9 valid reasons why Toyota was right to discontinue the Auris?

Toyota brought us the Auris back in 2006, it was the much anticipated replacement for the Toyota Corolla. More so, the fact that Toyota were to add its Hybrid train to the vehicle, meaning that customers no longer had to opt for the uglier sister, the Toyota Prius.

In 2009, Toyota did just that, it announced the production of the Hybrid version of the Toyota Hybrid and that that they were going to be built at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in Derbyshire.

In March 2018 at the annual Geneva Motor Show, Toyota unveiled the Auris’ replacement, yep, you guess it… The Toyota Corolla.

Credit: Toyota UK

Now we know that the Auris name was heading to the car naming gallery in the sky (for now anyway), we can really be brutal about the Toyota Auris and what we thought about it…

1. Interior — Plastic, dull and felt very cheap. From the snap noise that the glovebox made to the horrible feel of the plastic switches, the car was a disappointment all around when compared to similar cars from Hyundai, Kia and Honda.
2. Engines — We all know that the Hybrid version of this car came with the 1.8 VVT-i engine, but I think Toyota forgot to include 1000cc’s of this engine. So sluggish and then there’s the gearbox…
3. CVT Gearbox — With many of the latest Hybrids from Hyundai and VAG Group including Dual Clutch Gearboxes with their offerings, Toyota sticks to the god awful CVT gearbox. Generating lots of noise but no acceleration and from the outside of the car, sounds like someone is ‘riding’ the clutch!
4. Suspension — Every time I drove the Toyota Auris, I felt I was driving a bouncy castle on wheels. Sure it would float away down the motorway in a straight line. But around the bumps in Derby and the surrounding areas, this car made you feel sick, as a driver.
5. Ride Comfort — Flat seats, no back support. I don’t think I need to say much more about this car.
6. Handling — Take a roundabout to quick and your eggs and bacon in the boot would slide at a 35 degree angle against the crappy plastic in the boot. Whilst we all know these cars are meant for sporty cornering, even at slow speeds these cars lean.
7. Noisy Interior — Whilst the Hybrid version is virtually silent in low speed areas, when you (attempt to) open it up, its noisy as hell. On top of this you get a fair amount of buffeting in the steering wheel and pedals. Wind noise around the front windscreen and door windows is also noisy.
8. Sat Nav and Radio — Whilst some of the trim levels included Satellite Navigation, the system itself is poor. Its slow to respond and sometimes you really have to push the screens until you see the LCD rainbow, to actually get anything out of it.
9. No such thing as Self Charging Hybrid — At the moment Toyota are bugging me slightly with their latest advertising campaign. Aren’t all cars self charging, I’m sure I’ve had an alternator on many of my previous cars, but I do feel that this latest marketing ploy is a little misleading. Plugin Hybrids are different, I’ve owned a VW Golf GTE. It ran for 4–5 days on pure electric from my 240v 3 pin plug from outside of my house. Of course I could get the engine to charge the battery on the move, but it really hit the MPG. So as far as I’m concerned, the Self Charging Hybrid term is ridiculous.

So thats my take on the demise of the Toyota Auris, no love lost from this side but will the replacement of the Toyota Corolla be any better?

My first thoughts on the Toyota Corolla:

1. Still has a god awful CVT gearbox, come on Toyota invest in some Double Clutch Gearboxes, it will make a huge difference.
2. Ride and Handling — Much improved here and the road noise and vibration has also improved massively.
3. Looks so much better externally than the Auris’ boxy Dalek back end so credit due to Toyota.
4. Interior — Toyota have really improved on its interior, the car feels modern, better plastics have been used and the Sat Nav/Infotainment has received a much needed upgrade. Seats are so much more comfortable.
5. New Hybrid option — Toyota have included the 2.0 VVT-i engine in its new line up giving you a 0–62mph of 7.9 seconds. Whilst not a pocket rocket and still combined with the horrible CVT gearbox, it makes the car feel much nippier and you feel much more confident coming out of junctions.

Credit: Toyota UK

What are your thoughts on the Toyota Auris?

Have you ever owned or driven a Toyota Auris? What are your positives and negatives on this vehicle? How did you find the hybrid version? What would you suggest for potential second hand buyers to look for? Drop your ideas in the comments below and I will try and answer as many as possible.

About me and my business

I started in retail car sales around 15 years ago for Renault, I only lasted 1 year in this role as I really didn’t enjoy it and I didn’t feel right selling customers the add-on’s, that I personally didn’t feel was worth the money.

I started Cocoon Vehicles in 2007 as a vehicle broker, I wanted to offer an honest approach to motoring but something a little bit different. From 2008 we offered a car subscription; a flexible car lease that you could hand back, upgrade or pause with little or no notice. We now have over 300 cars on our short term car lease fleet.

I am fortunate that I do get to drive some of the latest cars and we get sent demo’s from manufacturers all of the time. Some of which I review and put on to my blog, I’m honest, so if I don’t like a particular model, I will say so.

I’d love to hear your comments on this car, please drop them below.