Toyota Auris Hatchback Review

The Toyota Auris is a stylish five-door hatchback that is ideal for people who want a car known for its quality and reliability, and that is affordable to buy and run.

A practical and spacious five-door hatchbak, the Toyota Auris is available in four well-equipped trim levels and with a variety of diesel, petrol and full hybrid engines. With 16 models to choose from, all built right here in Britain, there should be a new Toyota Auris hatchback to suit. But if you need something with more boot space then look at the estate version, the Toyota Auris Touring Sports.

Auris Hybrid 2014

DRIVING
Four engines are used in the Toyota Auris – one diesel, two petrol, and a best-in-class petrol and electric hybrid utilising Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. All versions are designed to provide good performance and excellent fuel economy, along with reduced emissions. The Toyota Auris hatchback is strong yet light in weight and handles well thanks to a low centre of gravity. Meanwhile, careful tuning of the suspension and steering delivers a more comfortable ride with better control for the driver.

COMFORT
Inside, the Toyota Auris offers a comfortable and spacious environment. The four trim levels – Active, Icon, Icon plus and Excel – are all well-equipped as standard. With the interior focused around the driver, it looks good and as it’s built with high-quality materials, it feels good too.

A full range of seat adjustment creates plenty of space and an ergonomic driving position, with the seat design and wide-opening doors making it more comfortable for passengers in the rear seats. The Toyota Auris delivers a quiet environment due to extensive soundproofing to keep out engine and road noise. On Excel models, an optional panoramic glass roof is available.

Toyota Auris Hybrid Interior

PRACTICALITY
The Toyota Auris is a mid-sized car that is practical for family use thanks to its 360-litre boot space and wide hatchback opening. Extra storage is available under the boot floor, plus there is an option to fold down the 60:40 split rear seats to further increase its practicality. Because the batteries on the Toyota Auris Hybrid version are mounted beneath the rear seats, these models have exactly the same amount of storage as the regular models. Within the passenger compartment are extra storage spaces, cup holders and three 12V sockets to power your gadgets.

SAFETY
Like the Toyota Auris Touring Sports estate, the Toyota Auris hatchback scored the top five-star rating in the 2013 Euro NCAP crash safety tests. Protecting you on the move, standard equipment includes LED daytime running lights to make the Auris more visible, braking assistance to safely bring the car to a stop in the shortest possible distance, and stability and traction control to maintain safety when accelerating and cornering. The Toyota Auris protects driver and passengers with seven airbags and seats that minimise whiplash. It will even keep occupants safe after they leave the car at night by illuminating the pathway with its dipped headlights for 30 seconds.

RUNNING COSTS*
Running costs for the Toyota Auris are kept low by its sleek, aerodynamic design and efficient engine line-up. The low emissions from Toyota engines mean that road tax rates are between £0 and £145 a year, with the first year being tax-free on all models except 1.6-litre petrol models. The engines have superb fuel economy, ranging from 46.3mpg (1.6 petrol) to 78.5mpg (full hybrid) on a combined cycle. The Toyota Auris has service intervals of 10,000 miles or annually, with the Toyota Auris Hybrid costing less to service than before.

QUALITY
Like the Toyota Auris Touring Sports and Toyota Avensis, the Toyota Auris is built in Britain to the highest standards in Toyota’s state-of-the-art factory at Burnaston, Derbyshire. Toyota’s renowned reliability and quality is backed by a comprehensive five-year/100,000-mile warranty, with the battery pack on the Toyota Auris Hybrid guaranteed against manufacturing defects for eight years/100,000 miles. Three years’ cover against rust and paint defects, and a 12-year corrosion cover period also apply to the Toyota Auris hatchback.

PRICES*
There are 16 variations of the Toyota Auris hatchback, with prices starting from £14,945 on the road (OTR). The entry-level 1.33 Dual VVT-i petrol engine is available in Active (£14,945) and Icon (£17,645) trim levels, while the more powerful 1.6 Valvematic petrol engine comes in Icon, Icon plus and Excel grades, ranging between £17,995 and £20,250 for the manual versions, and an extra £1000 for the optional Multidrive S automatic CVT gearbox. The diesel option, a 1.4 D4-D engine, costs from £16,295 to £21,495 and comes in all four trim grades: Active, Icon, Icon plus and Excel. Lastly, the Toyota Auris Hybrid with its 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid Synergy Drive engine comes in from Icon grade upwards, priced between £20,645 and £22,890 respectively.

Click here for more information on the Auris and Auris Hybrid, or if you’d like to get behind the wheel, leave a comment below and we’ll contact you to arrange a test drive.

*Prices correct as of 13/01/15

93 comments

  1. The Auris would be a more practicable car if it followed its Australian cousin and supplied a full-size spare in the boot. Would this make such a difference to the official consumption figures in the UK? If it avoided the very hostile comments about chemistry sets being supplied instead of wheels by Toyota, it would surely be worth it.

