Auris Hybrid And Me- A Positive Experience

[timberwolf]

Thanks for converting. As previously written, the 90 mph is likely to be called for extremely seldom. But Autocar really hates the car and really thinks it is underpowered. Too bad if it feels strained with nothing/very little load in the boot.

The two mini-reviews had various positive and negative points, and yet the only aspect that you comment on is the apparent impression by a journalist that the car is underpowered/lacks torque.

[Cyker]

Actually it may not be all that clear cut from the review, as one thing I do remember was that the HSD had deceptively good acceleration; Deceptive because you couldn't really feel it 'pull' - you got almost no acceleration feedback, but it was still accelerating very smoothly and rapidly.

Still, the drivetrain doesn't really look like it was designed to pass large amounts of torque so probably not something it'll be good at, although I'm sure the many cabbies here who have driven Priusesusises on fully loaded airport runs would have more reliable feedback than my half-baked conjecture :)

[nespresso]

Actually it may not be all that clear cut from the review, as one thing I do remember was that the HSD had deceptively good acceleration; Deceptive because you couldn't really feel it 'pull' - you got almost no acceleration feedback, but it was still accelerating very smoothly and rapidly.

That's it in a nutshell. The Hybrid is a quiet car and it doesn't produce a consistent audible feedback from the engine. It feels calm and assured. But when I first travelled my usual commute in the Auris Hybrid I was surprised to find I was driving at higher speeds than usual! I needed to brake as I approached the speed cameras!

I think some people find the Hybrid drive disconcerting but I like it. I am impressed at what Toyota have achieved and am pleased to be experiencing what is clearly a significant step towards the future of motoring. If I wanted the same-old-same-old I would have chosen another 2.0 litre diesel. But where's the fun in that :D

[Parts-King]

Thanks for converting. As previously written, the 90 mph is likely to be called for extremely seldom. But Autocar really hates the car and really thinks it is underpowered. Too bad if it feels strained with nothing/very little load in the boot.

I wish you would buy a car................preferably a Nissan, your persistant trolling of Hybrids really gets on my nerves. Who gives a hoot what Autocar think? As I have said to you on numerous occasions, GO AND TRY ONE YOURSELF!

Too little power, no boot space, poor MPG, always banging on about what some journo or magazine has said. I don't have the inclination to look how long you have been banging on about Hybrids but it must be a year

Sorry-Annoyed of Chester

[FROSTYBALLS]

In the words of someone no longer with us............calm down dear!

I raised similar sentiments about the decision-making at post 20

[Chris Dance]

I must agree with PARTS KING and FROSTY BALLS comments post 20. Please Nicolai buy some sort of car; there must be a car somewhere that suits all your demanding requirements.

Most of us on this forum are very satisfied with our hybrid cars.

[nespresso]

I've had Autocar every week since 1971, and in recent years they seem to be quite biased against anything non-German.

No problem.

An Auris Hybrid specially prepared for the next Autocar review

[Parts-King]

In the words of someone no longer with us............calm down dear!

I raised similar sentiments about the decision-making at post 20

Thankfully I was on holiday and didnt have to endure this trolling

[Nicolai]

Well, i must say 'm getting close to sign the papers on a Touring sports Hybrid. one things confuses me though: toyota.dk lists the 0-62 time of the hybrid estate as 13.2 secs and so does a german site. All other sites list it as 11.2. I really hope the latter is the correct one, as I'm afraid the 13.2 would make the car just too slow.

I realize, of course, that the tourer has an elongated body, but I find it hard to believe that this alone should account for an additional 2.3 sec. compared to the hatch.

What do you think. I generally do not care too much about performance (prefer mpg) but I hope the esate hybrid will do allright with five people and a bit of weekend packaging.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Only way for you to determine whether the performance suits you is to test drive the Touring Sports and decide for yourself.

Along with the elongated body must come a difference in vehicle weight between the hatchback and Touring Sports - unless a change in gearing or similar has negated any performance disadvantage.

Think really this subject was done to death six months ago, and we're now in the realms of Shaun of the Dead

[geo13647]

Huh! And here's me thinking that 8 weeks to make a decision was a long time.

Well! I've ordered mine. Auris Excel Hybrid in Vermillion Red. Just waiting on a delivery date.

Now it's your turn to get that order in.

G...

