Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
LITTLE Stan and his pals recently played in a football tournament at Al Najma’s sporting complex in Juffair and the parents were once more faced with making transport arrangements from the expat sanctuary of Saar.
It’s particularly challenging for families with more than one child to juggle around numerous out-of-school activities but most friends step up to the plate by rallying round when it comes to organising transportation to and from destinations.
If we’d only had the seven-seater Toyota Avanza out on a test drive at the time, sharing the load would not have been an issue … many of the Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain squad could have jumped in for the ride!
Toyota’s marvellous entry-level Multiple Purpose Vehicle (MPV), has become one of the hottest-selling cars in the global market and it’s not surprising … particularly at the special Ramadan price it can currently be snapped up for, which I’ll come to later.
It’s no wonder the brand is the best-seller in the kingdom, it really knows how to deliver on the basics, keeping it solid and dependable, cool and spacious, value-for-money and throwing in a likely decent resale value.
The Avanza ticks all the boxes. The summer heat has turned on and the most prominent in-your-face dials on the dashboard are the air con controls. Cute. The dual air conditioning system allows interior temperature to be quickly adjusted for maximum comfort.
Do not let me mislead you, there’s nothing fancy about this ride. I have a few suggestions for simple improvements which would not add a lot to the cost, namely a hook to hang my jacket, arm rests attached to the front seats and Bluetooth connectivity ought to be an option.
But, as one fellow reviewer rightly suggested, ‘it’s not bad at all. In fact, it may be very good indeed’. He, like I, gets the opportunity to drive a lot of fancy, fast cars, but we both have a soft spot for ‘simple, basic transportation executed correctly’.
The Avanza is comfortable thanks to its quick responding suspension and its fuel-efficient 1.5L VVT-i engine makes it fun to drive. It will not win any speed contests but if you’ve treasured cargo in the back (like the footy team) you’re not going to be driving like a lunatic.
There is a real ease with getting in and out of the vehicle too. One touch smoothly folds down the third row of seats to provide storage space if needed and the door width and seat heights allow for simple access. The tailgate and floor height are also designed for easy loading.
Also, impressive are the numerous drink holders scattered around for convenience which once again makes it an ideal family car and/or soccer team bus.
The BD5,000 off-road figure is amazing (a lot better than the cup final result of a 2-1 defeat to the home side secured with a dodgy penalty decision awarded against a rather perplexed little Stan).
Despite the big match misery I couldn’t help smiling all the way to the Ebrahim K Kanoo Toyota Showroom in Sitra. So impressed, I’ve placed my order. The boys will be back … and travelling in harmony.
* Contact 17730730 for more details; the special deal is only available during the holy month and includes a free service contract for one year or 20,000km.
