Auris Hybrid Ordered
Discussion
cheeky_chops said:
Running a 2006 lexus GS450H for the last 18 months and its just passed 150k. I get 31mpg in summer and 29 in winter. Runs are mainly skirting around the edge of birmingham to work with M42 and a few DC thrown in. Love the car but when i add depreciation, tax, service, mot, tyres, mpg over the 12k miles i do a year its costing me over £300pm. And at 150k miles im worried it could eat my wallet any day!
So couple of qu - how do you go about getting a extended test drive - dealer or head office number? Anyone got one on personal lease?
£300 per month ain't bad all in. It's a nice car for that too, I was thinking about buying one, rather than having another company car. So couple of qu - how do you go about getting a extended test drive - dealer or head office number? Anyone got one on personal lease?
In terms of getting an extended drive, admittedly mine was through the business side of the local dealership, but they threw me the keys of a demonstrator for the day and arranged a week long test of the same spec car as I wanted to order.
One caveat though, make sure you, and anyone else considering one, take the car for a good, long run, 2 hours or more non-stop. The seat in mine is causing me a lot of grief after an hour, no matter how I adjust it. Of course, it might not relate to the car and might be something I've done to my back lifting or something, but it's agony at the moment when driving this particular car. I might need to get a lumbar cushion or something.
Thanks Pigeonskirt
But i really dont know what to replace it with. I think i have the luxury bug now. Bugger.....
Super Slo Mo said:
£300 per month ain't bad all in. It's a nice car for that too, I was thinking about buying one, rather than having another company car.
Dont get me wrong, its the best all round car i have ever owned (except handling!) Its seriously fast, creamy v6, amazing stereo, luxurious, quiet cruiser, all the toys - My youngest cried when i said i was going to sell it! I just have that uncomfortable feeling if i keep it, its going to kick me in the wallet one day and i wont look back on it so fondly. But i really dont know what to replace it with. I think i have the luxury bug now. Bugger.....
Couple of hundred miles in;
MPG - whilst the way I pay for fuel means it's of no concern (I pay back for personal miles covered, irrespective of fuel used) - I've been watching with interest.
My commute is 65 miles of Motorway and DC. This does not play to the Auris' strengths. As such, average of 45mpg. I reset it this morning and for the 20 miles that I sat in traffic on the M25 (stop start, below 40mph), it averaged over 80. That suggests it'd be great around town and on slower journeys - but the engine has to work quite hard at higher speeds which of course decimates any fuel efficiency.
CVT Gearbox - This is going to take some getting used to - but coming from a manual diesel (and ignoring the TVR - that's unfair) - it's awful. Going from 60-80 on a motorway sends the needle into "POWEEERRR" - turning it red in the process - and it revs its nuts off until you (eventually) get to the speed you're aiming for. Whereupon it settles into a drone that has me ITCHING to change into 6th gear and drop the revs back to 2400- which of course I can't.
The stereo does an admirable job of drowning it out - but I know it's doing it, and it annoys me (which is an ominous start as it'll cover another 75k miles under my care..)
The Seats - I was nervous of having ordered the light grey leather - it looked awful on the car I had seen it in, but my compulsion to tick all the options was too strong. Well, what a lovely surprise - they look great against the white bodywork and black windows. The front seats even look heavily inspired by Volvo. Sadly that's where the similarity ends - to echo some previous comments - there is a horrible lack of lumbar support (I'm only 31 for goodness' sake, it's not like I have a bad back) - so far I haven't spent more than an hr in the car at a time but I can see them causing bad posture on a longer trip. I keep checking the bolsters and base for a button I have yet to find to control it - my outgoing poverty spec astra at least had electric lumbar support.
They're comfortable to begin with, and I've adjusted again today so will see what they're like on the way home.
The heated aspect of them - on low they could poach ones innards. I cannot yet think of a time when the "High" setting would be anything other than abject torture. This is an observation rather than a complaint.
Headlights - They work well, but mine arrived, showing 6 miles on the clock (the distance from the dealership to work) and already had condensation in the headlight units. If that continues, I'll be taking it back to ask for new ones - that have been properly sealed. Operation isn't affected of course, but it just isn't good enough.
Setting the connectivity side of the car up - Bit of a faff involving the toyota website, VIN number, codes from the depths of the stereo and navigation system - but once done, it's pretty neat. I like that when I've programmed in a sat nav destination, I can hit google street view, for example.
These are really the only snags I have. I'm very impressed with the rest of the car for what I want it for. It's not something that wants to be driven in a spirited fashion but I can live with that. Would I be able to if it was my only car? Probably not - but that's why I've got more than one car.
