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DON’T MESS WITH MISTER T
It’s the flagship of the Auris range but the T180 doesn’t make much of a fuss. Beneath the sober exterior, though, there’s a fast and highly advanced family hatchback bursting to get out. Steve Walker reports…

More than just another Toyota Auris, the T180 version offers a 175bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine producing 400Nm of torque and multilink rear suspension for a sportier driving experience. It’s comfortable, well-built and understated compared to rivals with similar performance but it can still entertain when the need arises.

A central part of the remit given to the development team behind Toyota’s Auris was to inject some fire into its belly and some panache into its public image. More than any other Auris model, the onus of achieving this falls on the T180. The old Toyota Corolla this Auris range replaces had the hot T Sport derivative topping off its model line-up throughout a good chunk of its lifecycle but that car never really had the core verve to make its transformation into performance hatchback guise convincing. By the time the Auris emerged with its mission to cultivate a more dynamic image, the T Sport brand (which also took in versions of the Yaris and Celica) had been fazed out. In its place, and already in residence at the top of the Verso MPV and Avensis saloon line-ups, were the diesel powered T180 models. An Auris T180 seemed the logical progression. It would be wrong to think of the Auris T180 as a hot hatch, despite the fact that it isn’t lacking in raw pace. Toyota have, perhaps wisely, made a marked move away from offering focused performance versions of their mainstream models. Instead, the T180 capitalises on the impressive quality and comfort of the Auris platform by plumbing in a 175bhp 2.2-litre D-4D diesel engine. With this kind of power on tap, it was never going to be slow and the 8.1s 0-60mph acceleration is conformation that it isn’t. This is some way off Focus ST or Golf GTI pace but the diesel unit’s powerful 400Nm torque output means the Auris T180 can match the fieriest hatchbacks on in-gear acceleration and mid-range urge. In real world driving conditions when you’re accelerating on to a motorway or overtaking lorry on a B-road, the T180’s surging power delivery is ideal.

"It would be wrong to think of the Auris T180 as a hot hatch, despite the fact that it isn’t lacking in raw pace…."

