Toyota Auris Review

The Toyota Auris Hybrid has been around for five years and has provided buyers with an alternative to German rivals.

Manufactured in the UK at the Toyota plant at Burnaston, the Auris has become the best-selling hybrid in Europe, over 200,000 have been sold and 2015 sees the model improved to compete in the highly competitive and second biggest segment in Europe, the family car market.

Changes to the 2015 Auris include additional power trains, exterior and interior design elements and new safety systems.

There are six powertrains now available for the Toyota Auris, an all-new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine joins the 1.33-litre VVT-i, a new 1.6-litre and 1.4-litre D-4D diesels and the popular Hybrid.

The 1.6-litre diesel replaces a 2.0-litre version and although Toyota reckon it has competitive performance figures, a 0-62mph time of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 121mph, it just felt very sluggish when accelerating lacking low-end power.

The new 1.2-litre is a gutsy, quiet petrol engine which offers performance that you’d expect from something bigger. With 114bhp and 185Nm of torque it has a 124mph top speed and is a good option for those looking for a petrol.

The hybrid is still likely to take half of future Auris sales, the combination of the 1.8-litre petrol engine and the electric motor generates 134bhp. But it’s really noisy on acceleration which is quite off-putting.

Toyota have made improvements across the whole of car not just in a few areas, the front suspension has been revised making ride comfort better and smoother.

Handling has also been improved, the updated electric power steering feels weighted and there is plenty of feedback at lower speeds, but it’s never going to set the world alight at being a fun drive if that’s what you’re looking for.

Thanks to additional sound-proofing material that the Japanese manufacturer has installed in the cabin, road and wind noise has been reduced. But the hybrid and diesel engines are noticeably louder in the interior making for quite a noisy drive, the 1.2-litre petrol wins hands down though with its quietness.

Aside from that, seat comfort is of a high standard, easily adjustable for the driver with added lumbar support and choice of cloth and leather upholstery is on offer.

Comfort is a plus point in the Toyota Auris with a good driver’s position, although the slight downside is the lack of visibility through the postbox sized rear window, so adding the rear and front parking sensors option would be beneficial.

The gloss black finish touchscreen with electric blue elements adds a certain sophistication to the car. The only frustration with the display is that for example, if you’re using it for the satellite navigation and then decide to adjust the temperature, the screen then changes to the climate control settings so you lose the navigation. Not ideal when you’re driving on unknown roads and you need to know right then where you are going.

There is also a TFT display situated between the instrument dials for the driver, featuring all media, navigation and car settings.

An option which is only available on the top two trim levels Design and Excel is the Skyview panoramic roof. It certainly adds to the illusion of space and gives the Auris plenty of interior light.

The entry level Active trim has plenty to offer including LED daytime running lights, Bluetooth, air-conditioning and in Hybrid models adds 15-inch alloy wheels and the TFT display.

The top of the range Excel adds heated part-leather seats, Intelligent Park Assist and dual-zone climate control.

The hatchback is surprisingly spacious, there is plenty of headroom for front and rear passengers although any travellers opting to sit in the middle rear seat might find it a bit hard as it also doubles up as an armrest with integrated cupholders.

Boot space in the hatchback is 435-litres increasing to 1199-litres with the easy to fold down rear seats flat.

If you’re looking for extra space then the larger Touring Sports holds 672-litres with seats up rising to 1658-litres.  

The Toyota Auris is priced from £15,245 rising to £21,685 for the top specced model.

Rivals are the Volkswagen Golf and the Audi A3, both of which are more expensive and tend to appeal to the badge snobs.

The hybrid option does need less servicing, has combined mpg figures of between 70 and 80, emits 79g/km of CO2 and falls into VED band A, so no tax to pay.

The 1.2-litre petrol still has impressive figures though with a combined 60mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 106g/km, so will cost £20 annually in tax.

All Toyota models come with a five-year/100,000 mile warranty and the Auris scores consistently in reliability surveys, the model topping its category in the Which? car survey a few years ago.

Most of the cabin in the Toyota Auris is of a high quality, but it’s when you look at the edges of the cubby holes and under the centre armrest in the front that you notice the plastics look a bit cheap.

The new Toyota Safety Sense option is being rolled out across all models this year and features Automatic High Beam, Road Sign Assist and Lane Departure Alert systems. Their Pre-Collision System helps to reduce a rear collision at speeds of up to 49mph and the driver will be prompted to apply the brakes. If you fail to do this it can bring the car to a stop.

Hill Start Assist, driver and passenger airbags, Isofix child seat mounts and Vehicle Stability Control also come as standard on the Auris.

The model took the maximum five stars in the Euro NCAP ratings in 2013 with a 92% safety score for an adult occupant and 84% for a child.