Help Required: 35000 miles / year - is hybrid suitable?

[Jonty85]

Hi All,

First post here, but currently in market for a new car and wanted hybrid owners honest feedback / advice.

I currently have a Honda Jazz because i used to just drive around a small town and a reliable Japanese petrol seemed the way to go!

However, I now do 35k miles a year because of a new job and funnily enough, my Jazz is taking quite a beating. I'm now looking for a reliable car to do this mileage, and to avoid diesel if at all possible... I'm looking to buy reasonably new (2-4 years old) and to keep the car until it dies.

My Question

Is anyone doing this mileage (35k/year-ish) in an Auris Hybrid (hatch or tourer)? What are your experiences? Is good mpg sustainable? What do you budget each month for maintenance? How high have you taken your mileage before changing your car again?

Thanks in advance!

PS: I have seen bits of my answer from rooting around on the forum, but not everything!

PPS: moving house won't reduce this mileage: the nature of my job is driving around to work with different teams for short bursts.

[Jonty85]

Oh, and I largely do a reasonable mix of driving:

- lots of town.

- lots of fast A & B roads

- lots of motorway.

[Gerg]

I think your lack of replies so far is probably down to a shortage of owners on this forum doing 35K miles a year.

We have only owned an Auris Hybrid for 8 months, and our mileage isn't going to be as high as yours (22K a year?).

I don't know what you have already read, so as I can't directly answer your questions above, and as there aren't any other replies yet, here is my take on the Auris HSD:

The engine is basically a regular petrol engine, the transmission and batteries is where the unusual engineering is.  But the transmission doesn't have any history of problems, but if it does then they will be expensive.  It would seem that on the Priuschat forum, where many high-mileage US owners post, the petrol 1.8 petrol engines are giving a very occasional head gasket failure ,EGR problems and raised oil consumption at 180+ K. How many this is in numbers? I don't know, probably very low.

I'm sure you know that the engine and transmission is lifted from the gen 3 Prius, and where a country of origin is shown on any of those parts, it is Japan, so it should be as reliable as the Prius.

To counter the additional electronics the car does need over a conventional car, it doesn't have a starter motor, alternator, clutch, drive belts and DMF.  And the mechanical part of the transmission is remarkably simple and strong. And the electric motors and all the 'CVT' gears run in the gearbox oil. The car does not actually have a CVT transmission btw, it just behaves a little like one. There are no friction surfaces or pulleys at all. There are plenty of Youtube videos showing how it works.

Tyres and brakes will last longer due to the smooth power delivery and regenerative braking.

After 5 years, when the warranty has expired, you can use a cheaper service regime at any Toyota dealer (Gold/Silver service).

The car uses the same 'normal' oils and fluids (for cooling, engine and brakes) as any late-model Toyota.

HTH.

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

27 minutes ago, Gerg said:

where a country of origin is shown on any of those parts, it is Japan

The engines for the Auris Hybrid are built at Deeside, Wales.

Service intervals will be 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

After the 5 year/100,000 mile new car warranty has ended, one can extend the Battery warranty by 1 year/10,000 miles (whichever occurs first) by having a Hybrid Health Check (HHC). The HHC is carried out free at Toyota dealers when the car is serviced by them, or at a cost of £39 if serviced outside the Toyota dealer network. The Battery warranty can thus be extended up to the car's 10th birthday, and if an HHC is done immediately prior to the 10th birthday, the Battery warranty can be extended beyond the 10th birthday. 

[Cyker]

How's your Jazz doing?

It might be a bit on the uncomfortable side for long journeys but I gather they're pretty reliable over the long term...?

The Auris would be a nicer place to be on a long cruise tho' I'd imagine!

 

[unclepoo]

If I can add my 2p worth....to put it simply, the more miles you do in a year, the more a hybrid auris or prius will suit your needs. A auris will be cheaper to buy, a prius will be cheaper to run, by about 5mpg at a guess. Or you could look at a lease on a mk4 prius as these are even better on fuel by 10mpg above the mk3 prius. You do the maths to see what`s best for you.

All are very reliable and have covered many thousand miles without engine or Battery problems, although the mk4 is a new model.

[eygo]

i bought kath a honda jazz ima (mild hybrid) and she liked it a lot

i then bought her a 13 plate auris hybrid and she doesn't want to

sell it ,she is quiet happy with it for a few more years yet.

[Jonty85]

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

How's your Jazz doing?

Its going to require £700 worth of work on it in next 8-12 weeks for suspension bushes, track-rod arm, tyre and another few bits. It's also a 53 plate. 

[Jonty85]

51 minutes ago, unclepoo said:

If I can add my 2p worth....to put it simply, the more miles you do in a year, the more a hybrid auris or prius will suit your needs. 

All are very reliable and have covered many thousand miles without engine or battery problems, although the mk4 is a new model.

