The old one looked a bit like a bread bin. The new one’s nose is sharper, the windscreen more raked, the wheel design more attractive. It looks stylish and, dare we say it… slightly sporty?
 

It’s basically the same as the previous model, with a bit more space (it’s 7 cm longer).

The two small seats in the back are meant for little people, but don’t turn your nose up at them. For the first time ever I experienced the peace that is possible in a car when a pair of warring siblings no longer have to sit next to each other. My four-year-old son nestled down in his seat and happily told himself stories for two hours. All five of the other seats are big and comfortable, and the second-row seats have ample legroom.

With the second row of seats upright there’s enough space for a family of four’s luggage and food for a long weekend. If you fold down all the seats at the back, you could fit in a young giraffe and a drum kit, but with all three rows of seats in position – hitch up the Ventertjie, Harriet!

The Verso has all the clever interior design features that Renault came up with a few years ago, like a passenger mirror above the rear-view mirror in which the driver can see whether the kids have dozed off yet, and the back windows have built-in sunshades that roll up out of the door, and also packing compartments under the front seats and under the rear passengers’ feet.

British motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson says the new Verso lacks charisma and oomph, but you have to remember that Jeremy drove a Lamborghini yesterday and cannot wait for the new Range Rover Sport to be delivered tomorrow. The 1.8-litre petrol engine has enough power and torque (108 kW; 180 Nm) to keep the sizeable Verso at a good clip if you have to pass a truck
on a hill. But it’s the 2.0-litre diesel engine (93 kW; 310 Nm) that had me excited. It has enough pull-away power and in the midrange gears you might even leave some minibus taxis in the dust.

I didn’t drive it myself, but journalists who did say this lack of muscle has been solved. Toyota claims it has 20% more power (97 kW) and 6 % more torque (160 Nm) than the previous model.

Even more solid than the Renault Scenic, which has a reputation for excellent roadholding. It gracefully sails through a long bend on a narrow, bumpy West Coast road if you floor it. Toyota has improved the suspension, and given it a wider wheelbase and slightly fatter takkies (205/60 R16).

The more expensive Versos have a whole bunch of electronic systems that help to stabilise the vehicle and brake it, such as ABS brakes, electronic brake distribution, brake assistance, torque steer assistance, hill ascent control, stability control… (Robert Mugabe could do with some of the latter. – Ed.) All models have seven air bags (driver, passenger, knee, side and curtain air bag). The Verso was designed to win five stars in those tests where new cars are driven flat-out into a concrete block while a German guy with a clipboard stands by taking notes (the Verso’s tests have not yet been done).

Toyota says the 1.6 should use 6,8 ℓ/100 km, but that’s probably if you drive like my Auntie Molly on her way to the Cake-Icing Guild convention. Rather plan for about 7,5 ℓ/100 km, or about 800 km on a tank of 60 litres.

Here comes the cliché: The Verso is reliable and affordable to run, because it’s a Toyota. But it’s the little things that Toyota learnt in France, such as built-in sunscreens, hidden storage bins and kiddies’ mirror, that now make the Verso a comfortable family touring car in all respects. This bothers… I might be a bit prejudiced, but the car is assembled in Turkey, a country more famous for making Turkish delight than motor cars: panels don’t line up properly, the carpet edges curl away from the floor and the joins in the door frames stick out. Toyota will have to watch such details closely. On general design, the Verso would have been more passenger friendly if it had a sliding door on either side at the back, like the Mazda 5.

The cheapest 1.6-litre petrol model costs R243 300. There is also a 1.8-litre petrol model (R279 900) and a 2.0-litre diesel for R296 200. All have a six-speed gearbox.

(Note: Prices accurate in November 2009)

Renault, yes, because the Grand Scenic costs R291 000. Mazda, no, because you can buy the excellent Mazda 5 with a 2.0-litre engine for R244 600. Nor Opel, because the 1.6 Zafira costs R203 000 and the 1.8 Zafira R225 000.


Go! says: If you want character and charisma, get an Italian or French car, but then make sure your sister marries an Italian or French mechanic. If space, safety and reliability are your top priorities, you’ll like the Verso.