Toyota Auris review
by Ian Lynas (17 January 2007)
Taking over where the Corolla left off, Toyota's new offering in the most competitive sector of the UK market is the Auris, available in three- and five-door body styles with an excellent choice of petrol and diesel engines, and costing between £11,995 and £18,795.
Designed at the Toyota Studio in the south of France, Auris takes its name from the Latin; roughly translated it means "gold". Today, delivering the right name is very important, and it was agreed that Auris was easy to pronounce in the wide European market, and it rings with Yaris and Avensis.
A key element in designing the new Toyota model was a focus on interior space, so with this very much in mind Auris was designed from the inside out. This concentration on the occupants, extra emphasis was placed on providing good head and shoulder room. Rear-seat accommodation, for example, is almost as good as that in the Avensis.
The designers took special note of a Europe-wide customer survey which concluded that ample interior space was a priority; Auris has best-in-class cabin volume. For all those oddments that go with us, there are 32 litres of cabin storage space.
The keynote feature of the interior is the bridged centre console. The location brings the gearlever and handbrake closer to the driver, thus creating a cockpit feel and giving extra storage space lower down. Of interest, the inspiration for its design came from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The giveaways to this interior space are the short and tall proportions of the Auris, which are unlike those of any other car in the C segment. It has the same wheelbase as Corolla, but is longer, taller and wider. Like so many other models in the Toyota family, the Easy-Flat seat folding system is used; ease of use and the ability to increase the load-carrying capacity will please. With all seats in place, boot capacity is a welcoming 354 litres.
Exterior styling can be described as sporting - large wheels, wide track and flared wheelarches provide a purposeful stance. Despite its tallness, Auris offers the best aerodynamics in class, a real wind-cheater.
Clearly Toyota aims to please a wide customer profile. From launch, there will be five engines and four model grades, with the flagship T180 model being a diesel. The other two diesels are a 1.4 and a two-litre, while petrol choice is between a 1.4- and a 1.6-litre.
I had the opportunity to try two of the diesels: the top-of-the-line 175bhp D-4D and the two-litre D-4D with 124bhp. I found the latter satisfying, while the more powerful unit just fell short of my idea of a performance engine.
Three transmissions complement the various power units; two manuals, with five and six gears, and a MultiMode offering the best of both worlds. A Gear Shift indicator is provided with MultiMode, advising when to change gear, an aid to achieving better fuel economy.
This is a complete package from Toyota - a well-priced car that will appeal to families, and offers the quality that we have come to expect from this manufacturer.
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