Toyota Auris (2007 - 2013) 2.2 D-4D SR180 5d (2008/08) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

I hoped it would say common sense

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Initially positive, reliability issues have tarnished this image

Would you buy this car again and why?

NO! I will never buy a Toyota again

What are you likely to buy next?

Depends on what is available and where the best deals are

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchise

Did you buy this car new?

Yes

What price did you pay?

£0

When did you buy the car?

July 2008

Did you get a good deal and why?

0% finance and top dollar trade in were the main incentives.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I wanted a reliable, efficient car with good performance and low CO2

What was the dealer like?

Western Toyota Edinburgh were great – until they got my money. Once the cash was handed over the attentive customer service turned into unreturned phone calls and e-mails.

What's it like to drive?

Not a patch on Focus, Astra or Qashqai. Without the multi link lowered suspension of the SR180, I think it would be very wallowy

What's it like to park?

Parking is the best bit. It means I’ve finished driving it!

Have you had any problems with the car?

I have discovered to my cost that this engine has a known fault (sorry – ‘characteristic’). Under certain driving conditions the engine management is known not to adapt and this causes poor starting and fuel economy (sub 35 mpg from a small diesel hatchback) and reduced power output. After 7 months of problems, including the car being at the dealer for over 40 days, Toyota finally admitted that they knew about this fault all along and hadn’t actually been doing anything to resolve it. Toyota customer services told me that, as it is only inconvenient (ie you don’t actually breakdown) and only affects a small number of customers, it is not economically viable to resolve it. Numerous squeaks and rattles. Again Western Toyota Edinburgh couldn’t help so I spent an entire Saturday with

What's most practical about your car?

The unusual high mounted gear lever is surprisingly convenient when you get used to it.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

The internal storage levels are very good and the design of the cruise control is very intuitive. However the equipment levels on a top of the range car are actually pretty poor. Only the driver gets a one touch window, no sunroof, low-rent seating, many of the buttons don’t illuminate at night, no aux socket, no standard rear park assist, etc, etc. The best bit was supposed to be the 180 PS diesel engine!