2019 Toyota Avanza: How different it’s from the old model?

Toyota recently announced that it would be bringing in an all-new Avanza to Malaysia. The new model that is set to hit the showrooms across the nation soon isn’t, in fact, an all-new car at all. Just as with other carmakers, the Japanese giant too needs to keep updating its models - a practice the car industry refers to as a ‘facelift’. By the same token, Toyota put the 2019 Avanza under the scalpel to help it keep up the competition. So, if you’re a prospective buyer looking to put down some real money on this new Avanza, you ought to look at some of the key differences between it and its soon-to-be-replaced model.

Key exterior changes

While the outgoing model of the Avanza isn’t distasteful, it certainly isn’t a sight for sore eyes. Toyota, it seems, did their due diligence and so when it came time for a mid-life update of their popular compact MPV, they decided to act on it. Starting with the front end of the 2019 Avanza, this is where most buyers will notice a pretty remarkable difference between the new and old Avanza. Borrowing inspiration from the far more expensive Vellfire, designers have transformed the face of the otherwise mundane Avanza.

The somberness of the pre-facelift car has been replaced with aggressiveness and some sense of theatre. The clamshell bonnet now seamlessly merges where it meets the headlamps and the nose of the 2019 Avanza. The headlights themselves are now full-LED units and are split into two by a piece of body-colored trim. Their rakish design also adds to the drama. The upper portion of the grille now wears a thick chrome garnish with a protruding Toyota logo at its centre. The massive single-piece bumper adds the much-desired intimidation value, plus its Vellfire-inspired design further propels the premium appeal of the new Avanza. Its vast centrally-located air intake is accompanied by a sporty front splitter and flanked by a pair of fog lamps.

The rear of the 2019 Toyota Avanza primarily features a restyled bumper and taillights. The bumper now seems sportier with its neatly integrated rear fog lights and a couple of pseudo air vents. While the taillights haven’t changed by much, they seem to hold your gaze for longer now. Toyota has also bolted on some red reflector lens in between the central units, partnering those with a thick bar of chrome and a roof-mounted spoiler. Changes along the sides are much less dramatic, though. You now get a different set of two-tone, 15-inch alloy wheels with more pronounced fenders, sporty side sill extensions and finally, a shark fin antenna up top.

Key cabin nip and tuck

The 2019 Toyota Avanza facelift also boasts of some alterations inside the cabin. Obviously, if you step in expecting to find a world of difference between this and the older model, you could be disappointed. However, the Japanese marque has tweaked this interior just enough to keep your attention, but not enough to save that for too long. The biggest and perhaps the most noticeable highlight can be found up front, with the reworked centre stack. Gone is the boring and generic design of the older model, now cast aside by a pleasantly modern set-up.

Here, a new 6.75-inch touchscreen multimedia head unit takes pride of place. It’s accompanied by an all-new automatic HVAC control panel, which not only looks more upmarket than before but is also dead easy to operate. The only other real change can be seen in the driver’s instrument console, where the analogue gauges now feature a more attractive blue background. As for the head unit, it now supports Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, apart from internet connectivity, Bluetooth, and voice input.

Additional safety tech

Compared to the model it replaces, the 2019 Toyota Avanza can be had with extra safety equipment. This includes blind-spot monitoring (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), front-facing digital video recorder (DVR), and an around-view monitor (AVM). Sadly, however, the Malaysian-spec 2019 Avanza still only gets two airbags. Otherwise, you still have anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, and ISOFIX child-seat anchor points.

Apart from these, the rest of the 2019 Avanza remains an almost carbon copy of the outgoing version. This means it gets the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that continues to develop 103 hp and 136 Nm of torque, and comes mated to the same 4-speed automatic gearbox as before. Prices for the new 2019 Toyota Avanza are set at RM 80,888, RM 83,888, and RM 87,888 for the base, mid, and top variants, respectively.