Auris Hsd T-Spirit, What's So Good About It?

[Cord77]

Ok, the excitement is building, I collect my brand new Auris HSD T-Spirit in Black with protection pack, tinted windows, DAB radio upgrade and mud flaps on Wednesday and I can't wait. Can those who already have an Auris HSD post all the things you love about it, I already know I'm gonna love it but there is always stuff other people find and I'm all ears :)

[FourFourTwo]

And since I take delivery of mine in about 6 weeks time, I'm also eager to read the replies. :)

[ashpole]

Ok, the excitement is building, I collect my brand new Auris HSD T-Spirit in Black with protection pack, tinted windows, DAB radio upgrade and mud flaps on Wednesday and I can't wait. Can those who already have an Auris HSD post all the things you love about it, I already know I'm gonna love it but there is always stuff other people find and I'm all ears :)

It's a joy to drive - solid and safe; It's quiet - I can now chat to my other half when doing 70mph down the M1 (OK, could be a disadvantage!); It's comfortable - for someone with five major spinal ops under his belt it's surprisingly easy to get into a comfortable position.

Went to my son's yesterday, the 130 mile roundtrip cost just £11.10... Not bad!

[daveybee]

Ok, the excitement is building, I collect my brand new Auris HSD T-Spirit in Black with protection pack, tinted windows, DAB radio upgrade and mud flaps on Wednesday and I can't wait. Can those who already have an Auris HSD post all the things you love about it, I already know I'm gonna love it but there is always stuff other people find and I'm all ears :)

Most of my posts here have been moaning about the Sat Nav's audio capabilities, but those really give a false impression of how I feel about the car.

I think it's a fabulous little car! My old motor was an oil burning Avensis T-Spirit on an '04 plate - all the toys as it was my company car (loved it so much that I bought it at the end of the three years), but the HSD T-Spirit is something else again. It's comfortable, even in the back, it's ridiculously quiet on the road and, and whilst not up to the claimed 70MPG, it's doing a consistent 54MPG on brim to brim fills (so not relying on the trip). Small things make a difference - the gearbox (or lack of one) makes driving the car very easy, especially in heavy traffic, the rear view camera makes reversing a cinch, keyless entry is brilliant in the rain and the fact that it doesn't look like an eco-warrior's chariot means I don't get masses of ridicule at work! The other good thing is that my wife is more than happy to drive it - she drove the Avensis once and took an instant dislike to it saying it was too big, the fact that the HSD is the same width and only about 15 inches shorter doesn't seem to matter.

The interesting thing is that I've lost my hate of traffic since getting the HSD. My journey to and from work is only about a 20 mile round trip, but can take up to an hour either way. The HSD is just such a nice place to occupy, sitting in traffic is almost a pleasure - with the radio on, and not using any fuel gives you a certain satisfaction that's hard to quantify.

Your motor should look sweet in black with tinted glass - I chose not to go the privacy glass route as I didn't think it looked quite right with the silver. One little thing, and I know it's a silly thing to say, but the mud flaps make the the car look the dogs (sad or what!) - they seem to lower the car even more and just tie the whole thing together.

I hope you love yours as much as I love mine! All the best, D.

[daveybee]

Ok, the excitement is building, I collect my brand new Auris HSD T-Spirit in Black with protection pack, tinted windows, DAB radio upgrade and mud flaps on Wednesday and I can't wait. Can those who already have an Auris HSD post all the things you love about it, I already know I'm gonna love it but there is always stuff other people find and I'm all ears :)

Most of my posts here have been moaning about the Sat Nav's audio capabilities, but those really give a false impression of how I feel about the car.

