Don't Buy A Toyota Auris Excel Hybrid.

[Mickfb]

Just been ready the manual (1st time ) if the car is set to ECO mode it affects the way the heating works.

[Nicolai]

Only the speed of the fans. In my experience, temperature is not affected.

[Awebb180]

Just back from a decent run. Turned the wick up to 23c and the heat on my face was hot, as you might expect. However, very little seemed to be getting to my feet, so I turned off the face vents using the up/down controls expecting to get a rush of hot air down below, and nothing. Yes there is a little air trickling out but not enough to keep my feet warm.Checked the rear of the car and as others have said, there is no heater provision in the back.No wonder rear passengers are complaining. My God, even cheap cars have that these days. The more I find out about this car the more I feel cheated. There seems to have been an awful lot of sneaky cost cutting going on. I never expected a top of the range car to be missing so many modern essentials that other similarly priced cars have as a matter of course. These are things that are not obvious from a perusal of the brochure. I do a lot of research and test drives before buying a car but I see that I'll have to take my Sherlock Holmes spyglass with me next time. Pity really because I quite like this car actually in spite of everything. Just a pity it isn't finished off properly.

have you adjusted the heating so that it shows at your feet? it wont do it just by closing the vents

Alex

[Ratho1]

I didn't touch the vents, just the up/down control which shows a picture of where the heat/air is being directed. That should increase the air flow to the feet with all other outlets closed, but didn't. Goodness knows where it is going to. I'll be running more trials on this during the day.

[RunningInPleasePass]

I didn't touch the vents, just the up/down control which shows a picture of where the heat/air is being directed. That should increase the air flow to the feet with all other outlets closed, but didn't. Goodness knows where it is going to. I'll be running more trials on this during the day.

When in Auto the system decides how fast the fan turns, after you touch the up/down control the fan speed also is controlled manually, try increasing the fan speed, that seems to work with my car.

[Nicolai]

I didn't touch the vents, just the up/down control which shows a picture of where the heat/air is being directed. That should increase the air flow to the feet with all other outlets closed, but didn't. Goodness knows where it is going to. I'll be running more trials on this during the day.

When in Auto the system decides how fast the fan turns, after you touch the up/down control the fan speed also is controlled manually, try increasing the fan speed, that seems to work with my car.

Meaning the cabin is kept warm on longer runs without flows of cold air going through the cabin as well?

[Ratho1]

Just back from a 20 mile round trip. I switched off the air con altogether, set the fan to the second notch, the air all directed to my feet and at 22c my feet could feel the heat at last. Don't know what it was like in the back of course but it was very comfortable. Misting then has to be controlled manually with the demist button which automatically switches the aircon system on. This works but strikes me as a step backwards to the days before aircon. What is the point in paying for 2 zone climate control if all that it does is blow cool air after a while ? Is this yet another case of Toyota cost cutting ? None of my previous cars suffered from this problem. My son has a cheap as chips Hyundai i10 which works perfectly well and cost 1/3 the price of my car..

[Nicolai]

After just under 5 months of ownership, I have to say that unless something changes dramatically, I'm very unlikely to purchase a second Toyota. Alas I have to keep this car for seven years....

After having driven approximately 330 miles on on the current tank, I get a real consumption around of 49 mpg. Car has done 3.400 miles so far.

[RunningInPleasePass]

Just got back from a two hour run, car warmed up quickly to set temperature, then after about one hour it began to feel cooler, after closing the two circular air vents at either end of dashboard it felt warmer.

I think the system is arranged to provide warmth at the set temperature, but also to keep some fresh air circulating at head hight via the upper air vents.

[Nicolai]

Thanks. Will try that out. I wonder if the indicated temp. in the car (say 22 degrees) is representative of the ACTUAL temperature...

[kithmo]

I may be stating the obvious here but every body seems to mention setting the temp at 22 deg C and saying it's not warm enough, have you tried turning it up to "HI" until the cabin is toasty then turning it back down to 22 when you're warm enough.

