There’s a brand new spirit creeping into Toyota under the watchful tutelage of the company’s charismatic President and Chief Executive, Akio Toyoda. Committed to building cars that are more rewarding to drive while retaining their legendary build quality and reliability, his quest has been to provide drivers with a more engaging experience behind the wheel. This determination has already sired the brilliant new 86, so the engineers next set their sights on Toyota’s C-segment, mid-range hatch. The result? The bewitching, all-new, 2013 Auris – a car you can happily buy with your head as well as your heart.

According to Glenn Crompton, Vice President of Marketing, the changes to the all-new Auris are dramatic: “It now looks a lot sharper and more distinctive. It’s lower and visually has a more dynamic stance but the revisions are much more than just skin deep. The whole package is lighter, the handling and steering are sweeter thanks to tweaks to the suspension and electric power steering and the car generally feels more nimble and responsive, but I'm happy to say it still rides exceptionally well – if anything it’s even more compliant.” 

Notice its looks

Designed to maximise the benefits of a reduced overall height and lower centre of gravity, the Auris features an all-new exterior with a sleeker, bolder, more confident profile. At 4,275mm the overall length of the new Auris has increased by only 30mm and its wheelbase remains the same at 2,600 mm, making it one of the most compact cars in its class. Noteworthy too is its overall height which has been lowered by 55mm, making it one of the lowest vehicles in the segment (without impacting on passenger accommodation). With looks rooted in Toyota’s contemporary design language, up front the Auris displays the new family “face” with lines and detailing such as the new headlight units, that emphasise the car’s width and low, road-hugging stance. It sits lower to the ground, with a ride height that’s 10mm lower than its predecessor.

Two styling traits worthy of mention are the Under Priority grille design and the Keen Look eyebrow-shaped headlamps. The Under Priority design comprises a large, trapezoidal lower grille set within the front bumper, and a smaller upper grille running full width between the new headlamps. Beneath a low sweeping bonnet line dominated by a new, larger Toyota badge which is set lower than its predecessor, the upper grille features a central, chrome-plated horizontal trim bar which is visually extended into the headlamp clusters to accentuate the width of the vehicle. Flanked by integral fog lamp housings with chrome surround detailing, the large lower grille combines a piano black finish with a floating, lower chrome accent to the lip spoiler, once again accentuating the width of the new Auris and emphasising its planted, solid stance.

The profile is stronger too, with a steeply-raked windscreen and extension of the side glazing further towards the rear. A pronounced rising belt line punctuates the flanks. The door mirror has been repositioned within the glazed area, while the blacked-out centre and rear pillars as well as the sharper angle to the rear pillar add visual clout. Over and above the aesthetic advantages, the new design confers considerable aerodynamic benefits, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and driving dynamics overall. The drag coefficient has been reduced from 0.292 to just 0.277.

As mentioned, the new Auris’s ride height has been lowered by 10mm, narrowing the gap between the wheel arches and tyres, and aligning the wheels more closely with the bodywork to further accentuate the new vehicle’s sleeker, more streamlined appearance. A choice of wheels include a new 15” wheel cap design for the 1.3 version and 16” alloys for the 1.6 models.

To the rear, a wider opening tailgate features powerful, convex and concave surfacing. It is topped by an integral roof spoiler and flanked by a new, wraparound rear combination lamp design which reinforces the shape of both the rear wing and rear screen, as well as the added strength of the shoulder over the rear wheel arch. The new bumper with reflectors integrated at the extremities emphasises the newcomer’s broad, stable and sporting rear stance.

Sit up and take notice

Offering more space and greater comfort for occupants, a hallmark of the interior décor is improved sensory quality and - through consistency of font, colour, lighting and finish - a greater sense of unity for a more integrated feel. The dashboard combines a strong horizontal design line to reinforce front cabin width and spaciousness with a more ergonomic, driver-centric layout of instrumentation and switchgear. Within the new instrument binnacle, a clear, simple two or three dial design features white needles and numerals. All switchgear uses the same font along with both the instrument binnacle and the centre console for a premium look and complete visual consistency. Bringing a strong sense of visual coordination to the new interior, the meter surrounds, centre stack, transmission tunnel trim, air conditioning and audio controls, and door handles are all finished in a matching, high quality, satin silver finish.

The air vents, audio panel, transmission tunnel and steering wheel are trimmed with a silver paint finish. On higher grades, the dashboard itself is finished in genuine leather with baseball stitching. The instrument panel upper surface and door trim shoulder areas are finished in soft touch materials, and the cockpit pillars are trimmed with fabric. The gearshift knob is of a new design, and the steering wheel is clad in the highest quality Nappa leather with single baseball stitching. Both assist grips and door grips are finished in a soft texture grain, and the door armrests are padded. Incorporating longer travel and greater height adjustment, the newly developed seats offer excellent comfort. The seat height has been reduced by 40mm and the steering wheel tilt angle lowered by two degrees, creating a more engaging driving position. A newly developed sports seat offering an even higher level of additional lateral support thanks to ultra-padded side bolsters is standard on XS and XR grades.

The new front seat design increases rear seat knee room by 20mm, and the rear door opening width has been enlarged. The loadspace length has been increased by 50mm and the tailgate opening width increased by 90 mm. Featuring the added flexibility of a dual-level loadspace and 60:40 split-folding rear seats, the Auris offers an increased luggage capacity of 360 litres – up from 283 litres for the outgoing model. The practicality of the new Auris interior is enhanced by functional features and generous storage space. These include a glove box, a sunglasses holder, coat hooks, a coin box, four cup and four bottle holders, a sliding centre console armrest with document holder, dashboard and rear centre console storage space for small items, three 12-Volt accessory sockets and an AUX external input plug, a removable package tray, deck hooks and a dual-level loadspace deckboard.

Spec is generous even on the entry-level 1.3 X and 1.6 Xi models. Standard on the menu for these models are body-coloured door handles and mirrors, remote central locking, airconditioning, four-speaker audio system with CD player, steering switches, USB/iPod connection, front and rear electric windows, electric mirrors as well as a leather steering wheel and shift lever to list just a few of the main highlights. As mentioned, the 1.3 X is shod with 15” steel wheels (aero wheel caps) and the 1.6 Xi is equipped with 16” alloys. Move up to the 1.6 XS mid-grade version and additional niceties include display audio, back monitor with camera, six speakers, front sport seats, fog lamps and Bluetooth. In flagship XR grade, full leather upholstery, automatic climate control, cruise control, front seat heaters, lumbar support, auto lights, electrochromatic rear-view mirror, Smart Entry (keyless entry) and Push Start top up the standard kit. The new Auris is available in six colours including two hew hues – Avant-garde Bronze Metallic and a vibrant orange called Inferno Metallic.