If there’s one common denominator about being South African and owning cars, it is that at some point in their lives most South African drivers have owned a Toyota.
It might have been because Toyotas have a reputation for reliability or it might have been the attraction of buying a car that doesn’t depreciate as much as others do over time. Whatever the reason, over the years, South Africans have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the brand that kept going right and is now leading the way.
When motoring competition started increasing in South Africa a few years ago, with new manufacturers bringing in cars at very competitive prices, Toyota still priced its vehicles above its sometimes better-specced rivals and still it continued to sell above expectations.
I always thought that Toyota might reach a point where South Africans would feel a little cheated for having to pay a premium for a product that just didn’t have all the bells and whistles that other cars have. I was, of course, wrong. The South African car- buying public, while being crazy about gizmos and added features, puts more value on the reliability of an established brand than the promise of clever gadgets on newer, less established brands.
Needless to say, I was quite surprised when Toyota recently launched the Avanza to the South African public at Auto Africa at a very competitive price because it could very well have charged much more and still achieved its target of selling 800 Avanzas a month.
The Avanza is a seven-seater MPV that sells from R99 900 to R139 700 and represents the creation of a new segment of affordable MPVs in South Africa.
Toyota executives said they spotted a gap in the MPV market, which has grown 120% since 2003, and decided that South Africans needed a reasonably priced seven-seater vehicle.
At the recent launch in KwaZulu-Natal, motoring media tested the Avanzas more than was planned for as the rain-soaked province turned normal dirt roads into a slippery slalom.
Only one Avanza of about 35 needed to be rescued from a muddy demise, the rest coped admirably.
There are two engines in the range: a 1,3-litre and a 1,5-litre, and after having driven both extensively, I can happily say that the 1,3-litre with 67kW of power and 120Nm of torque was exceedingly energetic given that it was pulling a fairly large vehicle.
Of course, the smaller engine means that it will take you longer to get up to speed, but give it a chance and you’ll be cruising comfortably at 140kph.
The Avanza delivers a comfortable ride, though I’m sure it would have been more confident in the twisties if it was slightly closer to the ground.
And it was rather unusual, but two of the three cars I drove sometimes had sticky transmission. If there’s one thing that’s synonymous with Toyotas, it’s their smooth-as-silk gearboxes so it was really surprising to discover that changing gears in some of the Avanzas required a fair deal of elbow grease.
Interior fit and finishings are reasonable for this price and the seats are comfortable enough to ensure that you’re not wriggling around after 300km.
The Avanza has an MP3-compatible CD player/radio, electric windows, power steering, aircon and much more, while standard safety features include ABS and an airbag.
Ultimately, I can see Toyota selling more than the projected 800 units of the Avanza a month, simply because it offers affordable versatility and has the support of a brand that has performed admirably over the years.