THINK of a popular British family car and you may consider something from Ford, such as the Mondeo, which is a latter-day replacement for the Cortina.
Then think of something foreign, and companies such as Toyota or Honda may spring to mind.
But you wouwld be barking up the wrong tree. The Mondeo is, in fact, Belgian, whilst the Toyota Avensis and Honda Accord - built at Derby and Swindon respectively - are the best of British, together with Vauxhall's Vectra, which is built at Ellesmere Port on Merseyside.
Whilst the Mondeo, Vectra and Accord are established favourites, the Avensis has arguably a less strong image.
In that sense its strongest rival is probably Peugeot's French 406 range, which is equally impressive yet lacks the charismatic image of, say, Honda.
The advantage for buyers is that models such as the Avensis are unable to take advantage of their image to inflate prices, unlike some of their German counterparts.
To get some idea of just how much Toyota metal you get for your money, consider that the cheapest Avensis saloon is virtually £6,000 less than the cheapest BMW 316i, which is smaller.
BMWs are comprehensively equipped these days, but so is the Toyota, with alloy wheels, air conditioning, twin front and side air bags, anti lock brakes, remote central locking, electric operation of the front windows and door mirrors and split-folding rear seats.
Not bad for a spacious 120mph family saloon with a list price of just £12,980, which is likely to translate into an actual transaction price of nearer to £11,500.
That buys you the 1.6-litre Vermont version, with sprightly acceleration and 40mpg economy.
The downside is that it will have lost two thirds of its value after three years, but that is its only major drawback, and is not quite as bad as it sounds.
The BMW will retain more than half of its original value over the same period, but remember that you have to pay about 40 per cent more for it in the first place.
If you are a company employee, your tax liability is based on a percentage of the purchase price, which is so much higher with the BMW.
This is why alternatives such as the Avensis, Accord, 406, Mondeo, Vectra, Laguna, Mazda6, Octavia and a host of others can make so much sense.
They may not be in the same class as the best so-called driver's cars, but they are extremely competent all-rounders and they can be equipped to the same impressive standards as any executive limousine.
Within the Avensis range there are saloon, hatchback, estate and MPV body styles and a choice of four engines plus manual or automatic transmissions.
My test model was the two-litre diesel-powered Vermont saloon, at £14,470, with 120mph performance, a 0-60mph acceleration time of eleven and a half seconds and real-world average economy of about 45mpg.
In terms of size the Avensis is a match for the Peugeot 406, which has always been considered one of the roomier family models.
In terms of ride and handling it is competent enough, with supportive, comfortable seats, an easy gear change, light yet positive steering and a welcome lack of wind and road noise.
The quality of the fixtures and fittings is better than might be expected for the money, although not in the same superior class as that of Volkswagen's impressive Passat.
One car that is a quality match for the Passat is Skoda's Octavia, which is, coincidentally, precisely the same size as the Avensis.
In terms of value for money this is undoubtedly the Toyota's greatest rival, but that takes us back to the question of image, which is where Skoda still has a job to do.
It goes to show that whilst there may be a host of cars boasting similar attributes, there will always be brand loyalties with buyers displaying a natural tendency towards their preferred make.
Toyota has a loyal following and in the case of the Avensis it is as well deserved as any in its class.
FAST FACTS
Toyota Avensis Vermont 2.0 D4-D Saloon
Price: £14,470
Mechanical: 109bhp, 1,995cc, 4cyl engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox.
Max Speed: 121mph
0-62mph: 11.4 secs
Combined mpg: 47.9
Insurance Group: 8
CO2 emissions: 158g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 12yrs antirust, 3yrs paint