UMW Toyota Launches Another Avanza Variant - The Toyota Avanza 1.5X

There will be a new variant of the affordable Toyota Avanza MPV here in Malaysia. Some of my friends call it the 'Babe Repeller'. This is very true as it is actually transport for mummy, daddy and children or for transporting people around affordably. Babe Magnet it ain't so UMW Toyota, the official Toyota people here in Malaysia have come up with a variant called the Toyota Avanza 1.5X. The 'X'-tra this Avanza gets is that it now gets more crossover-like treatment like its Innova X big brother.

Another choice for those that need to carry a lot of people (it has 7 seats) at a budget but with a need for some character building...i.e, some street cred. And so the Avanza X sports front and rear bumpers with black coloured extended bits and silver mouldings. There are fender coverings that make the Avanza have larger, more muscular looking wheelarches. These help close the gap bewteen the wheels and the arches making it look a tad bit sportier. There are also new reflectors integrated into the tail lights. This is an external styling tweak variant actually. 

Optional accessories that can be bundled with the vehicle include a roof ornament (no, not a statue of a tiger or anything like that) and 16 inch alloy wheels with a different design. Customers can also upgrade the MPV's infotainment system. They can choose between the optional DVD-AVX or DVD-AVN systems. Both come with large touchscreens and reverse camera displays but the DVD-AVN adds more connectivity as it includes an internet browser (requires a wifi internet connection by the user) and GPS navigation.

The Avanza we get here is currently the facelifted, second generation model. It can seat up to 7 pepople on its 3 rows of seats. Both second and third rows of seats are divided into two equal sections and can be folded for extra cargo space for added flexibility. Standard creature comforts include the dual-blower air-conditioning system with a second blower mounted on the ceiling so that cool air reaches passengers in the third row.

All Avanza variants here in Malaysia are fitted with dual front airbags and every one of the seven seats has a 3-point seatbelt. There are two ISOFIX points on the second row for safer securing of child safety seats.

The new Avanza 1.5X is priced at RM82,700 (excluding insurance for private registration in Peninsular Malaysia. All Toyota models sold by UMW Toyota come with a 5-year warranty and unlimited mileage. The warranty can be carried forward in the event the original owner sells the Avanza within the first 5 years. A good proposition as second hand values for the Avanza could be better. So it may not be a babe magnet, but you could get something out of it when you sell it.

The new Avanza 1.5X can be viewed from the 24th of February 2018 onwards. There will be a Toyota Weekender sales promo event at all Toyota showrooms nationwide.