AmericanThunder
Super Moderator
For the past couple of weeks I have been driving a Toyota Auris hybrid, and have put over 1100 miles on it. So what are my thoughts?
First, why a hybrid?
Nothing to do with environmental concerns, everything to do with financial concerns.
As a company car, I get taxed on the car as benefit. The higher the emissions, the higher the tax - so lower emissions means more money in my pocket. This is why I won't choose a diesel. But, I still need economy, for even more money in my pocket.
So, back to the Auris.
They build these things out of what feels like tinfoil for weight savings. It feels like it has no substance to it. The ride is comfortable on smooth roads but bumps upset it and cornering is awful. The steering feels disconnected and causes me to consistently miss the apex on corners I know well. The same corners in my 2012 Kia Cee'd are no problem. But the important part is the drivetrain....
My commute is a mix of towns and A roads, so the speeds are 20-65mph and the car is consistently returning 57mpg. The big issue is that the car hates hills. The slightest incline drops the speed right off so badly you can hold up HGV's! You are forced to put your foot down and the economy suffers as a result. I think that if my commute was flatter I would be consistently in the low 60's.
The drivetrain transitions between electric/petrol/hybrid reasonably smoothly, but you can tell the transition. When the drivetrain transitions into petrol/hybrid, climbing hills for example, the CVT gearbox lets the engine revs rise and the noise is awful. The needle on the economy gauge goes orange to let you know just in case you are deaf.
You can of course choose full electric mode, as long as you don't want to out accelerate a milk float, climb a hill or exceed about 22mph! It is of course returning max mpg in this mode, but it's impractical.
The electronics are impressive, showing you how the drivetrain is delivering power or storing charge. But it's more than a little distracting, constantly encouraging you to watch the gauges and get the best MPG. But, if you don't drive with one eye on the gauges the economy would be worse.... by a lot.
It does have a power mode, its nothing like my 6.1L Hemi V8's of course, but it does quite well for overtaking as long as what you are overtaking has little wheels on the front, big wheels on the back and is often found in farm yards! Actually I'm being cruel, it does have enough zip to overtake, but impressive it's not.
Would I buy one? No. it's old technology that has powered Toyota Prius models for a while in a car that was actually designed around traditional petrol and diesel drivetrains and it's a compromise. Toyota has updated the drivetrain for the next generation Prius and it's very evident when you drive one.
The car is 2016 on a '66 plate.
As the Auris is leased and goes back soon (not soon enough!) I test drove two other A Hybrids today.
First, the new Prius. Obviously a test drive is only going to give me impressions over a much shorter distance but first impressions are good.
The drivetrain is much better, barely noticeable transitions between electric/petrol/hybrid, and the car feels much more lively. Despite the futuristic electronics and dash board it drives like a traditional car. It rides better too and although I can't comment on it's handling I think it would be better than the Auris. Gone is the noise from the high revving engine as the CVT gearbox puts the engine into that zone. It just feels more mature. It's a bigger car than the Auris but doesn't feel it. It just feels normal.
Then I drove the new Hyundai Ioniq. This is much less futuristic and more traditional. It has more traditional styling, more traditional interior and a traditional gearbox with a six speed automatic. It drives very nicely actually feeling very much like a regular car. The major annoyance though. Pulling away from a dead stop, it feels as though the car is unsure what it wants to do, petrol? Hybrid? Or maybe full electric? Maybe this was me, after all this was the third hybrid I had driven in the space of an hour. But it seemed confused. Once on the move, the normal gearbox was very nice. Far superior to the CVT for my tastes and I suspect would really help on my hilly commute through the Cotswold's. I actually quite like it!
With regard to the tax. The Ioniq and the Auris are the same, the Prius is cheaper. As the tax changes over the next few years they will rise at the same rate. The Prius starts cheaper in tax than the other two, and stays lower over the same period. So in terms of tax, Prius wins.
When it comes to economy, again the Auris and Ioniq are similar. I suspect but don't know that the traditional gearbox will improve the economy over the CVT in the Auris, but suspect the new generation drivetrain in the new Prius wouldn't experience the same breathlessness on the hills anyway.
Price? Prius loses, by a not insignificant amount. And yes that is important as what ever is left out of my monthly company car allowance ends up in my salary so the cars value is important.
So which will I choose?
Not the Auris. I'll be glad when it goes back.
