New Toyota Verso

While rival compact MPV makers have used all kinds of tricks to get us into their products over the years, Toyota’s Verso has always approached its market with a much straighter bat. This isn’t a car that you’ll bring the neighbours out to admire but it is one with a truly exceptional level of all-round competence.

The first generation version based on the old Corolla family hatchback was quiet sales success for the brand, offering seven-seat capability, a quality feel, powerful yet frugal engines and affordable pricing. This Auris-based second generation version deviates little from that approach but, as you’d expect, brings it bang up to date.

Toyota is blowing the Optimal Drive trumpet again with this Verso. That doesn’t just mean better economy either because the Verso’s powerplants are also packing a bigger punch than ones fitted to the old model could muster. The petrol engines use Valvematic technology which gives yet more scope for the combustion process to be micro-managed by computer for the best results. The 1.6-litre engine has a sizable 131bhp and torque of 160Nm while the 1.8-litre unit delivers 145bhp and 180Nm. The diesel options are Toyota’s latest D-4D powerplants, a 125bhp 2.0-litre with a bulging 310Nm bag of torque and a 2.2-litre using D-CAT clean diesel technology that will give the Verso quite a turn of speed thanks to 148bhp and 340Nm.