Toyota Auris

Our verdict

The Toyota Auris is not bad – it’s just mind-numbingly uninspiring. Toyota promised us a giant leap forward from the Corolla. This isn’t it.

Comfort

The Auris serves up more-than-competitive space inside, thanks to its height. All versions are tuned for good ride comfort, which is a good solution given the likely buyers. The ‘bridge' console puts the gear lever close to the driver and the instruments are clear. Petrol engines are a bit buzzy at motorway speed, though.

Performance

Avoid the 1.4 petrol, but the 1.6 is OK, and has useful torque. On the diesel side, the lower power ones are up with everyone else's game and the T180 is properly impressive - quiet and really urgent in the mid-ranges.

Cool

The Corolla was the default motoring appliance, and the Auris doesn't change much. It's not a bad car or an ugly one, but when there are so many compact hatchbacks around it takes something special to stand out. The Auris definitely isn't it.

Quality

The Auris's dash is an array of cheap plastics in a random multiplicity of textures. Oh dear. But there's great underlying quality. The controls have well-oiled actions, the body panel gaps are accurate and you know reliability isn't an issue.

Handling

Strangely, there are two different suspensions for the Auris. The first, used on nearly all models, results in soggy handling with lots of roll and unimpressive grip. The second is sharper and nearly as good as the Focus or Golf, but comes only on the T180.

Practicality

The tall body is roomy, and the rear seat-fold works a charm. The one interior piece of flair, a gear lever mounted on a ‘bridge' console, adds an extra storage space, but not one that turns out to be especially useful.

Running costs

As with Vauxhall or Ford, Toyota fields an Auris line-up with separate versions to suit private buyers (T-Spirit) and the fleets. The idea is to keep a handle on depreciation. CO2 is also generally under control, so you get good economy, although there's no sub-120g version.