The Auris is certainly a more vibrant driver’s car than the Corolla it replaced but it still comes some distance short of replicating the handling sharpness of the best steers in the family hatch class. The T180 closes the gap to an extent because Toyota took the significant step of swapping the torsion beam rear suspension on the standard models with a more advanced double wishbone multilink setup. Multilink suspension is bulkier and more expensive but it offers greater handling finesse and feel to the driver. In combination with tauter springs, larger brakes and retuned steering, the suspension brings a new level of driving enjoyment to the Auris but it’s still more of a cruiser than a bruiser. The T180 is distinguishable from standard Toyota models by its 17" alloy wheels and smoked glass headlamps. When you consider the extrovert bodykits, stripes and spoilers that many quick hatchbacks bolt on to underline their potency, you realise the Auris is a very different type of vehicle. Elsewhere, the grown-up theme continues with the sober but solidly built interior giving off a genuine air of quality. Passenger accommodation is extremely generous with good leg and headroom all-round. The rear seat backs recline for extra comfort and a flat floor means that the middle berth in the back isn’t the short straw it is in some rivals. On hearing that the Corolla name was to be pensioned off in favour of Auris, many people imagined a violent break with Toyota’s rather staid traditions in the family hatch sector. Just how adventurous was this new Auris going to be? Then the car was unveiled looking for all the world like a next generation Corolla. There was some disappointment from enthusiast observers but it’s a brave person who second guesses the mighty Toyota. After all, it hasn’t done too badly for itself of late. The Auris styling is neat and attractive on the eye with that bulging rear and sharp angular lines around the nose but not particularly groundbreaking. Well, it works for Volkswagen’s Golf. The Auris T180’s appeal is that of an understated but quick car for people who enjoy their driving but prioritise comfort, reliability and reasonable running costs. It goes up against the upper echelon of diesel family hatchbacks and, perhaps, the second strata of warm hatch performance models. It feels a quality product and at £18,395 for the three-door bodystyle or £500 more for the five-door, it’s priced as such. Equipment levels are the same as the plush T-Spirit Auris trim level with the addition of an electric sunroof. That means keyless entry and start, dual zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, dark-sensing headlamps and cruise control. Factor-in that impressive engine as well as the addition of multilink rear suspension and it looks a desirable package. Diesel engines in family hatchbacks don’t come any more powerful than the 180bhp 2.2-litre D4-D in the T180 but it’s a modern common-rail diesel engine with Toyota’s D-CAT clean diesel technology so running costs are more than manageable. CO2 emissions are pegged at 164g/km which helps with the old tax burden but the D-CAT system and its DPNR four-way catalyst also works to incinerate nitrogen oxides and soot particles before they are released into the atmosphere. This is one of the cleanest diesels on the market with the potential to help change your carbon footprint out of its hobnail boots and into some nice sandals. The official combined fuel economy figure for the T180 is 45.6mpg, hardly a disgrace when this kind of performance is available. Then there’s the legendary Toyota reliability. This manufacturer’s products have one of the best reputations around when it comes to staying the course and there’s no reason to suspect that the Auris will be any different. The standard Auris is more exciting than its Corolla predecessor but not by much. The T180 range-topping model narrows the desirability gap to the top family hatch contenders with a powerful diesel engine and a completely different multilink rear suspension system but the core Auris strengths remain its build quality, comfort and reliability. The T180 looks very good value for money when you consider the technology you’re getting. There’s that 2.2-litre D4-D common-rail engine married to the D-CAT clean diesel system and the revised suspension set-up. It’s a fast hatchback that can certainly entertain but remains composed and refined on everyday trips. The styling doesn’t draw too much attention to the car’s impressive underlying capabilities with the T180 favouring a low key, sophisticated approach that will appeal to buyers turned off by hot hatchback excesses.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Toyota Auris T180 PRICES: £18,395-£18,895 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 13A CO2 EMISSIONS: 164g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 8.1s / Max Speed 146mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 45.6mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS /EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/height mm 4220/1760/1515

TOY STORY
Short on excitement but big on competence. Toyota’s Auris makes an ideal candidate for a long term test

Every family hatchback seems to have an angle these days. Ford’s Focus is positioned as the keen driver’s choice, the Honda Civic and Citroen C4 go for the high-tech approach and the Volkswagen Golf makes great play of its classless image. The Vauxhall Astra’s trump card is its sharp styling and Renault’s Megane plays it all very chic but where does all this leave the Toyota Auris? Toyota don’t appear to put as much faith in marketing spin as some, the Japanese giant usually content to manufacture a well-built, reliable product and let the market make of it what it will. It’s a state of affairs that makes the Auris an ideal candidate for a long term test.

We run a lot of cars on long term test but when we collect the keys to a Toyota, we always expect, and tend to get, a trouble free time. Toyota haven’t risen to become the world’s largest car manufacturer in waiting by accident and it’s this exemplary reliability record that has done more than anything else to propel them to greatness. All the elaborate styling, entertaining handling and advanced technology in the world is useless if the car won’t start or is plagued by niggling electrical faults. The Auris, thus far, has a pristine copybook from a reliability standpoint. So we’ve established, as far as a couple of thousand miles in a brand new car can, that the Auris is a dependable vehicle which isn’t a big surprise. It’s the other areas that go to constitute a top end family hatchback which we’re more interested in putting to the test. Drop inside the car and it’s the dramatic waterfall-effect dash instantly grabs the attention. All the major controls are mounted on the raised centre section which cascades down between the seats and also plays host to the handbrake and the gear lever. There’s nothing but fresh air and a storage bin underneath this bridge and it effectively divides the front part of the cabin in two, negating the possibility of a quick shuffle across to exit by the passenger door when you’ve parked too close to a pillar in the multi-storey. This centrepiece aside, the cabin is typically Toyota which means tough materials, sturdy-feeling controls and little trace of individuality. The build quality is out of the top draw but with higher class materials and some extra design flare applied to areas other than the dashboard centre section, it could easily be raised a notch or two.

