We've had the debut of the Toyota Auris Sports Touring, we know the specs, and we know how much
the Auris Estate will cost.
Toyota has started production of the Auris Touring Sports —
the Auris Estate — with the first car rolling off the Toyota production line in Burnaston.
The Auris Estate is a good offering from Toyota with decent looks, good spec, decent load - lugging capacity and, for those who want it, a full hybrid powertrain as an option in addition to a 1.4 D - 4D and 1.6 Valvematic.
There are four trim levels for
the Auris estate: Icon, Icon Tech, Design and Excel.
And unlike some hybrids,
the Auris estate doesn't sacrifice any boot space to accommodate its batteries.
All version of the Toyota
Auris estate have anti-lock brakes, emergency braking assistance, stability control to help prevent skids, traction control for better grip on slippery surfaces, hill - start assistance and a full suite of airbags (driver, passenger, driver's knee, side and curtain).
Not exact matches
The
Auris has low claimed CO2 emissions, too, and this means it stacks up well as a company car — the Benefit - in - Kind (BiK) bracket is lower than for the petrol or diesel model and compares well against rival hatchbacks and small
estates.
The
Auris lacks a powerful diesel engine like the ones offered in the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra
estates — needed to make it a truly effective tow car.
The Toyota
Auris Touring Sports unveiled at the 2012 Paris Auto Show is not only the first station wagon model in the
Auris line - up, but it is also the first
estate version in the family car market with a full hybrid powertrain.
Regular seat - up luggage capacity in the
Auris Touring Sports is 507 litres — not quite as much as the 605 and 610 litres you get in the VW Golf
Estate and Skoda Octavia
Estate respectively.
Not only does everything feel more upmarket in this model than in its predecessor, but it also puts rivals like the Ford Focus
Estate, Kia Cee'd SW and Toyota
Auris Touring Sports in the shade when it comes to design and the quality of materials used.
This is the first time when Toyota's
Auris model receives an
estate / wagon variant, a version which is 285 mm longer than the five - door hatchback.
Visibility is good, too, and the
Auris is easy to maneuver — although the Touring Sports
estate feels a little bulkier
Alongside the hatchback headed to Britain, an
estate is also likely as a replacement for the
Auris Touring Sports.
Elsewhere, the Renault Megane Sport Tourer, Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, Kia Cee'd Sportswagon, Hyundai i30 Tourer and Toyota
Auris Touring Sports are all
estates with fancy names, but not as much space as the Octavia.
Other rivals in the class include the Peugeot 308 SW, Ford Focus
Estate, SEAT Leon ST, Hyundai i30 Tourer, Kia Cee'd Sportswagon, Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, Toyota
Auris Touring Sports and Subaru Levorg.
The public will get the chance to see
Auris Touring Sports production version, the
estate version of the compact car, a new concept called i - Road and the European version of the fourth - generation...