Hi Deirdre,

Well, you could consider trading up a few years to a new Avensis, which would at least be familiar and painless. Not the most adventurous option, but a good one nevertheless. Or you could try a Skoda Octavia, which would bring you down a size of car, but actually give you more boot space, especially if you go for the very handsome estate version. Damn near as reliable as the Avensis too. A Mazda6 is also well worth a look — all of the Toyota’s reliability and space, but nicer to drive. Or, and here’s a thought seeing as you’re chasing comfort for long journeys, what about a Lexus IS? Obviously it’s a posh Toyota, so that’s reliability taken care of, but it’s sharper looking, sharper to drive and very refined on a long journey.