Auris Sport Hybrid Review

[barrycoll]

maybe some folks saw the VERY positive review of the Auris Hybrid in the Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/car-manufacturers/toyota/10191141/Driven-Toyota-Auris-Hybrid-Touring-Sports.html

....even in comparison to equivalent 'sporty' Ford!!!

AND it rides well!!

[Nicolai]

Yeah, read that. Signing papers tomorrow (tyrol silver H2+ (middle grade)) Already at the dealer's :D

[johalareewi]

Yeah, read that. Signing papers tomorrow (tyrol silver H2+ (middle grade)) Already at the dealer's :D

[theoilburner]

Fancy one of these myself. Seems like the perfect car for folks who need to drive around town on commutes or the school run daily, but also need an estate car to take the family on holiday once or twice a year. Brilliant.

If only it could tow my caravan, I'd be there cheque book in hand...

[Nicolai]

Not enough for a caravan, I don't understand why Europe gets the 345 KG tow bar option and UK doesn't.

A bit cramped in the rear, otherwise a very nice car. Driving sensibly on a 44 miles test drive I got an indicated 63.5 MPG.

Johalareewi: I know- the long process is at an end!

[Parts-King]

It still irks me that NO journalist is able to bring out the best MPG, they just have no idea

Kingo

[Nicolai]

...or can't be bothered learning about the HSD?

[Parts-King]

......and comparing petrol auto Hybrid to manual diesel, so annoying

They jump in the car and drive it

As we know, you soon learn to adapt your driving style and within a very short time, you will be ekking out every last drop of fuel by driving in EV for as long as possible

Kingo

[cuius]

Perhaps they've read the manual?

"PRIUS is designed to achieve the best possible fuel economy during normal driving (using the gasoline engine and electric motor [traction motor]). Driving in EV drive mode more than necessary may lower fuel economy."

[Parts-King]

I don't mean by flicking the EV button, I mean by driving it very gently to get the best from the system. It would be very tedious to keep flicking in and out of EV mode, but nothing wrong in trying to keep the car in EV by light throttle, anticipating the road ahead and all the other tips and tricks to eek out the miles. What these journo's do is to jump in the car, drive it like a rep at brands hatch then wonder why it does not make the stated MPG

Kingo

[barrycoll]

http://www.drivethedeal.com/price.asp

drive the deal offer the all singing/dancing top of the range model with a £4200 discount...

at £20k, this car could be a bargain

[barrycoll]

as kingo says.................these people just dont get it (and probably never will!!)

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/toyota/auris/first-drives/toyota-auris-touring-sports-18-hybrid-excel-first-drive-review

depressing!

[ToyotaAurisHybrid]

http://www.drivethedeal.com/price.asp

drive the deal offer the all singing/dancing top of the range model with a £4200 discount...

at £20k, this car could be a bargain

Really...

wow!

[Uncle Buck]

......and comparing petrol auto Hybrid to manual diesel, so annoying

They jump in the car and drive it

As we know, you soon learn to adapt your driving style and within a very short time, you will be ekking out every last drop of fuel by driving in EV for as long as possible

Kingo

The problem begins though Kingo, when people become absolutely obsessed with their MPG to the detriment of other road users. I was sat for several miles behind a half-mile queue of cars this morning on the road to work at 35 mph in a 60 zone. There was nothing in front of the Prius at the head of said queue & conditions were very good. Unfortunately nobody could pass this selfish muppet because of the sheer level of oncoming traffic. This is ridiculous behavior & will probably lead to accidents from mounting frustration. At the very least he/she should have pulled in & let people past to continue their journey at a more respectable (and still legal) speed. You could actually fail your driving test for driving without consideration to other road users. Rant over ....

[timberwolf]

......and comparing petrol auto Hybrid to manual diesel, so annoying

They jump in the car and drive it

As we know, you soon learn to adapt your driving style and within a very short time, you will be ekking out every last drop of fuel by driving in EV for as long as possible

Kingo

The problem begins though Kingo, when people become absolutely obsessed with their MPG to the detriment of other road users. I was sat for several miles behind a half-mile queue of cars this morning on the road to work at 35 mph in a 60 zone. There was nothing in front of the Prius at the head of said queue & conditions were very good. Unfortunately nobody could pass this selfish muppet because of the sheer level of oncoming traffic. This is ridiculous behavior & will probably lead to accidents from mounting frustration. At the very least he/she should have pulled in & let people past to continue their journey at a more respectable (and still legal) speed. You could actually fail your driving test for driving without consideration to other road users. Rant over ....

I am curious, did you speak to the driver? How do you know the reason for the way they were driving that morning?

Perhaps, they were old and their reactions slower? Perhaps, minutes before they had had near head on collision with some impatient loony desperate to leave this life to save 5 minutes on their journey? Or a million other reasons?

[Uncle Buck]

I'm afraid you're failing to see the point here 'timberwolf'.

First of all, if they had just experienced a genuinely scary moment they should have pulled over & taken time to let their nerves settle down again.