But out of the Ioniq and the Prius, I'm currently unsure....
Watch this space.
First, why a hybrid?
Nothing to do with environmental concerns, everything to do with financial concerns.
As a company car, I get taxed on the car as benefit. The higher the emissions, the higher the tax - so lower emissions means more money in my pocket. This is why I won't choose a diesel. But, I still need economy, for even more money in my pocket.
So, back to the Auris.
They build these things out of what feels like tinfoil for weight savings. It feels like it has no substance to it. The ride is comfortable on smooth roads but bumps upset it and cornering is awful. The steering feels disconnected and causes me to consistently miss the apex on corners I know well. The same corners in my 2012 Kia Cee'd are no problem. But the important part is the drivetrain....
My commute is a mix of towns and A roads, so the speeds are 20-65mph and the car is consistently returning 57mpg. The big issue is that the car hates hills. The slightest incline drops the speed right off so badly you can hold up HGV's! You are forced to put your foot down and the economy suffers as a result. I think that if my commute was flatter I would be consistently in the low 60's.
The drivetrain transitions between electric/petrol/hybrid reasonably smoothly, but you can tell the transition. When the drivetrain transitions into petrol/hybrid, climbing hills for example, the CVT gearbox lets the engine revs rise and the noise is awful. The needle on the economy gauge goes orange to let you know just in case you are deaf.
You can of course choose full electric mode, as long as you don't want to out accelerate a milk float, climb a hill or exceed about 22mph! It is of course returning max mpg in this mode, but it's impractical.
The electronics are impressive, showing you how the drivetrain is delivering power or storing charge. But it's more than a little distracting, constantly encouraging you to watch the gauges and get the best MPG. But, if you don't drive with one eye on the gauges the economy would be worse.... by a lot.
It does have a power mode, its nothing like my 6.1L Hemi V8's of course, but it does quite well for overtaking as long as what you are overtaking has little wheels on the front, big wheels on the back and is often found in farm yards! Actually I'm being cruel, it does have enough zip to overtake, but impressive it's not.
Would I buy one? No. it's old technology that has powered Toyota Prius models for a while in a car that was actually designed around traditional petrol and diesel drivetrains and it's a compromise. Toyota has updated the drivetrain for the next generation Prius and it's very evident when you drive one.
The car is 2016 on a '66 plate.
As the Auris is leased and goes back soon (not soon enough!) I test drove two other A Hybrids today.
First, the new Prius. Obviously a test drive is only going to give me impressions over a much shorter distance but first impressions are good.
The drivetrain is much better, barely noticeable transitions between electric/petrol/hybrid, and the car feels much more lively. Despite the futuristic electronics and dash board it drives like a traditional car. It rides better too and although I can't comment on it's handling I think it would be better than the Auris. Gone is the noise from the high revving engine as the CVT gearbox puts the engine into that zone. It just feels more mature. It's a bigger car than the Auris but doesn't feel it. It just feels normal.
Then I drove the new Hyundai Ioniq. This is much less futuristic and more traditional. It has more traditional styling, more traditional interior and a traditional gearbox with a six speed automatic. It drives very nicely actually feeling very much like a regular car. The major annoyance though. Pulling away from a dead stop, it feels as though the car is unsure what it wants to do, petrol? Hybrid? Or maybe full electric? Maybe this was me, after all this was the third hybrid I had driven in the space of an hour. But it seemed confused. Once on the move, the normal gearbox was very nice. Far superior to the CVT for my tastes and I suspect would really help on my hilly commute through the Cotswold's. I actually quite like it!
With regard to the tax. The Ioniq and the Auris are the same, the Prius is cheaper. As the tax changes over the next few years they will rise at the same rate. The Prius starts cheaper in tax than the other two, and stays lower over the same period. So in terms of tax, Prius wins.
When it comes to economy, again the Auris and Ioniq are similar. I suspect but don't know that the traditional gearbox will improve the economy over the CVT in the Auris, but suspect the new generation drivetrain in the new Prius wouldn't experience the same breathlessness on the hills anyway.
Price? Prius loses, by a not insignificant amount. And yes that is important as what ever is left out of my monthly company car allowance ends up in my salary so the cars value is important.
So which will I choose?
Not the Auris. I'll be glad when it goes back.
But out of the Ioniq and the Prius, I'm currently unsure....
Watch this space.
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