Ownership Review

[ChrisB666]

I've now owned my Auris for over six months and covered my first 10,000 miles ... car has just been serviced so I've created a mini-review with my thoughts so far... I like to read these threads myself so it may be interesting for others to read.

My previous cars for the last few years have each been VAG, a mix of VW and SEAT each with 1.9 TDI's and different power outputs and gearboxes. I was happy with the range of cars but I bought the Auris for two reasons... I wanted a taste of a different car (And had no interest in a French/Italian car) and also wanted something slightly smaller with enough room for our little one - my partner sometimes struggled with the Passat on her own. I wanted to try a Japanese car and was undecided on the Civic so the Auris/Corolla it was.

I took the Auris because it was a reasonable sized car and offered a good engine, the 2.0 D-4D. The salesman tried pushing us to drive a 1.6 petrol engine but as I cover 20K a year and like a bit of oomph in the car, I had no interest. The 2.0 diesel would give me similar performance, economy and behave similar to what I was used to.

So I bought the Auris and got a lower spec than I thought ... my previous cars had Climate Control, Cruise Control and a 6-CD Changer... the later two I would never use anyways so the loss of climate is the only thing I miss, I did get one in Silver though and within my budget which was ideal. I intended on buying shortly after the release of the '10 plate, bundled with the recall that was going on I actually got a trade in value for my previous car that was the same as I had paid for it 18 months before... buying the Toyota seemed like a good idea... and it was.

So in six months my thoughts on various areas are below...

Fuel Consumption - I'm getting about 480 to 500 miles to a £50 tank.

Performance - Spot on, I do feel it slow initially taking off but it's fine once rolling.

Noise Levels - Road noise is fine, wind noise is fine, engine is noisy when cold but above average for a diesel of similar age when warmed up. I find this quieter than my previous VW diesels and a lot quieter compared to my partners 58 Astra 1.9 CDTI.

Reliability - Only one issue to date with lack of power and a lot of smoke, a blocked EGR valve was the culprit and the car has been fine since it was replaced by the dealership. The rear brakes seized up also, dealership stripped down and cleaned then fitted new pads and this hasn't re-occured either.

Interior Quality - No issues to date, a few scratches on the inner B pillar where the seatbelt catch rests. I try to hoover out the car and dust on a bi-monthly basis.

Bodywork Quality - No issues here either, I did find some specks of rust which have cleared - not sure what the cause of this was. When I picked the car up we stripped the previous waxes off and gave it a claying, two coats of Collonite and then sealed - when washed the car looks as good as it did the day it rolled out of the factory. One wheel has a slight kerb mark on it which was there when I bought it.

Space - No issues with space. Car comfortably takes three adults, a baby, pram and a load of shopping - with that can happily sit at 80MPH on a motorway and maintain good MPG.

Tyres - Wearing as expected, no issues.

Another point to note is that I replaced the registration plates on the car with my own when fitting a cherished registration. The front plate is shorter than normal yet meets the legal requirement, this at a glance allows the Auris to stand out slightly when parked next to similar models, and the dealership also commented that it was a nice touch. (When the car went in to get the EGR valve replaced, the front plate was slightly loose - the dealership re-fitted this using thick sticky pads rather than screws to my preference)

All in all, things have been fine. At the 30K service yesterday an Engine Flush was recommended along with replacing my torn rear window wiper, this cost me £22.05 all in and the service was covered as part of a Service Plan when the car was purchased, the dealership didn't wash the car (At my request) and valeted the interior which was spotless and smelling fresh afterwards. I've been quite happy with both purchase and aftersales service received by the Toyota dealership in Linwood that I've used.

One negative point though when speaking to a salesman whilst waiting on the car was that on the new Auris they don't intend on fitting the 2.0 D-4D engine - this will stop me buying the new Auris in 18 months time when I change. :(

[daveybee]

I've now owned my Auris for over six months and covered my first 10,000 miles ... car has just been serviced so I've created a mini-review with my thoughts so far... I like to read these threads myself so it may be interesting for others to read.

My previous cars for the last few years have each been VAG, a mix of VW and SEAT each with 1.9 TDI's and different power outputs and gearboxes. I was happy with the range of cars but I bought the Auris for two reasons... I wanted a taste of a different car (And had no interest in a French/Italian car) and also wanted something slightly smaller with enough room for our little one - my partner sometimes struggled with the Passat on her own. I wanted to try a Japanese car and was undecided on the Civic so the Auris/Corolla it was.