"The Auris, thus far, has a pristine copybook from a reliability standpoint."

At the wheel, the seating is pleasantly firm and a comfortable driving position is easily achieved. The angled centre console leaves the handbrake jutting up at an unusual angle but the gearlever and other controls are within easy reach of the driver. The Auris lacks the firm suspension found on sportier feeling family hatches but for many drivers most of the time, this will be preferable. The controls are light and the springs soak up bumps with little drama but the chassis is still taut enough to brake and corner without too much pitch and roll. So long as you’re not the sort who yearns for really focused handling, the Auris is pleasantly at home in the town, the country or on the motorway. The six-speed manual transmission features some closely-stacked ratios that you’ll need to keep on top of to maintain decent torque which, with the D-4D 130 engine fitted to our model, is found in a narrowish seam between 2,000 and 2,800rpm. Fortunately, the ‘box is a joy to use. The engine isn’t the smoothest of diesel units but the punchy performance at low revs and the strong economy figure are much more satisfying. We’ve been averaging around 45mpg on out test, which has taken in a lot of fuel-sapping urban driving. In creating the Auris, Toyota’s engineers started with the passengers and then worked outwards, maximising occupant space with elements such as a flat passenger floor and high window surfaces. The all-new platform has an overall length of 4,220mm incorporating a 2,600mm wheelbase. This means that the wheelbase represents 61.6 per cent of the car’s total length. The higher the percentage, the more space is afforded to people rather than oily bits. By contrast, the current Ford Focus, a model which is generally seen as an exemplar of smart packaging in this class, has a 58.5 per cent wheelbase to length and even something like the latest SEAT Leon manages a mere 59.7 per cent figure. With an overall height of 1,515 and a width of 1,760mm, the Auris is one of the biggest family hatches around, although the shape does much to disguise this bulk. Perhaps the kindest way of describing the Auris’ exterior shape is ‘evolutionary.’ A less charitable verdict would be unadventurous. If Toyota really wanted to position the Auris as a different and higher quality car than the Corolla, step one should be to ensure it doesn’t look broadly similar in dimension to that car. Yet despite the neater touches, well, it does. While Toyota senior suits talk about J-factor, vibrant clarity and emotional identity, most of us think it represents a missed opportunity. There’s nothing ugly or off-putting about the shape or the detailing but it would have been nice for Toyota to exhibit a little more flare. The Auris may lack some of the surface sparkle that’s layered onto rival products by their respective marketing departments but those who take time out to look a little deeper will find a product that demands respect. It’s a highly inoffensive and competent vehicle that’s going to appeal to a broad section of the populace. Maybe it is unadventurous but you can forgive Toyota’s reluctance to depart too drastically from the basics that made the Corolla the world’s best selling car. The more you get to know the Auris, the more the little unexciting things that it does so well come to the fore and this rather than any grand fashion statement or technological innovation is what makes it appealing.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Toyota Auris D-4D 130 PRICES: £14,195-£16,595 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-7 CO2 EMISSIONS: 144g/km PERFORMANCE: [D-4D 130] 0-60mph 10.3s / Max Speed 121mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [D-4D 130] (combined) 52mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS /EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/height mm 4220/1760/1515

CAUSE AND COROLLARY
Toyota hopes that the Auris can kickstart its assault on the family hatch market. Andy Enright takes a look at the entry-level 1.4-litre VVTi petrol model

If you buy cars on a criteria purely based around sensible virtues, here’s one that should feature high up on your list. Toyota’s Auris in entry-level 1.4-litre petrol form forsakes excitement for screwed down design excellence.

