What do you get with the Toyota Avanza 1.3 E?

If you’re looking for a Toyota MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), a seven-seater for under a million pesos, this is where you start from under the Toyota brand.

Sure, it’s not as classy as an Innova and not even in the same island as the Alphard but when it comes to practical usefulness minus all the flair, the Avanza ticks all the boxes. It has just the right ground clearance for peace of mind — whether rain or potholes make you worry — and its compact size makes it easy and economical to drive around.

So, don’t pass up on the Avanza 1.3 E just yet because after the upgrade last October 2019, it does offer very valid propositions for MPV buyers on a limited budget (in photo above is a G grade).

The facelift gave it a more sophisticated façade with thicker chrome above the black with silver paint garnish grille that connects the new split-type LED headlamps with integrated turn signals and front fog lamps housed on the redesigned new front bumper.

It has intermittent windshield wipers in front and a wiper in the rear, color-keyed sideview mirrors, silver backdoor garnish, fin-type antenna, rear reflectors, and bulb-type rear combination lamps.

On the chassis are a MacPherson Strut with stabilizer front suspension, a four-link with lateral control rod rear suspension, ventilated front disc brakes and leading-trailing drum rear brakes.

The four-link suspension can only do so much to cover up for the roughness of unpaved sections of the highway but a little bit of the harshness does come through to the cabin.

It uses 15-inch steel wheels with 185/70 R14 tires.

Under the hood is a four-cylinder, in-line, dual VVT-I (variable valve timing with intelligence) 1.3L gasoline engine that puts out 95hp and 121Nm of torque. Gearbox options are a four speed AT (automatic transmission) and five-speed MT (manual transmission). Fuel tank capacity is 45 liters.

This displacement size will surely feel at home and will be apt for city driving, with all the traffic and the stop-and-go, but it will also get you across a highway and even on open roads with two-way traffic and the demand to overtake motorbikes at relatively high speeds.

During a test drive with a full load of seven people, I averaged 12 kilometers to liter on three full days of driving around town. There were occasions when I floored it and multiple times I got stuck in traffic as well.

It gets the basics and the important stuff inside, speedometer, tachometer, digital odometer and trip meter, Eco indicator, digital clock, driver + front passenger seatbelts with lamp and buzzer warning, door ajar warning, manual digital and dual climate control, tilt-adjustable steering column with electric power steering, an accessory outlet, glove box, room lamp, and a door courtesy lamp.

All the seats are fabric. Driver’s and passenger seat slide and reclines, the second-row seats slide and split 50:50 using a one-touch tumble system, and third-row seats have a 50:50 split-tumble feature.

Stuffing the Avanza doesn’t really get any easier. Even in full seating configuration, the hatch still offers considerable space for backpacks and shopping bags. It even serves as an alternative entry point for third-row passengers.

The E trim, which is the middle variant, doesn’t really differ much with the G-spec inside.

One thing it doesn’t have is a touchscreen infotainment system. It only has a 2DIN CD + MP3 + Aux-in + USB system that can pair with two mobile devices for hands-free calling and four speakers.

Steering wheel is urethane with chrome accents, only the passenger sun visor has a mirror, but it does have anti-glare rearview mirrors already, full molded door trims with fabric, 17 bottle holders, door pockets (driver and passenger), seatback pockets, power windows with jam protect, power door locks, and power-adjustable sideview mirrors.

Standard safety features are side door impact beam, driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution, two three-point front ELR (emergency locking retractor) seatbelts with pretensioner and force limiter, three three-point second-row ELR seatbelts, two three-point third-row ELR seatbelts, child lock protection (rear door only),  and a child restraint system (Isofix and tether anchor).

It also comes with wireless locking system using the key fob.

This compact seven-seater always comes in very handy and it doesn’t even feel too big even if you’re driving alone. Seven may be a tight squeeze if they’re all strapping young men but four ladies, one child, a teen can fit just right.

The Avanza 1.3 E MT is priced at P876,000 while the Toyota Avanza 1.3 E AT is priced at P919,000 – both under a million pesos for your first seven-seater MPV.

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines