Auris – What Made You Buy?

[mpotter]

After owning my Auris for 3 Months I thought I'd set up this thread to see why others chose theirs and what they think so far:

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

- Something that was cheap to run, reliable, a comfortable drive and had a sporty engine. (Not a lot then)

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

- A Seat Leon Cupra TDI – Warranty had ran out and fancied a change.

 What other cars did you consider?

- Honda Accord – More than I wanted to spend

- Honda Civic – This was the car I nearly bought over the Auris.

- Toyota Prius – I liked the idea of a Hybrid but didn’t seem to get a lot for your money

- VW Golf – Expensive and rather common

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 2.0 D-4D T-Spirit. - Group 7 insurance, Band C road tax and 52mpg meant it was cheap to run; big saving over the T180 model and 124bhp + 300Nm of torque is enough for me; T-Spirit comes with plenty of toys :D

 Features you like?

- Nice quiet diesel and smooth drive.

- Centre console and instrument layout are well thought out.

- The way the rear seats fold down flat is very good with no need to lift cushions. :)

- Very spacious with comfort of much bigger car

 Things that could be better?

- The hard plastics used on the glove box – are these responsible for the rattles?

- Buttons on the door could be illuminated.

- Lumber adjustment on drivers seat would be nice.

- Trip computer isn’t the best I’ve seen

- A warning light indicating low windscreen wash

 Anything you dislike?

- The Horn...It sounds pathetic in mine and I'm embarrassed everytime I use it.

 Any Problems?

- Couple of rattles on dash but not too bad that I cant live with

- Random power when accelerating hard but my car seems to be an isolated case as no-one else has reported same problem so I’m just hoping I’ve put a dodgy batch of fuel in / got water in system or something.

 Happy?

Yes, although sometimes I wish I’d gone for the T180 B)

[Johan007]

I pretty much mirror your opinions all the way down to wishing I could have afforded the T180.

- Random power when accelerating hard but my car seems to be an isolated case as no-one else has reported same problem so I’m just hoping I’ve put a dodgy batch of fuel in / got water in system or something.

I mentioned this on quite a few occasions and even had a post dedicated to random power. I had put it down to lack of diesel engine experience at the time. I do not yet have the confidence to overtake and the surge in power seems to always come in too late. To me the car has 3 stages of acceleration.

1. Very slow from a standing start and my Rover 214 is far nippier. Not good as I love to pop into a roundabout or out of a junction quickly (Not fast just quickly as I never take the car over 30 in a 30).

2. When you try and overtake the Torque kicks in and you start to overtake but something is still wrong as you know it can be much more powerful.

3. When Turbo really starts to kick in the car flys but it is often too late by then.

What other cars did you consider?

I had looked at the Fabia vRS but it did not represent good value for money in the second hand market and I was in a rush to replace my Rover with a blown head gasket. Almost went for Toyota Corolla but the 1.4 D-4D would not have the same level of power.

Features you like

Comfort is first rate and the car is a joy to drive.

People always complement the car when I take them for a spin and I would have to say 5 doors and space for passengers is exceptional.

Anything you dislike?

1. The midrange in the sound system is not powerful enough.

2. Handbrake does not hold the car very well when your on a steep hill with traffic backed up (think it is because I am used to pressing the button when applying the handbrake.

3. Poor visibility when terning right on a junction.

4. I only get 42mpg... keep meaning to check tire pressure.

5. I do get the usual noise from the brakes at slow speed but I do not consider that an issue.

Happy?

Very. It excels in low running costs and holds its value well and is a joy to drive.

[GregP]

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

- reliability, running costs

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

- A Seat Toledo 1.8 20V (I had to sell it as it was left hand drive-. I was very happy with it). My/ my wife other car is Golf GTI- great car too but bit expensive

 What other cars did you consider?

- Honda Civic- bit to expensive, many faults and unhappy users, handling on the road

- Mazda 3 – Dealer wasn't interested in selling any cars (contact after 2 weeks), Toyota had better spec

- VW Golf – but already have one :), lack of customer support from dealer

- Seat Leon

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 1.6 TR- good deal on it, I like petrol engines, low insurance,

 Features you like?

- Very spacious, console design, responsive but not thirsty engine, high and comfy seat position,....

 Things that could be better?

- trip computer switch placemet, dodgy hand brake button, should have seporate clock

 Anything you dislike?

- see above

 Any Problems?

