In today’s car business the most beautiful designs and the fastest engines are not always what will help a manufacturer making the most money or profits.
For example in the last financial year, Jaguar, one of the major name in the UK car industry, cost it’s owner (Ford) over 715 million USD despite some good designs and creations…at the same time Dacia, the “low cost” company of the French manufacturer Renault, did the opposite. It appears obvious that, selling relatively cheap vehicles is, in general, a smarter economic move than basing its success on luxury cars.
Joining quality and price is one of the keys that helped Toyota over the years.
Nowadays with the emergence of new actors such as China (or Eastern Europe countries) the Japanese manufacturers may look endangered but they keep on offering some of the vehicles with the best price to performance ratio, at least better than what most European or North American companies can put on the table.
Toyota Auris Test Drive, HDTV
(WMV9HD 720p Direct Download "Right click, Save as…")
Toyota Auris Test Drive, HDTV
(WMV9HD 720p Torrent "Right click, Save as…")
Among those Japanese manufacturers Toyota is certainly the most powerful and well aware of how to make “best-sellers” such as the Corolla(
Our review and Test Drive on this car here.).
Still, in the hatchback category it’s another story due to a very serious competition coming from Europe (VW Golf among others) or the USA (Ford Focus) or Japan itself with the excellent Honda Civic…all the ingredients to give Toyota a good challenge, their answer : the Auris.
In and Out
At first sight the Auris looks like a Toyota Vitz/Yaris which would have grown up from early childhood to its teenage years. If you put both models side by side the resemblance is striking, the Vitz/Yaris was clearly used as a basis for the design of its “older sister”.
The overall look of the car can be considered pretty “neutral” and as a result, might be a disadvantage for a certain part of the potential buyers, especially those looking for a different/original style.
So, the exterior is pretty simple, once you step inside it’s a whole different story, the French design centre of Toyota worked hard to create an attractive interior. The design of the centre console was inspired by the European architecture you can find in cathedrals while the handbrake looks like it was taken from a Phillip Stark catalogue.
The comfort and quality are good even though it fails to reach the level of German creations from Volkswagen but for such requirements Toyota made the “Blade” which is, in many ways, a luxury version of the Auris in Japan, more news about the Blade in the future.
Moreover it has to be said that the Auris offers more space to its hosts than any other car in this category, especially the room of the legs, the tallest readers should appreciate.
Engine and road impressions
In Japan no need to look for a diesel engine, the 2 versions offered are a 1.5 litre VVT-I (4 cylinders) producing 127HP and a 1.8 litre of 136HP.
We tested the 1st version and with its 166Nm of torque the accelerations are soft so don’t expect quick overtakes on the highway (where the 175Nm of the 1.8 litre would help a bit more) but this car’s favourite environment is the city.
An important and positive point is how silent the car is, letting you enjoy your music or any conversation, something that is not always that well made in other cars of this category…thanks to a soft suspensions system a ride in the Auris is a smooth and relaxing experience, it also encourages you to drive at normal speeds to fully enjoy it.
The only downside we could find during this test came from the not so precise steering and the braking system, a little soft as well.
Last words
In the end Toyota proposes yet another vehicle with a price to quality ratio almost unrivalled. Like the Corolla the Auris is equipped with a bunch of active and passive safety systems taking some of the stress we suffer from away. On the other hand its relative lack of personality might prevent it from interesting some customers. For those who want more, the “Blade” represents Toyota’s “plan B”, and as the car is rumoured to come someday with a sport version of 280HP (3.5L V6) there is what to scare its European/American cousins !
Posted on 29/01/07 By G-A.G
