Should I Buy An Sr180

[andytran]

I used to have a 2.0D T3.

I then moved on to a 120D M sport followed by a Golf GTI and then my current car, a 2008(58) BMW 320D SE.

Problem is, Im not loving the BMW in the awful weather and am hankering back to a FWD car.

My wife has an Aygo and it gets thru any weather!

We have good memories of our previous Auris, apart from squeaky brakes!

Ive been offered a good deal on a 58 plate Auris SR180 but cant make my mind up!!

I would appreciate your honest opinions. There are a few auris doubters on here, but is it really that bad in SR180 form?

Cheers

Andy ;)

[boozehound]

I have a T180 (the superior to the sr180 ;) and i know there are alot of people who would agree) and i will be sad to see it go back to the dealers in june. If you do alot of motorway driving you will love that 400nm of torquey grunt on the overtaking and it is a smooth ride for a hatchback. It handles corners very well because of the independent suspension and when you get out of first gear (because first gear is crap, torque limiter kicking in etc) every demand for power is answered with this kind of deep growl and pull from the front wheels. However. 45mpg for a combined mpg figure is rubbish. More like 40 if you use the cruise control as much as possible and drive like ur nan. I just averaged 28.5mpg on my last tank according to fuelly.com. Just type in boozehound on fuelly. Thats with driving round sub-urbia by the way. Its a solid car and i cant say i have had an interior rattle noises on my model. The best thing about the auris though has to be that its not a chavvy boy racer hatch back like a civic type R or a chavtastic golf gti. Its actually a hatchback which has two personalities. It can be your normal daily commute car, but when you want to treat it like a female slag you can really give it some round the corners and in the acceleration! The engine does sound like a pile of crap when revved ill be honest but as long as you get the power and enjoyment who cares? I would certainly go for one if you have been offered a good deal but just be aware that unlike a normal diesel the mpg drops ALOT and i mean ALOT for a diesel when you give it some.

[OldSkoO1]

Why did you trade your 120d. I would have thought that would be a good car? 123d was great for me.

I still really like my t180. Has more character than the other models.

I actually thought today how its running like new and running smooth.

Plenty of grunt and has enough space for me. Probably more than I need. Not the flat handling you might get from the BMW chassis but still decent.

All good then for me. I'm getting 40mpg + out of mine.

I would be interested in your views on the auris v your other cars. You seem to move on quickly. ESP the gti which should be a very decent motor.

[Rick D4D]

I know some of the civic owners who have owned a BMW 1 series dont rate them and it is interesting to hear a driver of other cars calling them just like some people here call the Auris. This just backs up my claim that every car is the same (has faults) and the grass is no greener. We are really happy with our T180 although the mpg is around 5mpg short of what we expected but my advice is get a 24hour test drive and make your own mind up ;)

[Bry]

I used to have a 2.0D T3.

I then moved on to a 120D M sport followed by a Golf GTI and then my current car, a 2008(58) BMW 320D SE.

Problem is, Im not loving the BMW in the awful weather and am hankering back to a FWD car.

My wife has an Aygo and it gets thru any weather!

We have good memories of our previous Auris, apart from squeaky brakes!

Ive been offered a good deal on a 58 plate Auris SR180 but cant make my mind up!!

I would appreciate your honest opinions. There are a few auris doubters on here, but is it really that bad in SR180 form?

Cheers

Andy ;)

Depreciation alone should put you off the Toyota, although the poor sole that bought it new would have took the smash in the head with that? but the driving dynamics, style and Badge may make your mind up for you, I didnt go from a BMW, but had a 330i as well, it was always a huge relief to get in the beemer (232HP and only 5 mpg less on average!!!) an even bigger relief was getting rid of the Toyota, mine was an Avensis T180, but the same very poor underperforming, diesel drinking engine, (180hp no way)I also lost £14K in 20 months from brand new, which makes me very very unhappy!

Audi or VW FWD must come before Toyota? And almost every other european manufacturer too in my honest opinion. I think its probable that I will never buy another Toyota, they are too customer detached, will not listen to you and always deny there is a problem. Well who looks stupid now?

Think I will leave the tin hat off :P

[OldSkoO1]

Bry is our semi resident t180 hater. Nice to get a balanced debate.

He's happy in his vauxhall.

[Rick D4D]

I think its probable that I will never buy another Toyota, they are too customer detached, will not listen to you and always deny there is a problem. Well who looks stupid now?

What a load of crap, our local Toyota dealer is the best dealer I have ever dealt with and nothing is to much trouble. Like I said Andy my advice is get a long test drive (24hour if you can) and make your own mind up and also note the MPG will be around 35-40 for local journeys.

This is one of the reasons the MPG is poor compared to other cars

The T180 engine emits just 0.087 g/km of NOX - compare this to a frugal VAG 170ps engine which emits 0.231 g/km.... Thats 62% more NOX in the VAG. You could think of it this way, 62% less soot from the VAG (although it doesnt work like that). But more like, in the VAG/Ford/Vaux and even Honda's less need for 5th injector burn cycles and less saturated DPF's.

Because the 2.2 D-Cat is so efficient and so aggressive at NOX filtering (i think Toyota were trying to prove a point and have mature technology ready for Euro 6 reg's) the combustion process produced more soot than rivals which is caught and burned off, hence poorer fuel efficiency.

It's also why "brand" manufacturers like BMW come out with such hideously low co2 emissions and massive MPG figures because their NOX emissions are quite poor, like 0.226 g/km. And that might be a bit lenient as there are many stories of BMW's failing their NOX emissions tests. I wonder what happens when these manufacturers are required to reduce their NOX when new reg's come out.

Whats the answer? God knows. biggrin.gif

This was posted by oldsko0l ;)

[andytran]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

On questions of previous cars, I got rid of the 120D because even though I bought it from BMW, I found that it had been in a major accident.

The Golf GTI I had was probably the best car I have ever owned. I had it for 1yr and traded it in against my 320d for a £1500 profit!! So economics said it had to go!

I really like my 320d, its smooth refined and does 45mpg round town. However I live in Northern Scotland and am fed up of not knowing whether or not I will be able to use the car because the weather is such an issue.

I have seen a 58 plate SR180 with 12K on the clock for £12000. Ive been offered £17k for the BMW although Im looking for a bit more.

It seemed that the SR180 would keep some of the performance Im used to whilst giving me some money back and also putting me back into a FWD car.

Although I dont do many miles, I still like reasonable economy - the Golf GTI averaged 30mpg round town!

At the moment, Im waiting for the garage to see if they up their offer on my BMW - if they do, I will go and give the SR180 a drive. Unfortunately, its 130miles away, so an extended test is not possible - it will be a quick drive around then back home Im afraid!

I will let u know how it goes,

Andy ;)

[OldSkoO1]

Thanks for letting us know

I must say you wont get 45mpg in town with the t180.

Tank averages are between 38 and 43mpg. But if you do a lot of town driving with congestion and lots of junctions and slow moving traffic you looking at mid thirties and if its really congested and slow, 30mpg.

Anyway, the sr180 should idle smooth. I.e. no significant judder at idle (there will be a slight vibration) but there shouldn't be any loud rattles or significant vibrations. If there is then it might need an EGR clean and intake decoke. The brakes do squeal but should have been fixed by now under warranty.

Other than these minor things, theres nothing to look out for with the d-cat engines. :)

Bear in mind that even though the MPG is slightly lower in the toyota 180 engines, the 170ps VAG units also suffer from low economy. In the sense that you hear most golf / passat owners stating that don't return much more than 40 over a tank either.

[Rick D4D]

The brakes do squeal but should have been fixed by now under warranty.

Since I have fitted a full set of EBC Greenstuff pads I have found the wheels to be a lot cleaner and no brake noises etc, I think the squeal is caused by the amount of dust that comes of the oem pads.

[cabcurtains]

Bear in mind that even though the MPG is slightly lower in the toyota 180 engines, the 170ps VAG units also suffer from low economy. In the sense that you hear most golf / passat owners stating that don't return much more than 40 over a tank either.

Cant agree as usual ;) my Passat (Non PD) never does less than 47/48 and is a lot quieter than the 2.2 in the Verso.

Bimmers are truly dreadful in the white stuff, however as nobody has commented on the 180 Auris is it any good? My Passat is ******* running on 235/45/17's.

[OldSkoO1]

Is yours a 170ps?

All the forums i've read so far as saying 40mpg tanks are about the norm.

[cabcurtains]

Is yours a 170ps?

All the forums i've read so far as saying 40mpg tanks are about the norm.

Little Red I

Can't comment on other people's Passats but the Common Rail version is great, a friend of mine has a 140 Golf 09 Reg and thats in the 50's. Another friend has a Leon PD 170 and thats not out of the 30's but he driver like t**t ;)

Not OBC either

I should add, doing 40-50k a year with most of it on the Motorway does help.

[Aldridge Andy]

Bimmers are truly dreadful in the white stuff, however as nobody has commented on the 180 Auris is it any good? My Passat is *****e running on 235/45/17's.

I have to be honest, and I know I have my moans and groans about the Auris in general, but my SR180 has been brilliant in the recent cold snap. My mom even started to call it "My Little Snow Plough" as it just kept on going.

The only time it struggled was on sheet ice, and in that case nothing would have gripped.

So there it is, a plus point of the SR180, it's !Removed! good in snow! :)

[andytran]

Bimmers are truly dreadful in the white stuff, however as nobody has commented on the 180 Auris is it any good? My Passat is *****e running on 235/45/17's.

I have to be honest, and I know I have my moans and groans about the Auris in general, but my SR180 has been brilliant in the recent cold snap. My mom even started to call it "My Little Snow Plough" as it just kept on going.

The only time it struggled was on sheet ice, and in that case nothing would have gripped.

So there it is, a plus point of the SR180, it's !Removed! good in snow! :)

Handy to know in Northern scotland ;)

Dealer hasnt got back to my request for more money for my trade in yet........maybe its the salesmans day off?

I will let u know how we get on!

Oh, I was just at the local Ford dealer - had a drive of a Kuga - nice but too big to get in my garage!

Also drove a 1.6tdci zetec s new style Fiesta - again, nice little car, but feels like it was certainly built to a price.

Andy

[OldSkoO1]

Let them stew a bit.

Toyota salesman would be itching for a sale so they get their bonuses. Especially since the media slating. It's unfair but i think he should be doing everything he can to secure that sale.

Otherwise it would fetch a good price on autotrader

Mine was good in the snow too. VSC really does work! The only time i had issues was on compacted sheet ice but no car would have coped any better. At least the VSC allowed me to steer into a gap and the ABS eventually stopped me. I can't remember 1 incident of lacking traction up any slopes either.

[cabcurtains]

Mr T will be trying to get an underwrite on the BMW, its quite rare for people to down grade value wise and they wont want to retail it. Could be interesting to see what "We buy any car.com" would offer before you get the PX price back so you have a benchmark. :)

[Parts-King]

Could be interesting to see what "We buy any car.com" would offer before you get the PX price back so you have a benchmark. :)

If you think your dealer hits you in the plums for prices.......wait till you get a price from we buy any car

Kingo

[Bry]

I think its probable that I will never buy another Toyota, they are too customer detached, will not listen to you and always deny there is a problem. Well who looks stupid now?

What a load of crap, our local Toyota dealer is the best dealer I have ever dealt with and nothing is to much trouble. Like I said Andy my advice is get a long test drive (24hour if you can) and make your own mind up and also note the MPG will be around 35-40 for local journeys.

This is one of the reasons the MPG is poor compared to other cars

The T180 engine emits just 0.087 g/km of NOX - compare this to a frugal VAG 170ps engine which emits 0.231 g/km.... Thats 62% more NOX in the VAG. You could think of it this way, 62% less soot from the VAG (although it doesnt work like that). But more like, in the VAG/Ford/Vaux and even Honda's less need for 5th injector burn cycles and less saturated DPF's.

Because the 2.2 D-Cat is so efficient and so aggressive at NOX filtering (i think Toyota were trying to prove a point and have mature technology ready for Euro 6 reg's) the combustion process produced more soot than rivals which is caught and burned off, hence poorer fuel efficiency.

It's also why "brand" manufacturers like BMW come out with such hideously low co2 emissions and massive MPG figures because their NOX emissions are quite poor, like 0.226 g/km. And that might be a bit lenient as there are many stories of BMW's failing their NOX emissions tests. I wonder what happens when these manufacturers are required to reduce their NOX when new reg's come out.

Whats the answer? God knows. biggrin.gif

This was posted by oldsko0l ;)

Frankly I couldn't give a stuff about any of that, and my dealer was excellent too, who said he wasn't? but he couldn't do anything about the car's problems. All of that nox nonesense is far otweighed by the criminal waste of diesel fuel , mid thirties is totally unaceptable and unique to Toyota and that crap engine.

After spending £24K loosing most of that in less than 2years and 45K, I am in as good a position as anyone to judge :D

[boozehound]

you cant say the 2.2dcat engine is crap for gods sakes. look at the torque figures.

[Bry]

you cant say the 2.2dcat engine is crap for gods sakes. look at the torque figures.

It has good torque, mmm, so does every other diesel, thats what diesels do, in Avensis form that engine struggles to keep up to 130HP Passats and Mondeos, dragged them manytimes, they edge you at lower revs (so much for torque!) and you get a brief catch up spell from 3.5 to 4.5K then it starts all over agian in the next gear. But I forgot, I cannot drive, shucks.

