Toyota Auris SR180: Unsung hero

Yuck. A diesel hatch with Mr Dull written all over it - but Toyota's Auris SR180 is an unexpected gem

Surely he's gone stark, raving bonkers. Is Rees really suggesting that a dull-as-ditchwater Derbyshire diesel - a Toyota Auris, for crying out loud - can possibly be an unsung hero?

Fair point. The Auris is a car the whole world loves to hate. Something quite as bland as this is manna for motoring hacks: sniffing weakness, the press gave it an utter mauling.

Ah, the wonders of Photoshop

But few hacks ever drove the high-power diesel variant, one of the very first hot hatch diesels. It was was launched in 2007 as the T180 then rebranded SR180 in 2008. I ran an SR180 for a year, and even campaigned it in the Toyota Sprint Series. Eventually, it won me over.

OK, let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. It's no GTI to look at (although anonymity has its pluses, too). The cabin has every vestige of inspiration sucked out of it. The electric steering doesn't have much feel, while the body rolls around corners more than you'd like.

But you'd be wrong to dismiss the SR180 when you consider what's in its favour. The engine for starters: the 2AD 2.2 diesel lump is the same unit that's in the Lexus IS220d. In its day, 177hp and 295lb ft of torque were class-leading figures, comfortably beating rivals like the VW Golf GT TDI. Same with the 0-62mph time of 8.1 seconds - on par with a Renaultsport Megane 175 dCi. And it's tuneable, with 200hp easily achievable. It's also a surprisingly refined tool. And the six-speed gearchange is very slick, with an ideally positioned central gear lever.

Unassuming yes, but that has benefits

Doesn't it all fall apart at the first corner, though? You might be surprised. The SR180 ditched the beam back end of the regular Auris for unique multi-link rear suspension, plus Toyota Motorsport springs all round. Result? A very tidy-handling machine with plenty of grip, an impressive lack of torque steer and genuine chuckability. It's no Megane Cup, but it's tidy enough.

As much was proven on track when I competed in the Toyota Sprint Series a few years ago. In a field of 40-odd cars, my boggo standard SR180 was often in the top 10, usually beaten only by tuned Celica GT-Fours. That surprised quite a few people, I can tell you.

What else? It rides very well. It's a fine motorway tool. It'll do low 40s mpg. Tax is reasonable with 164g/km CO2 emissions. And it's well equipped, with dual-zone climate control, auto headlamps and wipers, cruise control and 17-inch alloys.

Cheaper than a Golf and preferable says Chris

In stark contrast to its most direct rival, the Renaultsport Megane dCi 175, the Auris has the benefit of reliability - if not the most reliable Toyota out there. Its chain-driven timing is a plus, but some owners report high oil consumption and blocked EGR valves. Essentially, if you can see evidence that the EGRs have had a good clean on a regular basis, you should be OK.

Unlike many Toyotas, with their glacially high second-hand values, T180s and SR180s really aren't expensive. Indeed, they're comfortably cheaper than an equivalent-age Golf GT TDI 140, and I reckon the SR180 is a better car.

Just £3,797 buys you an 87,000-mile '08 SR180. Alternatively, up for £4,750 is a 71K-mile red example with full history. Even the most expensive ones in the classifieds don't exceed £5K. A good-value, under-the-radar hot hatch with great cross-country pace and low running costs? Sign me up.

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BristolLee

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128 months