Toyota Auris Range

Quite a lot actually, as Toyota recognise with their Auris. Jonathan Crouch reports

This is where Toyota gets serious. The Auris is the marques new family hatchback and if youre shopping amongst Focus and Astra models, its a car you cant ignore.

This was a car set out to be a class leader in every respect. Take safety. Its the safest car in its class, having been awarded a best possible 5-star crash safety rating from Euro NCAP. More of that later.

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First however, you need to know that the Auris is very different to anything Toyota has offered in this sector before, running on a completely new platform designed with European markets in mind. Designed and built in Europe, this model follows on from the success enjoyed by the marques Verso model, a car built specifically to European tastes. It forms the vanguard of a three-pronged assault, backed up by the Avensis and Yaris, that spearheads Toyotas quest to achieve 1.2 million sales annually across Europe by 2008.

So how does the Auris stack up? Well, we know going in that its going to be as reliable as an atomic clock, supremely well built, ruthlessly practical and cost effective to run. But its also much, much more. Toyota claims a whole series of clever design features and if these can really be backed up by the usual virtues of reliability, strong residual values and exemplary safety provision, then this car could make real inroads in the Ford Focus-dominated Family Hatchback sector. In creating the Auris, Toyotas engineers started with the passengers and then worked outwards, maximising occupant space with elements such as a flat passenger floor and high window surfaces.

The all-new platform has an overall length of 4,220mm incorporating a 2,600mm wheelbase. This means that the wheelbase represents 61.6 per cent of the cars total length. The higher the percentage, the more space is afforded to people rather than oily bits.

By contrast, the current Ford Focus, a model which is generally seen as an exemplar of smart packaging in this class, has a 58.5 per cent wheelbase to length and even something like the latest SEAT Leon manages a mere 59.7 per cent figure. With an overall height of 1,515 and a width of 1,760mm, the Auris is one of the biggest family hatches around, although the shape does much to disguise this bulk.

"This needs to be a car that the worlds biggest vehicle manufacturer can be proud of"

Credit for the design work goes to Toyotas ED2 studio in France and claims to follow the principles of Toyotas Vibrant Clarity design philosophy. A decent job has been done, based on the Auris Space Concept that was shown at the Paris Auto Salon in 2006. Both three and five door bodystyles are offered along with a range of five engines. The two petrol engines comprise a 96bhp 1.

4 VVT-i unit and a 122bhp 1.6-litre Dual VVT-i powerplant that raises fuel efficiency and power output compared to the Corollas 1.6-litre mill. Diesel buyers get to choose from three engines.

The entry-level lump is the 1.4-litre D4-D, good for 89bhp. Customers then step up to a 2.0-litre D4-D 130 engine which despite its name has a power output of 124bhp and was first seen in the 2007 Avensis.

Given that it drove this hefty car around with ease, it should make an Auris respectably brisk. At the top of the range is the 2.2-litre D4-D 180 which churns out 175bhp and is one of the best compact diesel engines around, offering fully 36bhp more than its 2.2-litre diesel rival, the Honda Civic.

Six speed manual transmissions are fitted as standard to the two more powerful diesels but a MultiMode system with paddle shifters is offered as an option for the 1.4-litre D4-D 90 and the 1.6-litre Dual VVT-i engines. Which leaves that issue of safety, a vital one for any car seeking success in this sector to crack.

Look at the facts and its soon clear that the Auris didnt achieve its Five Star Euro NCAP safety rating by accident. The combination of a driver knee airbag and a collapsible steering column were key factors in the 35 point, 5-star result for adult occupant protection. A Minimal Intrusion cabin design and up to nine airbags boost its safety rating from the start and contribute to the 4-star performance this car also achieved for child occupant protection. Another key benefit in this respect is the way that ISOFIX anchorage points have been included on the outer rear seats.

Euro NCAP also awarded Toyota a class-leading three out of four-star rating for pedestrian protection. Overall? Well, the Toyota Auris faces a very tough task if its to fulfil Toyotas demanding expectations but dont bet against it. This needs to be a car that the worlds biggest vehicle manufacturer can be proud of and asks dont come much bigger than that.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Toyota Auris range
PRICES: £12,295-£18,495 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 3E-13A
CO2 EMISSIONS: 131-166g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.6] 0-60mph 10.4s / Max Speed 118mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6] (urban) 31.4mpg, (extra urban) 47.9mpg, (combined) 39.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS with EBD and BA / MICS Minimal Intrusion Cabin System
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/heightmm 4220/1760/1515