Toyota has cleverly catered to their biggest audiences and gamely keeps plugging away with small cars. The Yaris range has found some favour and the Aygo is making respectable numbers but the replacement for the Corolla, the Auris, is up against some tough contenders. The 1.4-litre petrol model is the entry-level model and offers a big car feel for not a lot of money. The first impression you get when dropping into the Auris 1.4 VVTi is that this is a lot of car for not a lot of engine to send up the Queen’s highway. And so it proves. With 96bhp on tap, performance isn’t what you’d describe as vivd, but the engine is certainly game and doesn’t leave you with bleeding eardrums when you rev it hard. In fact the powerplant is rather tuneful which is just as well as you’ll need a heavy right boot to make respectable progress. Leather the Auris off the line and it’ll get to 60mph in 12.7 seconds on the way to a maximum of 106mph. The Auris’ 1.4-litre engine features VVT-i, a system that utilises computerised timing control of the inlet valves. In theory, this promotes torque at low revs and power at high engine speeds. Ride, handling and road-holding are all marginally above class average, but the steering, while accurate, doesn’t impart much in the way of feedback, robbing you of confidence when you’re really pushing on. The plus side is that it makes the Auris incredibly easy to park, helped by good all round visibility. Rather than anything extreme, the Auris’ exterior shape is ‘evolutionary.’ A less charitable verdict would be unadventurous. If Toyota really wanted to position the Auris as a different and higher quality car than the Corolla, step one should be to ensure it doesn’t look broadly similar in dimension to that car. Yet despite the neater touches, well, it does. While Toyota senior suits talk about J-factor, vibrant clarity and emotional identity, most of us think it represents a missed opportunity.

"You buy this car for its reliability and its sheer commonsense…"

The cabin has been smartened up with a clearer dash design and OPTITRON instruments but materials quality is slightly hit and miss. There’s also a significant lack of oddments stowage space. For a car that namechecks the Volkswagen Golf amongst its key rivals, the Auris is more than a little behind the curve here. On the plus side, longer overhangs offer significantly better luggage capacity (354 litres) than the old Corolla and despite the wheelbase being the same, some clever packaging sees rear legroom increase. Compared to the Corolla, the Auris is 40mm longer and 50mm wider. One particularly neat design detail is the low door profiles which help to reduce the visual effect of tallness. The 1.4-litre VVT-i engine is available with either the three or five-door body style and either T2 or T3 trim levels. As you’d expect from Toyota, standard equipment levels are excellent. The T2 trim in three-door guise opens at £12,095 which is more than an equivalent Ford Focus but less than a similarly-engined Honda Civic. Equipment at this level includes air conditioning, front electric windows, an MP3 compatible CD stereo, anti lock brakes and 15-inch steel wheels. Trade up to the T3, which starts at £13,095 and you’ll also get rear electric windows, colour keyed mirrors and door handles, more speakers for your stereo, leather trim for the gearshift and steering wheel, audio controls on said wheel and 16-inch alloy rims. Toyota also offers three option packs for the Auris; Style, Protection and Tech. Buying the Auris is made simple by an innovative internet-based approach. Prospective customers can visit www.toyota.co.uk and use a vehicle configurator to build a new Auris to their own specification. A finance calculator then allows customers to create bespoke finance quotations based on their preferred deposit or monthly payment amount, and customers can apply for finance with Toyota Financial Services at the same time. At the same time the chosen Toyota Centre is automatically emailed to arrange a demonstration of the new Toyota Auris for the customer. Rest assured, you’re not going to lose sleep at night fretting about the running costs of an Auris 1.4 VVTi. Fuel economy is extremely reasonable as long as you’re not ragging the 1398cc four within an inch of its life. Driven sensibly, you’ll manage a combined figure of 40.9mpg with town driving dropping it to 32.5mpg and open roads seeing a 47.9mpg return. Emissions of 163g/km might not be quite as low as you were expecting but it’s still not too bad for a petrol unit, with only the diesels in the Auris range doing better in this regard. An insurance rating of Group 4 is typically one group lower than many rivals. This low insurance rating is helped by the fact that the Auris is unlikely to attract boy racers and that features like a bolt-on structure for the front bumper reinforcement makes the consequences of a front end nudge that much less costly to your insurer. Likewise, the radiator support retracts in the event of an accident to protect the cooling units from damage. In so many small cars, a light tap to the front end will split the radiator and leave the vehicle stranded. On paper, Toyota has created a very complete car in the Auris 1.4 VVTi. It reprises a formula which sold bazillions of Corollas with a little more style, safety, space and build quality. It’s not the most exciting fashion statement you can make but this design makes no apologies for that. The 1.4-litre model looks one of the best choices in the range. It’s another £1,500-odd to trade up to the 1.6-litre Dual VVT-I car which goes a little faster but why would you want to? The Auris isn’t about speed but sensibility. You buy this car for its reliability, its sheer commonsense and its excellent dealer support. Which is presumably what most family hatchback buyers on a £12,000 budget want. Isn’t it?

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Toyota Auris 1.4 VVT-i range PRICES: £12,095-£13,595 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 4E CO2 EMISSIONS: 163g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 12.7s / Max Speed 106mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 32.5 (extra urban) 47.9 (combined) 40.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS /EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/height mm 4220/1760/1515

THE BUSINESS?
If Toyota’s impeccable engineered Auris is to be a success, then it must appeal to business users. Sales Manager Mark Nagel has been clocking up thousands of miles in his….

The first time I laid eyes on my new company car, Toyota’s latest Auris, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Visually, it didn’t look that different to its predecessor. But appearances can be deceptive – as I was about the find out over the next six months on the road.

The first thing I discovered about the car in general use was that it was deceptively spacious, even if at first, it’s a design that appears to be relatively compact. Quite the reverse. In fact, there’s acres of space (compared at least to other cars in the Focus/Astra-sized class) in the front, the rear & the boot. It also didn’t take long for me to appreciate how Toyota’s build quality shines through, even on small points like instrument presentation, fit of mats, the feel of the driver’s handbook and so on. The designers have really thought about the little touches too – for example, the way that the vanity lights only operate when the sun visor is angled towards driver or passenger. The marketing material that came with the car made much of its ‘floating’ instrument console set-up but I couldn’t see much practical benefit to it, or to the dash top box. Having said that, some of my colleagues rather liked the arrangement. I suppose it does at least show some design originality. On the road? Well, like most business users, I’ve been clocking up the miles in the D4-D diesel model, complete with a 2.0-litre engine which, though not able to deliver urgent performance, is certainly quite brisk as well as being relaxing and easy to drive. The handling too, is relaxed, yet capable. I was impressed also by the way that the engine is generally very quiet. The 6-speed gearbox helps here, providing very low revs at cruising speeds.

"The first thing I discovered about the car in general use was that it was deceptively spacious…."