- brakes, new gearbox, broken engine cover (by service), now clutch making funny noises...

 Happy?

Generally yes. The longer I drive it the more I like it, but I am not sure If I am going to keep it for a long...

[Jp-Auris]

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

- something suitable for a first car. cheap, realiable.

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

-

 What other cars did you consider?

- 1999 mitsubishi colt 1.3 glx - insurance was too much which was a suprise from a 1.3 engine.

- Nissan micra 1.0 Si - it was sold before i got a chance to take alook at it, couldnt find any others that suited me.

- 2005 Toyota Corolla 1.4 - almost had one but my dad decided that may aswell get you the Auris

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 1.4 T3, basically for the engine size and insurance group. has a few more extras than the T2

 Features you like?

- A nice big car for a first car

- Cool interior, love the centre consol the most, looks sooo modern and unique

- The seat hold your body very well in corners, which most standard cars wont do.

- very comfortable in long journeys

 Things that could be better?

- If it wasnt so heavy, i seem to have to put my foot down in some cases, using more petrol.

 Anything you dislike?

- The windscreen washer jets, even going at 30mph they water after spraying keeps flicking up on the windscreen.

i duno why but it annoys me

 Any Problems?

- had no problems at all (but i recently crashed my Auris , RIP june 2007 - January 2008)

 Happy?

- yes im happy that my insurance is going to get me a brand new auris!! YAY!!!

[tdleon]

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

- Something that was cheap to run, reliable, a comfortable drive and had a sporty engine. (Not a lot then)

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

- A VW Passet , new job with allowance rather than car.. Never had a Jap. car before, went for the reliability hype

 What other cars did you consider?

- Honda Civic – Worried about owner feedback on civic furom

- Fiat Bravo- Too new and Fiats reputation put me off

- Hyundai i30- Dealers would not discount

- KIA Ceed- PArt white interior put me off

- VW Golf – Expensive and rather common

- Seat Leon, already had one

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 2.0 D-4D TR, Simply a great deal over Spirt and T3

 Features you like?

- Cheap to run

- Company reputation?

 Things that could be better?

- The hard plastics used on interior

- Buttons on the door could be illuminated.

- Lumber adjustment on drivers seat would be nice.

- Trip computer and how the infomation is displayed

- A warning light indicating low windscreen wash

 Anything you dislike?

- Screen washers, diesel rattle when cold, worst I have owned

 Any Problems?

- Couple of rattles on dash, but seem to go when interior warms up, be interesting if/ when we get some sun

- Brake Squels

-Corroded wheel bolts, dispite not using acid cleaners

-Misting/ Steaming up, but hoefully cured now

 Happy?

- Not really sure yet, sometimes I love it, sometimes I dont

[beowulf]

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

Mostly reliability, comfort, safety and fuel economy.

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

- A petrol Peugeot 106. It was great for the city but now I do lots of miles on the highway and it didn't feel safe or comfortable.

 What other cars did you consider?

- Honda Civic 140hp petrol, gave up on it because it drinks too much and looks like a spaceship

- Honda Civic (diesel) - still looks like a spaceship

- Toyota Corolla (the previous hatchback)

- Peugeot 207 RC (petrol)

- Yaris

- Kia Ceed

Gave up on the 207 RC because it wouldn't be good for fuel economy, plus I'm not sure if that 175hp engine will be reliable and it only has 2 years of warranty.

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 1.4 D4D because of fuel economy and very high taxes here in Lisbon (23kEur)

I picked the version with the most equipment because I wanted VSC/TRC. 1.4 D4D engine reliability is good too.

 Features you like?

- Gear lever position, excellent.

- Centre console/Optitron panel

- Lots of space inside, confortable and quiet

- Feels safe and smooth

- Zero dash/plastic noises so far, no rattles, nothing (3000 km)

 Things that could be better?

- Gearbox isn't very smooth or precise (manual). I expected a lot better.

- Some plastics look cheap, especially in the glovebox. Soft touch rubber material would help in places like inside the glovebox and the storage space under the bridge (less object rattle). The door plastics also get dirty very easily.

- Buttons on the door should be illuminated. It's easy to find the illuminated VSC off button (That you never need to press), yet, you can hardly find the power window buttons in the dark.

- Clock should by displayed at all times and the fuel indicator could have finer granularity.

- No doublelock system (in cars sold in Portugal at least)

- No auto-lock when in motion, a really simple and useful feature.

- Radio firmware is extremely basic. One can't even pause a track.