Secondly, it's completely unacceptable to be doing this kind of speed on an open 60mph limit A-class road. You're even holding up LGV's & buses for goodness sake - never mind cars going at perfectly legal speeds. If a driver is no longer capable of keeping up with normal road speeds, then they should seek advice or training. That would be responsible behaviour. Many OAPs stop driving when they realise that time has come.

I actually leave for work 10 mins earlier than before to avoid that frustration as best as possible & I'm sure plenty others do the same.

[timberwolf]

Sorry, it is you assumption that is wrong. You are very unlikely to come across a true hyper-miler that obsessed with obtaining mpg over anything else.

[Parts-King]

I don't hold out with the theory that just because you drive slow you are a danger on the road. The speed limit is the maximum limit, not a target speed. The fact somebody drives slowly does not make them dangerous, what if that was a tractor unable to attain 60 MPH or anywhere near it? That would hold up traffic but should tractor drivers, milk floats, horse and carts all be made to get up to the speed limit? of course not. Roads are full of dangers for all sorts of reasons, people drive slower than others, children chase footballs and run into the road without looking, i ran over and killed a fox a few weeks back, it literally appeared from nowhere and went right under my wheels, I was doing about 50 MPH on a very wet dual carrigeway in the pis*ing down rain, should I have been going slower / faster ????

Kingo

[theoilburner]

It still irks me that NO journalist is able to bring out the best MPG, they just have no idea

Kingo

Damn right. I saw AutoExpress compare the Yaris Hyrbid to a couple of electric cars. I thought, surely it can win this? But no, somehow AE only got 48 mpg (58 seems typical on Fuelly) and blasted it for the age old "lack of refinement". Are they even driving the same cars as us?

I rarely hear much, if any, complaint about the rattly, noisy diesels, interestingly.

They never seem to get the lifetime running costs either, always caught in the trap of looking at brand new cars and ignoring reliability issues. I'd much rather have a 5 year old Toyota Hybrid than a 5 Year old VW, PSA or even Toyota diesel, that's for sure.

[johalareewi]

What these journo's do is to jump in the car, drive it like a rep at brands hatch then wonder why it does not make the stated MPG

They do that with any car.

Everyone knows that these official MPG figures are unrealistic so it should not be a surprise when during a mad test drive, you don't get anywhere near them.

At least with a Toyota Hybrid, it is possible to get close to the 'official' MPG with normal use.

The EPA figures used in the USA are much more realistic.

[johalareewi]

at £20k, this car could be a bargain

Looks that way :)

[johalareewi]

I was sat for several miles behind a half-mile queue of cars this morning on the road to work at 35 mph in a 60 zone. There was nothing in front of the Prius at the head of said queue & conditions were very good. Unfortunately nobody could pass this selfish muppet because of the sheer level of oncoming traffic.

It isn't always a Prius though. Round here it can be horse riders, cyclists, tractors, sheep, cows, traction engines, mobility scooters, pot holes, speed bumps, as well as any make of car you care to mention. At the end of the day, our roads are full of obstructions and you just have to deal with them without getting frustrated.

[barrycoll]

Pete, if you read Honest John in the Saturday Telegraph, he is always warning about keeping a modern diesel longer than the 3 year warranty... so credit where credit is due

he has many compalints about too many electrical control systems to go wrong, plus the DPF, dual mass flywheel, DSG auto boxes etc etc

[Cyker]

It does sound like you have to really work to get the higher mpgs in the hybrids compared to a diesel tho'.

I've been hearing hybrid Yaris mpgs from mid 40s up to low 70's which is an insanely wide range. My old D4D Yaris is generally between 55mpg and 65! I can get higher if I really work at it and only do smooth long motorway trips, but even if I'm driving like a maniac, flooring the accelerator away from every junction etc. I've never gotten less than 55mpg!

I routinely get mid-low 60's and I've not been driving it gently at all lately! (Although because I get into the higher gears very quickly due to the brisk acceleration I do tend to coast off-power a lot.)

As for 'mobile road hazards', think of it as patience practice :)

Was once stuck behind this giant tracked monstrosity, limited to 30mph or so. Was taller than a lorry and the treads could have driven over my ickle Yaris without noticing! Now THAT was a tractor!

But yeah, it's never fun blasting along, say, the A5 or A303 at NSL then dropping back to 40 or 20mph because of tractors and lorries that are slow and/or negotiating twisty hilly bits, but the view is nice so just back off so you can see more, whack on some nice relaxing music, stick it in the highest gear you can do that speed in and cruuuuuuuise :)

I have a playlist preset on my xcarlink for just such occasions

It is unusual but nice when a slow mover pulls in to let you past, but this is a veeery rare occurrence! I think it I've had it happen to me once in my entire driving history, and that was a tractor towing some giant tube-thing!

All this is minor stuff tho' - The real news is that one that some here thought might never happen; It was an epic journey fraught with peril and angst but it was worth it in the end, for Nicolai has finally made a decision and bought his car!!

Congrats! :D

[timberwolf]

Nicolai, has bought a car...

:P