All in, it's better looking than I expected it to be, the interior is nicer than I remembered and it has plenty of things to fiddle with. It's also a MASSIVE improvement over the 1.7cdti Astra that it replaces, at the same time as saving me 2k per year.
Here's a final thought - I had the Astra for 3 years. It was washed 5 times. Three times by the dealership after servicing, and twice by the bodyshop after repairs. I never once went near it with a hose pipe or sponge.
Within 24hrs of delivery, I had already ordered a pot of Dodo Juice Diamond White. It's the same wax (albeit a different colour) that I use on the Chimaera. At the weekend, it'll be treated to snow foam, Chemical Guys, Dodo Juice..the works.
That's saying something.
MPG - whilst the way I pay for fuel means it's of no concern (I pay back for personal miles covered, irrespective of fuel used) - I've been watching with interest.
My commute is 65 miles of Motorway and DC. This does not play to the Auris' strengths. As such, average of 45mpg. I reset it this morning and for the 20 miles that I sat in traffic on the M25 (stop start, below 40mph), it averaged over 80. That suggests it'd be great around town and on slower journeys - but the engine has to work quite hard at higher speeds which of course decimates any fuel efficiency.
CVT Gearbox - This is going to take some getting used to - but coming from a manual diesel (and ignoring the TVR - that's unfair) - it's awful. Going from 60-80 on a motorway sends the needle into "POWEEERRR" - turning it red in the process - and it revs its nuts off until you (eventually) get to the speed you're aiming for. Whereupon it settles into a drone that has me ITCHING to change into 6th gear and drop the revs back to 2400- which of course I can't.
The stereo does an admirable job of drowning it out - but I know it's doing it, and it annoys me (which is an ominous start as it'll cover another 75k miles under my care..)
The Seats - I was nervous of having ordered the light grey leather - it looked awful on the car I had seen it in, but my compulsion to tick all the options was too strong. Well, what a lovely surprise - they look great against the white bodywork and black windows. The front seats even look heavily inspired by Volvo. Sadly that's where the similarity ends - to echo some previous comments - there is a horrible lack of lumbar support (I'm only 31 for goodness' sake, it's not like I have a bad back) - so far I haven't spent more than an hr in the car at a time but I can see them causing bad posture on a longer trip. I keep checking the bolsters and base for a button I have yet to find to control it - my outgoing poverty spec astra at least had electric lumbar support.
They're comfortable to begin with, and I've adjusted again today so will see what they're like on the way home.
The heated aspect of them - on low they could poach ones innards. I cannot yet think of a time when the "High" setting would be anything other than abject torture. This is an observation rather than a complaint.
Headlights - They work well, but mine arrived, showing 6 miles on the clock (the distance from the dealership to work) and already had condensation in the headlight units. If that continues, I'll be taking it back to ask for new ones - that have been properly sealed. Operation isn't affected of course, but it just isn't good enough.
Setting the connectivity side of the car up - Bit of a faff involving the toyota website, VIN number, codes from the depths of the stereo and navigation system - but once done, it's pretty neat. I like that when I've programmed in a sat nav destination, I can hit google street view, for example.
These are really the only snags I have. I'm very impressed with the rest of the car for what I want it for. It's not something that wants to be driven in a spirited fashion but I can live with that. Would I be able to if it was my only car? Probably not - but that's why I've got more than one car.
All in, it's better looking than I expected it to be, the interior is nicer than I remembered and it has plenty of things to fiddle with. It's also a MASSIVE improvement over the 1.7cdti Astra that it replaces, at the same time as saving me 2k per year.
Here's a final thought - I had the Astra for 3 years. It was washed 5 times. Three times by the dealership after servicing, and twice by the bodyshop after repairs. I never once went near it with a hose pipe or sponge.
Within 24hrs of delivery, I had already ordered a pot of Dodo Juice Diamond White. It's the same wax (albeit a different colour) that I use on the Chimaera. At the weekend, it'll be treated to snow foam, Chemical Guys, Dodo Juice..the works.
That's saying something.
Edited by keith2.2 on Wednesday 5th November 09:38
I've now done 800 miles.
Averaged 51mpg.
Economy wise it's dire at higher speeds - I drove up an empty a1 on Sunday morning, averaging a bit over 80.
Fuel economy was the same as I get on my 4.6 V8 at that speed.
The Sat-Nav isn't very good (it needlessly took me through Slough and so will never be forgiven), the traffic notifications on it are entirely incorrect and the traffic announcement setting on the radio doesn't work in either normal or DAB.
