REMEMBER the Toyota Spacia? It was an eight-seater people mover based on the TownAce commercial van.

Sounds horrible, doesn't it? It was.

But it was also one of the last examples of the old cab-forward people movers in the Australian market.

They've been gradually superseded by a more sophisticated group of car-based vehicles that offer superior comfort, performance and safety.

In the case of Toyota it was the Avensis Verso that took over from the Spacia.

Based on a mid-sized car called the Avensis which is sold in Europe, the seven-seat Verso has proved itself to be a minor hit in the people-mover category, a fine companion to its bigger and more famous bretheren, the Tarago.