This is what i have been thinking as i explored various threads on this forum...

Do you do high mileage/year, as well, unclepoo?

[Jonty85]

All this is really useful, guys, thanks!

Anyone taking their Auris / Prius up to 200,000+ miles on their odometer? Planning to keep car for between 5-7 years before shopping in, you see...

[unclepoo]

I personally don`t travel anywhere near this mileage in my Auris, but I do some work for a company that supply oils all over the country. There sales men use Auris HSD estates and cover very high mileage. They find them very suited to there needs. 

[KayG]

 I have been running a hybrid tourer from new as a taxi for the last two years, covering about 30,000 miles a year. Other than the costs of main dealer servicing the only other expense has been tyres,one front set of brake pads,wiper blades and the odd bulb here and there. I expect to keep the car for at least 10 years and 300k+.

Most of my driving is stop start on level roads at less than 30 mph with the occasional long motorway run, which returns an average of 59 mpg (between 56-62mpg according to the trip computer which I find fairly accurate). Should I venture onto the motorway this drops to about 55 mpg at a steady 70 mph.

What I found kills the mpg other than the motorway driving is going up a long hill ( particularly if you have to do a hill start with four passengers on board) or accelerating away from traffic lights, so if you live in a hilly area the MPG won't be as good. Where I really make up the mpg is on a long straight road at 40 mph with no stops where I can cover about 3/4 of a mile on Battery alone if it's fully charged. Short runs on a cold engine also aren't good for MPG as the engine will run constantly until it reaches operating temperature, not a problem for me as once the car is started it remains switched on for the whole of my shift, even if I'm sat at the side of the road waiting for my next job which may be five minutes or it could be 45 minutes. As long as there's enough charge in the Battery and I stick it in EV mode the engine won't start during this time, really good in winter when the non hybrid drivers turn their engines off between jobs and I can sit there not using any fuel but still get the benefit of heat from the ventilation system !

To give a rough comparison my previous car was a Ford Mondeo TDCI which returned 39 mpg on a like-for-like basis, but being a taxi a lot of time is spent sat outside houses waiting for passengers with the engine idling, a big saving for me is not burning fuel with the engine idling outside houses or at traffic lights.

The only niggle I have with the car is the rearview mirror makes cars behind appear a lot closer than they really are, for the first few weeks I thought everyone was tailgating me !

I absolutely love the car, customers love the car and all the other taxi drivers that have bought one (they're becoming very popular round here as taxis) love them  and I'm happy to report that none of them have had any problems with the vehicles,  not even minor ones.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Here in Birmingham, the Auris Touring Sport hybrid is becoming popular as a taxi.

[Jonty85]

31 minutes ago, KayG said:

 I have been running a hybrid tourer from new as a taxi for the last two years, covering about 30,000 miles a year. Other than the costs of main dealer servicing the only other expense has been tyres,one front set of brake pads,wiper blades and the odd bulb here and there. I expect to keep the car for at least 10 years and 300k+.

Most of my driving is stop start on level roads at less than 30 mph with the occasional long motorway run, which returns an average of 59 mpg (between 56-62mpg according to the trip computer which I find fairly accurate). Should I venture onto the motorway this drops to about 55 mpg at a steady 70 mph.

What I found kills the mpg other than the motorway driving is going up a long hill ( particularly if you have to do a hill start with four passengers on board) or accelerating away from traffic lights, so if you live in a hilly area the MPG won't be as good. Where I really make up the mpg is on a long straight road at 40 mph with no stops where I can cover about 3/4 of a mile on battery alone if it's fully charged. Short runs on a cold engine also aren't good for MPG as the engine will run constantly until it reaches operating temperature, not a problem for me as once the car is started it remains switched on for the whole of my shift, even if I'm sat at the side of the road waiting for my next job which may be five minutes or it could be 45 minutes. As long as there's enough charge in the battery and I stick it in EV mode the engine won't start during this time, really good in winter when the non hybrid drivers turn their engines off between jobs and I can sit there not using any fuel but still get the benefit of heat from the ventilation system !

To give a rough comparison my previous car was a Ford Mondeo TDCI which returned 39 mpg on a like-for-like basis, but being a taxi a lot of time is spent sat outside houses waiting for passengers with the engine idling, a big saving for me is not burning fuel with the engine idling outside houses or at traffic lights.

The only niggle I have with the car is the rearview mirror makes cars behind appear a lot closer than they really are, for the first few weeks I thought everyone was tailgating me !

I absolutely love the car, customers love the car and all the other taxi drivers that have bought one (they're becoming very popular round here as taxis) love them  and I'm happy to report that none of them have had any problems with the vehicles,  not even minor ones.

Thanks for these details, KayG. I think the case for Auris Hybrid is being made quite clear. Glad to hear you've had no issues with reliability after doing 60k in 2 years from new... Hoping for a reasonably new car with no more than 40k to keep for at least 5 years!

