Car: Toyota Auris SR180
Prices: £18,465-£18,965 – on the road
Insurance Group: 13A
Emissions: 158g/km
Performance: 0-62mph 8.3s / Max Speed 130mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 47mpg
Safety: Nine airbags / ABS /EBD
Dimensions: [5dr] length/width/height mm 4220/1760/1515
REPORTIN’ FOR DUTY SR
Our Rating: 7.1 / 10
It’s the flagship of the Auris range but the SR180 doesn’t make much of a fuss. Beneath the sober exterior, though, there’s a fast and highly advanced family hatchback bursting to get out. Steve Walker reports….
More than just another Toyota Auris, the SR180 version offers a 175bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine producing 400Nm of torque and multilink rear suspension for a sportier driving experience. It’s comfortable, well-built and understated compared to rivals with similar performance but it can still entertain when the need arises.
A central part of the remit given to the development team behind Toyota’s Auris was to inject some fire into its belly and some panache into its public image. More than any other Auris model, the onus of achieving this falls on the SR180. This is a rather spicier development of the original Auris T180 featuring Toyota Motorsport lowered suspension springs giving the car a ground-hugging stance. Buyers also get a neat rear spoiler positioned atop the tailgate and dark-tinted rear privacy glass. There’s also five-spoke 17-inch alloys and a choice of body colours including an über-cool Pure White.
Despite all of this, it would still be wrong to think of the Auris SR180 as a hot hatch, despite the fact that it isn’t lacking in raw pace. Toyota have, perhaps wisely, made a marked move away from offering focused performance versions of their mainstream models. Instead, the SR180 capitalises on the impressive quality and comfort of the Auris platform by plumbing in a 175bhp 2.2-litre D-4D diesel engine. With this kind of power on tap, it was never going to be slow and the 8.3s 0-62mph acceleration is conformation that it isn’t. This is some way off Focus ST or Golf GTI pace but the diesel unit’s powerful 400Nm torque output means the Auris SR180 can match the fieriest hatchbacks on in-gear acceleration and mid-range urge. In real world driving conditions when you’re accelerating on to a motorway or overtaking lorry on a B-road, the SR180’s surging power delivery is ideal.
This Auris is certainly a more vibrant driver’s car than you might expect, mainly because Toyota have taken the significant step of swapping the torsion beam rear suspension on the standard models with a more advanced double wishbone multilink setup. Multilink suspension is bulkier and more expensive but it offers greater handling finesse and feel to the driver. In combination with tauter springs, larger brakes and retuned steering, the suspension brings a new level of driving enjoyment to the Auris but it’s still more of a cruiser than a bruiser.
Elsewhere, the grown-up theme continues with the sober but solidly built interior giving off a genuine air of quality. Passenger accommodation is extremely generous with good leg and headroom all-round. The rear seat backs recline for extra comfort and a flat floor means that the middle berth in the back isn’t the short straw it is in some rivals.
The Auris SR180’s appeal is that of an understated but quick car for people who enjoy their driving but prioritise comfort, reliability and reasonable running costs. It goes up against the upper echelon of diesel family hatchbacks and, perhaps, the second strata of warm hatch performance models. It feels a quality product and with prices starting at around £18,500, it’s priced as such. Equipment levels are the same as the plush T-Spirit Auris trim level with the addition of an electric sunroof. That means keyless entry and start, dual zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, dark-sensing headlamps and cruise control. Factor-in that impressive engine as well as the addition of multilink rear suspension and it looks a desirable package.
Diesel engines in family hatchbacks don’t come any more powerful than the 175bhp 2.2-litre D4-D in the SR180 but it’s a modern common-rail diesel engine with Toyota’s Optimal Drive upgrades and D-CAT clean diesel technology so running costs are more than manageable. CO2 emissions are pegged at 158g/km which helps with the old tax burden but th
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