Toyota Auris (07 on) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 20 March 2012
Toyota decided it was finally time to retire the ‘Corolla’ name in 2007 by renaming the world’s favourite hatch the Auris. Rumour has it despite selling more than 30 million cars Toyota wanted a new name for Britain to spearhead its fresh assault on the small hatch market. The Auris was indeed all-new, but aside from the odd interior quirk, it remains a car you buy with your head rather than your heart. Picking up where the Corolla left off the Auris remained a well built, comfortable, easy-to-drive car with a good level of equipment. Early on there was a wide choice of engines and even a sporty SR180 diesel for those in the market for a quick, but efficient, hot hatch. In 2010 Toyota gave the Auris a subtle facelift. Build quality was improved and the suspension was tweaked for a better drive. The engine range was also simplified to just two petrols and one diesel. The Auris Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) was introduced in May 2010 and it features a 1.8-litre engine combined with an electric motor and continuous transmission. It's a low CO2, low fuel consumption model aimed at buyers who are interested in eco-friendly cars but do not want to make such a bold statement as Prius owners. The Auris HSD comes in two trims - T4 and T Spirit - with prices starting at £18,950. It is the first mainstream Toyota to get the HSD powertrain and the Japanese firm says it plans to introduce it to the rest of its model line-up.
4 out of 5

Other Toyota reviews

4.5 out of 5

Safety

The Auris is about as safe as a car of this size gets. There’s a five-star euro NCAP crash test rating and a four star rating for child occupant protection. Every car gets nine airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag – a first for this sector – ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution. T180 models also have vehicle stability control and traction control. On the security front, all cars have remote central double locking and an immobiliser. All but T2 have an alarm and T Spirit and T180 have Toyota’s keyless ‘Smart Entry’ system.

NCAP Test

Euro NCAP logo Euro NCAP

Provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.

Visit Euro NCAP for more info

  • Adult Occupant Rating

    5 out of 5

  • Child Protection Rating

    4 out of 5

  • Pedestrian Test Rating

    3 out of 5
4.5 out of 5

Reliability

Toyota’s strong reputation for robust build quality appears to continue with Auris. It’s strongly built, while the interior fit-and-finish is exemplary. Plus Toyota has stringent quality control processes in place. Employees building the car were trained 18 months before it went on sale and each takes personal responsibility for the quality of their work. Every 15 minutes an Auris is randomly selected from the production line and checked to make sure every weld is up to standard. The majority of five-door models are built in Britain, three-doors come from Turkey and a handful are built in Japan. In 2010 Toyota recalled all Auris models built between October 2006 and January 2010 to fit modified accelerator pedals

Car check problem points

Body

No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

A recall in 2009 where the brake calipers may detach. Only 8 cars were affected. In 2010 Auris models built between October 2006 and January 2010 were recalled to be fitted with modified accelerator pedals.