New Member Here! Auris Hsd As Family Car? Long Post!

[Nicolai]

Hello all.

New member here, and I have some questions regarding the Auris' capability as a family hatchback. However, first I'll introduce my situation to give you guys some more info to base your pieces of advice on.

I live in Denmark and the car will be granted to me buy my municipality as I'm a spastic. This is a very good deal for me as the municipality will pay part of the car.

There's a small catch though: I'm "stuck" with the car for six years and not allowed a swap unless, God forbid, the car is damaged beyond repair in an accident or something similar.

To be fair though, brand new cars can EASILY run for six years if serviced correctly (especially Toyotas :-)), hence, I'm not that worried about the car breaking down.

The big "problem" is that, as you're all aware, petrol prices keep going through the roof, and I'm horrified at the prices we may see six years from now. As a result, I'm very keen on the Auris as it has MPG, which even six years from now will be acceptable.

I should note that in Denmark petrol is more expensive than diesel but I don't see myself doing more than a maximum of 12,000 miles a year, and as the car will be used for a lot of short runs too as I have a long walking distance. All this in mind, whilst I love the torque of a diesel engine, due to the potential DPF problems diesel is out of the question.

Me and a mate tried the Auris HSD and here are my comments on it. Bare in mind that my current car is a three door Suzuki Swift 1.3 N/A. Wife and I have just had our first baby and the Swift will have to due for

The Good:

It's a Toyota (Wife is Japanese and would like a Toyota, Toyota constantly scores high in reliability surveys in Denmark and they are known for good "after service")

It has five doors (huge benefit over the Swift)

Amazing official MPG

Fits within my budget.

Seats five (Swift only seats four)

My friend managed (concentration very much on max MPG and driving very slow) 81 MPGs in city. With A road drive and a bit of highway driving his combined figure was 62 MPG).

The Bad:

The boot is only 279 litres (Swift has 211 litres in the boot). Not much for a family hatch and fitting a pram in without reclining the rear seats may be difficult.

Car felt very weak even though it has 136 BHP. Honestly, the 92 BHP in the Suzuki feels more spirited.

Engine was noisy

Acceleration = much noise from engine/ gear box.

Petrol engine cut in very soon.

Didn't feel the massive torque I was expecting from the electric motor.

Difficult to make the most of the Hybrid system- one needs to get to know the car I guess.

To be fair though, I drove almost exclusively in Eco and EV mode. I briefly switched to "PWR" in city but again I felt that the noise from the engine compared to the power gained was out of proportions.

These last days I have googled Auris hybrid driving a lot and it seems we did it wrong: one should use the 1,8 to get up to speed and the cruze/ glide.

What do you think. Will the Auris HSD be a good family car and can it cope with pram, crutches, shopping bags and weekend bags in the boot?

In Denmark the Prius i 33% more than the Auris, hence, to expensive.

Thank you!

[timberwolf]

Hi welcome.

I wouldn't worry about the power output, the Toyota hybrid is very deceptive because the petrol engine doesn't rev as you'd expect in a regular car in response you to the accelerator, so some of the feedback that gives that feeling of power (through your ears) will not be there. Also you are comparing a smaller car with a larger one, larger ones tend to feel slower even if they have same performance.

I can't comment on the luggage space, as I have Gen 2 Prius and I also wonder how people manage with the smaller space.

Although you and your friend got good mpg on your test drive, for your calculations I'd suggest 50 mpg as a worst case, because you have to take into account winter and summer, in winter the mpg could easily drop 15 mpg from what can be achieved in the summer.

[kithmo]

Having the car in ECO mode will make it feel weak, leave it in normal mode (no mode selected) and it is comparable to any 1.8 Litre automatic. I have a Prius (with the same Hybrid drivetrain) and the low speed torque feels somewhere between a diesel and a petrol to me. If your traction Battery is well filled and you floor the pedal it takes of like a rocket ! (suprises many a boy racer at the lights LOL).

A colleague has the Auris Hybrid as a company car, he drives 30k miles a year, mainly motorways at 70 mph and has averaged 55-56 mpg in the last 18 months (2 winters, one summer).

The only downside is the boot space and rear legroom, if those are high on your priority list then it might be worth considering a Prius intead.

[Nicolai]

More opinions on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

[Burma Sauce]

Hi Nicolai,

Does it have to be a brand new car? Would you be able to get a 1 or 2 year old Prius in your budget, and still get the municipality to pay for part of it?

Jon

[Nicolai]

Hi Nicolai,

Does it have to be a brand new car? Would you be able to get a 1 or 2 year old Prius in your budget, and still get the municipality to pay for part of it?

Jon

It can be no more than a year old. But the price of the Prius is 33 per cent more than the Auris new in DK.

