1.6 Vvti Or 1.6Valvematic

[calamara]

Good evening all,

I've been a very happy Avensis D4D man for years now, and now I want to downsize slightly, and trying to learn as much as poss about the 1.6 Auris.

Firstly, is the valvematic a superior engine to the vvti? I'm looking for something about 58/59 reg.

If I find one that has a 6 speed g/box, does it mean it will have the valvematic engine?

Is there any way of telling if a car has a valvematic engine without lifting the bonnet, such as in the vin code at the windscreen?

And just generally, is there anything I should give special attention to in my search?

Thanks.

[FROSTYBALLS]

As far as I'm aware the 1.6 Dual VVT-i came with the five speed gearbox.

The 1.6 Valvematic and six speed gearbox were introduced in April 2009 as part of Toyota's Optimal Drive improvements to the Auris range. Improvements over the Dual VVT-i included 9% better fuel economy, 8% lower CO2 emissions, and 6% more power (132bhp completed to 124bhp).

[Auris 1.6 vvt-i]

The pre-facelift Auris MK1 has the 1.6 VVT-i

The facelift model comes with a 6-speed transmission and 1.6 valvematic (so yes, you can tell which one is it, not only without popping the hood but without even touching it and getting your hands dirty :D )

[FROSTYBALLS]

In the UK, the 1.6 Valvematic with six speed gearbox was introduced in the pre-facelift - I still have the brochure (dated June 2009) from when I bought my 2009 Auris, and the 1.6 Valvematic with six speed gearbox is detailed in the brochure. As I said previously the Valvematic was introduced as part of Toyota's Optimal Drive strategy early 2009.

The facelift went on sale in the UK in January/February 2010.

[Auris 1.6 vvt-i]

Now that you mentioned it, I recall that the Valvematic was introduced in the pre-facelift model indeed.Well, then Stephen should check the shifter (5 or 6 gears) - if 5 - then definitely VVT-i and if 6th speed is available, then Valvematic it is. Or if they show him the title, the vvt-i is 124 bhp (91 kW) and Valvematic is 132 bhp (97 kW)

[calamara]

Good morning all,

I have found a nice one, which is quite near to me in the north west, it is a 59 reg, pre facelift, 1.6 valvematic,t-spirit, 29k miles. £5750.1 owner.

I have had a general look round it and it looks a tidy car, but I haven't gone any further as yet.

The ved is £180, and comp insurance is ok too.

Could I just ask a few more questions please,

A civic with 16" wheels doing 70 on the motorway in 6th. is doing just shy of 3000rpm, and is not noisy or thrashy, I would expect a similar Auris (as above) to be similar?

Are there any issues with..stop/start keyless entry on the t-spirit?

Thanks.

[alan333]

That seems expensive, you should be able to pick up an 11 plate for around your £6k, although perhaps the high spec affects the price a bit. We recently traded our low miler 11 plate 1.6 valvematic Auris TR for £5200.

Ours was the 6 speed MMT auto and the revs were quite high at motorway speeds. The steering was also woolly and you had to 'hold on' at higher speeds. It wasn't a relaxed motorway cruiser at all.

Ours had the keyless entry and we had no problems with it.

[calamara]

That seems expensive, you should be able to pick up an 11 plate for around your £6k, although perhaps the high spec affects the price a bit. We recently traded our low miler 11 plate 1.6 valvematic Auris TR for £5200.

Ours was the 6 speed MMT auto and the revs were quite high at motorway speeds. The steering was also woolly and you had to 'hold on' at higher speeds. It wasn't a relaxed motorway cruiser at all.

Ours had the keyless entry and we had no problems with it.

Hi Alan,

The more i research about these Auris's, the more i'm inclined to stick with my faultless 2.0D4D Avensis, It's just that I dont do much mileage these days, and I thought (being a toyota man) that a 1.6 Auris with low mileage would be ok, and sell the avensis to the taxi lads,..decisions decisions.