- Radio LCD illumination is very weak during the day. The same applies to the AC controls, somewhat hard to read under bright sun.

- Steering wheel grip isn't very comfortable. I'm not sure why, perhaps it should be a bit smaller and thicker.

 Anything you dislike?

- Could be a bit lower, feels too high sometimes. Never seems to lack stability but yet, I often get that "I'm in a SUV" feeling. I'm trying to decide if I will go for TTE springs.

- The 90hp 1.4 D4D engine lacks some power under certain conditions (mostly high RPM on the highway), the car just feels heavy sometimes.

- I dont think it is a pretty car, but since I drive it from the inside and don't care much about such subjective aspects, it's not an issue.

 Any Problems?

-Brakes squeal a bit. My car was bought in the first days of 2008 so it wasn't one of the first batches, yet, perhaps the noise will increase and it will need to be fixed.

- The garage installed the TPA 800 parking sensors kit incorrectly. The front sensors should beep only below 10 kmph but are always working.. so it beep all the time when there are loud noises like a bike passing by. It also has an on/off button but it doesn't work. This isn't a factory issue but mainly the fault of the mechanics here.

-Minor firmware issues, for instance, my car does not show "Depress clutch" when I try to start it without doing it (despite what it says in the manual). Also, it does not turn off the AUTO lights when I turn the key to OFF or remove it (again, the manual says it should turn them off)

-(no other problems so far)

 Happy?

Sort of. Feels like I did the smart, rational choice over the 207 RC, but I don't always feel it is fun or exciting. The 2.0 would be a better balanced car perhaps - but at 24.000 euros, the 1.4 was the limit of my budget.

[simon_d]

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

A reliable, quality motor that looks good. Something that isnt the usual, obvious focus/astra/golf choice

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

1993 Toyota MR2. Ive enjoyed owning it, but I have had to spend a lot on it in the last few months. I may aswell spend the money on a new car instead. Also need more room!

 What other cars did you consider?

Toyota Avensis. I work for Toyota, and we can get either the Auris or Avensis through work. Avensis is too big tho.

Honda Civic. Looks great, but like I said I work for Toyota so when I can get a car cheaper from work why should I get something else?

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

Eclipse black 1.6 T3 multimode. Good engine, good spec and (hopefully :o ) I will like the gearbox. All my cars have been red... so I fancied a change and ordered a black one.

 Features you like?

Dash / centre console look funky.

Loads of room.

Reach / rake adjustable steering wheel. Ive got long legs, but I like the steering wheel a bit closer. Have only had cars with rake adjustment and can never get fully comfortable.

 Things that could be better?

Dont pick the car up until March 10th, so will let you know!

Quality of interior plastics does look a bit cheap tho.

 Anything you dislike?

Dont pick the car up until March 10th, so will let you know!

Quality of interior plastics does look a bit cheap tho.

 Any Problems?

Dont pick the car up until March 10th, so will let you know!

 Happy?

Im very excited and cant wait to pick my car up.

Si

[mpotter]

I forgot about the horn, think I'll have to edit my original post under the dislike section as I had to use it over the weekend and I got a harsh reminder of how feeble it sounds. I don't even think the lorry I was beeping could hear the squeak over it's engine. What were Toyota thinking? I hope the T180 sounds better!?

[Toscane]

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

- Reliable, quality car overall, cheap to run, safe, neat package(as in looks, hehe), something other than usual(as in there is not hundreds of it floating around)

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

- It is Ford. I didn't sell it, still have it.

 What other cars did you consider?

- Toyota Yaris - Seemed a little immature standing next to Auris.

- Honda Civic – Terrible mileage.

- Toyota Corolla – It looked very boring standing next to Auris.

- Grande PUNTO – It was nice actually but not enough, I hated the interior.

- Citroen C4 - It has a boring, dull interior and doesn't look good as much as Auris and black wasn't available.

- Peugeot 308 - Well, this was pretty close to the Auris but I didn't say "this should be mine" when I get behind the wheel.

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 1.4 D-4D, It's the only diesel engine available here.

 Features you like?

- Quiet and not-tractor-like engine.

- Interior design overall.

- Front seats, sporty and looks great.

- Very spacious and comfortable.

- Great exterior design, looks mean.

- Instrument panel with Optitron display thing.

- Joy to drive, engine wise.

 Things that could be better?

- Bigger turbo would be great.

