I looked at the golf before I bought a diesel one of these. The golf had less gadgets, a shorter guarantee, only a 5 speed gear box, and was a lot more expensive. All this pushed me to the Toyota. It's a great car and I've never really regretted my choice. I'd agree the steering is a bit light for it to be fun, but it makes my daily 100 mile commute a breeze. Having owned an ageing BMW before this, it’s great to have something reliable and cheap to run.
2 years since you wrote that comment, the golf still has no manual 6 speed gearbox... I do lot's of highway mileage, a 5 speed gearbox is so bad for cruising MPG...
I own this car for 5 years from 2014 hybrid 1. 8l 136 Hp lounge version full extra nothing has gone wrong so far not even a light bulb.... Very cheap to run and very economical
So I just traded the Auris in against a Lexus. The Auris had 120k miles and, apart from break pads, only a lightbulb was changed. Stuck with Toyota as it was such a good car.
this is a very good daily driver imo. my mother has one and ive borrowed it many times. i like it, its comfortable, cheap and has everything you will need. its not a fun car or supposed to look like an awesome sportscar. Its just for getting you around cheaply and comfortably. And it does that well.
own one for some years now and 39.000 km - i would not trade it for anything else in the world as a daily driver. it's comfortable, economical and reliable - more is honestly not needed for traveling from a to b to c and back. oh, and the fuel consumption? i got less than what toyota states (3.58 l/100 km instead of the claimed 3.8 l/100 km (6 tanks below 3.8 until now)) - mindblowing.
Truth is German cars are better than Japanese cars in the first 4 years then Japanese cars are way better than German cars from 5 years on. I have both so I can comment fairly.
You can really only take these sorts of review with a pinch of salt these days. They get so much submission and pay-outs from automakers - VW are renowned for doing it that's its hard to find a genuinely un-biased reviewer for cars. The interior quality is better than the latest golf. Toyota's plastics, leather (although fake) on the dashboard with white stitching really adds to a sense of quality. And the Lexus switchgear they are now using and Toyotas first class build quality is 2nd to none.
This is somewhat of an example of how we just can't have it all. We can't have compact fuel economy, sports handling, luxury car comfort, estate car space, an affordable price, and a car that looks rich. Don't get me wrong. I do respect Mat, and I think he gives for the most part fair evaluations. But this car, I think he was a bit harsh on.
Matt's got this one wrong unfortunately. I've just rented a brand new corolla/auris and it is a BIG leap forward in terms of handling and interior quality. The equipment level on the standard car is also very impressive. And no, it doesn't have 'porridge'' like steering. It handles a lot better than before and as good as, if not better than a Civic hatch!
The old Auris was much bigger than the Golf and also alot more reliable and comfortable. This new Auris is much better to look at and is better to drive.
The comments about the steering are right. It is light. But we upgraded from a 1.3 yaris to a hybrid auris, and the auris has a ton more power and is way quieter. Its great for long journeys.
I just upgraded from a yaris 1.0 to the auris 1.2 turbo and I can understand you !!! The auris is slighty worse than rolls royce to me, only slightly !
Your absolutely right. One of my friends lives in sri lanka, very hot conditions and the likes of VW with their "soft touch plastic" simply don't hold up in that heat, they melt and go slimy among with the many electrical and general durability problems.They loves Toyotas out there, in parts of Africa, all you see is helixes and land cruisers. Toyotas re proper quality cars, and their perceived quality has improved recently, but they are still as tough and as nice a car as they have always been.
Matt! The problem is; you're judging the car with the hybrid version! After watching this review I went to a Toyota dealership and test drove the new Auris 1.6 with the CVT. The car was roaring when you press the throtle but this does not mean the car was standing still! 0-100km/h time is 11.1 sec. which is not bad! The CVT is this exactly, doing it's job in a different way, so shame on you because you're presenting this in a different manner! More on the second comment;
Look, it's just when I look at nearly every car review video and there's comments saying the reliability of the cars is terrible, it makes me think 'What car is reliable?' Because on a lot of video reviews people are saying the car is unreliable. That's why I think everyone's lying about reliability of cars - they can't be so unreliable otherwise no-one would by them. So what car brands are 'reliable'?? :) Oh and sorry if I seem really angry in my comment, I'm not really angry :D.
I definitely don't agree with this review. The steering is miles better than anything before in a Toyota and is on par with the new Golf (better even if light), that means not the best in it's class but good enough. I actually drove these two cars after each other and I measured the noise level to be better in the Auris Hybrid than in the new Golf (road noise is terrible) on roads with bad surfaces. The Auris was actually more fun to drive! the suspension is also comfy in the Auris. Surpised!?
