When it went on sale in February 2007, the Auris felt like Toyota’s most European car to date. The Golf-esque styling was neat and tidy, the crash safety was first rate and there was a wide range of engines to choose from. It was hardly a design revolution, but why would it be? The Auris was the successor to the Corolla, the world’s bestselling car, so Toyota had good reason to stick with a winning formula.

Slip into the driver’s seat, start the engine, and the dashboard glows a gentle orange like a sunrise. The Optitron dials, which give the impression that they float in the instrument panel, were just one of many nice new touches, and what the exterior lacked in radical design, the interior made up for in comfort and space.

Drivers of petrol models would be forgiven for thinking the engine had stalled, so silent is it as it idles. The diesels are nearly as good, and offer the kind of fuel economy you would usually expect only from a smaller supermini.

On the road, the Auris is a pleasant enough drive. The suspension allows it to glide over poor road surfaces yet manages to hang on with composure when the car is challenged with twisting lanes. The speed-sensitive steering, standard across the range, is another impressive feature: light and easy in town, it provides increasing feel and weighting as the speed rises.

Levels of standard equipment are quite modest, with base-model T2 versions having steel wheels and making do with wind-up rear windows. Even top-of-the-range models needed the option boxes ticking for leather upholstery or satellite navigation.

A decent boot and good rear legroom add to the appeal of the Auris. In fact, if it were blessed with a slightly more eye-catching exterior, it could be one of the best cars in its segment.

Reliability and servicing

For years the name Toyota was a watchword for quality. This year’s recall issues may have dented that reputation, but it is quickly recovering. Not only do UK owners seem more than content with their Toyotas, but the demand for used examples has actually firmed up.

Servicing costs are reasonable and dealers will be happy to quote a fixed price for jobs. Brake pads and discs appear to be particularly durable, with many owners managing more than 40,000 miles on a set of front brake pads, and even more on the rears.

Residuals

Few cars in the family hatchback class do particularly well in terms of residual value. With so much competition and volume, a new car will typically halve in value after two years of ownership.

With both diesel and petrol models popular on the second-hand market, there is no model in the Auris range that you need avoid. Even the MultiMode automatic, which some drivers dislike, retains a loyal following and commands a modest £300 premium over the equivalent manual model.



NEED TO KNOW:

Engines

The 1.33-litre petrol engine introduced in November 2008 has Start & Stop technology, which cuts emissions and saves fuel around town, but can initially be disconcerting

Gearlever

Take a test drive to be sure that you get on with the dashboard-mounted gearlever

Interior

The trim and fabric are highly durable so any obvious signs of wear may suggest that the car has had a particularly tough life

Safety

The Auris achieves the top Euro NCAP adult-occupancy crash-test score, and all models have a driver’s knee airbag and anti-whiplash head restraints

Service interval

Due every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs sooner

Stereo

An iPod can be hooked up to it and controlled by steering-wheel buttons


 

The one to buy

A 2008 08 five-door Toyota Auris 2.0 D-4D T3 with 20,000 miles on the clock. Pay £10,995 at a Toyota franchised dealer or £10,250 privately
 

Alternative

Or for similar money:

2007 07 Honda Civic 2.2i-CTDi ES 5dr

2007 57 Volkswagen Golf 1.9 TDI Sport 5dr

2008 57 Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTDm Lusso 5dr

2008 08 Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Zetec 5dr

2009 59 Vauxhall Astra 1.9 CDTi SXi 5dr
 
Figures based on CAP April 2010 edition

 © Bumper Media Limited April 2010