Test drive of the Toyota Auris Touring Sports Hybrid, the eco-logical one

This week in Highmotor’s road test section we have as our guest one of the most “logical” vehicles on the market right now.

We’re talking about the Toyota Auris Hybrid in its estate body, commercially known as Touring Sports, combined with the Feel trim.

Little can be said about the Auris that we don’t already know. The Auris was launched in 2007 with the difficult task of succeeding the legendary Corolla. Today nobody disputes the Auris’s authority within the compact vehicle segment. Although it is not one of the most popular models, it is without a doubt one of the most appreciated among eco-conscious drivers.

The Auris has become a standard-bearer for ecological mobility thanks to the incorporation, already in the first generation, of the hybrid powertrain layout from the Prius. The Auris is now in its second generation, launched on the market in 2013. A few months ago it received a mid-life restyling that improved its appearance and dynamic capabilities, and we have tested it in its estate body.

Exterior design

The design of the Auris is that of a vehicle that is easy on the eye. It doesn’t chase great modernity or flamboyance. It is a simple design that appeals to most potential buyers of this model. With the restyling, the look has improved noticeably thanks to a more aggressive and dynamic front end, which debuts renewed light clusters with LED technology, a more attractive bumper and a grille more similar to that of other models from the Japanese brand.

In this estate version the body is longer than in the compact version (4.59 versus 4.33 metres) and the waistline has been modified so it rises more gradually to the height of the rear doors. The glazed area is unchanged from the 2013 version, and is more than sufficient.

This Feel! trim adds new 17″ alloy wheels with a more attractive design thanks to the two-tone finish. At the rear we find lights with a renewed interior design, which now use LED technology for the low beam and position lights, as on the front. Two new body colours have been added, called Dark Blue Mica (dark blue) and Blue Metallic (metallic blue).

Interior design

Inside, the changes, while not very striking, are noticeable if you pay attention to certain details. The renovation has focused on improving build quality, while also adding new comfort and safety systems.

The basic design remains the same, although some controls have changed in appearance, such as those of the climate control system. The entertainment system has also changed; its screen is now capacitive, and the side buttons have been replaced by a touch surface that looks more attractive. The instrument layout has also changed, and now features a large central colour screen.

Clear instrumentation, but with little information

Some trim pieces, such as those on the doors and the dashboard at passenger height, have changed in appearance. They may be finished in different materials such as gloss black plastic, which has been very fashionable lately. The fabric upholstery has new patterns. In the case of the hybrid version, the gear lever knob now has a black finish instead of the previous blue.

Otherwise, we find the interior of a typical Auris, with its “normal” sense of robustness. The panel gaps are well executed, nothing rattles or looks out of place, but the quality of most of the materials is somewhat modest. Soft-touch plastics are conspicuously absent, with hard plastics being the most abundant.

The interior is not especially eye-catching, but it is well finished and tidy

The Auris’s interior space is in line with the segment average. There are no major differences between the compact version and the estate variant, limited to a gain of 2 centimetres in rear headroom, the result of a less steeply sloping roof. So we are in the same situation as always, with an interior that is comfortable and pleasant for four occupants, which becomes much less so when trying to accommodate a fifth passenger.

The boot is indeed one of the largest in the segment, with a gain over the compact version of 170 litres, reaching a minimum capacity of 530 litres, expandable to a maximum of 1658 litres. The rear seat backrests can be folded in a 60/40 split very easily thanks to the system that Toyota calls “Easy Flat”, which is simply two handles located on the sides of the boot with which the backrests can be folded in a single movement. The loading lip is low, which helps when loading heavy or bulky items.

The Toyota Auris Hybrid uses the same mechanical layout as the third-generation Toyota Prius, which has recently been discontinued, the Toyota Prius+ or the Lexus CT200h. It consists of a naturally aspirated 1.8 four-cylinder petrol engine operating on the Atkinson cycle, producing 99 CV. It is paired with an 80 CV electric motor, resulting in a combined output of 136 CV.

The Auris, like every Toyota hybrid, can travel on electric power alone, on thermal power alone, or on a combination of both. The electric drive is powered by a Ni-MH battery pack with a capacity of 1.3 kWh, located beneath the rear seats.

