The Toyota Auris is by no means a bad car. It is solidly made, drives decently and is now also visually appealing. His problem: the competition can do all of this at least as well. But the lack of outstanding properties could be a reason for buying.
The ideal predecessor of the Auris, the legendary Corolla for its reliability, was anything but a car that aroused emotions. The Japanese, however, have buried at least the staid design with the second generation of the successor model: the five-door car looks very pleasing with its distinctive wedge shape, the arrow-shaped radiator grille light band and the narrow rear window. Even the interior design, a traditional Japanese weakness, is okay - with slight deductions for the old-fashioned LCD displays in the central instrument and center console.
But the typical Toyota customer is more interested in utility than in show value. And the package fits the Auris. People have enough space at the front and back, and the luggage compartment is even slightly larger than average with 360 liters. However, only if you take out the double loading floor and the load is balanced over the resulting edge. With 4,28 meters, the Auris still remains short enough to find a parking space reasonably reliably in the city. When maneuvering in, you should let the park beeper or the rear view camera help you (both optional), because the rear window is only a loopholder format.
As a rule, however, you probably drive in the forward direction. And the Toyota can certainly convince. Because the chassis is balanced, but shows a clear impact on comfort. Of course, the body tilts a little more in fast corners, but the bindingly coordinated steering prevents a spongy overall impression. All in all, a viable compromise with which only outspoken sports drivers are not happy.
The engine is just as unspectacular as the driving behavior. The top diesel with 91 kW / 124 PS is installed in the test car, which is particularly noticeable for its cultivated barrel. In addition, there is plenty of pulling power (310 Nm), which pulls the car forward without hectic pace, but also without slacking off. In combination with the appropriately coordinated six-speed gearbox, sufficient power is available in every traffic situation. This creates a confident, relaxed driving experience. A drop of bitterness is the moderate thrift; the average consumption was 6,5 liters. In the next few months, however, the engine will be retired and replaced by a smaller, probably not only more economical on paper, four-cylinder BMW production.
As in its other properties, the Auris also offers solid mediocrity when it comes to pricing. With 23.890 Euro, the top diesel in the lowest available equipment line "Comfort" is not a bargain, but there is at least an extensive range of alloy wheels, air conditioning and CD radio. Amazingly, there are window regulators for the rear, but only one equipment level higher (“Edition”, plus 3.000 Euro). However, the customer is currently sitting on a long lever when negotiating prices with the dealer: on the one hand, the model did not go particularly well recently (just under 17.000 new registrations in the first eleven months of 2014), on the other hand, a very comprehensive facelift is pending in spring / summer, so the old models have to go out of the yard.
"Relaxed", "unspectacular", "balanced" - whoever searches for adjectives in this text is on the right track. Hardly any test car has caused as little excitement as the Auris in the past few months - in both a positive and a negative sense. However, this is also a quality. And one that fits the traditionally rather conservative German compact class quite well. Instead of frantically relying on dynamics, premium ambience or technical sophistication like some competitors, the Auris is what it is: mainstream curled into metal (with the exception of the hybrid version, which is not the point here). A car that drives its occupants to fetch bread rolls as well as on annual leave without much fuss. In times of automotive individualization craze and extensive self-marketing about the products consumed, this is almost a kind of statement.
Author: Holger Holzer / SP-X