NOW CLOSED Toyota Verso tester review thread. Non-testers, tell us how you'd like your car to be more versatile - £200 Love2shop voucher to be won

[KatieBMumsnet]

This thread is for the 8 Mumsnetters who are taking part in the extended test drive of the Toyota 7 Seat Verso over the next few weeks. Five testers and their families will also be making a video of their test drive - so look out for these on Toyota's page on Mumsnet soon.

Below are some questions for you to answer over the course of the test drive - please don't worry about answering all of them straight away, some may be more relevant after you've had the car for a week or so.

We'd like you to post updates on this thread at least twice a week - more if you'd like!

Questions
What were your/your partner's first impressions of the car?
What do the children think of it?
Do the children fit comfortably in it?
How easy is it to fit car seats/ adjust seats etc?
What's it like to drive?
Is it a comfortable ride?
What's the boot space like?
How easy or difficult was it to change the layout of the seats?
Does it have any useful extras - cup holders etc?
Has testing this car made you more or less likely to buy a Toyota in future?
Has testing this car changed your perception of Toyota cars at all? If so, how?
What one thing do you like best about it?
What one thing would you change about it?

For those of you not taking part in the extended test drive, the Toyota Verso is all about versatility, so we'd like to hear your thoughts on this - please share on this thread how you'd like your car to be more versatile.
What do you wish your car could do to help make your life easier? If there was one feature or gadget your car could be fitted with what would it be?
Share your comments and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Love2Shop voucher

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

sweetapril. Have you had a look at the peugeot 5008? Loads of room in the middle row!

[SweetApril]

Ooh, no, IwishIwasmoreorganised. Perhaps I should have a look at one of those. Do you have one? Are they decent to drive? Whichever car we buy has got to last at least ten years (my random new family rule) which is why I was looking at Toyota/Mazda/VW cos I heard they are built to last. I don't know a thing about Peugeot. Do feel free to enlighten me!

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Yes, we got one last autumn and I'm very happy with it.

Like the others with the back seats up there's no real boot to speak of, but it does have 7 useable seats. We have had 7 adults in it - I wouldn't think it would be great for a long journey but for 45 minutes everyone was perfectly comfortable. We have had 5 car seats and 2 adults in it too. The middle row, middle seat is a bit fiddly for a high backed booster, but still far easier to have 3 across that my husband's VW Passatt.

We looked carefully at the Mazda, but the middle seat in the middle row isn't really a useable seat so it's a 6 seater really.

I thought I'd love the Ford grand c max but I really disliked the driving position. I immediately felt right at home in the peugeot, and we got one that the main dealer had just pre registered so we saved £'s.

The one thing I would have liked is sliding rear doors, but this was less of a priority than a comfortable driving position and 7 useable seats so it was the thing that I decided to sacrificd.

I have no prior knowledge of peugeots, but as long as I get it serviced regularly and don't drive it like a hooligan I have no reason to think that it shouldn't last well.

[SweetApril]

Thanks, Iwish. Yes, the middle seat in the Mazda will probably be the thing that puts us off. But we're still going to look at it, mainly because I too really wanted sliding rear doors. I liked the Ford Grand C Max but I'd prefer a higher driving position. Plus we couldn't fit our (small) folded buggy in with all the seats up which is no good for us. We'll definitely check out the Peugeot 5008 now. I had a look at the Carbuyer review on Youtube and it was quite positive although a bit disappointing that the basic model doesn't have much in the way of extras - not even electric rear windows!

Leonie, thanks for checking that out. We had the middle row seats as far back as they would go and the drivers seat about three quarters of the way back. It was so frustrating! The Seat Alhambra is nice but just a bit too big really. We have two kids and really only need the extra seats for occasional use so can't really justify the extra running costs of a bigger MPV.

[NorbertDentressangle]

As a non-tester ......I would like to see more mid-sized MPV/family cars with sliding back doors.

When we were looking for a new car I think it was the Mazda that had this. It just makes so much sense as it gives you so much more room to get children in and out of car seats especially in the tight parking spaces that you find everywhere these days as cars get bigger and bigger. Also theres no danger of older children flinging the door open and pranging another car/wall/lampost etc.

[thepatioislumpy]

Tomorrow is D Day - I'm getting my lovely, shiny Verso to try out

I'm stupidly excited. I actually don't think I would be much more excited if it was mine to keep

[thepatioislumpy]

Oh my goodness! They've just rung to ask if I can pick it up tonight instead!

