Improved Auris is a change of hatchback direction for Toyota

The revised midlife Toyota Auris may not represent any great change or shift in design, but it does represent a change of direction for Toyota in the family hatchback segment.

Once you have run the slide rule over some minor facelift elements (a lower grille running the width of the front and a lower bumper with LED lights at the rear), you are back in safe and predictable territory indeed. The Auris does not have the sculpted profile of the Hyundai i30 or the perennial fits-like-a-glove appeal of the Volkswagen Golf; it just retains its solid and dependable profile without over-excitement.

Its appeal lies in different terrain. It has proven hybrid technology and it now has a 1.2-litre petrol engine that might make it a better option for many customers. Hybrid has been a slow but steady burner for Toyota. (Market research shows that 60 per cent of people think you have to plug in a hybrid car to charge it and are oblivious of the idea that it is a self-generating and combined electric and petrol unit.) In 2014, a total of 116 Auris hybrids were sold in Ireland – mostly to people aged between 40 and 60 – but Toyota is predicting 250 sales for this year, and double that for 2016.

Engine choices

The latest generation of Auris comprises five engine choices and the breakdown should see 50 per cent of sales being diesel; 33 per cent being petrol; and 17 per cent being hybrid. In the middle of the range is the 1.2 D-4T petrol turbo, which should see a further tilt away from diesel, especially by customers who have previously bought diesel cars when they didn’t need them and paid a premium price into the bargain.

The 1.2 petrol turbo may only have 116bhp on tap, but it is an ideal match for the revised Auris. It is a four-cylinder unit that is responsive and economical, and it carries the Auris well in terms of acceleration and driver feedback, not something to be said of the 1.4 or 1.6 diesel units, which are more workaday in their performance.

Of the three engines, this was probably the best in terms of giving the Auris a bit of much-needed engagement. The diesels are tried and tested Toyota units and the hybrid is an acquired taste for a lot of people. It is a car designed for city economy and easy cruising, and needs to be treated gently. Sharp acceleration will see it labour instantly, and start drinking up fuel reserves. It is not just an acquired taste, it’s an acquired driving style, too, if one is to make the most of the hybrid system.

Dynamism

The revised Auris is a better car than the older one, and there is at least some sense of dynamism now. Ride and handling are about right for the C-segment, though not as sharp or well-honed as the current Ford Focus, which leads the class in terms of driving dynamics.

The steering feels initially light, but does adjust well, and the car does a very capable job in city and easy cruising conditions. The interior has been given a makeover, though nothing dramatic. Toyota has managed to reduce the plastic effect in the dashboard design with the use of a line of faux leather stitching, but a second one below the centre line could have made a much bigger difference.

The basic Auris equipment includes seven air bags; daytime running lights; follow-me-home headlights; 15in steel wheels; Bluetooth; electric front windows; and steering-wheel controls for audio.

You would have to move up a grade to get air conditioning, and another grade again to get cruise control and the 7in touch display, as distinct from the standard 4in display located between the two main dashboard dials. Toyota’s safety sense system, which helps detect cars and trucks (but not bikes or pedestrians) in front and prompts appropriate action, costs an additional €560.

Prices starts at €20,750 for the basic 1.3-litre petrol and €23,500 for the basic 1.2 petrol turbo. The 1.4 diesel starts at €22,250 and the 1.6 diesel at €26,000. Most emissions are down and the lowest are for the 1.4 diesel entry model at 92 g/km. It is an impressive figure, and the 1.2 petrol turbo is even more so, at 112 g/km.