The new Toyota Auris - Convinces the head and appeals to the heart

Describing a car as 'new' is a simple way of generating some extra customer interest, but Toyota has combined to strengthen Auris's 'head and heart' rational and emotional appeal: it delivers traditional Toyota quality, durability and reliability together with more desirable design and driver rewards.

Auris has an all new look that's rooted in Toyota's contemporary design language. At the front it displays the new family 'face' of Toyota, 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 than its predecessor, with a ride height 10mm lower than its predecessor.

The profile is stronger, too, with a steeply raked windscreen and extension of the side glazing further towards the rear and a pronounced rising belt line. Blacked out centre and rear pillars and a sharper angle to the rear pillar add another dynamic visual element.

Although Auris's basic suspension geometry is unchanged, both front and rear systems have undergone revision and fine tuning to deliver a better balance of driver feedback, responsiveness and ride comfort. The electric power steering has also been improved with a quicker steering ratio - a key element in giving the driver a more engaging experience at the wheel.

More importantly, the new Auris marks a significant drop in the model's average CO₂ emissions, the figure falling 13 percent compared to the previous model, to just 109g/km for the European model range.