I think it's a fabulous little car! My old motor was an oil burning Avensis T-Spirit on an '04 plate - all the toys as it was my company car (loved it so much that I bought it at the end of the three years), but the HSD T-Spirit is something else again. It's comfortable, even in the back, it's ridiculously quiet on the road and, and whilst not up to the claimed 70MPG, it's doing a consistent 54MPG on brim to brim fills (so not relying on the trip). Small things make a difference - the gearbox (or lack of one) makes driving the car very easy, especially in heavy traffic, the rear view camera makes reversing a cinch, keyless entry is brilliant in the rain and the fact that it doesn't look like an eco-warrior's chariot means I don't get masses of ridicule at work! The other good thing is that my wife is more than happy to drive it - she drove the Avensis once and took an instant dislike to it saying it was too big, the fact that the HSD is the same width and only about 15 inches shorter doesn't seem to matter.

The interesting thing is that I've lost my hate of traffic since getting the HSD. My journey to and from work is only about a 20 mile round trip, but can take up to an hour either way. The HSD is just such a nice place to occupy, sitting in traffic is almost a pleasure - with the radio on, and not using any fuel gives you a certain satisfaction that's hard to quantify.

Your motor should look sweet in black with tinted glass - I chose not to go the privacy glass route as I didn't think it looked quite right with the silver. One little thing, and I know it's a silly thing to say, but the mud flaps make the the car look the dogs (sad or what!) - they seem to lower the car even more and just tie the whole thing together.

I hope you love yours as much as I love mine! All the best, D.

And??? Is it all you'd hoped for??? We'd love to know... D.

[monya]

I've had mine for a couple of weeks now, never had a Toyota before, attracted by good mpg, no tax + 5 year warranty.

Been pleasantly surprised - quiet except when pushed, and on a decent run averaged 65 mpg yesterday so fuel misers like me should be happy. Like the rear camera too as view out the back window isn't great. Good driving position, comfy supportive seats, lots of info to read to distract one from the road.

Niggles? Would have helped to have folding wing mirrors automatically retract on switch off with manual over ride rather than having to press a button each time.

Brakes have no 'feel' due to drive by wire I presume.

More interference on radio than I'm used to. Maybe weak signal capture.

But hey, on balance, great stuff.

[Cord77]

I'm about ready to reply to my own question now I've been driving my new HSD T-Spirit for some days (360 miles so far).

Well I do indeed love it, and I know I've made the right decision as I still monitor the weekly car news and nothing is making me feel I should have looked around more first.

Davey I know exactly what you mean about traffic hatred (or lack of now), I enjoy the traffic now as mad as that sounds. I only have a 9 mile trip to work and quite a lot is in traffic, but the stereo is really nice. I have a 16GB USB stick in the glovebox and the DAB radio upgrade, so the clarity is excellent, and Bass 2-3, Treble -1 or 0 gives a really nice rich deep sound that I've been hoping for.

I've had to take out 2 collegues from work on a ride as they wanted to feel what it was like, and have had up to 8 people crowded round in the car park to nose around and all comments have been positive.

I am not an eco warrior by a long shot, I used to cane my 1.4L Jazz down the dual carrageway, but since getting the HSD I've not felt the need too, I'm just more relaxed about the whole driving thing. However I do love to occasionally floor it in or out of a roundabout just to know I can be nippy when I need to. I can see I might use the PWR button if I'm in a rush and have to dart around like I did in the Jazz alot. This thing is far more powerful than the Jazz, although I've yet to learn the feel of the car. I can thread my Jazz through the eye of a needle but the Auris doesn't turn in as sharp to parking bays so I'm having to adjust there.

I would like about 10-20% more power on the Battery from a stop-start before the engine kicks in, I find its just a bit too slow to takeoff if I try to keep it in Battery only mode. I like to keep up with the car in front if I know its not going to stop again soon.

Looking forward to my free boot maximiser upgrade later this month, and in the front I've got far more storage space than I actually need (I put a box of bird lime wipes in the armrest, and they almost disappeared its so deep).

The side cup holders are a bit of a gimmick, I've yet to use them, and the chrome lines refect in the side mirrors which is a shame. I also thought the tinting of the back window looks overly dark from the inside, I have tinted windows on the Jazz but it looks like normal glass from the inside, whereas I thought the auto-dimming rear-view mirror was faulty at first in the Auris it was so dark. Also the heating elements in the rear window seem to fragment headlights from cars behind in the dark so I see slices of reflection the whole height of the window, but that might just be a side effect of the G-Techniq C1 coating I've just had applied.