How would you compare the 1.8 valvematic Avensis to a 1.6 Auris ,both manual/6 ?

When I'm in the Avensis doing motorway speeds..70/80, its just cruising along, so relaxed.

more research needed I guess. Thanks.

[tonino]

I am pretty much in same situation now, researching the models of Auris so far found that from the first gen the hybrid one t-spirit is must have car , it's best for driving in town plus very refined on motorways also heavy and quiet car, some tyre noise can be heard inside but that's it. The second gen diesel so far was the worst Toyota ever seen, noise inside the cabin from the doors, tyres, and windscreen wind noise is unbelievable for a quite new car, also vibrations enormous big to the point that after a half an hour journey on motorway you want just to stop and walk away. Did try in the past first gen 1.3 and 1.6 but didn't buy or has chance to drive them longer and now still in doubt shall I give a try to one of these.

[alan333]

How would you compare the 1.8 valvematic Avensis to a 1.6 Auris ,both manual/6 ?

When I'm in the Avensis doing motorway speeds..70/80, its just cruising along, so relaxed.

I've owned two 1.8vvti Avensis T25's: an 05 plate manual and a 55 plate auto, plus a T27 2.0 diesel and my current T27 auto, plus the OH had the Auris I mentioned earlier.

All the Avensis were better motorway cruisers than the Auris, and the T27 is a step up from the T25. The T25's held fairly high revs at motorway speeds but it didn't intrude into the cabin much, so it felt quite relaxed.

The Auris wasn't a composed motorway car at all. It was fairly quiet but it drifted about the road and tramlined a lot so it was hard work driving fast in it.

[Konrad C]

I find it interesting regarding the Auris speed and refinement, compared Avensis and the Honda Civic. I was going to buy a Honda Civic 1.8 petrol, as it was more spacious than the Auris. The mk1 Auris would have been a pain, as I would be reaching for a non-existing 6th gear. I have no such problems with the mk1 Avensis, and I have been in every 1.8 petrol Avensis. Infact the 2 litre mk2 Avensis has longer gearing than the Honda Civic, even though it has only 5 gears. The Civic must have close ratios.

My Mk3 seems to have exactly the same gear ratios as the Mk1, with the first 5 gears with the additional 6th.

Now the next thing is refinement. I have done two journeys over a weekend, and Mk1 was nearly as good as the Mk3. It is a bit louder, but not by much.

When I first did a motorway run in the Avensis, I was surprised that it was geared lower than my previous Cavalier 1.8, which had long gearing. But the refinement an economy of the then 5 year old Avensis (in 2003), more than made up for it.

The latest Auris would benefit from the 1.8 engine/transmission from the Avensis. It would work with the Touring Sport version, and I would get that over the Honda Civic Tourer.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The first generation Auris did have six speed transmissions fitted across the range from approx April 2009 - petrols and diesels, manuals and MMT's. Both my 1.33's (late 2009 and late 2012 models) were fitted with six speed manual transmissions.

The Avensis is going to be better on motorways - being from the next class up, a larger car, more refined, etc. It is the same as comparing the Golf to the Passat, the Focus to the Mondeo, etc, or conversely comparing the Yaris to the Auris (where the Auris is going to be the better motorway car). Compare like with like.

Tramlining is usually down to tyres.

Doubtful the second generation Auris will be offered with a 1.8 litre engine in Europe (unlike some other markets), aside from the hybrid, as the model had its mid-life facelift in the Summer of 2015, and undoubtedly Toyota will currently be progressing with the Auris replacement using their Toyota New Generation Architecture.

[yossarian247]

I've always found our Auris surprisingly refined on the motorway for what it is a relatively small car. It's far better in that respect than the Skoda Octavia I owned previously for example, despite being smaller.

And yes first generation 6 speed 1.6 Valvematics do definitely exist as I own one!

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