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All you need to know about the Toyota Verso: It's like our Matrix, but cooler. The Verso is a seven passenger Corolla-based MPV that's being refreshed for the 2009 model year, and details are starting to trickle out onto the web. The new version goes on sale in April and is intended for European buyers. 1.6- and 1.8-liter gasoline engines get power boosts, emissions reductions and a reduced appetite. Aimed as it is at European buyers, there's also diesels; a 2.0- and 2.4-liter rattlers are available. Transmissions depend on engine choice, with a six-speed manual and CVT offered.

The Verso is longer and wider than its predecessor, and Toyota says it's been tuned to drive well on European roads, which means it'll drive far sharper than anything Toyota offers its North American customers. Inside, the seats are configurable in a billion (32, really) combinations; each folds individually. Safety has been attended to with more high tensile steel in the body shell, so the Verso stands a good chance of earning five-star ratings like its Avensis and iQ siblings. We'll be able to catch a glimpse of the Verso when Toyota rolls it out at the Geneva Motor Show, but for now, there's but a single photo floating around.