I’ve been trying a five-door hatch but three-door versions are also on offer. Other engines in the range include a 96bhp 1.4 VVT-i unit and a 122bhp 1.6-litre Dual VVT-i powerplant that raises fuel efficiency and power output compared to the old Corolla’s 1.6-litre lump. Business users like me will ignore all of that and turn the page to see what diesels are on offer. Apart from the 130bhp 2.0-litre D4-D unit I’ve been trying, I could have opted for either a 1.4-litre D4-D, good for 89bhp or, at the top of the range, a 2.2-litre D4-D 180 which churns out 175bhp and is one of the best compact diesel engines around, offering fully 36bhp more than its 2.2-litre diesel rival, the Honda Civic. You’ll need a lot more detail than this of course, so if you’re considering this car as part of a small fleet of up to 25 vehicles in your business, it’s well worth contacting your local Toyota dealership’s Business Centre. In creating the Auris, Toyota say that their engineers started with the passengers and then worked outwards, maximising occupant space with elements such as a flat passenger floor and high window surfaces. It’s worked. My notes tell me that this car’s all-new platform has an overall length of 4,220mm incorporating a 2,600mm wheelbase. This means that the wheelbase represents 61.6 per cent of the car’s total length. The higher the percentage, the more space is afforded to people rather than oily bits. By contrast, the current Ford Focus, a model which is generally seen as an exemplar of smart packaging in this class, has a 58.5 per cent wheelbase to length and even something like the latest SEAT Leon manages a mere 59.7 per cent figure. With an overall height of 1,515 and a width of 1,760mm, the Auris is one of the biggest family hatches around, although the shape does much to disguise this bulk. Which leaves that issue of safety, a vital one for any car seeking success in this sector to crack. Look at the facts and it’s soon clear that the Auris didn’t achieve its Five Star Euro NCAP safety rating by accident. The combination of a driver knee airbag and a collapsible steering column were key factors in the 35 point, 5-star result for adult occupant protection. A ‘Minimal Intrusion’ cabin design and up to nine airbags boost its safety rating from the start and contribute to the 4-star performance this car also achieved for child occupant protection. Another key benefit in this respect is the way that ISOFIX anchorage points have been included on the outer rear seats. Euro NCAP also awarded Toyota a class-leading three out of four-star rating for pedestrian protection. Gripes? Well, at first, the gear change indicator annoyed me, but it does demonstrate the engine’s flexibility. If you learn to adapt to it, the fuel economy does improve, though not to the level of Toyota’s claims. Overall? Well, I’m not due to hand the keys back just yet and I have to say that I’m quite glad about the fact. No, this isn’t by any stretch of the imagination the most charismatic Family Hatch you can buy but it may just be the most sensible choice for business users like me when all-round ease of use and running costs are taken into account. I think, once word gets round, the Auris will sell to fleets in numbers that will be a lot greater than many rivals are reckoning on….

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Toyota Auris range PRICES: £12,095-£18,895 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 3E-13A CO2 EMISSIONS: 131-166g/km PERFORMANCE: [1.6] 0-60mph 10.4s / Max Speed 118mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6] (urban) 31.4mpg, (extra urban) 47.9mpg, (combined) 39.8mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS with EBD and BA / MICS Minimal Intrusion Cabin System WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/heightmm 4220/1760/1515

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Quite a lot actually, as Toyota recognise with their Auris. Jonathan Crouch reports

This is where Toyota gets serious. The Auris is the marque’s new family hatchback and if you’re shopping amongst Focus and Astra models, it’s a car you can’t ignore.

This was a car set out to be a class leader in every respect. Take safety. It’s the safest car in its class, having been awarded a best possible 5-star crash safety rating from Euro NCAP. More of that later. First however, you need to know that the Auris is very different to anything Toyota has offered in this sector before, running on a completely new platform designed with European markets in mind. Designed and built in Europe, this model follows on from the success enjoyed by the marque’s Verso model, a car built specifically to European tastes. It forms the vanguard of a three-pronged assault, backed up by the Avensis and Yaris, that spearheads Toyota’s quest to achieve 1.2 million sales annually across Europe by 2008. So how does the Auris stack up? Well, we know going in that it’s going to be as reliable as an atomic clock, supremely well built, ruthlessly practical and cost effective to run. But it’s also much, much more. Toyota claims a whole series of clever design features and if these can really be backed up by the usual virtues of reliability, strong residual values and exemplary safety provision, then this car could make real inroads in the Ford Focus-dominated Family Hatchback sector. In creating the Auris, Toyota’s engineers started with the passengers and then worked outwards, maximising occupant space with elements such as a flat passenger floor and high window surfaces. The all-new platform has an overall length of 4,220mm incorporating a 2,600mm wheelbase. This means that the wheelbase represents 61.6 per cent of the car’s total length. The higher the percentage, the more space is afforded to people rather than oily bits. By contrast, the current Ford Focus, a model which is generally seen as an exemplar of smart packaging in this class, has a 58.5 per cent wheelbase to length and even something like the latest SEAT Leon manages a mere 59.7 per cent figure. With an overall height of 1,515 and a width of 1,760mm, the Auris is one of the biggest family hatches around, although the shape does much to disguise this bulk.