Yay

[BatCave]

Just about to head off to dealership to drop off car (they couldn't come and collect).

Managed to get 4 carseats and 2 adults in this morning to go to soft play, was a bit tricky in places but one I'd done it I think it'd be easier the next time. Could definitely get another adult/older child in but I think a 5th carseat would be too much (although probably doable).

We also did an IKEA trip and managed to fit in a 3 door wardrobe, cd tower, chest of drawers, plus the assorted bits and bobs you inevitable end up with from ikea, plus 2 adults and 2 carseats/children!

[ToyotaTester]

Changed my name in honour of the test

Just picked my white 62 plate Verso up from the lovely Richard at Pinkstones Toyota in Stoke on Trent. I only drove it a mile home but so far it seems smooth and if anything a little too responsive, a bit skittish.

DS2 likes it, and ds1 soon joined him to play with all the controls explore. DD2 had to put the 3rd row seats up immediately and once we'd worked out how to move the 2nd row forwards there was plenty of leg room back there. Once we've tried several configurations I'm sure we'll settle on something that suits.

I'm going a little further afield over the weekend so expect an update soon!

Still stupidly excited

[Tigerlily13]

What were your/your partner's first impressions of the car?

We loved it! It looked stylish with the sparkly white paint and tinted rear windows - although in retrospect, this made it difficult to see in to the children so not great for a family car. It was smaller than we'd imagined for an mpv, were expecting something more bus sized!

What do the children think of it?

They are only young so happy in anything!

Do the children fit comfortably in it?

Again, they are in car seats so comfy in them.

How easy is it to fit car seats/ adjust seats etc?

This was where we hit a problem! It took hubby nearly half an hour to fit the isofix base for the baby seat. It was difficult to find the anchors, and once he finally located them it was like the base didn't line up with the anchors properly, so took a lot of manouevering to fit it in. And the toddler seat base was too big to fit on the seat properly, despite being a popular Britax. I had to borrow a compatible one off a friend. So i didn't find it very family friendly in this respect.

What's it like to drive?

Lovely to drive, accelerates well and i liked the height i was seated at, nice and high above the road. Bit noisy being a diesel, but the radio drowns that out! The brakes weren't very sensitive though, had to really put my foot down to slow down. The cruise control is a nice feature, but in my car it would continue to get up to speed while you work through the gears, whereas in this one if you change gears while on cruise control, it knocks it out. Also i didn't like the 'SHIFT' instruction.

Is it a comfortable ride?

Yes, really comfortable.

What's the boot space like?

With the extra seats folded down there was LOADS of boot space. Fitted in my huge double pushchair and extra carrycot easily. Then i could also fit in my shopping, and would easily fit in all the stuff we'd need for a week away. With the seats up however the boot space is very limited.

How easy or difficult was it to change the layout of the seats?

The back seats were easy peasy to put up and down, however, the car seats could only be fitted on the middle row, and when fitted the seats couldn't be moved forward due to lack of cabin space. Couldn't move my toddler forward as his feet would be up against the driver's seat, and the same for the baby seat and the passenger seat. This meant that there wasn't a lot of leg room in the very back row, so they would only really be suitable for a child passenger.

Does it have any useful extras - cup holders etc?

Loads of extra features - cup holders everywhere, LOVED the cool box integrated into the glove box. Slide out tray under the passenger seat for storing documents. The tables on the back of the front seats were a great idea for the kids - they had a cup holder too so would be great for a rainy day picnic in the car!

Has testing this car made you more or less likely to buy a Toyota in future?

Didn't have great communication for the dealer to be honest, but i did like the car so may consider Toyota in the future.

Has testing this car changed your perception of Toyota cars at all? If so, how?

Not really, didn't know much about them to begin with.

What one thing do you like best about it?

The ride height - love the view of the road while driving.

What one thing would you change about it?

I didn't like the reversing camera, unecessary if you are a competent driver.

[TiredFeet]

It would be good if there was somewhere to store rubbish. I've just had to buy a little pop up bin for my car as I am having super strength mcdonalds cravings and there is nowhere to put it.

[smokinaces]

I'm not a tester. However I have just been privilidged enough to buy a new car with lots of gadgets my old one didnt, which is making it more versitile!

