Toyota Auris TR Range
If Toyotas latest Auris is to be the kind of success it needs to be, private customers must be fully convinced of the value proposition on offer. Typically, the worlds most profitable car maker is taking no chances in this regard. For evidence, check out the version were looking at here, the value-packed TR.
The premise behind the TR models is to offer equipment upgrades over the T3 models in the standard range but feature sticker prices pitched a good deal below them. Its an aggressive strategy but then its a tough market. If the TR can convince retail customers that the Auris is a desirable proposition over a Volkswagen Golf or a SEAT Leon, it will have done very well indeed. Two engines are offered in TR trim.
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You really need to rev this engine hard to make progress. Get a little brutal with the loud pedal and the 122bhp Auris can move though, notching off the sprint to 60mph in 10.2 seconds and itll keep going to 116mph. A more satisfying powerplant is the 2.
0-litre D4-D 130 engine. Torque is most certainly not an issue here. This unit packs 124bhp and a maximum torque figure of 300Nm, translating into a sprint to 60mph of ten seconds flat and a top speed of 121mph. The electrically-assisted power steering is accurate and compared to the petrol models, its easy to feel the weight of the D4-D engine on turn-in.
The six-speed manual transmission features some closely-stacked ratios that youll need to keep on top of to maintain decent torque which, in the D4-D 130, is found in a narrowish seam between 2,000 and 2,800rpm. Fortunately, the box is a joy to use. The Auris ride, handling and road-holding are all above class average, but the steering, while accurate, doesnt impart much in the way of feedback, robbing you of confidence when youre really pushing on.
"Residual values look second only to the Golf in this class"
Rather than anything extreme, the Auris exterior shape is evolutionary. A less charitable verdict would be unadventurous. If Toyota really wanted to position the Auris as a different and higher quality car than the Corolla, step one should be to ensure it doesnt look broadly similar in dimension to that car. Yet despite the neater touches, well, it does.
You can see why of course: the brand certainly doesnt want to alienate all those old Corolla customers. And yet. The cabin has been smartened up with a clearer dash design and OPTITRON instruments but materials quality could be a little better in places and there could be more oddments stowage space. On the plus side, longer overhangs offer significantly better luggage capacity (354 litres) than the old Corolla and despite the wheelbase being the same, some clever packaging sees rear legroom increase.
Compared to the Corolla, the Auris is 40mm longer and 50mm wider. One particularly neat design detail is the low door profiles which help to reduce the visual effect of tallness. As youd expect from Toyota, standard equipment levels are excellent. The TR looks an especially good buy, based on T3 trim with added extras but with £1,000 shaved off the price.
This means the £12,795 Auris 1.6 TR three-door gets 16-inch alloy wheels, a leather trimmed steering wheel and gear knob, wheel-mounted audio controls, a six speaker stereo as well as scuff plates on the door sills and extra chrome detailing at the back of the car. Both three and five-door body styles are offered and paint finishes extend to Super Red, Silver Steel and Decuma Grey. Toyota also offers three option packs for the Auris; Style, Protection and Tech.
The big plus of the Dual VVT-i 1.6-litre engine (or its biggest drawback, depending on your perspective) is that it requires a conscious effort a big dose of revs to drive it hard. At all other times it defaults into a relaxed mode thats reasonably fuel efficient, helping it to a combined fuel economy figure of 39.8mpg.
While some rivals will better this, the margins arent great. The engine is again in the midfield in terms of emissions, the 166g/km figure being better than a Golf but worse than a Focus. Again, not much in it. For those covering higher mileages the diesel will be a better bet.
If youre going to buy a car with your head rather than heart, the D4-D 130 (from £14,395 in TR guise) may well be right in the mix. Expect 52.3mpg from this punchy oil burner. Emissions for this model are rated at 151g/km respectively.
Likewise, insurance is extremely cheap, the D4-D 130 attracting a 6E banding. This low insurance rating is helped by the fact that the Auris is unlikely to attract boy racers and that features like a bolt-on structure for the front bumper reinforcement make the consequences of a front end nudge that much less costly to your insurer. Likewise, the radiator support retracts in the event of an accident to protect the cooling units from damage. In so many small cars, a light tap to the front end will split the radiator and leave the vehicle stranded.
Discounts may be hard to obtain, but residual values look second only to the Golf in this class and at 43 per cent after three years for the 1.6-litre petrol model are leagues better than a typical Focus or Astra hatch. In some ways, no car in Toyotas Auris range faces a tougher task than the TR model. The needs of a private buyer are often drastically different to those of a corporate customer.
Whereas the former wants style, equipment and the ability to engender deep envy in their neighbours, the latter wants a tiny pence per mile running cost and a shape thats not going to attract vandals or the boys in blue. The suspicion is that the Auris remains better suited to the demands of gimlet-eyed fleet managers than thrusting twenty and thirty somethings who might normally buy a Volkswagen Golf or a Honda Civic. The TR variants must take on cynics of this persuasion and convince them otherwise. Compare what the Auris objectively offers and theres very little wrong with the value proposition but retail customers often buy with their hearts as much as their heads and in this area, the Toyota has to really make an impact.
If youre prudent youll buy this car. No question. Wider sales success amongst less sensibly-inclined private users however, may be more challenging for dealers to achieve.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Toyota Auris TR range
PRICES: £12,795-£14,895 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5E-6E
CO2 EMISSIONS: (1.6) 166g/km
PERFORMANCE: (1.6) 0-60mph 10.2s / Max Speed 116mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (1.6) (urban) 31.4 (extra urban) 47.9 (combined) 39.
8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Nine airbags / ABS /EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/height mm 4220/1760/1515