My 150 Vectra engine feels as torque'y and the car is easily as quick, but get's another 15mpg!!!! When it comes to Diesel car engines, Fiat has it cracked, they rev like a petrol to the red and beyond, thats why their engines win awards, unlike Toyota. (Vauxhall's, Saab, Suzuki, Alfa and others all use Fiat Diesels, before you knock Fiat, remember they own Farrari)

[T Sport 1978]

you cant say the 2.2dcat engine is crap for gods sakes. look at the torque figures.

It has good torque, mmm, so does every other diesel, thats what diesels do, in Avensis form that engine struggles to keep up to 130HP Passats and Mondeos, dragged them manytimes, they edge you at lower revs (so much for torque!) and you get a brief catch up spell from 3.5 to 4.5K then it starts all over agian in the next gear. But I forgot, I cannot drive, shucks.

My 150 Vectra engine feels as torque'y and the car is easily as quick, but get's another 15mpg!!!! When it comes to Diesel car engines, Fiat has it cracked, they rev like a petrol to the red and beyond, thats why their engines win awards, unlike Toyota. (Vauxhall's, Saab, Suzuki, Alfa and others all use Fiat Diesels, before you knock Fiat, remember they own Farrari)

What i find is that you have to get to boost early when it comes to a drag in the T180.

On standing start I have to pre-rev the car to 2000 rpm to achieve anything near the quoted 0-60 time (around 7.9 seconds).

If you are in boost at the time the T180 is pretty formidable.

My gf's 2.0 A3 (140 bhp) feels as quick as the power/torque is very usable, I have to admit the T180's lag and relative late boost is a drawback.

As for the engine, isn't it a GM unit? They have built so many units over so many different brandings that they must get it right... Nothing wrong with GM engines.

The thing i will say about Fiat cars as a whole though is that they are generally unreliable... Ex's have had Puntos and Stilos and both were terrible.

If JD Powers are anything to go by both Fiat and Vauxhalls are in the bottom 4.

[Bry]

you cant say the 2.2dcat engine is crap for gods sakes. look at the torque figures.

It has good torque, mmm, so does every other diesel, thats what diesels do, in Avensis form that engine struggles to keep up to 130HP Passats and Mondeos, dragged them manytimes, they edge you at lower revs (so much for torque!) and you get a brief catch up spell from 3.5 to 4.5K then it starts all over agian in the next gear. But I forgot, I cannot drive, shucks.

My 150 Vectra engine feels as torque'y and the car is easily as quick, but get's another 15mpg!!!! When it comes to Diesel car engines, Fiat has it cracked, they rev like a petrol to the red and beyond, thats why their engines win awards, unlike Toyota. (Vauxhall's, Saab, Suzuki, Alfa and others all use Fiat Diesels, before you knock Fiat, remember they own Farrari)

What i find is that you have to get to boost early when it comes to a drag in the T180.

On standing start I have to pre-rev the car to 2000 rpm to achieve anything near the quoted 0-60 time (around 7.9 seconds).

If you are in boost at the time the T180 is pretty formidable.

My gf's 2.0 A3 (140 bhp) feels as quick as the power/torque is very usable, I have to admit the T180's lag and relative late boost is a drawback.

As for the engine, isn't it a GM unit? They have built so many units over so many different brandings that they must get it right... Nothing wrong with GM engines.

The thing i will say about Fiat cars as a whole though is that they are generally unreliable... Ex's have had Puntos and Stilos and both were terrible.

If JD Powers are anything to go by both Fiat and Vauxhalls are in the bottom 4.

No they are Fiat designed engines built in partnership. You find some have the italian built engine, some have a GM built version. The last GM units were the autralian 2litre and 2.2 dti's, had a few of them but they dont compare to the Fiat engine.

I have never seen that survey? I go by my own reliability survey, having owned and had company cars (many) and have always found Vauxhall's to be exremely reliable, my current one has had no faults whatsoever in 42K My Toyota had a lot, most of which were never resolved. You also have to remember we are compairing a 1.9 with a 2.2!

My other gripe with the Toyota was its shocking deprciation I lost over 14K in 20 months, I have now owned the Vectra for same amount of time, I bought it for 10.5K with 4K on the clock 4 months old, My lates offer off WBY car .com is £7285 Just over £3K depreciation in 40K miles, thats what I call good value, along with the huge amount of fuel I have saved!

[Rick D4D]

FixItAgainTomorrow need I say any more?

[Rick D4D]

My other gripe with the Toyota was its shocking deprciation I lost over 14K in 20 months, I have now owned the Vectra for same amount of time, I bought it for 10.5K with 4K on the clock 4 months old, My lates offer off WBY car .com is £7285 Just over £3K depreciation in 40K miles, thats what I call good value, along with the huge amount of fuel I have saved!

yes but some mug lost around 10k on the vectra in 4 months, now that is value for money ;)