- Buttons on the door, side view mirror adjustment buttons should be illuminated.

- Everything that has illumination on the centre console should have stronger illumination.

- Trip computer should be better.

- Clock and date should be somewhere else, separate from the Trip computer.

- Steering wheel should be thicker, it's too narrow to hold comfortably.

- Top glove box should have some kind of illumination.

- Sunglasses holder should have more foam padding at the sides.

- Soft texture would be great on the dashboard, hard plastic is kind of cheap.

 Anything you dislike?

- See above. Although they're not actually what I don't like, they're just the things I would have liked better if they were the way I want.

 Any Problems?

- Squeaky breaks

- Car is too high and needs lowering springs. Which I am going to get (TTE) however I'm not sure if it will look good with my 16" alloy wheels.

 Happy?

-Absolutely.

[roachpole]

After owning my Auris for 3 Months I thought I'd set up this thread to see why others chose theirs and what they think so far:

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

- Something that was cheap to run, reliable, a comfortable drive and had a sporty engine. (Not a lot then)

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

- A Seat Leon Cupra TDI – Warranty had ran out and fancied a change.

 What other cars did you consider?

- Honda Accord – More than I wanted to spend

- Honda Civic – This was the car I nearly bought over the Auris.

- Toyota Prius – I liked the idea of a Hybrid but didn’t seem to get a lot for your money

- VW Golf – Expensive and rather common

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 2.0 D-4D T-Spirit. - Group 7 insurance, Band C road tax and 52mpg meant it was cheap to run; big saving over the T180 model and 124bhp + 300Nm of torque is enough for me; T-Spirit comes with plenty of toys :D

 Features you like?

- Nice quiet diesel and smooth drive.

- Centre console and instrument layout are well thought out.

- The way the rear seats fold down flat is very good with no need to lift cushions. :)

- Very spacious with comfort of much bigger car

 Things that could be better?

- The hard plastics used on the glove box – are these responsible for the rattles?

- Buttons on the door could be illuminated.

- Lumber adjustment on drivers seat would be nice.

- Trip computer isn’t the best I’ve seen

- A warning light indicating low windscreen wash

 Anything you dislike?

- The Horn...It sounds pathetic in mine and I'm embarrassed everytime I use it.

 Any Problems?

- Couple of rattles on dash but not too bad that I cant live with

- Random power when accelerating hard but my car seems to be an isolated case as no-one else has reported same problem so I’m just hoping I’ve put a dodgy batch of fuel in / got water in system or something.

 Happy?

Yes, although sometimes I wish I’d gone for the T180 B)

[roachpole]

After owning my Auris for 3 Months I thought I'd set up this thread to see why others chose theirs and what they think so far:

 Before you bought your Auris what qualities were you looking for in a car?

- Something that was cheap to run, reliable, a comfortable drive and had a sporty engine. (Not a lot then)

 What was your old car / why were you selling?

- A Seat Leon Cupra TDI – Warranty had ran out and fancied a change.

 What other cars did you consider?

- Honda Accord – More than I wanted to spend

- Honda Civic – This was the car I nearly bought over the Auris.

- Toyota Prius – I liked the idea of a Hybrid but didn’t seem to get a lot for your money

- VW Golf – Expensive and rather common

 What model Auris did you go for and why?

- 2.0 D-4D T-Spirit. - Group 7 insurance, Band C road tax and 52mpg meant it was cheap to run; big saving over the T180 model and 124bhp + 300Nm of torque is enough for me; T-Spirit comes with plenty of toys :D

 Features you like?

- Nice quiet diesel and smooth drive.

- Centre console and instrument layout are well thought out.

- The way the rear seats fold down flat is very good with no need to lift cushions. :)

- Very spacious with comfort of much bigger car

 Things that could be better?

- The hard plastics used on the glove box – are these responsible for the rattles?

- Buttons on the door could be illuminated.

- Lumber adjustment on drivers seat would be nice.

- Trip computer isn’t the best I’ve seen

- A warning light indicating low windscreen wash

 Anything you dislike?

- The Horn...It sounds pathetic in mine and I'm embarrassed everytime I use it.

 Any Problems?

- Couple of rattles on dash but not too bad that I cant live with

- Random power when accelerating hard but my car seems to be an isolated case as no-one else has reported same problem so I’m just hoping I’ve put a dodgy batch of fuel in / got water in system or something.

 Happy?

Yes, although sometimes I wish I’d gone for the T180 B)