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. Hi Sam
    Thanks for your post and for your interest in the new Toyota Auris.
    We are introducing the 1.6-litre diesel engine in the Auris later this year. We are still finalising the details but the current plan we are working towards is being able to order the car from 1 July with deliveries from September. Hope this helps clarify and fits in with your timeframe but please let us know if you have any other questions.

  2. I have recently taken ownership of a 2014 Auris Touring Sports. I live in the countryside and have noticed that the headlamps do not appear to light enough of the left hand side of the road when dipped. I have checked the height adjustment, but this appears to have no bearing on the left side illumination. Could the headlamps be misaligned somehow?

    1. Hello Clive
      Thanks for your post and good to hear about your new Auris Touring Sports.
      With regard to your headlamps though, we did speak with our technical team who have recommended that you get your local Toyota dealer just to check this for you. They can help advise regarding the specification. Hope this helps for now and let us know if you have any other questions.

  3. I have a question……Does the front passenger seat recline back enough to rest on the rear seat cushion or the back of the folded forward rear seat cushion? I wonder how long a load I can put in this car.

    1. Hello Sean
      Thanks for your posts.
      Regardless of the position of the front passenger car seat, when you recline it to the maximum setting, it does not rest on the rear seat cushion. There is a gap (the size of this gap varies slightly dependent on whether the front seat is pushed fully forward or fully back) and the seat is almost horizontal. If you do need to carry something specific in the car then we do recommend that you stop by your local Toyota dealer who would be more than happy to demonstrate this for you so you can see for yourself. Hope this helps for now but let us know if you have any other questions.

  4. I have the Auris Excel hybrid. It doesn’t seem possible to fold the rear seats completely flat, I could do this on my Corolla. What am I doing wrong? Help please.

    1. Hi Richard
      Thanks for your post.
      It is nothing you are doing wrong. We did check with the product team and the seats do not fold completely flat in the Auris model. There will be a slight angle when you recline them to the maximum setting. Hope this helps clarify but let us know if you have any other questions.

  5. Hi…..Thank you for answering my question.

    What is the seat height from the ground for both the driver and passenger with the Auris? Will it be the same on the 2016 Auris?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Sean
      Thanks for your post.
      The new Auris available later this year will have the same ride height and chassis as the model it replaces and this does include the seats (there is a very marginal difference if you opt for the sport seat). Cars are likely to be available for demonstration from September if you want to pop along to try one out for yourself.
      Hope this helps answer your query but let us know if you have any other questions.

  6. I have an entry model Auris D4D Activ and know a retro-fit dab radio is available is it possible to see a picture please.

    1. Hello Jim,
      Thank you for your post. We have spoken with our technical team who have advised that you can press and hold the mute button. Or alternatively, you can go into vehicle settings, General and choose volume settings. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions please let us know.

  7. Hello

    Which Auris model would you recommend to take two cycles (both with removable front wheels) inside the car?
    I own a Yaris and can squeeze two cycles in so would assume the larger Auris would also take them, however, the Yaris’ rear seats fold flat and the Auris’ dont. Would this be a problem for the Auris?
    The length of the cycles without the front wheel is approximately 1m 42cm
    Which Auris could you recommend, please (I am interested in a Hybrid model)?

    Thanks

    1. Hi there,
      Thank you for your post. We would advise visiting your local Toyota Dealer to give this a try. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions please let us know.

  8. Hi Jim,
    Thank you for your quick reply. We have spoken with our technical team again and they have advised if you press and hold the ‘Mode’ button on the steering wheel it will turn off the audio only. Pressing it again will turn the audio back on. To mute or adjust the volume for the sat nav voice, you can use the up and down buttons on the steering wheel when the guidance is being spoken. This will momentarily adjust the sat nav voice but after a few seconds, it will revert back to adjusting the media volume as normal. Another option is to open the setup menu by press ‘Setup’, Selecting General – Volume Settings – Navigation Prompt Volume. This gives you the option to set the level between 0 (Mute) or 7 (Max). Hope this helps clarify and if you have any other questions please let us know.

  9. I have a Auris Hybrid, no way does it live up to the suggested mileage. I find it difficult to reach 35 mpg!! Furthermore, the headlights are the worst I have experienced on any car I have owned/driven in over 60 years of motoring. Is it possible to have these improved? The vehicle is an Excell, and is one year old.

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