"This needs to be a car that the world’s biggest vehicle manufacturer can be proud of…"

Credit for the design work goes to Toyota’s ED2 studio in France and claims to follow the principles of Toyota’s ‘Vibrant Clarity’ design philosophy. A decent job has been done, based on the Auris Space Concept that was shown at the Paris Auto Salon in 2006. Both three and five door bodystyles are offered along with a range of five engines. The two petrol engines comprise a 96bhp 1.4 VVT-i unit and a 122bhp 1.6-litre Dual VVT-i powerplant that raises fuel efficiency and power output compared to the Corolla’s 1.6-litre mill. Diesel buyers get to choose from three engines. The entry-level lump is the 1.4-litre D4-D, good for 89bhp. Customers then step up to a 2.0-litre D4-D 130 engine which despite its name has a power output of 124bhp and was first seen in the 2007 Avensis. Given that it drove this hefty car around with ease, it should make an Auris respectably brisk. At the top of the range is the 2.2-litre D4-D 180 which churns out 175bhp and is one of the best compact diesel engines around, offering fully 36bhp more than its 2.2-litre diesel rival, the Honda Civic. Six speed manual transmissions are fitted as standard to the two more powerful diesels but a MultiMode system with paddle shifters is offered as an option for the 1.4-litre D4-D 90 and the 1.6-litre Dual VVT-i engines. Which leaves that issue of safety, a vital one for any car seeking success in this sector to crack. Look at the facts and it’s soon clear that the Auris didn’t achieve its Five Star Euro NCAP safety rating by accident. The combination of a driver knee airbag and a collapsible steering column were key factors in the 35 point, 5-star result for adult occupant protection. A ‘Minimal Intrusion’ cabin design and up to nine airbags boost its safety rating from the start and contribute to the 4-star performance this car also achieved for child occupant protection. Another key benefit in this respect is the way that ISOFIX anchorage points have been included on the outer rear seats. Euro NCAP also awarded Toyota a class-leading three out of four-star rating for pedestrian protection. Overall? Well, the Toyota Auris faces a very tough task if it’s to fulfil Toyota’s demanding expectations but don’t bet against it. This needs to be a car that the world’s biggest vehicle manufacturer can be proud of – and asks don’t come much bigger than that.

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Toyota Auris range PRICES: £12,095-£18,895 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 3E-13A CO2 EMISSIONS: 131-166g/km PERFORMANCE: [1.6] 0-60mph 10.4s / Max Speed 118mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6] (urban) 31.4mpg, (extra urban) 47.9mpg, (combined) 39.8mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS with EBD and BA / MICS Minimal Intrusion Cabin System WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/heightmm 4220/1760/1515

TRAVELLING MERCIES
Over 3,000 miles in three weeks offered a stern test for of long term Toyota Auris. Mark Nagel reports

If you’re going to travel over 3,000 miles in three weeks, you don’t normally want to consider doing it in a humble family hatchback. So it was with some trepidation that I approached the first three weeks in August at the wheel of our long term Toyota Auris.

The first seven days involved a family trip to Oakhampton in the West Country. The following week, I had to pay for my pleasure with a daunting series of appointments around the North of England. And the final week rounded things off with the other half of my family holiday – to Bude in Cornwall. I’d asked the boss for something larger but no dice. So my 2.0-litre D4-D diesel-powered Auris it was. I shouldn’t have doubted the car but I did. It doesn’t, after all, look like a motorway-minded car. Actually though, it is. In my line of work, I get to drive a variety of models but from a driving comfort point of view, none has bettered this Toyota. I can remember particularly a string of expensive Audis that left me with back ache after a relatively short time at the wheel. Using the Auris, in contrast, was a pleasure. I was able to get out after a 500 mile stint and walk completely upright to the Burger King in the motorway service area. Brilliant. Lest this sound too much like a Toyota ad, I should point out that I wasn’t the Auris’ biggest fan when it arrived. I wasn’t completely convinced by design details like the ‘floating’ fascia panel behind the gearstick and the gearchange shift light on the dash frankly irritated me. It just shows how you can learn to live with things and end up liking them. The ‘floating’ panel is now something I point out to passengers, while in recent days, I’ve found myself almost unconsciously timing my gearchanges in line with the dash panel’s upshift lights.