[Burma Sauce]

I've only driven an Auris once, when my Prius was in for a service. I remember the boot was tiny, but I only had a rucksack to fit in it. I can't imagine trying to fit a pram in there. :)

Maybe you could find one that folds up particularly small though? I found this page: http://community.babycentre.co.uk/post/a9769565/help_finding_a_twin_stroller_that_will_fit_in_my_car_boot, there is a comment there which talks about a "BJCM" stroller which apparently just about fits into the Auris.

[Nicolai]

I've only driven an Auris once, when my Prius was in for a service. I remember the boot was tiny, but I only had a rucksack to fit in it. I can't imagine trying to fit a pram in there. :)

Maybe you could find one that folds up particularly small though? I found this page: http://community.bab..._in_my_car_boot, there is a comment there which talks about a "BJCM" stroller which apparently just about fits into the Auris.

The pram we have should fit in the Swift (disassembled of course. (Wheels taken off). I just wonder if there will be room for anything else then?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Are there language conversion issues here? Is the pram a pram for carrying a child or a wheelchair for carrying an adult who has mobility issues?

I only ask as I don't know of many prams where the wheels come off. When I used the Prius as a taxi I had a fair few customers who were wheelchair users and I could only just fit wheelchairs in the back of the Prius if they were the type that allowed the handles to be folded down and had removeable foot rests. The boot of the Auris is small and the hybrid version even smaller.

[kithmo]

Prams have had detachable wheels since I was a kid, we used to make carts out of 'em ;0)

Admittedly some are not as easy to detach as others.

[Nicolai]

Are there language conversion issues here? Is the pram a pram for carrying a child or a wheelchair for carrying an adult who has mobility issues?

The former. :)

[Nicolai]

C´mon guys... need more help with this.

The prius is a third more compared to the Auris.

[cuius]

With careful packing on last trip I got a sports bag, a laptop bag, a back-pack for cameras and lens, box containing electric blanket, and two small carrier bags of food in the boot of my Auris HSD (tripod was in the tray underneath). Definitely not family-friendly.

[DavidW999]

Hi there, my wife has a Auris Hybrid and I drive a Gen 3 Prius and there is definitely not much boot space in the Auris, if we go shopping we always take the prius as there is much more space, this is also the case when we go on holiday as you would only get one medium size suitcase in the back of the Auris. Obviously you can fold the rear seats down to get more space but then there is no room for passengers, if you are going to transport young children with all the attached accessories that entails ( speaking from experience ) there would definitely be space issues.

[Nicolai]

Which car is the most reliable/better build of the two? Would love the extra space in the Prius. Autobild has a very good 100,000 km test of the Prius just like various MOT statistics say that the Prius is one of the most reliable cars. However, on here it seems people have quite a few issues?

Also, it seems the Hybrids are being criticized for not really doing the claimed MPGs. While test driving the Auris, my friend did 82 mpgs in the city. Went on a motorway for a short while and the figure dropped to 62. The engine in the Auris was very noisy to my ears. I did some city driving, went on a B-road and my average at the end of the trip was 67.8 mpg.

Also, I seem to have read that Toyota is planning to phase out the Auris in favour of "The return of the Corolla" i.e. a mixture of Avensis and Auris.

Which is the better car? The Auris HSD or the Prius. Again, the Prius is 33 per cent more compared to the Auris.

[Chris Dance]

Overall The Prius is the better car in my opinion. A good mate of mine researched the Auri & Prius and decided on the Prius. He got a second 2010 Gen 3, 10,000 miles on the clock. He is pleased with his decision.

[DavidW999]

Before I got my Gen 3 Prius last November I had a Gen 2 T Spirit for 4 years and during that time I had no problems, I used to get on average 55 mpg that was mixed driving with 50% of that being on Motorways and Dual carriageways on which I used to set the cruise control to 70 mph. With the new Prius T Spirit I now get around 60 mpg, I think having the bigger petrol engine helps when you are travelling at 70 mph. Comparing the Prius to my Wife's Auris HSD the Prius does seem quieter when you accelerate hard, the other thing with the Auris is the lack of boot space and it seems a bit more claustrophobic in the cabin whereas the Prius has a lot more space for rear passengers and more room in the boot. In my opinion if you did want a Hybrid the Prius is a better family car but as you say it is a lot more expensive. Have you looked at alternatives?

[Nicolai]

Thing is I don´t do high milage so diesel is not an option due to the DPF and I would like a Toyota.

[Seamaster73]

Which is the better car? The Auris HSD or the Prius. Again, the Prius is 33 per cent more compared to the Auris.

I had an Auris on long-term loan, and own a Gen 3 Prius. The Auris is far better screwed together. The Prius is better packaged. You pays your money...

[Nicolai]

You mean the Prius is EASIER to pack or that it's the better car overall? Does anyone know if we'll see a Hybrid Verso? I love the practicality and high seating position of MPVs but I would NEVER buy a petrol MPV doing only 39 MPG.

