Mom's taxi test - Toyota Auris Hybrid
Toyota has always been acknowledged for its technological passion and dedication to cutting-edge engineering and design.
The carmaker can also be congratulated for always seeing way beyond the automotive horizon. Back in 2004 or thereabouts, when the then-revolutionary Prius was voted Europe's Car of the Year, and also chalked up a similar accolade in the USA, the man in charge of Toyota's research and development, design and product development, Kazuo Okatmoto, told Automotive News Europe magazine:
“In 20 or 40 years, all the automotive group's cars will be hybrids. It won't just be Toyota. All makers will have hybrids.”
HYBRIDS ARE CATCHING ON
Here we are, some eight years later, and already a large proportion of the world's carmakers boast at least one hybrid model.
Toyota, of course, led the way in the fashion stakes with its Prius, because every wannabe greenie in the 'States and a galaxy of celebrities had to be seen to own one. This resulted in an onslaught of buyers, and demand exceeded supply.
“It was like piloting the QE2”
This week, while driving the hybrid Auris, I couldn't help comparing this smaller, niftier vehicle with the first Prius I ever drove. Back then, it was like piloting the QE2: it was big, vaguely cumbersome, and had controls that were - to technologically-challenged drivers - discombobulating, to say the least.
The Auris, on the other hand, is remarkably streamlined in comparison. Apart from the blue Hybrid badges on the sides and back (and the blue Toyota emblem featuring blue highlights), it's hard to see the difference, on the outside, from any other standard Auris. Closer inspection will show that the front bumper has been tweaked and the front grille is lower.
Inside, there's a stop/start button, a nifty little gearshift for the auto, and a button marked P for Park. There's also a proper old-fashioned handbrake, I was chuffed to note.
THREE DRIVING MODES
You're given a choice of driving modes: Eco for frugal motoring (reduction in throttle response, which also optimises the aircon for fuel economy); Power, for sharper acceleration and more oomph; Normal, and EV, which allows the car to run on power form the electric motor alone.
“You can crank the Auris up to 180km/h”
The car is powered by a 1.8-litre 73kW/142Nm VVT-i engine, and an electric motor connected to a battery pack. You can crank the Auris up to 180km/h, by the way, so it's no lumbering slowcoach.
It's dead silent when in battery mode, and delivers a smooth, eerily quiet and comfortable ride. Toyota quotes a 3.8 litres per 100km consumption, which is phenomenal.
Interior space is ample and if the boot is somewhat small, there's also hidden space beneath the boot mat with nice little hidey-holes for storing goodies. The spare tyre is a get-you-home-safely Marie biscuit.
PSYCHOLOGICALLY NIPPIER
I would buy this more readily than I would the Prius, because it's nicely sized, psychologically feels nippier, and to me, more user friendly.
Mine came with a sunroof, and there's also a small reverse camera to the left of the rear-view mirror. My daughter enjoyed the double cubbyhole, and the deep centre console storage box.
Price for this eco-conscious car: R295 700 for the XR HSD and R272 500 for the XS. Your hybrid also comes with a three-year/100 000km warranty and eight-year/195 000km warranty on hybrid components, and a five-year/90 000km service plan.
ALTERNATIVES:
Citroen C4 e-HDi 110 (82kW, 4.2 l/100km) - R251 400
Honda Insight Hybrid (73kW, 4.6 l/100km) - R265 098
Toyota Auris 2.0 D-4D (93kW, 5.4 l/100km) - R263 000
Toyota Auris Hybrid (100kW, 3.8 l/100km) - R272 500
VW Golf TDI BlueMo (77kW, 3.8 l/100km) - R279 000