Mk2 Auris Hybrid - any good? Alternatives?
Discussion
My wife drives a 2013 Prius + which I really don't enjoy driving - however I tried an Auris estate which I found was much better to drive - more responsive engine, etc - presumably it was an updated state of tune/map - and the quality of the interior was also better - only reason I never bought it was that we still needed a 7 seater.
My wife drives a 2013 Prius + which I really don't enjoy driving - however I tried an Auris estate which I found was much better to drive - more responsive engine, etc - presumably it was an updated state of tune/map - and the quality of the interior was also better - only reason I never bought it was that we still needed a 7 seater.
I've run an Auris hybrid for the last 2 and a half years, can't fault it as an everyday family/work car.
The downsides are: Not a lot of rear legroom, dull image, plain-looking interior, "Touch 2 With Go" satnav is a bit fiddly.
Upsides are: Very quiet and smooth drivetrain, comfy seats, Excel trim has lots of toys, ergonomics are pretty good, nothing ever goes wrong, the estate version has an enormous boot, and of course the fuel economy is excellent. Mine averages around 54-55mpg, based on petrol pump figures rather than the dash readout. Never managed less than 49mpg over a tankful, yesterday I filled up and the average over the last full tank worked out at just over 61mpg.
IMHO they drive far better than some would have you believe. No sports car, of course, but thoroughly competent if unexciting handling, and certainly not underpowered - overtaking in the Auris is a great deal easier than in something of similar size powered by a 1.6 litre diesel engine.
The downsides are: Not a lot of rear legroom, dull image, plain-looking interior, "Touch 2 With Go" satnav is a bit fiddly.
Upsides are: Very quiet and smooth drivetrain, comfy seats, Excel trim has lots of toys, ergonomics are pretty good, nothing ever goes wrong, the estate version has an enormous boot, and of course the fuel economy is excellent. Mine averages around 54-55mpg, based on petrol pump figures rather than the dash readout. Never managed less than 49mpg over a tankful, yesterday I filled up and the average over the last full tank worked out at just over 61mpg.
IMHO they drive far better than some would have you believe. No sports car, of course, but thoroughly competent if unexciting handling, and certainly not underpowered - overtaking in the Auris is a great deal easier than in something of similar size powered by a 1.6 litre diesel engine.
Edited by Jonny_ on Wednesday 19th July 20:32
Jonny_ said:
I've run an Auris hybrid for the last 2 and a half years, can't fault it as an everyday family/work car.
The downsides are: Not a lot of rear legroom, dull image, plain-looking interior, "Touch 2 With Go" satnav is a bit fiddly.
Upsides are: Very quiet and smooth drivetrain, comfy seats, Excel trim has lots of toys, ergonomics are pretty good, nothing ever goes wrong, the estate version has an enormous boot, and of course the fuel economy is excellent. Mine averages around 54-55mpg, based on petrol pump figures rather than the dash readout. Never managed less than 49mpg over a tankful, yesterday I filled up and the average over the last full tank worked out at just over 61mpg.
IMHO they drive far better than some would have you believe. No sports car, of course, but thoroughly competent if unexciting handling, and certainly not underpowered - overtaking in the Auris is a great deal easier than in something of similar size powered by a 1.6 litre diesel engine.
Pretty much this, although I don't find the satnav fiddly. It's nice getting diesel economy from the green pump The downsides are: Not a lot of rear legroom, dull image, plain-looking interior, "Touch 2 With Go" satnav is a bit fiddly.
Upsides are: Very quiet and smooth drivetrain, comfy seats, Excel trim has lots of toys, ergonomics are pretty good, nothing ever goes wrong, the estate version has an enormous boot, and of course the fuel economy is excellent. Mine averages around 54-55mpg, based on petrol pump figures rather than the dash readout. Never managed less than 49mpg over a tankful, yesterday I filled up and the average over the last full tank worked out at just over 61mpg.
IMHO they drive far better than some would have you believe. No sports car, of course, but thoroughly competent if unexciting handling, and certainly not underpowered - overtaking in the Auris is a great deal easier than in something of similar size powered by a 1.6 litre diesel engine.
Edited by Jonny_ on Wednesday 19th July 20:32
A few cons:
I would prefer if the Excel trim had the same size wheels as the rest of the range, the 17s look better but it's not worth the extra noise and bumpiness of the ride.
The headlights are badly affected by being grimy, I think this is due the design of the units. Make sure you have wet wipes in the car for winter evenings.
The filament interior lighting doesn't fit with the rest of the interior, I swapped the lot for LEDs.
Mikey_Beep said:
Pretty much this, although I don't find the satnav fiddly. It's nice getting diesel economy from the green pump
A few cons:
I would prefer if the Excel trim had the same size wheels as the rest of the range, the 17s look better but it's not worth the extra noise and bumpiness of the ride.
The headlights are badly affected by being grimy, I think this is due the design of the units. Make sure you have wet wipes in the car for winter evenings.
The filament interior lighting doesn't fit with the rest of the interior, I swapped the lot for LEDs.
Don't know if you're aware Mikey, there's a recall/service bulletin for Aurises built between Oct 2012 and May 2015; according to the recall notice "Headlamps manufactured to the incorrect specification may have been fitted and not may distribute light correctly".A few cons:
I would prefer if the Excel trim had the same size wheels as the rest of the range, the 17s look better but it's not worth the extra noise and bumpiness of the ride.
The headlights are badly affected by being grimy, I think this is due the design of the units. Make sure you have wet wipes in the car for winter evenings.
The filament interior lighting doesn't fit with the rest of the interior, I swapped the lot for LEDs.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/e...
I found that the original lights didn't illuminate much immediately ahead and to the left of the car, which made driving at night on narrow, unlit, twisty country lanes trickier than it ought to have been.
Toyota replaced my headlight units free of charge at the last service, they're still not massively bright but the light distribution is a lot better now.
Jonny_ said:
Don't know if you're aware Mikey, there's a recall/service bulletin for Aurises built between Oct 2012 and May 2015; according to the recall notice "Headlamps manufactured to the incorrect specification may have been fitted and not may distribute light correctly".
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/e...
I found that the original lights didn't illuminate much immediately ahead and to the left of the car, which made driving at night on narrow, unlit, twisty country lanes trickier than it ought to have been.
Toyota replaced my headlight units free of charge at the last service, they're still not massively bright but the light distribution is a lot better now.
As far as I can tell the recall work was done before I aquired the car, the distribution of the beam is fine. My issue is that the headlight units seem quite prone to getting a salty/gritty crust on the surface of the lens which blocks a good portion of the output. Only a winter problem when roads have been salted really (unless I don't wash the car for months), a quick wipe and all is fine again. Probably a once a week occurrence at most, so 400 or so miles.http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/e...
I found that the original lights didn't illuminate much immediately ahead and to the left of the car, which made driving at night on narrow, unlit, twisty country lanes trickier than it ought to have been.
Toyota replaced my headlight units free of charge at the last service, they're still not massively bright but the light distribution is a lot better now.
I have had my 2016 Auris TS Business Ed for 2 months now.
I am happy with it and enjoy driving it. I wanted a petrol auto estate that would be reasonably reliable. After reading up on all the different auto options and none of them seeming to be that reliable beyond 100k, I decided on the hybrid.
My options were Focus St estate (manual), Mazda 6 Estate or the Auris. Given the preference for an auto I went for the Auris. The Mazda 6 was probably a better over all car, especially if you carry passengers in the back a lot, however finding a petrol estate is hard enough without an auto. The Focus would have been the best performance, but I know I would resent the running costs eventually.
In regards to the Auris :
Performance seems to be comparable to my old 1.0l ecoboost Fiesta Zetec S.
Economy is good for the size of the car, getting around 50 - 55 mpg on a 5 mile commute on the trip computer with some running about to shops during the week/weekend. At £1.12 p/l for petrol its roughly working out at 100 mile to £10. With 2 bikes on the roof or pushing hard to get to a hotel in Banff through the Cairngorms I got 40 mpg, but taking it easy on the way back I was getting 65mpg.
Comfort - My longest day has been around 14 hours, with about 9 hours in the car with no discomfort. Much better than my old Yeti. The car soaks up potholes and rough surfaces, might be different with the 17" wheels though, I only have 16"s.
Space - I'm a fat git and have plenty of room in the front, the back looks a bit cramped, but I have not had any complaints and everyone has said its fine.The boot is a good size.
Aftermarket - plenty of things available aftermarket, Whispbar roof bars are great on this, generally cannot hear them at all, but occasionally hear the odd whistle around 40mph. Tailored mud flaps and mats are cheap on ebay.
General -
The sat nav is a bit low down the dash and I have seen complaints about this, but I hated how distracting a high up screen was in my old focus, I like the placement in the Auris, visible but not distracting.
Boot net - There is usually a net included with the boot cover, when the back seats fold down this can be moved to behind the front seats. Didn't know this until I got the car, was a nice touch.
I went for the business ed as I did not want keyless entry and parking sensors. I have had issues with these in the past and the business ed had everything else I wanted. I got the rear windows tinted separately.
I am happy with it and enjoy driving it. I wanted a petrol auto estate that would be reasonably reliable. After reading up on all the different auto options and none of them seeming to be that reliable beyond 100k, I decided on the hybrid.
My options were Focus St estate (manual), Mazda 6 Estate or the Auris. Given the preference for an auto I went for the Auris. The Mazda 6 was probably a better over all car, especially if you carry passengers in the back a lot, however finding a petrol estate is hard enough without an auto. The Focus would have been the best performance, but I know I would resent the running costs eventually.
In regards to the Auris :
Performance seems to be comparable to my old 1.0l ecoboost Fiesta Zetec S.
Economy is good for the size of the car, getting around 50 - 55 mpg on a 5 mile commute on the trip computer with some running about to shops during the week/weekend. At £1.12 p/l for petrol its roughly working out at 100 mile to £10. With 2 bikes on the roof or pushing hard to get to a hotel in Banff through the Cairngorms I got 40 mpg, but taking it easy on the way back I was getting 65mpg.
Comfort - My longest day has been around 14 hours, with about 9 hours in the car with no discomfort. Much better than my old Yeti. The car soaks up potholes and rough surfaces, might be different with the 17" wheels though, I only have 16"s.
Space - I'm a fat git and have plenty of room in the front, the back looks a bit cramped, but I have not had any complaints and everyone has said its fine.The boot is a good size.
Aftermarket - plenty of things available aftermarket, Whispbar roof bars are great on this, generally cannot hear them at all, but occasionally hear the odd whistle around 40mph. Tailored mud flaps and mats are cheap on ebay.
General -
The sat nav is a bit low down the dash and I have seen complaints about this, but I hated how distracting a high up screen was in my old focus, I like the placement in the Auris, visible but not distracting.
Boot net - There is usually a net included with the boot cover, when the back seats fold down this can be moved to behind the front seats. Didn't know this until I got the car, was a nice touch.
I went for the business ed as I did not want keyless entry and parking sensors. I have had issues with these in the past and the business ed had everything else I wanted. I got the rear windows tinted separately.
Edited by wullie_t25 on Tuesday 25th July 16:21
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