I'm getting used to the foot brake, it has an interesting retardation curve, its certainly not linear. I have to gradually apply more pressure until suddenly the effectiveness jumps up quite a bit. This seems to be evening out gradually though, I remember when I collected the car it was effectivly bunny hopping off the forecourt the brakes were so sensitive.

The thing is though, this car has a really nice comfortable big-car feel thats refined. I didn't realise how much until I stepped back into the 2003 Jazz. I'm loving the bluetooth linking with my iPhone 4, I've put in all my commonly used numbers into the voice recorded phonebook, but I really like the fact I can just dial from my phone and its already routing it through the car audio by default.

Favourite features are: Smart entry and start, stereo quality, ability to sit in the car with stereo and AC on without any exhaust fumes, and I've joined the few cars allowed to park in the car sharing/LEV bays at work because of the CO2 emission rating.

[Jan&tone]

Cord, it sounds like you've got the HSD bug

I know how you feel, two and a half years of a gen2 prius and now a gen3 I got the same bug a while ago and it's still the same!

[daveybee]

I'm about ready to reply to my own question now I've been driving my new HSD T-Spirit for some days (360 miles so far).

Well I do indeed love it, and I know I've made the right decision as I still monitor the weekly car news and nothing is making me feel I should have looked around more first.

Davey I know exactly what you mean about traffic hatred (or lack of now), I enjoy the traffic now as mad as that sounds. I only have a 9 mile trip to work and quite a lot is in traffic, but the stereo is really nice. I have a 16GB USB stick in the glovebox and the DAB radio upgrade, so the clarity is excellent, and Bass 2-3, Treble -1 or 0 gives a really nice rich deep sound that I've been hoping for.

I've had to take out 2 collegues from work on a ride as they wanted to feel what it was like, and have had up to 8 people crowded round in the car park to nose around and all comments have been positive.

I am not an eco warrior by a long shot, I used to cane my 1.4L Jazz down the dual carrageway, but since getting the HSD I've not felt the need too, I'm just more relaxed about the whole driving thing. However I do love to occasionally floor it in or out of a roundabout just to know I can be nippy when I need to. I can see I might use the PWR button if I'm in a rush and have to dart around like I did in the Jazz alot. This thing is far more powerful than the Jazz, although I've yet to learn the feel of the car. I can thread my Jazz through the eye of a needle but the Auris doesn't turn in as sharp to parking bays so I'm having to adjust there.

I would like about 10-20% more power on the battery from a stop-start before the engine kicks in, I find its just a bit too slow to takeoff if I try to keep it in battery only mode. I like to keep up with the car in front if I know its not going to stop again soon.

Looking forward to my free boot maximiser upgrade later this month, and in the front I've got far more storage space than I actually need (I put a box of bird lime wipes in the armrest, and they almost disappeared its so deep).

The side cup holders are a bit of a gimmick, I've yet to use them, and the chrome lines refect in the side mirrors which is a shame. I also thought the tinting of the back window looks overly dark from the inside, I have tinted windows on the Jazz but it looks like normal glass from the inside, whereas I thought the auto-dimming rear-view mirror was faulty at first in the Auris it was so dark. Also the heating elements in the rear window seem to fragment headlights from cars behind in the dark so I see slices of reflection the whole height of the window, but that might just be a side effect of the G-Techniq C1 coating I've just had applied.

I'm getting used to the foot brake, it has an interesting retardation curve, its certainly not linear. I have to gradually apply more pressure until suddenly the effectiveness jumps up quite a bit. This seems to be evening out gradually though, I remember when I collected the car it was effectivly bunny hopping off the forecourt the brakes were so sensitive.