[PeteB]

... I just love this car. It's so relaxing to drive and comfortable...So what I am trying to say is that there are people out there that really love this car.
It is certainly not a perfect car but what is. I did a lot of research before buying this car and it certainly wasn't cheap, but over all I think I made the right choice.

I know where you're coming from, I've felt the same way about all the Prius (Gen 1/2/3) I've owned/driven over the last 12 years.

When my first one was written off in 2002 after just 6 months I so loved the way it drove I just wanted another, even had the running costs not been so good (not just fuel, but brakes that lasted 100,000 miles, relatively low maintenance, e.g. spark plugs only every 60,000 miles). I called the dealer while still sitting in the wreckage, waiting for recovery, to arrange a replacement Prius.

... I have no problem with the 17in wheels. They where on the test drive car so if people don't won't them why do they still buy it ?....

Not as simple a question as it seems - I waited 2 years after first driving a Prius in 2000 because I thought I could never live with a car without heated mirrors (not since the 1980s, anyway), or a rear wiper, but eventually weakened because I was so taken with the Hybrid driving experience. The Gen 1 had, IMHO, a better ride quality (on 14" rims!) and more comfy seats than any Toyota Hybrid since, although a Gen 3 Prius with 15" wheel comes closest to matching the ride comfort. On top of that, new OEM tyres were only 40% of the price of the 16" ones for the Gen 2 - in the 170 odd thousand miles I did on my 2 Gen 1s I spent £1,100 on tyres - if I'd done that in Gen 2s I'd have spent nearly £2,800!

I only bought my Gen 3½ (2012 facelift) Prius because it ticked most of my boxes and I'm really happy with it.

[Surv1v0r]

My apologies for trying to get this thread back on track and I know that I really should wade through all the 110 posts for an answer. However, I am very interested in an Auris HSD Touring Sports and just wondered what the situation is with the Battery going flat "unless you run the car EVERY DAY in daylight, in good weather for at least 20 miles"? Over the past couple of months I have read quite a few suggestions that if you happen not to use a Toyota HSD for a week you will face major problems with the 12vbattery - is this true or not?

[PeteB]

Seems to be more of an issue with the Auris than the Prius (not heard any reports re Yaris Hybrid).

My Gen 3 Prius T3 has had no problems after 2 weeks of being parked, and for a lot of the month it does just a few short journeys each day. On top of that I have a black box camera permanently recording, which only shuts down if the voltage drops too low, but even when I left the car 2 weeks it was still running.

It's certainly true that because they don't have to start an engine, the 12V Battery size and capacity has been minimised compared to other cars (a Volvo I once had contained a 12V Battery so highly rated I could leave the headlights on all night and still start in the morning!).

on the Prius it became less of a problem with each new generation since the original 2000 model (it was widely discussed in the Yahoo Prius-UK forum over 10 years ago. Most early Gen 1's had a problem because no one understood the issue at first, and the Battery went flat during the sea crossing, and several times in dealers lots or showrooms, so by the time it was sold the 12V had been severely weakened. My first one was replaced under warranty when the car was just 22 months old, but on my second Prius it's second Toyota battery was still going strong after 9 years and 150,000 miles when I sold the car.

[PeteB]

PS it does seem Toyota may have forgotten and downgraded the 12V Battery capacity on the Auris while adding electric gizmos.

This only seems to have surfaced recently though - did the first version of the Auris Hybrid have a 'bigger' 12V Battery, or just fewer gizmos?

[RunningInPleasePass]

Your right the post has wandered off track.

The Battery in my case went flat overnight for no apparent reason.

The dealer was reluctant to give me a new Battery, saying it only needed to be charged overnight.

I pointed out the car had done a 200 mile journey prior to going flat, and another 200 mile trip after the AA had rescued me and just before I took it to them for testing, so why did it need to be charged now.

They swapped the Battery, it took them three weeks to source one, and I had to complete a detailed questionnaire for Toyota.

Up to now the car has been fine, it's just my confidence in it that has yet to be restored.

