COSMETIC surgery has not been needed to give Toyota's Previa a fresh new appearance. Just a few gentle styling changes have been made to re-groom the versatile MPV.

Its standard specification has been given a boost to improve levels of safety and convenience, all done without adding to the price.

The new grading structure adopted by Yaris, Corolla and Avensis has also been adopted for the Previa range. The GS, GLS and CDX, are out and in comes T2, T3 and T Spirit. The T2 comes with eight seats, the T3 with a choice of seven or eight seats and the T Spirit exclusively as a seven-seater.

All new Previa models will be equipped with front side airbags, in addition to the driver and passenger airbags. Furthermore, all seats in the seven-seat versions are now fitted with three-point seatbelts. Darker grey tones have been added to the trim and the finish of the audio system surround has been refined.

On the outside the flowing shape of the Previa has been given extra emphasis with a deeper, re-profiled front bumper section with integrated fog lights. The front grille has also been revised and the front and rear lamp units have been redesigned for a bolder appearance.

The Previa now rides on larger, 16-inch wheels, which are steel with full-sized covers on the T2 grade and five-spoke alloy (with locking nuts) on T3 and T Spirit versions. Two new body colours are available, astral black and cornsilk.

There are no changes to the Previa's engines, still a choice of a 154bhp 2.4-litre VVT-i petrol engine or 114bhp 2.0-litre D-4D diesel. However, the petrol engine now meets the Euro IV standards for emissions and is offered with a choice of five-speed manual or fourspeed automatic transmission. The D-4D diesel is available with the manual gearbox only.

The T Spirit package includes DVD-based turn-by-turn satellite navigation with electronic traffic avoidance, rear darkened privacy glass and front and rear sunroofs. Leather upholstery is now an option for both eight and seven-seat models.

On the road prices, starting at £19,995, remain unchanged, as do insurance groupings of 11E for petrol models and 12E for D-4D diesels.

Toyota's pan-European three-year/60,000-mile mechanical warranty and 12-year corrosion perforation warranty protect the Previa. The bodywork is covered by a three-year paint warranty.

Updated: 12:05 Friday, July 04, 2003