Built in hands free kit - with loud speaker and steering controls. Don't have to take my eyes off the road or hands off the wheel. It also works for music through my phone - ideal for long journeys

This is a three door mini model car, but has three belts across the back. For me, four seats just aren't enough.

The ability to rear fold back seats flat for carrying storage items. I hate cars that only push forward or slant.

I would like better cup holders in cars though. I use a travel mug a lot for work and have yet to find a decent way of keeping it upright in the car

And my ideal would be some sort of fitted car seat for 4-12 year olds. No idea how this would ever work, but something built into the seats to save having to have spare boosters.

[aristocat]

Non-tester here.

The extras to make my car more versatile would be a heated windscreen so I do not spend 10 mins scraping during winter and also integrated sun blinds in the rear windows.
Thanks.

[TiredFeet]

(forgot to say, am not a tester!)

[TicTacSir]

Just picked up our Verso! DS is delighted as it's red, which he'd hoped for. We didn't get off to the best start, as neither I nor DH could start it! We had to walk shamefacedly back into the dealership only to be told that modern cars now need to have the clutch fully pressed to start just shows how long it's been since we had a new car
So... all well. Car started! Our seats were easy to fit. Kids willingly jumped in!
Good points so far:
Lovely high position on the road
Bluetooth easy to set up and use
Socket for usb lead
Plenty of cup rests
2 folding tables for rear passenger
Fab fold-down mirror to view rear passengers
Reversing camera (if I get used to it!)
Lots of poke! A little bit of acceleration and it eats any inclines for breakfast my DS isn't used to that kind of driving from me and I got told off!!
Bad points so far:
Very little leg room in middle row
Tiny boot space when. in 7-seat mode
Large blind spot in bottom left corner whilst reversing
That's about it for now... Will be off to test it a bit more tomorrow!

[happyfrogger]

I just test drove a verso today. I loved it with the one frustration of quite hard suspension. I felt like I could feel every bump and wobble on the road. Anyone else find this? I don't have much of a basis for comparison other than the ford focus I drove to the garage in and I'm not that experienced a driver.

Would love to know what others think of the suspension.

If this car was in your top 3, what would your other 2 be if you were looking for similar size (spacious without being a bus), good high road position and generous boot size. We are interested in the occasional 7 seater use but this will be rare so not a biggy.

[DoubleMum]

Non-tester.
We had a Verso a few years ago and really liked it - in fact so much that we nearly bought another this weekend but decided we didn't truly need 7 seats. However, improvements I would like:
a way to stop the dips where the seatbelt buckles are in the passenger seat filing with crumbs.
Secure boot storage to stop stuff rolling around.
Back seats easier to put up as in the Touran (I may be out of date here if the Verso seating has improved since we owned one).
Rear parking sensors as standard.
And my children would like - more cup holders!

[PostBellumBugsy]

Non-tester
I would love gear sticks to be adjustible. I seem to always have to stretch forward to change gear and a journey of more than an hour makes my shoulders ache from constantly stretching out my left arm & shoulder to change gear.

[heymammy]

Picked up the car at the weekend, everyone very excited, kids clambering around inside, folding seats up and down and generally being feral

First impressions:
Really smooth ride, lots of poke for a larger car, light steering so it doesn't feel at all like driving a bus (this was a concern!).

The back row of seats really do fold up and down easily, my 9 year old can do it with ease, the 6 year old hasn't tried it (yet).

Isofix car seat was fairly easy to fit once we found the wee hole in the fabric for the tethers.

Very very small boot space when the back seats are used...I can barely fit a maclaren buggy, in fact I think it's going to fall right out the next time I open the boot!

Will post more later as I've not used it much yet with all the kids in it.

[lovemycrazykids]

1st post from a tester!...
Was looking forward to collecting car and once I had made contact with the dealership, they were very friendly arranged to collect car Saturday.
Bright shiny new dealership at Jemca Enfield. When I walked in I wasn't approached immediately by a salesperson which for me was excellent as I hate being literally harassed the minute I walk into a car show room! I headed for the information desk and helped straight away by the receptionist she offered me a seat while she located my contact. There is a lovely area to sit in, big TV screen and tea/coffee facilities. It was very busy. Toilets immaculate!