[Fecn]

My apologies for trying to get this thread back on track and I know that I really should wade through all the 110 posts for an answer. However, I am very interested in an Auris HSD Touring Sports and just wondered what the situation is with the battery going flat "unless you run the car EVERY DAY in daylight, in good weather for at least 20 miles"? Over the past couple of months I have read quite a few suggestions that if you happen not to use a Toyota HSD for a week you will face major problems with the 12vbattery - is this true or not?

I have had my Auris for 9 weeks so far, driving it on average 3 days per week, 92 miles per day. Over the christmas hols I left it for 16 days parked on the driveway and didn't attempt to start it at all. No problems whatsoever for me.

..

[cviclark]

I agree with Pete it is not a simple choice The Auris HSD TS is my fourth Toyota (one was Lexus) and third Hybrid. I did not like the wide centre console on the Gen 3 prius or the lack of folding mirrors but like the Gen 2 loved the drive. I first saw and drove the the Auris TS when my Prius was in for a recall and while I liked the body and ride I hated the 1.3 petrol 6 speed drive and reflections from the dash. I had already decided to trade in the Gen 3 for a traditional estate and had driven most of the competition. I was leaning towards a Merc C class estate but I had a few show stoppers. It had to fit in the garage which meant folding mirrors, had to be an auto. petrol , had to have space for a spare wheel and preferably not on low profile tyres. The Auris Hybrid (once I found a dealer who agreed) ticked the most boxes and on the whole I still like the car. It feels more solid and more durable than the Prius and I like the use of space. The dealer agreed to supply it on 16" wheels but I my insurance company said this would be a modification. Toyota said is was not homologated for other than 17" wheels and I figure once these tyres are worn out I will be able to get more sensible tyres. The other bits I do not like I can overcome with third party products I hope. The speedo is too small and away from the eyeline. Toyota could fix this with a simple software upgrade to put digital speed on the trip screen instead of Eco Drive Level whatever that means, but wont. I hope to get a Hud-e to solve that problem if it can be made to work on a Hybrid. The spare wheel kit is very good and does not encroach on the user space at all. I have not had a Battery problem yet but If I do a higher capacity Battery is a simple, inexpensive fix, and may even improve the fuel consumption. The heating is a mistery. The book says "air flows to the feet :some models. Mine is an Excel and air does not flow to the feet at the back. I only discovered this last week in the extreme cold on a long run, when passengers complained. I expected a hit on fuel consumption but the Auris at 47mpg is 10 mpg down on the gen 3 Prius's Xmas round trip last year. None of these flaws were discovered on a test drive because I thought Toyota would not release a car with such obvious flaws. My main disappointment is with the lack of understanding from Toyota GB. They view all criticism as negative and customer satisfaction as a nuisance. On a relatively expensive car this is just not good enough.

[Ratho1]

Ian, I'm sure that this has been dealt with at length on other threads but Insurance companies will not tolerate any kind of "modification" without imposing a penalty charge, presuming that they will allow it in the first place. Even putting winter tyres on, a safety improvement in most people's eyes, is still regarded by some insurers as a reason to raise premiums.Be warned and discuss it first with your insurer and if he baulks at the idea try another insurer but be sure to tell him.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Copied from a topic on Toyota Motor Insurance (the original post was affected by the data loss in November):

"Posted 29 November 2013 - 11:17 PM
As my topic has been lost in clouds, I would like to point out to members again, that Toyota Insurance do not accept a change of wheel size from original specification. I have a 2012 Auris HSD T-Spirit with 17" wheels, and enquired about fitting 15" wheels and appropriate tyres for the winter. Toyota insurance will not provide cover for this change. I have concluded that if I want 15" wheels I will have to seek out an insurer that will provide cover for alternative wheels, or change my car for an Auris HSD T4 supplied new with 15" wheels. I think the 1st option will prove the most cost effective. A disappointment, but from the number of cars fitted with different wheels, I am sure that some insurers will accommodate this change (with an amendment charge of course)."