"When I brim the car full of diesel, it’s at least 100 miles before the needle starts to move at all from the ‘full’ point…."

In the third week of my trek, up and down the steep roads down to the Cornish coast around Bude, I had the opportunity to further appreciate the pulling power of the Auris’ D4-D 2.0-litre diesel engine. It needed all of its 124 braked horses to make decent progress up the snaking little backroads but I noticed that it left me pulling away from virtually all following traffic every time. This would be a surprisingly good towcar. The electrically-assisted power steering is accurate and compared to the petrol models, it’s easy to feel the weight of the D4-D engine on turn-in. The six-speed manual transmission features some closely-stacked ratios that you’ll need to keep on top of to maintain decent torque which, in the D4-D 130, is found in a narrowish seam between 2,000 and 2,800rpm. Fortunately, the ‘box is a joy to use. Less delightful is the simple torsion beam rear suspension which feels a little dead. It’s illuminating that the range-topping T180 gets a fully independent rear suspension setup. Toyota quote a very respectable 52.3mpg for this punchy ‘D4-D 130’ unit and on the basis of my experience, that seems like a fair figure. When I brim the car full of diesel, it’s at least 100 miles before the needle starts to move at all from the ‘full’ point. Emissions for this car is rated at 151g/km, only 19g/km worse than the entry-level 1.4-litre D4-D unit which frankly, I’m glad I didn’t have to have. Likewise, insurance is extremely cheap, the D4-D 130 attracting a 6E banding. In creating the Auris, Toyota say that their engineers started with the passengers and then worked outwards, maximising occupant space with elements such as a flat passenger floor and high window surfaces. It’s worked. My notes tell me that this car’s all-new platform has an overall length of 4,220mm incorporating a 2,600mm wheelbase. This means that the wheelbase represents 61.6 per cent of the car’s total length. The higher the percentage, the more space is afforded to people rather than oily bits. What it all meant in family terms was that we could take slightly more stuff than the Focus we used for our holiday last year. As my wife reminded me when I tried to point out that we hadn’t got room for all the souvenirs she was buying in the Cornish antique shops. As with most potential buyers in this sector, safety’s a key consideration for me, given the necessity of long journeys with two children. Look at the facts and it’s soon clear that the Auris didn’t achieve its Five Star Euro NCAP safety rating by accident. The combination of a driver knee airbag and a collapsible steering column were key factors in the 35 point, 5-star result for adult occupant protection. A ‘Minimal Intrusion’ cabin design and up to nine airbags boost its safety rating from the start and contribute to the 4-star performance this car also achieved for child occupant protection. Another key benefit in this respect is the way that ISOFIX anchorage points have been included on the outer rear seats. Euro NCAP also awarded Toyota a class-leading three out of four-star rating for pedestrian protection. Overall? Well I’m a lot more loth these days to surrender the keys of my Toyota, even when something more prestigious rolls up in the carpark. My national meanderings have left me with a healthy respect for the Auris. No, it’s not cutting edge to drive or particularly charismatic. But it does what it’s supposed to do better than any other car in its sector I’ve tried. And I’ll take that combination of virtues any day. So, by the way, will my passengers….

FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Toyota Auris 2.0 D4-D 130 PRICES: £14,395-£15,695 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 6 CO2 EMISSIONS: 144g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 10.3s / Max Speed 121mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 52.3mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS with EBD and BA / MICS Minimal Intrusion Cabin System WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/heightmm 4220/1760/1515