Industry has changed for Toyota as well, especially in Europe. Anyone saying the Auris isn't nice to drive is simply lying. Especially the hybrid versions with fully independent double-wishbone rear suspension. It isn't a Mégane Sport yet, but it's light years ahead from the older Auris and perfectly on par with the Astra or the Golf. This test-car has tiny 15" wheels which might contribute to lighten up the steering feel.
I would love to hear about the fuel economy in more method like liter/km and more likely if you can tell how fast can the car goes and still save.. It would be more unique review I would think. Please consider liter/km method. Thank you for your good reviews.
I am buying this Toyota. The only true negative part about the car is the very limited adjustment option of the steering wheel. you really have very limited options of dragging it out towards you and sitting a little back with the seat. this is really annoying. apart from that, it drives beautifully and the power is absolutely satisfying. Volkswagen for example has a much better offer in that regard. But for the interior you pay 8000 more..
I think its more along the line of "fit and finish". Generally most people 'prefer' a car that is built well and is nicely appointed. Not everyone cares, but its certainly a nice trait that Toyotas have traditionally come to be known for. My '11 Corolla is indeed quite boring but its well built and has a nice finish. Good enough for me.
And Matt gives HIS OPINION, but covers everything because this is a car BUYER review, to help people with there purchase. He doesn't say it's shit and you should buy a Golf or Focus. He names it's merits and "if" he prefer this, and "if" you prefer that, you should buy this, otherwise this model is great for these reasons... bla bla. The criteria in which people in the market for a vehicle look for. GEEZ PEOPLE!!
If the current Toyota models are not as reliable as they used to be, that's actually more of a problem of a consumer, rather than one of Toyota. Problem for Toyota would be if their new models were already not more reliable than the competition.
Affordable? Maybe where you live... Here in Costa Rica they are the most expensive Asian car manufacturer, and they are even on par with prices of other brands like VW, Peugeot, and Citroen... In most car classes they are even more expensive than Renault and Chevrolet
What's with people's objections to carbuyers preference to Volkswagen and Ford. You do realise they these two models are the benchmarks in their class whether you agree or not. Not only do car buyer agree but SO DOES EVERY OTHER MOTORING JOURNALIST!!! Even here in Australia, the Golf is the benchmark with the new Focus not far behind. Even with praise of these two models with Aussie motoring journalists, the Mazda 3 and Auris (marketed as Corolla in Aus) are the top sellers.
Thanks for the reply. I have always thought they should sell a Corolla Hybrid in the USA. In fact my own corolla get nearly 40 mpg(US) I can only imagine what it would be if it had Toyota's Hybrid system in it
Well you said you know those cars I mentioned. If you 'knew' that they existed (which you didn't) why didn't you mention it earlier? There was a reason why Toyota dropped out of F1 and stopped making sportscars. In Japan, tax is enormous and many people favoured using public transport so the appeal of sportscars wasn't big. Also, for financial reasons they thought that by making cheap to run cars can get their profit back so that they can return to making these cars.
I think the interior of Auris was designed by a team of WWII veteran Japanese engineers. What is it with the Japanese that forbids them a perception of quality in the cabin?
i agree with you. in the 90s the cars were designed like not to be broken. now you can see the plastic is very cheap. one year and car starts falling down. i just feel bad if that happens to me. there are strong plastic material tho. think they sale it expensive and low quality but they still have reputation for reliability. when they lose customer trust with repetitive problems they will pay a lot for that.
i'm between golf MK7 1.6lt and auris 1.4lt 2013 (both diesel)!i need a car to travel quite a lot,mostly out of town and sometimes perhaps with other 4 persons in it!which one should i get?
You must be kidding about the golf... Vw is known for it screw up for their 7 speed dsg gearbox with recalls all over the world. It's a matter of time before the golf 7 gets the MU and juddering problems. I wonder how much vw pays the reviewers for their cars. I drive a 2012 jetta sports, and yes I have the MU and juddering problems. The MU failed at 11000km
Matt, did Ford gave you money to advertise them? Ford is not THAT good...... My friend's Ford new Focus is crap to him. A lot of problems an issues. My Peugeot new 308 does not even have any till now. And I've done about 100,000km on high speed on highways.
Clearly you don't understand what a review is. Basically, you say the good things and bad things, and with the bad things, you suggest alternatives, so that people who are concerned with the bad points can look at those reviews.
Because recalls are all discretionary, an engine expectedly not starting is not. If something should be considered unreliable, it should be the agencies that circulate the recalls. Many issues are blowout of proportion while others problems can be ignored. The truth is that many Toyota owners are faced with recalls, but they may not necessarily see reliability issues with their cars. That's why Toyota can still get praise for dependability.