Did you notice? In the engine bay you can see the two expansion tanks for two cooling systems

Time to get the Auris moving. The hybrid version features keyless start, with automatic entry and exit available as an option. When pressing the blue button marked “Power”, a gentle beep reminds us the vehicle is ready to go while the instrument cluster lights up.

At low speeds, the Auris Hybrid offers unmatched smoothness. The silence typical of electric motors is joined by a total absence of jerking, characteristic of a continuously variable e-CVT transmission. When we want to gain some speed, the petrol engine kicks in without any jolt, with a perfect engagement.

The figures leave no room for doubt: the Auris Hybrid is a vehicle with modest performance. The 0 to 100 km/h sprint is completed in 11.2 seconds, reaching a top speed of 175 CV. Although the cold figures tell one story, in reality the Auris does not feel slow, mainly thanks to the constant push of the electric motor.

On ring roads and in urban driving, this hybrid model offers levels of quietness and comfort well above average, although on fast roads it can sometimes feel a little uncomfortable because the engine has to rev quite hard to gain speed nimbly.

Its operation is very smooth as long as we don’t press the accelerator fully

That said, it is not all about acceleration and speed. When the corners come, the Auris behaves nobly, mainly thanks to a very well-tuned suspension, which allows relatively high cornering speeds without excessive body roll, while maintaining comfort on board. The brakes also respond very well, with more than decent stopping power. The same cannot be said of the steering, which is clearly over-assisted and transmits almost no feedback. Of course the stability control is not missing, which on this model cannot be switched off, and which intervenes very early.

The Auris, in its hybrid variant, has three driving modes. ECO mode prioritises efficiency, reducing the sensitivity of the accelerator and the power drawn by elements such as the air conditioning compressor. POWER mode does just the opposite, shortening the accelerator travel and increasing the output of the electrical components, resulting in a more immediate response. Finally, NORMAL mode seeks a balance between the two.

The fuel consumption of this model is really low. In urban conditions, and taking great care with the accelerator, figures of 3.5-4 litres can be achieved over journeys of 20-25 km. On the open road consumption hovers around 4.5-5 litres, while on fast roads it rises to around 5.5 litres. During our test week, covering 750 km, the on-board computer’s final reading was 5.5 litres/100 km.

How much does the unit you see cost?

The Auris Hybrid Touring Sports is available in the Business, Active, Feel! and Advance trims, and the unit shown in the pictures is the Feel! trim. Its price starts at 21,850€, and it already comes with more than enough equipment for the segment average.

It offers features such as 7 airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag, single-zone climate control, cruise control, darkened rear and side windows, Full LED front headlights with the Follow Me Home system, 17″ two-tone alloy wheels, a 4.2″ TFT screen in the instrument cluster, rain and light sensors, an electrochromic interior rear-view mirror, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel and the Toyota Touch 2 system, with a 7″ touchscreen, Bluetooth audio streaming, USB port and rear-view camera.

The headlights now use LED technology, although they are not adaptive

This particular unit adds a series of extras, namely the Toyota Safety Sense system (700€), which includes Automatic High Beam (AHB), Pre-Collision System (PCS), Road Sign Assist and Lane Departure Alert. It also features the Skyview panoramic roof (700€), the Toyota Touch 2 & Go system (600€) with advanced Bluetooth connectivity, access to apps and built-in navigation, and Dark Blue metallic paint, priced at 500€.

In total, the figure comes to 24,400€, which, with current discounts and taxes included, comes down to 23,600€.

Other versions in the range

If you have decided to look for an Toyota Auris Hybrid TS, you should know that the base Business trim starts at 19,700€, rising to 20,500€ for the Active version. The most expensive, called Advance, starts at 23,700€.

If you want an Auris but prefer other engines, the petrol option is the 120T engine, which starts at 17,500€ for the Active version. If you prefer diesel, the 90D engine has a starting price of 16,850€ for the Business version, while the more powerful 115D variant starts at 20,500€. The most expensive version in the entire Auris Touring Sports range is the 115D Advance, priced at 24,100€.

Photography | Daniel Valdivielso