[Parts-King]

Well, i must say 'm getting close to sign the papers on a Touring sports Hybrid. one things confuses me though: toyota.dk lists the 0-62 time of the hybrid estate as 13.2 secs and so does a german site. All other sites list it as 11.2. I really hope the latter is the correct one, as I'm afraid the 13.2 would make the car just too slow.

What a load of nonsense, you would not even be able to tell a 1 second difference, put a line of cars next to each other and you would all arrive at a different time, never heard such tosh in my life, a bit like the whole thread really

[Nicolai]

The 0-62 time indicates how fast a car is and, through this, how well it copes with pulling itself along. To me, 2.3 sexonds of difference is quite a lot and on the brink of being sluggish. Afraid it won't handle a load to good. A test drive will tell how it copes with 4 adults.

[Parts-King]

0-62 time is for poncey journalists who have nothing better to do than see how quick a car is off the mark, who in the world ever tests that figure in real life?

So you would make a car buying choice on 0-62 time alone? No I thought not

[FROSTYBALLS]

Just a thought:-

It has taken over a year to get to this stage in the decision making process.

Have you thought about which trim level to go for? - could take another year .....

Have you thought about options? - could take another year ......

Have you thought about colour? - could take another year ........

Have you thought that, by this time, the facelift will be due? - oh dear! ..........

[stompe]

Why do we allow this Troll on this site? i suggest this lol

[timberwolf]

It is curious that it is perfectly possible for a driver to detect a switch from regenerative to friction braking measured in mere fractions of a second but an acceleration difference of 2 or 3 seconds would be undetectable?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Not that I wish to perpetuate this discussion, but a more useful measure of acceleration would be the in-gear acceleration - 30-50 and 50-70. This would provide an indication of tractability. Even then it is still subject to variances. It remains a personal decision.

[geo13647]

A decent test drive should tell you all (the basics) that you need to know.

Either you like it or you don't, end of story.

The 'stats' like any other stats, can be read any way you want, and are 'massaged' to

Fit in to the various bands and gradings the paper pushers think suitable.

Means sod all if you enjoy the car, if you don't then don't buy it, someone else surely will.

G...

[Glyyde]

I drive a Prius+ which is longer, taller, and wider than Auris tourer using the same engine. I have no problem at all going uphill with a full load of luggage and passenger. It is definitely not sluggish and I haven't even floor my accelerating pedal yet. I am happy to be cruising at 60MPH up those hills which you might not be happy to do which again comes to my point initially as to whether hybrid is for you as you seems to be more bothered about performance than fuel efficiency (they don't come together).

[Chris Dance]

Please draw this thread to a close.

Nicolai, I do not think you will ever get a new car. Your comments about cars just do not make sense. Parts King sums this thread up well.

[Nicolai]

And why is it that they do not make sense?

I am aware that one cannot have economy and performance at once, however, to me an eco car doesn't have to be slow.

The statement from Parts King that one cannot feel the difference between 11.2 and 13.2 is utter nonsense. I agree that it MAY not be a decisive factor when buying a car, however, it IS diffenately noticeable.

That statement that I will never get a new car is just plain wrong. It is, unfortunately, clear to me hat this forum is not friendly to users asking multiple critical questions about Toyota. It's like: three threads with questions. After that, buy the car or get lost.

I admit this process has been very long, but it is a VERY large investment for me to buy this car AND the official papers from my county have been undereay for a long time as well.

To answer some questions;

Trim level, decided

Options, decided

Colour, almost decided

I'm glad that the Prius + is decent with regards to acceleration but it is still 2 secs slower than the Auris Touring Sports. Prius + has more "performance" than the Touring Sports and it still delivers good economy.

Thanks to all who have remained helpfull throughout my questions.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Unfortunately the sheer length of your decision-making process, the obscure and non-critical nature of some of your questions, and the fact that some questions do not have a direct bearing when purchasing a car for the vast majority of people, has led to several members of the forum, quite understandably, questioning your integrity.

Over the years I have purchased 17 new cars and each one of them has been a significant outlay for us, yet decisions have been made over a period of weeks rather than months or years. All of the cars we have bought have suited the purpose for which they were bought, and there is no car that we view as being either a mistake or unreliable.

It is not the case that forum members expect another to buy a car and get lost.

Over the past year plus, forum members have been very patient with you, and have provided you with some very good advice.

By the way the previous posting about trim level, options and colour was intended to be tongue in cheek, mainly out of exasperation.

Think you need to accept these comments with good grace and move on.