When it comes to midsize hatchbacks, your mind usually goes to the sportiness of Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Renault Mégane, the style of Peugeot 308 and Opel Astra, or the charisma of Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. Models like Auris (or Citroën C4 and Nissan Pulsar) are never someone’s first thought, and yet some of them manage to sell just as well. The reason is the fact that they excel in different aspects. Instead of trying to dazzle the customer, these cars strive to please in the everyday life, whether with large room, good value, or low consumption and emissions. This set of characteristics attract a much more rational kind of customer: they are few and not too many, but once you get to seduce them, they aren’t likely to visit a rival dealer when it’s time to get a new car.
Having all this in mind, Auris’ facelift results quite predictable. The visual changes, for instance, were restricted to the front and rear ends. The first one features a more horizontal style, composed by a sleek upper grille that carries the corporate logo and gets bifurcated to make room for the all-new headlights. The lower section was refreshed in order to look more imponent and even a little sportier. As it turns out, the X-shaped design will be applied only on smaller models, such as Aygo and Yaris. The same design rules were applied to the rear, which had both lights and bumper recreated. The biggest difference between hatchback and station wagon, besides size and silhouette, is still the license plate’s position. The quantity of chrome inserts vary according to the trim level.
Since Auris’ old dashboard was already very horizontal, Toyota didn’t need to work much to adapt it to its current design language. What really received the company’s attention were aspects with which people deal every day: the lights are more integrated, the touchable materials are “more consistent” in shape and texture, and the whole design is now cleaner and more uniform. They will also notice a sportier instrument cluster and new upholstery designs for the seats. The Japanese also included some little upgrades dedicated to reduce noise, vibration and harshness, such as revised steering and suspension, and the use of more soundproofing material. After all, in a vehicle whose best-selling variation is the hybrid, you don’t want its biggest noise to come from low-quality finishing.
Speaking of hybrid, it remains one of Auris’ strongest sales arguments. It still pairs a VVT-i 1.8 to an electric motor so as to deliver 136 hp, go from 0 to 100 kph in 10.9 seconds, reach 180 kph and emit 79 g/km of CO2. The electric system is designed to work alone as much as possible, and can do it without charging for two kilometers at 50 kph. Among the other options, there’s a new gasoline 1.2-liter with direct injection and turbocharger, capable of 116 hp and 18.9 kgfm. Switching to diesel, the D4-D 1.4 was updated to meet Euro 6 standards, and now features reduced friction, lightweight components and a new NOx-reducer catalyst (you’ll get 90 hp and 20.9 kgfm). The last novelty is a D4-D 1.6, good for 112 hp and 27.5 kgfm.