Toyota Auris?

Brian2011

Hi,

I was looking at a 2009 Toyota Auris 1.4 Diesel Hatchback, just looking for opinions on this car and of those who have driven it.

Was also looking at the Kia Ceed 2010 as another option? as they also have Bluetooth as standard.

Anyway, are they any good?

Thanks

colm_mcm

Ceed is faster, and a bit sharper to drive. They tend to be better equipped too.
The Ceed engine is bombproof but the clutches aren't. The pressure plate often needs doing around 200kkm. Clutch isn't expensive on them though.
The Toyota has a similarly unburstable engine, but the gearboxes can give bother.
The Auris interior is very poor in my opinion. Badly designed and made from rattley materials. They fixed a lot of that in the facelift.

Overall I think the Ceed is probably the better car, although I'd have it's cousin the i30 over it as it just feels a little more modern.

Brian2011

colm_mcm wrote: »

Ceed is faster, and a bit sharper to drive. They tend to be better equipped too.
The Ceed engine is bombproof but the clutches aren't. The pressure plate often needs doing around 200kkm. Clutch isn't expensive on them though.
The Toyota has a similarly unburstable engine, but the gearboxes can give bother.
The Auris interior is very poor in my opinion. Badly designed and made from rattley materials. They fixed a lot of that in the facelift.

Overall I think the Ceed is probably the better car, although I'd have it's cousin the i30 over it as it just feels a little more modern.

Thanks,

One thing I don't get is why the Hyundai I30 does not have Bluetooth, up to 2011 I think yet the Ceed 2010 onwards does.

colm_mcm

Just differences in what the respective distributors wanted on the cars, you could have an i30 with climate and no Bluetooth and a Ceed with Bluetooth and windey windows in the back.
The mother has the top spec Premium i30 and it has no Bluetooth or cruise control. A fairly basic Ceed would have both.

We've (my OH specifically) had an Auris for over 4 years now. 2009 TR 1.4 Diesel. 6 Speed.

Not the most exciting car in the world to look at, but...

- It is very economical once the car is maintained and serviced when needed. When on the motorway running at 120km/h and above, it averages about 46mpg. Town and rural driving will bring that to about 52mpg or even above.

- It is very nippy for a 1.4 engine and moves up through the 6 gears nicely. I have done a fair bit of motorway driving over long distances in it. Once the tires are good and balanced, it is a very smooth drive. Even in a 09 with over 150,000 miles on the clock, it isn't the slightest bit bumpy or shaky and feels very smooth and secure going at speeds of 120kph and above.

- The legroom in the front and back is very generous, as is the boot space. Seats are comfortable too. Both my OH and I are 6ft tall, and have had zero problems with legroom front or back.

- The interior/dash took a bit of getting used to. We bought an early 09 model. From late 09 on, I believe that some of the more unsightly interior features (like the handbrake that resembles a magic wand) were replaced. I do like the odometer section though.

- Toyota reliability still stands for something. Outside of the usual service and maintenance costs (which are relatively cheap), we have not had one expenditure to make on repairing this car in over 4 years.

Again, it's not the sexiest car on the road, but it's still been a great buy for the OH and saved us a lot of money over the years. Her finance term ended earlier this year and she was convinced that she was going to get something new straight away once that happened. When we thought about it, we really had no reason to get rid of the Auris though, apart from just wanting something newer. We'll keep it until at least next year, and it will be a very good car for whoever takes it when it's time to sell.

As for the Kia Ceed. A friend of mine had a 2010 one in 2012-2013. I got to drive it down to Limerick and Cork and back a few times, also do a bit of urban driving around Dublin. From the open motorway to a narrow multi-story car-park, I thought it was a really nice car to drive. So much so that I tried to convince the OH to get one instead of the Auris back then.

My friend had to get rid of that Ceed a number of years ago. It was related to financial problems, rather than any problem with the Ceed. He really regretted having to let it go at the time, and I regretted not being able to buy it myself as I really liked it.

Doubt you'll go far wrong with either car OP. The Auris has been great to have, but the Ceed was more suited to my own tastes.

Brian2011

I might be able to get over the 'magic wand' handbrake and cheap plastic interior if it does not rattle?

JohnBoy26

Brian2011 wrote: »

Hi,

I was looking at a 2009 Toyota Auris 1.4 Diesel Hatchback, just looking for opinions on this car and of those who have driven it.

Was also looking at the Kia Ceed 2010 as another option? as they also have Bluetooth as standard.

Anyway, are they any good?

Thanks

Id go for the auris any day over the cee'd. It's a better car in almost everyway. Yes it's not one of toyotas best efforts but its still a very reliable and safe car and while it's interior isn't the best, especially compared to its predecessor, it's still a lot nicer place to be than the cee'd which has an absolutely dire interior.

I think the auris is also more pleasant to drive, it's just a lot more comfortable than the cee'd.

You should try out both cars and see which one you prefer though.

Brian2011

Brian2011 wrote: »

I might be able to get over the 'magic wand' handbrake and cheap plastic interior if it does not rattle?

I've read about the rattle online, and about the cheap plastic interior.

I have yet to hear that rattle for myself though. None of the doors on the glove box or centre console are rattling. Same for the cup holders - which I read were easily breakable. That has not been my experience. They are still intact and working perfectly.

As for the interior, I've seen cheaper, more plastic looking jobs in Fords. I just found the centre-console/dash in the Auris to be very different from my own car or any I had been in before. More the layout and placement than the plastic or the colours. Just took a bit of getting used to is all. There's no rattle or broken parts on the interior though.

Since I made my first post yesterday, I was talking to another friend last night who made the jump from a Yaris to an Auris last Summer. He has a 2008 model. Told me he's loving it so far and has no complaints.

They're a really good car. Best of luck with whatever you buy.

colm_mcm

Stu, I think you have the face lifted model which addressed most of the interior niggles.

The rattles on the early ones mainly came from the top glovebox, complete lack of any matting in the storage boxes, badly fitting trim to the sides of the radio and above the radio, and the cup holders at the edges of the dash.

If the OPs budget will stretch to a 6 speed Auris then it's a good enough choice, certainly one of the better diesels out there.
Has to be said the facelift Ceed also improved the interior a good bit.

JohnBoy26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Stu, I think you have the face lifted model which addressed most of the interior niggles.

The rattles on the early ones mainly came from the top glovebox, complete lack of any matting in the storage boxes, badly fitting trim to the sides of the radio and above the radio, and the cup holders at the edges of the dash.

If the OPs budget will stretch to a 6 speed Auris then it's a good enough choice, certainly one of the better diesels out there.
Has to be said the facelift Ceed also improved the interior a good bit.

A 2009 would be the pre facelift though

colm_mcm

You're right. I Forgot some uk models for the new engines on the pre facelift.

Yep, pretty sure we have the pre-facelift model.

I got myself an 11 year old Audi A3 1.6 petrol the other day. Nice car and drive. Power-wise though, the 1.4 Auris leaves it in the dirt :pac: