Returning To The Toyota Fold (Sort Of)

[bristolmotorspeedway]

So, after many months of test drives and comparisons, my girlfriend's order for a new Auris was placed at 6pm today. Having driven maybe 10 family Toyotas over the past 20+ years, it's good to return to get another. My last Toyota was a 56-plate Avensis, run for 3.5 happy years. Anyway, enough history....and this one isn't really mine, hence the 'sort of' in the title...

We have ordered an Excel 1.6 CVT with panoramic roof in avantgarde bronze, delivery expected late September/early October. The dealer has been very accommodating on price and I think we have a good deal.

The Auris has beaten a diverse assortment of cars to be her choice, including the current shape Audi A3, current BMW 1-series, Lexus CT and Nissan Qashqai. Those were all test driven, various others failed to make the cut. The Lexus was probably the most disappointing - we drove 3 different Auris models over the months (manual/auto/hybrid) and I would say each one of them significantly bettered the Lexus. I was very unimpressed with the way the CT drove and would choose the Auris every time, despite the lovely Lexus interior.

Well, that's me saying Hello Again after a few years largely absent from these forums, no doubt I will pop up with some questions and long-winded thoughts once the car is delivered and in action

[Red Yaris 54]

Welcome back :)

[Uncle Buck]

Not a big fan of CVTs in general, but I hope you (or the girlfriend) likes it :)

Welcome back to the forum !

[FROSTYBALLS]

Welcome back to TOC.

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Not a big fan of CVTs in general, but I hope you (or the girlfriend) likes it :)

Welcome back to the forum !

Cheers :-)

Same here re.CVTs. Although I found it fine around town driven gently, generally able to avoid the "revs way too high for the speed" feeling. I also found the manual mode an interesting diversion on a B-road, but I doubt she will make much use of it.

[Dasbob]

Ahh you brought the brother of my car! yes the panoramic roof is awesome (especially when you are in the back... *cough* which i err.. have never done of course ) as you can see all the rain drops/clouds/sky just above your head. At lunch in work i like to recline back and stare at the sky while am chilling out..... you dont tend to notice it in the front so much, but i like to leave mine uncovered all the time as it feels dark in the car when i close it...except word of warning, when you get a scorcher like we had recently, remember to put the cover back... leather absorbs heat very quickly....

[RunningInPleasePass]

Welcome back, nice choice of car.

I have the old shape Auris Diesel and it's been the best car I've ever owned for reliability, had it two years from new 80k miles, averages 60+ MPG, and not a single thing gone wrong with it.

Now ordered the new one, this time with the Hybrid drive, looking forward to picking it up next month.

Re. the CVT gearbox, my wife has a Toyota IQ with this gearbox and it's great, simple to use, and gives good MPG, the problem of the revs being too high for the speed is simple, be a bit gentler with the throttle, don't drive it like a motoring correspondent and it sounds fine.

[Red Yaris 54]

Welcome back, nice choice of car.

I have the old shape Auris Diesel and it's been the best car I've ever owned for reliability, had it two years from new 80k miles, averages 60+ MPG, and not a single thing gone wrong with it.

Now ordered the new one, this time with the Hybrid drive, looking forward to picking it up next month.

Re. the CVT gearbox, my wife has a Toyota IQ with this gearbox and it's great, simple to use, and gives good MPG, the problem of the revs being too high for the speed is simple, be a bit gentler with the throttle, don't drive it like a motoring correspondent and it sounds fine.

That is what I have been saying about riding the revs.......The CVT is such a smooth drive and has a sport button for when you want to hold the revs through the range for a bit longer

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Thanks everyone for your replies. We have been away for a few days, hence the lack of response.

Dasbob - I love your enthusiasm for the roof! It was a 'must-have' feature for us, along with the autobox. Almost everything else was a nice-to-have but the Excel made sense for all the added comfort toys which will be much appreciated over several years of ownership.

RunningInPleasePass and RedYaris54 - I agree with what you say about the CVT. From what I saw on the test drive it's easily possibly to keep the revs down by driving gently/normally. It's the way I tend to drive anyway, preserving momentum and avoiding heavy use of the throttle. I manage to often beat the official combined MPG figure in my own car by driving this way, although I do have a favourable commute.