    As it is, all an owner has to do is remove a small strip of plastic trim from the rear of the boot, buy a spare wheel and drop it in the well. The boot floor is still flat and solidly secure. All you have lost is the tiny space between the two boot floors on the UK model, and in exchange you have a real wheel in emergencies instead of the Toyota ‘mickey mouse’ alternative.

    1. I have the new Auris 1.6 excel, and I ordered a spacesaver spare, which fits in the existing well. The price was approx £155, and a few pounds for the fixing stud, well worth it for peace of mind

  2. My AURIS D4D reached 72.6 mpg within the first 1000 miles now with 6000 miles on the clock I noticed my best mileage is 89.6 mpg and that was driving in the north of SCOTLAND without a duel carriageway or motorway being close

    1. Hi John
      Thanks for your post.
      Great to hear about your fuelconsumption achievements. Sounds a great drive too.

  3. I’m so worried I have bought the wrong car as every review I have seen on the internet,Top Gear,What Car and Auto Express say the car is dull and boring and is ver pedestrian and not really a winner for Toyota,I’m seriously worried about this,your opinions please.

  4. I have also heard that if you do not use the diesel which I have enough it is possible you will have problems with sooting up and deposits that cause the EGR to fail,have you any information on this also .Thanks.

  5. My Auris 1.4 diesel has 17 inch alloy wheels but no locking nuts should they have been fitted or are they accessories

    1. Hi Janet
      Thanks for your post.
      Locking wheel nuts should be standard on your Auris. We would recommend returning to your supplying dealer so they can check this for you.
      Hope this helps.

  6. I bought a 63 plate Auris Excel 1.4 diesel in October. It is the first new car I have bought and I had high hopes as it had a great spec, looked really smart and test drove lovely.

    I went for the diesel over the hybrid as I thought I would get a least high 60’s mpg, after all it was listed at 72 mpg. I drive economically in an extra urban environment.

    I am very disappointed as i only get around 58 mpg and it lets down an otherwise great car. I wish I had gone with the hybrid now, but not sure my next car will be a Toyota.

    1. Hi Richard
      Thanks for your post.
      The fuel consumption figures which we have to quote on our marketing material are derived from a standard EU test which has to be undertaken by all vehicle manufacturers. The purpose of this test is to provide a level playing field for consumers to judge one vehicle against another. It is acknowledged that this test may not be representative of real world driving conditions and more details about the fuel consumption test and how this is undertaken are on the VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency) website and this link will take you straight there. http://bit.ly/19uZUkY
      Hope this helps clarify but let us know if you have any other questions. It is also worth mentioning that fuel consumption does increase during the winter months and also improves with mileage on a new car.

  7. I’m taking delivery of my 2014 Auris Excel Hybrid on Thursday but I need help in understanding the Touch 2 with Go. It’s a question about Live Traffic Information,which I cannot get a clear answer to – so help would be appreciated.
    The 2014 sales literature states “Breakthrough connected services are pre-installed in your system and are free for the first 12 months” It is powered by TomTom.
    So, is the system a stand-alone, much like a TomTom with Live Traffic and Toyota pay the first years’s subscription (about £47) or do you have to tether your phone to the Touch2 unit so it uses your phone’s link to the internet. If so, isn’t that using my phone’s data allowance, at my cost – so isn’t free.
    I’m a simple fellow and my brain hurts with this puzzle – so can someone help using little words, please. ‘cos no-one at Toyota can help. Worrying !

  8. I have just bought an Auris 1.8 Hybrid, Is it usual for the car to struggle going up hills in the power mode, the indicator goes into the red section the car makes a noise and has trouble accelerating..The car is ok driving in the ev and eco mode, not sure if I am driving correctly or not.

    1. The manual recommends using Power Mode on ‘mountain roads’. Mine sailed over the Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District (gradients up to 20%) without a problem, though it was quite noisy.

  9. Hello Ray
    Thanks for your post regarding your Auris hybrid.
    We have not received any similar feedback regarding difficulty of going up hills in power mode. There are two power sources driving the wheels. The best course of action though would be for you to contact your local Toyota dealer so they can accompany you on a quick test drive to check the car out for you. Also the hybrid transmission may sound different to a conventional car and your dealer will be able to reassure you if this is the case.
    Hope this helps.

  10. I am very very disappointed with the headlights in the current Auris Excel hybrid. I live in a country area where driving at night on either dipped or main beam is actively dangerous. I am forced into (illegally) using the foglights so that I can see the side of the road.

    The problem is that there is a very sharp cutoff on the nearside that means you cannot see the kerb on left hand bends. The foglights fill this space.

    I have had no problem with any previous car in this way. This includes the last two Prius’s in which I have done around 175,000 miles in the last six years.

    1. Hi Bob
      Thanks for your post and for your feedback regarding the headlamp efficiency on your Toyota Auris.
      We were sorry to read your concern and thank you for bringing this to our attention.
      In order that we may properly record this matter we do need to involve our customer relations team. This is because they can register your vehicle details. This can be completed via our Blog and this link will take you straight to the relevant page. https://mag.toyota.co.uk/how-to-contact-toyota-uk
      Hope this helps however if you have any problems please let us know.

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