[Hybrid Harbour]

Nicolai, can you not take all your gear (pram etc) to a dealer and see what you can fit in the boot?

The Auris is a great car but if its not big enough for your needs then there is no point me telling you about all its plus points.

A visit to the showroom will enable you to compare the Auris and Prius side by side.

[Nicolai]

Nicolai, can you not take all your gear (pram etc) to a dealer and see what you can fit in the boot? The Auris is a great car but if its not big enough for your needs then there is no point me telling you about all its plus points. A visit to the showroom will enable you to compare the Auris and Prius side by side.

Hi there. Thanks for replying.

I will, of course, bring all the stuff with me to the dealer (or easier yet: take the car for a test drive to my place and try to fit all the stuff in back home).

I hope you will be able to help me out here:

I have seen this review of the HSD several times:

And I have some questions:

When I drove the car (almost exclusively in Eco Mode), I was surprised how earlier the 1.8 cut in and I had to accelerate with the speed of a snail in order to prevent the petrol engine from cutting in.

In the review, he says that the engine is a bit coubik (I agree), but that putting your foot down gives much pulling power. This wasn´t the experience I had. I felt the car was sluggish in Eco Mode and only slightly more responsive in PWR mode. Also, accellerating on the motorway produced much engine noise.

What did I do wrong?

That said, I don´t care about 0-60 and BHP. All I want is a rock solid family that won´t break down or fail me. A "I´ll start and take you where you need to go 24/7/365 car".

Economy is very important for me. In reality, as I don´t do more than 5,000 miles a year these days and cannot see myself ever doing much more than 10,000, the price of the car is to high compared to the fuel savings I´ll make. I won´t worry so much about fuel prices going up though.

It´s like trying to find your way out of a maze really: I want good MPGs, a car that is unlikely to break down (very low statistic fail rate) and a stable automatic/CVT transmission. Buying a Blue Motion or any other Eco diesel is out of the question and DSG gearboxes are very unreliable.

In Denmark, however, Toyota is constantly one of the 2 best companies regarding customer satisfaction, so I would like to join the happy Toyota owners.

I´m 28 and probably not the typical age of a Toyota customer (young people would probably buy a Honda if looking for a good Japanese car) but all I want is a rock solid reliable car.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Nicolai

[johalareewi]

Does anyone know if we'll see a Hybrid Verso? I love the practicality and high seating position of MPVs but I would NEVER buy a petrol MPV doing only 39 MPG.

There is the Prius+ on the way.

http://www.toyota.co.uk/cgi-bin/toyota/bv/frame_start.jsp?id=CC2-Prius-plus-lite

[Nicolai]

Nicolai, can you not take all your gear (pram etc) to a dealer and see what you can fit in the boot? The Auris is a great car but if its not big enough for your needs then there is no point me telling you about all its plus points. A visit to the showroom will enable you to compare the Auris and Prius side by side.

Hi there. Thanks for replying.

I will, of course, take bring all the stuff with me tob the dealer (or easier yet: take the car for a test drive to my place and try to fit all the stuff in back home).

I hope you will be able to help me out here:

I have seen this review of the HSD several times:

And I have some questions:

When I drove the car (almost exclusively in Eco Mode), I was surprised how earlier the 1.8 cut in and I had to accelerate with the speed of a snail in order to prevent the petrol engine from cutting in.

In the review, he says that the engine is a bit coubik (I agree), but that putting your foot down gives much pulling power. This wasn´t what I felt. I felt the car was sluggish in Eco Mode and only slightly more responsive in PWR mode. Also, accellerating on the motorway produced much engine noise.

That said, I don´t care about 0-60 and BHP. All I want is a rock solid family that won´t break down or fail me. A "I´ll start and take you where you need to go 24/7/365 car".

Economy is very important for me. In reality, as I don´t do more than 5,000 miles a year these days and cannot see myself ever doing much more than 10,000, the price of the car is to high compared to the fuel savings I´ll make. I won´t worry so much about fuel prices going up though.

It´s like trying to find your way out of a maze really: I want good MPGs, a car that is unlikely to break down (very low statistic fail rate) and a stable automatic/CVT transmission. Buying a Blue Motion or any other Eco diesel is out of the question and DSG gearboxes are very unreliable.

In Denmark, however, Toyota is constantly one of the 2 best companies regarding customer satisfaction, so I would like to join the happy Toyota owners.

I´m 28 and probably not the typical age of a Toyota customer (young people would probably buy a Honda if looking for a good Japanese car) but all I want is a rock solid reliable car.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

The Honda hybrids are actually surprisingly good to drive. They're just not as polished as the Toyota hyrbid system, but then the Honda system is much cheaper - at least here in the UK.

I test drove an Insight and despite the smaller 1.3 engine it was rather spritely and not a bad drive at all, handled like a Honda and was smooth. Maybe that would be a car worth considering?