[Cyker]

22 hours ago, Jonty85 said:

Its going to require £700 worth of work on it in next 8-12 weeks for suspension bushes, track-rod arm, tyre and another few bits. It's also a 53 plate.

That's not tooooo bad, just the normal sort of things you get on long term car ownership :)

If you keep the Auris that long you'd have similar work...

I'm probably going to have to get my suspension looked at soon as the huge increase in potholes and speed humps in my work area has not done it any favours :(

Have you had a go in an Auris yet? I still think they're not as nice as the Corollas they replaced, but they're a damned sight more comfy than my Yaris. esp. on distance driving! (Don't even get close to my mpg on distance driving tho' so I still like my Yaris more )

 

[KayG]

On 25 April 2017 at 3:18 PM, FROSTYBALLS said:

Here in Birmingham, the Auris Touring Sport hybrid is becoming popular as a taxi.

One of the main taxi suppliers was doing a good deal on the TS hybrid (Starting at £80 p/w x 5 years with £1k deposit) which I think kickstarted the hybrid popularity.

They really come into their own as a taxi as the fuel saving is huge, I reckon if I do 200,000 miles I will save £12,000 just on the fuel compared to having a normal car. Then there is hopefully a further saving due to the lack of mechanical components that can fail, on top of Toyota reliability.

[griff279]

I received mine February 2016, today its just done 36,000 and still has the original tyres on and legal .

no problems and still love it.

we have some prius and prius + at work doing over 120,000 with no problems.

[Jonty85]

23 hours ago, Cyker said:

That's not tooooo bad, just the normal sort of things you get on long term car ownership :)

If you keep the Auris that long you'd have similar work...

I'm probably going to have to get my suspension looked at soon as the huge increase in potholes and speed humps in my work area has not done it any favours :(

Have you had a go in an Auris yet? I still think they're not as nice as the Corollas they replaced, but they're a damned sight more comfy than my Yaris. esp. on distance driving! (Don't even get close to my mpg on distance driving tho' so I still like my Yaris more )

 

Indeed. If we got another 12months, then I'd be a happy chap... but eager to not gamble too much: I'm asking a lot of a 1.3 non-hybrid ICE.

[Jonty85]

20 minutes ago, griff279 said:

I received mine February 2016, today its just done 36,000 and still has the original tyres on and legal .

no problems and still love it.

we have some prius and prius + at work doing over 120,000 with no problems.

griff, that's great! You working as a cab driver, or just long distance commute?

[Jonty85]

Do you guys use Toyota dealers for servicing / MOT, local dealer servicing (if they can do it), or a mix?

I'm aware of the Hybrid Health Check thing (£40ish) if you don't use Toyota, but wondered what others here are doing?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Think most use Toyota dealers for servicing if the car is within its five year new car warranty. Otherwise it is a mix. Toyota's Essential Care servicing for cars outside the five year warranty is competitive with independents in terms of price, and if the car has a Toyota extended warranty Essential Care satisfies the servicing conditions under the extended warranty.

[KayG]

 I'm still within the warranty period at the moment so it's a Toyota main dealer for me.

Once the warranty runs out I'm not so sure, looking at the list of items on the service £200ish just for an oil change and a whole heap of check bulbs, top  up coolant, check brake fluid level etc seems a lot of money for stuff I can check myself. Everything on the service list I can do easily myself, and things like the changing of brake fluid and coolant I'm not sure are necessary, on all the other cars I've owned the coolant and brake fluid never got changed throughout the life of the vehicle some which were 10 years and 400,000 miles old and I never had a problem.

[griff279]

On ‎26‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 8:02 PM, Jonty85 said:

griff, that's great! You working as a cab driver, or just long distance commute?

service engineer. cars serviced at main dealer.

[APS]

Quote

On 26/04/2017 at 8:50 PM, Jonty85 said:

Do you guys use Toyota dealers for servicing / MOT, local dealer servicing (if they can do it), or a mix?

 

I would say, the Toyota dealerships are normally providing really good service and really good value. They do form part of why you might want to buy and stay with Toyota. In fact, I would say we sometimes feel Toyota dealers offer better value than Lexus dealers. While Lexus dealerships usually (but not always) deliver top-notch service, you do pay more for it.

 

 

[Jonty85]

1 hour ago, APS said:

I would say, the Toyota dealerships are normally providing really good service and really good value. They do form part of why you might want to buy and stay with Toyota. In fact, I would say we sometimes feel Toyota dealers offer better value than Lexus dealers. While Lexus dealerships usually (but not always) deliver top-notch service, you do pay more for it.

So it may be worth sticking to Toyota servicing if we buy an Auris... Worth knowing! 

Thanks for the advice, APS.