THE Toyota Avensis gets my vote as being the best all round family car that is made in Britain. Spacious, capable and so well appointed, it is a class act in every aspect.
Built at Toyota's UK factory at Burnaston, near Derby, the Avensis is now even being exported to Japan - and that is a demonstration of the quality of this car.
The flagship Avensis T Spirit is as plush as can be imagined with leather upholstery, satellite navigation and cruise control all standard - and the navigation system incorporates Toyota's live traffic information system to help you avoid hold-ups.
At a shade under £20,000 it is highly competitive compared to others such as the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Vectra and another home grown car, the Nissan Primera.
Powered by a two-litre VVTi petrol engine, the T Spirit is brisk and smooth while still being capable of averaging around 35 miles per gallon.
Top speed is a claimed 130mph, 0 to 62 takes 9.1 seconds and it has relatively low exhaust emissions of 191g/km.
Where the Toyota scores is comfort. As medium sized saloons go, this is almost as roomy as a limousine - especially in the back where there is a huge amount of leg room.
It also scores highly on safety, attaining five star NCAP crash test standards. That is a result of all-round airbag protection, front and rear, with the addition of knee level bags for the driver and front seat passenger.
The T Spirit also comes with traction control to further enhance its stability.
Independent climate control, finger tip buttons on the steering wheel for the audio and trip computer and rain sensitive windscreen wipers are all part of the package as are electric windows all round.
On the road the Avensis is smooth and pleasant to drive and the gearbox is a delight to work.
If there is a hiccup it is with part of the interior design in the shape of the giant centre console that splits into two storage areas.
While capacious, it is also bulbous and the construction is such that the upper portion is not as robust as it could be. The result is vibration on all but the smoothest of road surfaces and inside it is not as quiet as some of its rivals.
But that is the only criticism of what is an outstanding car. However the T Spirit is not my tip as the best value for money in the Avensis line up.
Models with the 1.8-litre petrol engine and the diesel version offer almost the same performance but with the benefit of much improved fuel economy - not to mention their cheaper list prices.
The only extras that set the T Spirit ahead of the rest of the range are the leather upholstery, cruise control and traction control and, while nice to have, they are not the be all and end all.
My pick of the line up would be a 1.8-litre VVTi T-3X which will average almost 40mpg and still comes with goodies such as satellite navigation - and that costs just £16,095. At that price it is nigh on unbeatable - and it is all home grown.
FAST FACTS
Toyota Avensis 2.0 T Spirit Saloon
Price: £19,845
Mechanical: 145bhp, 1,998cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via a 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 130mph
0-62mph: 9.1 secs
Combined mpg: 34.9
Insurance group: 9
CO2 emissions: 191g/km
BiK rating: 24%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 12yrs anti-rust, 3yrs paint