-board automatic reversing webcam is proving to be quite useful, and rather surprisingly for a newer car it does have an ashtray & cigarette lighter, but jeez, there are just too many other new fandaggled dials that I’ve just not had the time (or inclination!) to investigate them all, and I’m seriously wondering how the modern car owner can even concentrate on the road!
So anyway, how does it drive? Well to be fair, it’s much the same as driving any other new car; the clutch and brake offers more resistance compared to the older cars, it’s a lot quieter and smoother to drive, handles well, and it clearly has a lot more gadgetry than what I’m used to, BUT, and here’s the thing, the sheer joy of driving and driver comfort were not particularly high on Toyota’s list when they designed this car, it has the hardest and most uncomfortable seats you could ever imagine, and for the most part, the usual ‘ooh a new car to drive’ and eagerness to drive it anywhere and everywhere feelings that you get within the few day days/weeks of getting a new car, well they were gone within the first 10mins or so.
In summary, I’m missing my car already!
