Car reviews

Introduction

The Toyota Verso is a people carrier that replaces the Toyota Corolla Verso and comes with a more spacious interior, despite similar looks. The build quality is excellent with the new Verso being finished to a high standard. Good quality materials have been used throughout as well and this makes a difference to the overall feel of the car. The interior does feel slightly dull as the grey plastic looks uninspiring, but the materials used do make up for this to some extent. The range of engines should offer something for everyone and with its seven seats the Verso will be able to accommodate even the largest of families.

Exterior & Interior

The Toyota Verso looks similar to the Corolla Verso, which it replaces, but is more spacious inside and comes with seven seats as standard rather than having the option between a seven or five-seat layout. The two front rows of seats are comfortable and spacious. However, the two back seats are designed more for children than adults as the legroom is limited. The centre row of seats can slide forward to increase the legroom for the back row, but consequently lose legroom for themselves.

The boot is tiny when all the seats are upright. Funnily, even the Ford Ka has more boot space. Nevertheless, all of the back seats fold flat into the floor turning the back into a vast luggage space if needed. There are also additional storage bins in the floor, doors, the centre console and a split-level glove box with the top section being cooled.

Whilst everything is made of quality materials and is finished to a high standard, the cabin feels plain.

When choosing a trim, we’d go for the T Spirit as it offers all the kit you are likely to want. There is also the T2, LE and TR but they offer pretty much the same equipment levels between each other.

Drive

The Toyota Verso excels as a motorway cruiser, offering superb comfort and ride quality. The suspension soaks up any bumps and potholes easily. Unfortunately, it’s not as composed in the corners where there is plenty of body roll, which the rear most passengers may find uncomfortable and un-nerving. The steering column filters out any vibrations from the front wheels giving the handling a light and artificial feel at higher speeds. In town and at low speeds on the other hand, these characteristics make it simple to park in even the tightest of spaces.

The driving position is superb, with good visibility and an easy to use dashboard and dials.

Faults & Repairs

The Toyota Verso hasn’t been around for very long, so there is little to base any reliability stats on. As it’s a Toyota, you can be fairly certain that there are going to be very few problems arising around it. Some things to keep in mind are that the gear changes and clutch because the Corolla Verso that it replaces, suffered from problems related to the drivetrain. Other than that, just make sure that all the electrics work as they should and that the car has a full service history.

As for servicing, it only needs to go in for a check-up every 10,000 miles, and it shouldn’t prove any more expensive than its rivals the Ford Focus C-Max or the Vauxhall Zafira.