What were your/your partner's first impressions of the car? -

Not keen on the blue colour of the car, personal choice on that though-I?ve always had either black or dark grey cars.
Smaller than what I?d imagined. I?m not sure what model I have ?will check manual later and update- but seems very basic inside-no sat nav but has the capability. I didn?t know about the glove box cooler so will check later if this model has this. A lot smaller inside than my current 7 seater.
Partners 1st impressions- likes the alloys, he thinks colour is ok. And in fact my male neighbour also liked the colour!

What's it like to drive? ?
Very easy/light on the steering much smoother than my 7 seater (s-max titanium) a little too light if that makes sense. The steering wheel is a bit slippery.
Current car has parking sensors this one has a camera view (from the console in the middle) which comes on when putting in reverse. Not sure about this yet, probably needs some getting used to as looks like you have loads of room but when getting out and checking not that much. Prefer parking sensors.
Left the lights on when I went shopping for 1 ½ as they don?t turn off automatically when the engine is off. Luckily car started fine. I do keep forgetting to turn them on as well-(current car this happens automatically-on and off)

Is it a comfortable ride?-
I?m fairly short ( 5ft 4) and like being higher up. Driver seat easy to adjust. The seats are comfortable but I don?t like the texture of the fabric- a sort of nylon?
But I think it would be more wipe-able for spill?s than traditional non-leather car upholstery.

what?s the boot space like?-
small boot when the 2 rear seats are up. So tend to pile things high then quickly close the boot. Downside of doing this is the contents falls out when opening again!
How easy or difficult was it to change the layout of the seats?
The 2 back seats fold flat by pulling a tab in the back of the seat. The middle row needs to be moved forward a bit so there is room for the 2 back seats to lay flat as they both have headrests on.
Does it have any useful extras - cup holders etc?-
2 cup holders in the front-I used one to put my phone in! 2 pull up tray in the back of the front seat. Will get the kids to test these more for ease of getting up and down.
Love the USB port in the front console.
Will update when I discover and explore more options.

[heymammy]

Love the huuuuge windscreen, really feels like I have increased visibility. Very comfortable in the front with a couple of cup holders/pen/mobile phone pots (I've yet to use them for actual cups lol).

Can't believe we haven't discovered the lap trays yet...will get the girls on to this one to see I'd they can find them!

Was luxury to have working air conditioning today, it is cold straight away so there were no complaints of being boiling on the way home from school today.

So far in liking the tinted windows...helps to keep the sun out and therefore the car cooler but it might be a prob as I sometimes leave the youngest (1yr) sleeping in the car and check on him but not sure i would be able to see him too clearly with the tint.

Because the very back seats are a bit of a novelty at the moment the girls want to sit there all the time so I've got in the habit of leaving the middle row seat by the door folded flat otherwise it's a bit of a hassle moving it each time we get in and out to let the girls in the back. It is a bit clunky at the moment too fold the middle seats flat, maybe I just need to get the hang of it better!

I love that the floor in the back is not carpeted, much easier to wipe clean after the kids have dropped all their crap on the floor! They've not done it yet but give them time! Also no middle hump if you know what I mean which makes it much easier for the kids to get in and out.

Will think of more...

[Maggietess]

Like others have mentioned before me the number one thing I now want in a car (as a mother of 3 kids aged 8mths,2 & 5) is 3 car seats of varying stages fitting across the back seat!!
I love the idea of built in boosters (I think some volvos do this as an option and US cars definitely do) and headrests with side impact protection as someone else said or seat belt heights with adjusters for different height kids so you don't need boosters for older kids. Anything that helps me get my kids in the car, safely and with minimal fuss/room taken up!!!
I'd pay extra for anything that was built in so if carrying adults you don't have to lug heavy car seats to the boot/porch and back or if you have to pick up an extra child all of a sudden there's an age appropriate booster built in.
Am I asking for the moon on a stick???!!

[lovemycrazykids]

Oohhhh....discovered the car I'm testing is a bit more than the basic model I thought it was.......!
Yes it has a chilled glovebox compartment-wouldn't be a selling bonus for me as seems quite small-don't think I could fit 5 drinks for the whole fam in there.
Also found the Mini rear view mirror(it tucks away flat)- ok so I guess you can see more of the seats looking in this than having a look in the standard rear view mirror...again for me -bit of a novelty.
Kids discovered storage space in the footwells!

[ifindoubtnamechange]

Sounds very spacious, which is appealing.. Just wondering if any testers can tell me if you can fit 3 car seats in a row? I'd love to be able to do that in my car, would make it much easier to give friends/family lifts.