Auris Hybrid vs Prius 30

[Curious-Octopus]

I am debating between a Prius 30 and an Auris Hybrid. I can't really test drive these cars. (I don't want to explain 😢)

I have test drove both a late model Prius and a early model Prius touring.

Prius was very comfortable.

It's cute 

I liked it.

however the car had frame damage. So I had to pass on it. 

I asked the dealer to find me another one. However while doing research I found the Auris Hybrid. I didn't ride it, but did some reading.

Why I am interested:

It seems more like a driver centered car.

The interior seems less oppressive and more comfortable. 

Handling seems better(many twisty roads here).

My only worry is if the dealer finds me a car with 17 inch wheels the ride comfort will be bad.

Lately my hobby is just to drive anywhere and I want a comfortable and somewhat interesting ride to do that.

Does anyone have any advice they could offer?

Currently riding a 2nd gen Fit. The suspension it pretty hard and the road noise is horrendous. Apparently the 13G models have little to no sound insulation.

Thanks

[chrisramsden]

I don't understand your concern with 17" wheels affecting the ride. Is it the low-profile tyres?

I would warn you that the Touring Sports hybrid, with 17" wheels, has rather low ground clearance, and for this reason is not good on rough surfaces. Otherwise, it's a delight to drive, with comfortable seats and low road noise inside. 

[Curious-Octopus]

20 minutes ago, chrisramsden said:

I don't understand your concern with 17" wheels affecting the ride. Is it the low-profile tyres?

I would warn you that the Touring Sports hybrid, with 17" wheels, has rather low ground clearance, and for this reason is not good on rough surfaces. Otherwise, it's a delight to drive, with comfortable seats and low road noise inside. 

Yea the low profile tires. The Prius Touring while not as bad as my Fit had a rough ride due to the 17inch wheels.

 

It's ok. Here both the Hybrid and G Hybrid trims have the same ride height. Not sure what else is different other then wheels though. Japan spec a bit different I guess.

 

Thanks friend. Really want a quieter ride God willing.

 

[TonyHSD]

Hi, 
both cars are very similar with similar suspension and same drive train. Look is down to personal preference really, I do like both. Prius is slightly more efficient because of better aerodynamics. Auris has slightly more traditional look and feel inside. On the used car market each individual example will represent will represent good or bad deal. If the particular car you are after is good and on good price then either of these will do the job fine. And yes, smaller tyres 15 or 16 on auris does provide better efficiency and comfort. 👍

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, chrisramsden said:

I would warn you that the Touring Sports hybrid, with 17" wheels, has rather low ground clearance

From the IP address, presume the OP is in Japan. The Auris Touring Sport was for the European market only.

[AisinW]

 Auris and Auris touring sport have the same ground clearance. Only the suspension is slightly softer in TS. Auris have very similar rear independent suspension like Lexus CT200h and it rides better on bumps and more stable in twisty Road than Prius with torsion beam suspension. It has slightly higher wind drag but the cabin noise is similar to Prius 3. 

The facelift 2015 model has safety sense option, better insulation and  revised piston and rings to reduce oil consumption issue.

If you are in Europe, Auris is much easier to find but not in USA or Japan. 

[Derek.w]

If you are a fast driver on the bends then low profiles can be a bonus.

[Curious-Octopus]

Thank you everyone!

I do have one final question.

Prius 30 vs Auris: Which have better seats?

 

Thanks

[TonyHSD]

On 9/20/2022 at 12:14 PM, Curious-Octopus said:

Thank you everyone!

I do have one final question.

Prius 30 vs Auris: Which have better seats?

Thanks

I think Prius has better seats. Seats are also slightly different between the trim levels perhaps on both models, best for you to try each particular car and see how they feel. I had a couple of Priuses before auris and took me long time to get use to the auris seat and find a comfortable position. 

[Bruce Lea]

Did Toyota make the prius aimed at taxi drivers?

