SR180

Sporty, comfy & manages everything I ask of it - plus still gets admiring glances from 5 door owners .....

I bought this car for 3 reasons ; I wanted a newer car, I wanted more MPG, lastly I just liked the look of it in sporty 3 door guise !

I've had this Auris for 4 months now & have become used to it's way of driving. My first impressions of it being smooth, quiet & torquey have been maintained & I love the way it looks. It has all the toys I look for in a car - Climate Control, alloys, usual electrics, nice colour, decent stereo, etc. The suspension is at a sporty ride height but a little soft for my liking. That said it makes light work of badly surfaced roads so that's fine by me. Performance is very good from 3rd gear upwards, pulling strongly. But it does seem to be heavily restricted in 1st & 2nd - perhaps deliberately with such strong torque figures (295 lbs/ft). Comfort is very good, it's easy to get settled in & arrive still feeling fresh. The interior plastics are a little disappointing, but perfectly acceptable & everything works as it should.

I had hoped to keep it for about 3-4 years, but having joined the Toyota Owners Club/Forum I've been dismayed to find that the SR/T180 series has been plagued with a history of common problems. So whether I keep it depends on whether those omens happen to my car or not . . . . .

For anyone thinking of buying one of these models used, consider this - the manual versions have a Dual Mass Flywheel which can go anywhere between 60-100k mls & it's very expensive to replace (£1600). They also have a Diesel Particulate Filter which is great for getting rid of those nasty pollutants, but not so great when they clog up & fail (replacement quoted as £1900) - potentially leaving nasty deposits of carbon on the pistons. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve has also been a regular source of woe for many, adding to the failed particulate filter problem. Head gaskets have been reported as failing because of both these issues. Toyota has acknowledged the last topic & extended the warranty to 112k mls (with terms & conditions) - a very generous offer on the face of it. But should these problems be existing on such a large scale, especially from a manufacturer with a solid image of quality ?

Okay - it's now almost Sept 2014 and time for a little update.

I've still got this car and i intend to keep it until next year, when a lower annual mileage will prompt a change for a petrol engine and something a little newer.
Other than normal wear and tear items (tyres, brakes, wipers), the Auris has needed nothing more than regular servicing. I've done this at the local'ish Toyota dealer to keep up the service history. Across country on B-roads and some main trunk routes it's averaging 42 MPG and any dual carriageway trips can raise that easily. Not bad for a car with more torque than a Focus ST !

The Toyota forum has been a source of help and interest, so comes much recommended.

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