I took the Auris because it was a reasonable sized car and offered a good engine, the 2.0 D-4D. The salesman tried pushing us to drive a 1.6 petrol engine but as I cover 20K a year and like a bit of oomph in the car, I had no interest. The 2.0 diesel would give me similar performance, economy and behave similar to what I was used to.

So I bought the Auris and got a lower spec than I thought ... my previous cars had Climate Control, Cruise Control and a 6-CD Changer... the later two I would never use anyways so the loss of climate is the only thing I miss, I did get one in Silver though and within my budget which was ideal. I intended on buying shortly after the release of the '10 plate, bundled with the recall that was going on I actually got a trade in value for my previous car that was the same as I had paid for it 18 months before... buying the Toyota seemed like a good idea... and it was.

So in six months my thoughts on various areas are below...

Fuel Consumption - I'm getting about 480 to 500 miles to a £50 tank.

Performance - Spot on, I do feel it slow initially taking off but it's fine once rolling.

Noise Levels - Road noise is fine, wind noise is fine, engine is noisy when cold but above average for a diesel of similar age when warmed up. I find this quieter than my previous VW diesels and a lot quieter compared to my partners 58 Astra 1.9 CDTI.

Reliability - Only one issue to date with lack of power and a lot of smoke, a blocked EGR valve was the culprit and the car has been fine since it was replaced by the dealership. The rear brakes seized up also, dealership stripped down and cleaned then fitted new pads and this hasn't re-occured either.

Interior Quality - No issues to date, a few scratches on the inner B pillar where the seatbelt catch rests. I try to hoover out the car and dust on a bi-monthly basis.

Bodywork Quality - No issues here either, I did find some specks of rust which have cleared - not sure what the cause of this was. When I picked the car up we stripped the previous waxes off and gave it a claying, two coats of Collonite and then sealed - when washed the car looks as good as it did the day it rolled out of the factory. One wheel has a slight kerb mark on it which was there when I bought it.

Space - No issues with space. Car comfortably takes three adults, a baby, pram and a load of shopping - with that can happily sit at 80MPH on a motorway and maintain good MPG.

Tyres - Wearing as expected, no issues.

Another point to note is that I replaced the registration plates on the car with my own when fitting a cherished registration. The front plate is shorter than normal yet meets the legal requirement, this at a glance allows the Auris to stand out slightly when parked next to similar models, and the dealership also commented that it was a nice touch. (When the car went in to get the EGR valve replaced, the front plate was slightly loose - the dealership re-fitted this using thick sticky pads rather than screws to my preference)

All in all, things have been fine. At the 30K service yesterday an Engine Flush was recommended along with replacing my torn rear window wiper, this cost me £22.05 all in and the service was covered as part of a Service Plan when the car was purchased, the dealership didn't wash the car (At my request) and valeted the interior which was spotless and smelling fresh afterwards. I've been quite happy with both purchase and aftersales service received by the Toyota dealership in Linwood that I've used.

One negative point though when speaking to a salesman whilst waiting on the car was that on the new Auris they don't intend on fitting the 2.0 D-4D engine - this will stop me buying the new Auris in 18 months time when I change. :(

That's a good report, but when the time comes, how about an Auris HSD? You'll get about the same fuel consumption, cheap road tax (free at the present) and it'll be somewhat quieter. The only thing you may struggle with is boot space, but Mr T. is working on that with their new "Boot Maximiser". Certainly worth a look in 18 months. D.

[Jike]

At last! A happy poster.

I love my Auris and must be honest I have stopped looking at this forum on such a regular basis because of the moans. (Before some smart**** pipes in, "yes it is good to know problems", but some of them, well, what can I say?)

You have restored my faith in "normal people" by giving such honest/balanced personal views. Well done, and thank you.

To back track a little, I do still appreciate the advice I have been given when I have asked. But some people.....

[HAZAURIS]

I've had my Auris now for 2 months and absolutely am over the moon with it. The fuel economy is very good for a 1.6 petrol averaging out at 36 mpg and above all it's comfortable too drive, style & design is spot on. The acceleration is good too for a 1.6 and the gear knob and handbrake I don't find a problem at all. The model I have is the spirit so it has every gadget you can think of in the car, loving the stop/start button, climate control & air conditioning and the cd player is great too, even better with the controls on the steering wheel, good tone.