However - it's been a joy to drive in traffic (as much as driving in traffic can be a a joy), the heated seats are welcome on a cold morning and everyone loves the colour combo I went for. So all in, I'm pretty happy with it.
Averaged 51mpg.
Economy wise it's dire at higher speeds - I drove up an empty a1 on Sunday morning, averaging a bit over 80.
Fuel economy was the same as I get on my 4.6 V8 at that speed.
The Sat-Nav isn't very good (it needlessly took me through Slough and so will never be forgiven), the traffic notifications on it are entirely incorrect and the traffic announcement setting on the radio doesn't work in either normal or DAB.
However - it's been a joy to drive in traffic (as much as driving in traffic can be a a joy), the heated seats are welcome on a cold morning and everyone loves the colour combo I went for. So all in, I'm pretty happy with it.
keith2.2 said:
I've now done 800 miles.
Averaged 51mpg.
Economy wise it's dire at higher speeds - I drove up an empty a1 on Sunday morning, averaging a bit over 80.
Fuel economy was the same as I get on my 4.6 V8 at that speed.
I get between 46 and 48 mpg at a constant 85 mph (on GPS) in my Mark 3 Prius, which I am pretty sure you are not getting in a 4.6 V8. However it was pretty windy on Sunday, so maybe that was a factor? I can;t believe the Auris shell is *that* much draggier than the PriusAveraged 51mpg.
Economy wise it's dire at higher speeds - I drove up an empty a1 on Sunday morning, averaging a bit over 80.
Fuel economy was the same as I get on my 4.6 V8 at that speed.
Worst I've had was 49mpg last Saturday on a late 260 mile run down from edinburgh. There was a massive headwind. I do tend to set the cruise at 70 mph though as, for me, the reduction in personal fatigue and recovery time more than offsets the slightly longer journey time.
The engine revving doesn't bother me, performance wise it's on a par with any 140bhp engine, but is able to deliver more of that power more of the time, if that makes sense.
The engine revving doesn't bother me, performance wise it's on a par with any 140bhp engine, but is able to deliver more of that power more of the time, if that makes sense.
keith2.2 said:
My readout was showing 31mpg av for the run up the A1. The V8 does 28mpg on the same journey in the same traffic conditions. Granted it's hotter, noisier and not quite as relaxed..
To average 80 mph means realistically you're doing 90-100. It is a bit out of its comfort zone at those speeds, although last time I travelled at those sort of speeds, my Skoda Diesel wasn't breaking the 40 mpg barrier. Obviously headwinds make a big difference too.Personally I've found the Auris appreciates a relaxed driving style, it's certainly encouraged me to be less gung ho than I was, and I'm not finding other, slower, drivers as frustrating as I used to, which is doing wonders for my blood pressure
. Journey times aren't really any longer for the gentler approach either, there are far too many variables like traffic lights and other holdups to make whizz-bang starts and heavy braking any improvement. If anything, by lifting off early and coasting up to lights etc, mostly without losing much speed as these cars roll very well, I'm getting there just as the lights change anyway, so am not having to stop.
As said in my previous post, I don't go particularly fast on the motorway, that's largely because I pay for my own fuel, but the car's still got enough power to get from 65-70 up to 85-90 without causing concern, there's no waiting for a turbo to spool up, or fishing for a lower gear to get to the power, just boot it and go. It's no rocket ship, but it is deceptive, it accelerates quicker than it feels and sounds.
I'm on 2,600 miles in just over 4 weeks. Another 600 will be added by Saturday night/early Sunday morning. I like it. As a tool it suits me.
Super Slo Mo said:
As said in my previous post, I don't go particularly fast on the motorway, that's largely because I pay for my own fuel, but the car's still got enough power to get from 65-70 up to 85-90 without causing concern, there's no waiting for a turbo to spool up, or fishing for a lower gear to get to the power, just boot it and go. It's no rocket ship, but it is deceptive, it accelerates quicker than it feels and sounds.
That is one of the things I like about my Prius. It doesn't have much power in the scheme of things but it is always ready to give it's all, at any speed.Edited by AnotherClarkey on Friday 14th November 19:41
On Thursday I ran up to Manchester, only 50 miles or so, but was low on fuel so thought I'd sit with the trucks just to see what it could do. I also kept to a very light throttle where possible, even once off the motorway. Motorway speeds were on cruise at an indicated 58-59 mph, sitting behind large vehicles which helped with slipstreaming a bit. Indicated door to door average mpg was in excess of 75 mph.