Carbuyer is promoting 'ford' soooooooo much with 'fun to drive' , without any criticism of the Powershift Automatic blunder that ford has made. I feel like I am watching a biased review sometimes. When a car judders or stalls with the Powershift, it is no more a 'fun to drive' do you agree ?
Toyota seem to be putting all their chips in the hybrid pot. I don't quite understand that, because unless you really care about C02, a diesel gets better mileage that some of these hybrids.
And Matt; if you wonder I can tell you the things you try to hide in a Ford which you always criticize in other brand cars, anytime! I'm serious, it's really annoying to see your effort to humiliate brands other than Ford! I own a 2011 Ford Focus and I can experience the points you're lying about and obscuring by myself! shame on you!
Hows he complaining about the exterior looks? I mean you line up all the hatches this wouldn't be offensive at all, and dont tell me it looks boring, it looks nice actually. The dash it looks fine design wise but yeah the materials could be better.
yes totally agree,currently the gt86 named car of the year by top gear and lfa is jeremies favourite supercar.they know to make everthing from corolla to lfa.i love my toyota because its good on its own way and it fulfills the need and want of millions perfectly. at last hilux and land cruisers are unbreakable. i love toyota
people need to realise that carbuyer's reviews are to help people with their decision in a new car purchase. They try to cover everything which may sway a buyer from one model to another. Listen in every video and you'll hear the word "if" a lot. "if" you like road comfort, "if" you prefer better steering, "if" you like better design, etc. And they'll say "in my opinion", which they're entitled to, and in no means does it imply that you should think that way. Stop the narrow-mindness people
Ford's quality has dropped in recent times, everyone i know complains. i dont know why he's so biased when it comes to that one specific brand. too bad. .
Don't forget the '65 S800 & 2000GT, the Celica, the Supra, the MR2... And Subaru did fuck all on the GT86, all they did was help out with the Boxer engine. Otherwise, the rest of their current range suck! Toyota rule...
thinking of getting the hybrid as my next car, would you recommend it? What's the real-world MPG like? Does anyone know where Carbuyer do their road tests?
The interior looks just as good as any other car in the same price range and the outside looks lovely i don't know why the pick on toyotas so much on this channel.
Why, when you test a car from a German-made car identified as the best of everything, and when you test a Japanese car turned out to be a cheap and unfit for driving on the street any thing, but it's the opposite
The 1.8 version of this actually moves watched my mate hit 170 In one and had a lot left in it. I expected it to be gutless because of its low torque output but fuck if it's in the power band it goes alright.
I just can't see the point in buying a Toyota as Mazda's are a just as reliable, more fun to drive and better looking. It seems to me that the millions that buy a Toyota for reliability don't realize the auto industry has changed since the 90's and you can choose a wide range of vehicles that are both reliable AND nice to drive.
Typical. Any review done by this guy involves snide remarks about any brand that isn't a VW or Ford. It's as if UK journalists can't help but wet themselves over anything that's German.
Erm... who has reliability problems with Toyota? I mean, yes, the US market seem to have issues (usually while eating chips), but the rest of the world doesn't. Toyota still rate very highly in UK & Europe, they still out sell everything in Africa, Asia, Australia and everything in between.
If its not cheap, then sorry, why would anyone want to buy a low-quality-car for a high price. As you said, an hyundai i30 would be the better choice then, or go for something else. In before Toyota-Fanboys.
I totally agree with you! By the way do you know that Matt Wattson is working for Ford also? Check out the Ford UkTv RU-vid channel, you'll see what you and I mean ;)
I would assume they're trying to appeal to the southern United States, which has a deep connection to Motor City shitboxes. In essence, they make their new cars as plasticy as possible, and in turn are guaranteed a market among Ford and Chevy buyers.
I've got the older 2005/2006 facelife version with tear drop HID headlamps and I have to agree. The old one was not too fancy with the black and grey interior, but it looked better a rather soft rubbery feel to the plastics on the centre console. The new one looks completely shit and low quality without even laying hands on one.
Wrong, there are many people around the world having problems with Toyotas, sorry, but Cornerer is right, Toyota is no longer what they used to be back in the 90's. People is actually moving to other brands, especially Korean brands, because they feel they get more and safer cars than what they pay for a Toyota. Also, ALL TOYOTA MODELS FAILED the latest Small Frontal Offset Crash Test (while Kia passed the same test), so they are also not as safety as other brands in the market.
what do you mean it gets led drls ..........................its European law that new cars must run drls and leds are the preffered type not like the cheap stuff still used vw Passat and jetta and audis.