I have owned a toyota previously a 2.0 diesel avensis (53 plate), however found this to be too big and didn't like the black smoke that pounded out of the exhaust every time I put my foot down, it was noisy too, the only good thing was the factory fitted sat nav.

No I reckon the Auris has been a good purchase, the only slight niggle I have is that now the weather is changing and has gone cold sometimes in a morning when I start her up there is a squeak on one of the belts, I know it has a timing chain. I contacted the dealership and was advised to just spray some lubricant on the belts, this worked for a short time, however it only does it intermittently and only when I start her up then it disappears within 5 seconds.

[acetip]

I've had my Auris now for 2 months and absolutely am over the moon with it. The fuel economy is very good for a 1.6 petrol averaging out at 36 mpg and above all it's comfortable too drive, style & design is spot on. The acceleration is good too for a 1.6 and the gear knob and handbrake I don't find a problem at all. The model I have is the spirit so it has every gadget you can think of in the car, loving the stop/start button, climate control & air conditioning and the cd player is great too, even better with the controls on the steering wheel, good tone.

I have owned a toyota previously a 2.0 diesel avensis (53 plate), however found this to be too big and didn't like the black smoke that pounded out of the exhaust every time I put my foot down, it was noisy too, the only good thing was the factory fitted sat nav.

No I reckon the Auris has been a good purchase, the only slight niggle I have is that now the weather is changing and has gone cold sometimes in a morning when I start her up there is a squeak on one of the belts, I know it has a timing chain. I contacted the dealership and was advised to just spray some lubricant on the belts, this worked for a short time, however it only does it intermittently and only when I start her up then it disappears within 5 seconds.

you dont say if you brought your auris new or not.if not new then the belt noise may be caused by a weak Battery and the alternator is trying to charge the Battery back to fully charge,and the belts slipping with the load.is the belt adjusted correctly.as to putting a lubricant on the belt this would make it slip more,but the lubricant would stop the noise.if the Battery is ok and the belts adjustments ok,and the belts itself ok you can buy a can of industrial belt spray that stops belts slipping.i will try and find where you can get it.but why not take back and have the dealer sort it .

as for all the gadgets you say you have, i think you should look at some of the opposition and see what they fit as standerd.i have a t.spirit too.

[HAZAURIS]

My auris is 3 and half years old, 07 plate, I've emailed the dealership today, just waiting for a reply, it did it again this morning with the wet weather when I started her up. Yes I thought the same that lubricating the belt would make it slip more.....I'll see what comes of it when I speak to the dealer, I've only got 3 months warranty so want it sorting out before that expires. Thanks for your advice though, much appreciated.

[acetip]

My auris is 3 and half years old, 07 plate, I've emailed the dealership today, just waiting for a reply, it did it again this morning with the wet weather when I started her up. Yes I thought the same that lubricating the belt would make it slip more.....I'll see what comes of it when I speak to the dealer, I've only got 3 months warranty so want it sorting out before that expires. Thanks for your advice though, much appreciated.

hope they sort it out for you.if they cant then if you go on e-bay stick in belt slip there are sprays on there that will stop the noise.

[ChrisB666]

I'll be honest, I didn't read up much on the different trim levels and such when I bought my Auris - though at the same time the salesman at the Toyota dealership didn't advise me much on my options. It was very much a case of the 2.0 D-4D TR or a 2.2 D-4D SR (At about £3,000 extra). If I was buying the car now I'd be keeping an eye out for a 2.0 D-4D T-Spirit with the extra toys ... though with the TR being the more common model I was able to go in browsing and then picking up the new car a few days later.

Not looking to start an argument or a debate but the HSD models are really not for me. Since I started driving I've always liked diesel cars and would like to stick to them for a bit longer yet - I think the fuel economy, tax charges and power received from my car at the moment is spot on - sure I'd like the extra 60 horses the 2.2 would bring but realistically I drive the same roads each day and find the current car is good in various traffics.

Glad to see people are liking a happy post... I made this thread for that very reason - I hope that my next 10,000 miles go just as well... I'm feeling confident that my time owning this car will be a good experience.