My better half is very much looking forward to getting her hands on the new motor, and I am almost as excited for her. It was a long process picking a car and it was very refreshing buying one with 'everything' included compared with the charge-for-everything German approach.

[Dasbob]

Glad i could help, i always point the roof out to every one who sees my car....i dont think other people appreciate it as much as i....

but you will love the excel, the 1/2 leather seats are so so comfortable, they mould nicely around your body (i am 6,2 and 250lbs) so its rare to find a seat that works well for me. Compared to my P107 its a joy to drive, i some times just go for a drive in it as i enjoy being in the car.

Post lots of car !Removed! pics once you get it!

ooo on a side note, beware the new car smell, most likely your car (like mine) will need to be made from scratch, i was quoted 8 weeks but they had it ready in 4. So when you get it, it will be hot off the press.

i thought "ooo brand new car, not been sat on a forecourt for 2 months" ...but when i got it on a hot summer day i managed to gas my self with the windows down trying to work out how the aircon worked... i then had a headache all day and for the next month if i spent any duration of time in the car with the windows down i felt ill. I did read some where that "new car smell" should be avoided if your pregnant.

[geo13647]

It's the various solvents in the mastic used that causes the headaches. Try a Neutradol air freshner, works for me.

Keeps an approximation of a new car smell, without the achy bits.

G...

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Update time folks....the car was picked up on Saturday, having been delivered to the dealer early last week.

We arrived at lunchtime to find the car sat outside, freshly minted, washed, and ready to go. The Avantgarde Bronze looks fantastic - a really lovely quality paintjob, and really suits the Auris; the finishing touch (Dasbob!) is the panoramic roof which floods the interior with light.

First impressions...my girlfriend was immediately happy driving the car, finding the usual effortless ease with which all Toyotas, in my experience, have always driven. The CVT box smoothly glides through the gears, meshing perfectly with the quiet and silky 1.6 petrol engine. It really is a lovely and relaxed drivetrain.

On to the interior, I have to say that the Excel really impresses me inside. The leather finishing on the dashboard is a really nice touch, that adds warmth and softness, but everything else is very nice too - from the soft-touch dashtop to the perfectly engineered switches and buttons. Everything works logically and with a precision that can seemingly be taken for granted. The details of the touchscreen remain to be explored, but, on the face of it, seems an impressive system. The half-leather seats are very good too, smart looking and she loves the lumbar support!

In summary, my girlfriend is absolutely delighted with everything about the car and is looking forward to many happy years in her. For my part - as you may have noticed - I am thoroughly impressed with the whole package. I think this car really is very well engineered and thought through, and offers great value for money given the very high spec. Really does make me wonder how on earth the likes of Audi and VW justify the prices of their rival cars, which we all know are also likely to be less reliable! We test drove lots of cars to come to the conclusion that the Auris was the right purchase and the early days of ownership have re-affirmed that decision.

There would be some pics here, but I cannot get the uploader to work in either Chrome or IE.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Have a look at http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/13393-faq-how-to-post-images-on-toc/

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Thanks Frostyballs, I will give that a go. I was following the video guide to adding an image and that was what didn't appear to work.

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Mysteriously, the problem with following the video upload instructions is now solved and I have an extra button appearing...which means pics....

[Dasbob]

Nice! glad my advice helped. I had a work day out today and took 3 colleagues with me, i always have the roof down and when i showed them it closing they all commented about how dark and claustrophobic the car suddenly seems when you have the roof closed

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Thought I would update this very old thread. We still have the Auris, coming up on 8 years old and with only 17k on the clock. As you’d expect, she’s been faultless. 
 

Has been on second car duties for the last 7 years, hence the low mileage, but still a much loved member of the family. She’s had four driveway companions in that time, without question I’ve been more attached to the Auris than any of them. Helps that both of our children made their first journeys home from hospital in her. 

Staggeringly, at almost 8 years old WBAC would still give me 40% of the original invoice price back for her. The current value is well I’m excess of the GFV that I cleared in 2016.