The thing is though, this car has a really nice comfortable big-car feel thats refined. I didn't realise how much until I stepped back into the 2003 Jazz. I'm loving the bluetooth linking with my iPhone 4, I've put in all my commonly used numbers into the voice recorded phonebook, but I really like the fact I can just dial from my phone and its already routing it through the car audio by default.

Favourite features are: Smart entry and start, stereo quality, ability to sit in the car with stereo and AC on without any exhaust fumes, and I've joined the few cars allowed to park in the car sharing/LEV bays at work because of the CO2 emission rating.

Hi Cord, I'm really pleased you're so happy with your HSD. You do get used to the brakes after about a month - six weeks. The upside of brake by wire is that you don't get the wheels covered in brake dust - a lot of the braking is done through retardation & energy regeneration via MG2 rather than physically via the discs. Could mean that Mr. T's claim around brake pad wear (or lack of) might even have some element of truth to it.

Take care & enjoy. D.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

To give a Prius aspect - the brakes are wearing pretty well for me and I work them hard in town all day. Just had my front pads replaced at 33k miles which apparantly is low but great for a taxi! The rear pads are hardly used at all and will probably last a very long time looking at them.

[daveybee]

To give a Prius aspect - the brakes are wearing pretty well for me and I work them hard in town all day. Just had my front pads replaced at 33k miles which apparantly is low but great for a taxi! The rear pads are hardly used at all and will probably last a very long time looking at them.

Hi Grumpy, that sounds good to me as I've been used to a 2.0 D-4D Avensis that needed the front disks skimmed at 20k (with new pads all around) and then had the front and rear disks & pads replaced at 40k. The 40k service came as a nasty shock as I'd bought my company car at 35k - the 40k service, MOT, brakes and a few other bits and pieces came to just under a grand - OUCH!

As I'm going to be lighter on my brakes than you (I won't be driving through Bristol traffic on a daily basis after the end of November as I'm retiring - hence the HSD), I'm guessing I'll get at least 40k, somewhere in line with Mr. T's claims.

Thanks for the info though... Dave.

[FourFourTwo]

For those still looking for answers to the question in the title of this thread, here's a video review from a cynical South African chappie who got to test the Auris HSD.

Enjoy. ;)

[Cord77]

The brakes are definitely the only real niggle on this car for me. Its a kind of love/hate thing, I love how the wheels are staying clean and the knowledge the wear is much lower than a normal car, but I'm still finding I need to concentrate on braking a lot.

This would be a diagram of how my brake pedal is working.

|....oOOOOOOO|

I seem to get the same amount of braking force (very little) for the 1st fifth of the pedal depression, and I have to gradually keep pressing more and more in order to find the magic position where I can control the rate of breaking, but it is a very small window, a little too much pressure and BAM the car brakes very heavily. This isn't a problem when the traffic can be predicted as I can take my time finding that magic pedal position, but if something unexpected happens I find it impossible to break comfortably.

Its particularly annoying if moderate braking is needed and I think I have time to find the magic position, only to realise the lackluster braking as I start to press the pedal lasts for longer than expected leading to a heart stopping emergency brake situation.

[Cyker]

How are the brakes set up on the Prius/Auris hybrids actually?

Is it purely computer controlled, or is it like you push it a few cm and that's just the regen-braking, and then you press it past that amount and the friction brake kick in?

If that's the case, it might be worth Toyota adding a detent to the pedal like the throttles in aircraft (You push it to full military power, and there is a little detent or 'bump' which you have to click past to engage the afterburners) to give people better brake feedback.

I think I'd personally'd prefer a button on the wheel for regen-braking and would expect the foot-brake to be regen AND friction braking automatically. (I kinda abuse the aircon in my Yaris as a sort of regen-braking )

[timberwolf]

For those still looking for answers to the question in the title of this thread, here's a video review from a cynical South African chappie who got to test the Auris HSD.

Enjoy. ;)

Very good.

Did I miss something, I found it bizarre that South Africa aren't getting the Auris HSD, but he was invited to test drive it in Scotland?

I also liked the part where he admits that he found himself trying to improve his mpg and he don't know why!