Of more interest was the journey time. I left our office at the same time as a colleague, who generally drives at 80 plus. He'd just parked his car as I drove into the entrance of the car park (we were going to separate destinations after Manchester, hence not car sharing), so it cost me probably 2 or 3 minutes to trundle slowly up the motorway. Obviously that difference gets more pronounced the greater the distances involved, more so the more high speed roads are used, but still, it was interesting just how little difference it actually made. To be fair, the M6 was busy, which compresses the speed differences over relatively short differences, and meant that Colleague wouldn't have been able to utilise so much of his speed advantage.
Of more interest was the journey time. I left our office at the same time as a colleague, who generally drives at 80 plus. He'd just parked his car as I drove into the entrance of the car park (we were going to separate destinations after Manchester, hence not car sharing), so it cost me probably 2 or 3 minutes to trundle slowly up the motorway. Obviously that difference gets more pronounced the greater the distances involved, more so the more high speed roads are used, but still, it was interesting just how little difference it actually made. To be fair, the M6 was busy, which compresses the speed differences over relatively short differences, and meant that Colleague wouldn't have been able to utilise so much of his speed advantage.
I agree with you on the Sat Nav though, I've stopped listening to the re-routing notifications for hold ups as they seem to be days out of date. To be fair, to most of the locations that I go to, I know the way mostly anyway, it's only detail at each end that I need, which it does just fine. Google Maps is far better, other than needing data if you go off route, which can be a problem.
Well, I'm over 23,000 miles in, and it's been fine. Utterly uneventful to be honest, somewhat different to the Skoda I had prior to it.
I've got used to the seat now, people tell me I always complain about the seat in whatever car I get so I guess it's just me adapting to the different shape of the seat.
In terms of economy, it's the best I've had, current overall average is over 52 mpg (calculated). Actual consumption depends on the route and conditions of course, but generally it's ok.
It's not exciting, but does everything very competently and quietly.
I've got used to the seat now, people tell me I always complain about the seat in whatever car I get so I guess it's just me adapting to the different shape of the seat.
In terms of economy, it's the best I've had, current overall average is over 52 mpg (calculated). Actual consumption depends on the route and conditions of course, but generally it's ok.
It's not exciting, but does everything very competently and quietly.
We've got a IS300H, so very similar powertrain. If you play the ecnomoy game you can get 70mpg on M way runs, but it's not bad at more 'sprited' speeds.
Just did Leicester to Southampton last night, adaptive control set at 85mph, average just over 40mpg. Same kind of speeds in our diesel Civic use to give us similar mpg....But with the added diesel clattering
Just did Leicester to Southampton last night, adaptive control set at 85mph, average just over 40mpg. Same kind of speeds in our diesel Civic use to give us similar mpg....But with the added diesel clattering
That's an interesting point of comparison. Of course the IS300h has a much more powerful drivetrain than the Auris / Prius one, and the car itself is signficantly heavier and much, much faster. So you would expect it to use more fuel (as indeed it does). The Lexus model that uses the Auris / Prius drivetrain is the CT200h.
Super Slo Mo said:
Well, I'm over 23,000 miles in, and it's been fine. Utterly uneventful to be honest, somewhat different to the Skoda I had prior to it.
I've got used to the seat now, people tell me I always complain about the seat in whatever car I get so I guess it's just me adapting to the different shape of the seat.
In terms of economy, it's the best I've had, current overall average is over 52 mpg (calculated). Actual consumption depends on the route and conditions of course, but generally it's ok.
It's not exciting, but does everything very competently and quietly.
Interesting to see another Superb owner moving to a Toyota hybrid. I've got used to the seat now, people tell me I always complain about the seat in whatever car I get so I guess it's just me adapting to the different shape of the seat.
In terms of economy, it's the best I've had, current overall average is over 52 mpg (calculated). Actual consumption depends on the route and conditions of course, but generally it's ok.
It's not exciting, but does everything very competently and quietly.
We changed our 170 CR Superb for a Prius back in March, the Superb was coming up for 6 years old and 90k and issues were creeping in ie Dpf, clutch and dmf and some wiring faults centred around the twindoor hatch so it was time to go, we were averaging 42-44mpg out of it year round.
The Prius is averaging about 55mpg at the moment, dropped from about 57mpg that we got during the warmer weather but we really bought the Prius as the wife wanted an easy relaxing drive on the morning commute and something a little more compliant on the local lanes, something the Superb with its 18" wheels never was. She really loves it i'm not as much of a fan but I drive much faster stuff and really miss the performance , but its pleasant car to drive, quiet and effortless cruiser. It does have the worst sat nav i have ever used though its like something from the 90's
Seems to be a lot of hate for them though , even on the roads
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