 

 

[TonyHSD]

9 hours ago, Bruce Lea said:

Did Toyota make the prius aimed at taxi drivers?

I seen rumours that Toyota had exactly opposite intentions and never wanted the Prius to be taxis car but to be new adopters similar to Tesla, and indeed was but only first and second gen (1997-2009).  Since generation 3 in 2010 and above the Prius started to become the choice of taxi trade all around the globe, particularly big cities including London. It is still the dominant make and model on our capital streets  and for a good reason. 👍

[Cyker]

Relatively speaking, the Prius is to the Auris kinda what the Avensis was to the Corolla. It's supposed to be a bit more premium without actually edging into Lexus territory, and is traditionally the flagship of Toyotas hybrids, so it tended to be slightly more efficiency oriented (e.g. more sensible-sized rims relative to the other models)

I think for long cruising, the Prius would be better as it's a bit more spacious and aerodynamic, while the Auris' more compact size makes it better on more cramped roads. There's not much in it tho', and TBH you can't go wrong with either, although I'd lean toward the Auris because I prefer smaller cars given a choice!

 

13 hours ago, Bruce Lea said:

Did Toyota make the prius aimed at taxi drivers?

Ironically Toyota have tried to distance the Prius from the taxi market, albeit without success! As TonyHSD says, they wanted it to be a more pioneering/trail-blazing car, driving sales of hybrids, but as I often observe Toyota aren't good at gauging their target audience, and its lack of performance and driver engagement vs similarly frugal diesels at the time didn't endear it to motoring enthusiasts. If they'd tweaked it to be more driver-focused instead of economy focused from the start, like they have with the new TNGA-platform hybrids, I think hybrids would have taken off far earlier and been far more dominant.

It's only recently, with the new gen cars, that I've seen a sharp increase of hybrids on the roads - Partly this is down to KHAAAAN!, at least down here, but a lot is also just due to the sheer driveability of the newer models - They are just much more fun to take on a joyride than the previous models!  

(Seriously, there are so many hybrid Yaris and Corollas popping up - Last time I saw such a noticeable shift in vehicles on my commute was the Tesla Model 3! Bodes well for those of you waiting for used car prices to come down, as they will be quite plentiful!)

[FROSTYBALLS]

40 minutes ago, Cyker said:

If they'd tweaked it to be more driver-focused instead of economy focused from the start, like they have with the new TNGA-platform hybrids, I think hybrids would have taken off far earlier

The last generation Prius (4th) was the first Toyota to use TNGA .....

[TonyHSD]

Tesla model 3 is the successor not only to Prius but also to many others like bmw 3 series, Mercedes c class, ford Mondeo, Skoda Octavia/ superb, Vauxhall insignia, Vw Passat, pretty much all popular makes and models within fleet and management. 👍 Win win for the USA 🇺🇸 

[Bruce Lea]

16 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Tesla model 3 is the successor not only to Prius but also to many others like bmw 3 series, Mercedes c class, ford Mondeo, Skoda Octavia/ superb, Vauxhall insignia, Vw Passat, pretty much all popular makes and models within fleet and management. 👍 Win win for the USA 🇺🇸 

Eletric cars are making power grids unstable. That's what happens when you drop a huge new load on a system that is systematically being scaled back via the carbon tax and carbon based fuel bans, while unreliable and hellishly expensive solar and windmills take over. It is all part of the plan - get everyone on electric, then jack the rates through the roof, and then declare that people can't charge their cars because the system can't handle it . . . own nothing and be happy!

 

[TonyHSD]

In a small Eastern European village the people got power outages more often than ever, the reason: - the village mayor is charging his new bev 😂⚡️🔌

[Rhymes with Paris]

6 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

In a small Eastern European village the people got power outages more often than ever, the reason: - the village mayor is charging his new bev 😂⚡️🔌

How about fitting a windmill generator on the roof?

Thus the forward motion of the car creates air flow over the windmill blades and generates electricity.

Have I just solved the conundrum of perpetual motion in the field of physics?

😅