[cviclark]

Wait a year, when Toyota realize this car is not selling and come to their senses just maybe they will listen to their customers. If not other manufacturers will be there.

[Nicolai]

I may be stating the obvious here but every body seems to mention setting the temp at 22 deg C and saying it's not warm enough, have you tried turning it up to "HI" until the cabin is toasty then turning it back down to 22 when you're warm enough.

I may be thick, but the point of climate control is constant temperature for comfort, isn't it?

When I'm usually very comfortable at/with 22 degrees in my living-room, why should I accept anything else in my car?

No offense meant- just nit sure I get your point.

[kithmo]

I may be stating the obvious here but every body seems to mention setting the temp at 22 deg C and saying it's not warm enough, have you tried turning it up to "HI" until the cabin is toasty then turning it back down to 22 when you're warm enough.

I may be thick, but the point of climate control is constant temperature for comfort, isn't it?

When I'm usually very comfortable at/with 22 degrees in my living-room, why should I accept anything else in my car?

No offense meant- just nit sure I get your point.

Have you tried it ??

Your living room is probably draft free, double glazed, cavity wall insulated and is not travelling at 30-70 mph through cold air most of the time so it will stay warm.

It is almost impossible in most cars to keep the temperature constant and as there is only one air temperature sensor in the car, so it can't monitor the whole cabin.

Climate control in cars is a big con, it is barely more than just an electronic version of what used to be a temperature knob/slider, a fan speed knob/slider and an air direction knob/slider.

[Joseph D]

I may be stating the obvious here but every body seems to mention setting the temp at 22 deg C and saying it's not warm enough, have you tried turning it up to "HI" until the cabin is toasty then turning it back down to 22 when you're warm enough.

I may be thick, but the point of climate control is constant temperature for comfort, isn't it?

When I'm usually very comfortable at/with 22 degrees in my living-room, why should I accept anything else in my car?

No offense meant- just nit sure I get your point.

You should accept anything else in your car because… Well, you just should - it's a different paradigm.

In addition to what Kithmo has said, the perception of warmth (as opposed to temperature) is very subjective. We have all experienced standing by the window in a temperature controlled environment feeling very comfortable, then the sun breaks through the cloud and shines in the room and all of a sudden you perceive the room gets warmer. The reality is the room temperature has not changed, only your perception of the temperature has.

The other consideration is that the temperature setting for the cabin will always be relative to the current outside air temperature - when it is colder outside the cabin temperature will be set to a lower temp than if it is warm outside. There are many reasons for this, one being you tend to dress for the current temp. If you wanted to maintain a constant 22℃ (or whatever is the temp you think is the right temp) and it is cold out, you will need to remove a layer or two when getting into the car and put them on again when getting out. For long journeys this is ok, but short journeys is a pain. So, for short journeys keep rugged up, but turn the CC temp down. In warmer climates (read > 28℃) you might set the temp to 24-25 or even warmer. (Not generally a problem in UK. :) )

Long story short, I have given up focussing on the number at which my climate control is set (there are just too many variables) and just use the "how I feel" guide. :) If I feel cold I put it up (0.5 deg at a time) and if I feel hot I put it down. Life is so much more simple and stress free now One caveat: When travelling with passengers, my "how I feel" guide may not match the "how they feel" guide! Particularly SWMBO's "how I feel" guide. Say no more! FWIW, my temperature setting fluctuates between 18 and 24℃ over the course of a year and will fluctuate (although not to the same extent) in any give journey.

[geo13647]

Well! That's flat Battery failure number 4.

Went straight to the DP this time, asked him nicely how he would like his car back...

Car picked up and returned with a new Battery within the hour.

They were going to fit a Prius one, but of course it didn't.

So new Auris Hybrid one installed instead.

DP says to keep an eye on it, and complain vociferously to Toyota Customer Service.

If it happens again, then they will look at replacing the car.

Now why couldn't they have done this earlier?

Bit more like the usual service expected.

So, stopwatch on again, we'll see how how long this one lasts.

G...