SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.
This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.
Pics supplied
Posted January 30, 2013
Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday January 30, 2013
Watchers of humanity have noted that, traditionally, a man starts a company, his son takes it to new heights, then disaffected grandkids cash it all in to become spoiled-brat socialites. Not so with Akio Toyoda, grandson of Toyota’s founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. He loves cars and driving, trained as a test driver so he could provide meaningful input from the seat of his own pants, gave the world Toyota 86, and plans to carry on the good work.
Stepping sideways for a moment, even the company’s most ardent fans admit quietly that engineering and design have been a little passé lately and build quality somewhat iffy. Those upstart Koreans state publicly that Toyota is no longer an issue; they’re gunning for Volkswagen. Akio made a veiled reference to these problems in a recent interview: “Let’s make a better car,” he urged. Enough said?
This second generation Auris is intended as the first in that line of better cars. It’s still built on the same platform as sister car Corolla, but it’s now 51 mm longer and 56 mm lower than its predecessor. Part of the secret of the lower stance is that it sits 10 mm closer to the asphalt; benefitting handling. It also helps tyres fill wheel arches better, making the package look more purposeful. A reduction in co-efficient of drag (Cd) from 0,292 to 0,277 does no harm at all. It shed 55 kg of fuel-sapping mass as well.
Suspension settings were retuned to make the ride more comfortable and handling sweeter, while styling came in for an extensive makeover. Displaying Toyota’s new family face, the grille design features a large, trapezoidal lower grille set within the front bumper and a smaller upper grille running full width between new eyebrow-shaped “Keen Look” headlamps. Toyota calls it “Under Priority.” It’s bold.
The profile is stronger too, with steeply-raked windscreen and backwardly extended side glazing. A pronounced rising belt line punctuates the flanks and door mirrors have been repositioned within the glazed area. Blacked-out centre and rear pillars, the latter more sharply angled, add visual impact.
And so to the tailgate; it opens wider and features powerful, convex and concave surfaces. Topped by an integral roof spoiler and flanked by new, wraparound combination lamps, it reinforces the shapes of both rear wing and screen, as well as the added strength of the shoulder over the wheel arch. If you appreciate cute derrières, it makes Auris’ butt look kind of French. Benefit? How about an added 77 litres of luggage space; up from 283 to 360? Thought you might be interested.
The interior has been redesigned, with improved tactile and sensory quality, better finishes and a lower, more engaging seating position. The dash itself is wide and deep, possibly a little old-fashioned looking, but practical and eye-catching. There is better cohesion of details like chromed elements and fonts on controls and instruments, while more attention has been paid to integrating the various parts into a harmonious whole. It looks good.
Getting down to basics, the range has been rationalised to a 1300 in X trim, three 1600s in Xi, XS and XR levels and a 1600 XR with constantly variable transmission. There are no plans to bring in a diesel. Toyota SA reckons there is little call for oil burners in the “C” segment and they will have the economy angle covered with the hybrid due next month.
Equipment includes six-speed manual gearboxes across the board, except for the CVT’s seven-step override, engines are all Euro4-compliant, brakes are discs front and rear, suspension is via McPherson strut and torsion beam, only the 1300 has steel wheels, outside mirrors adjust electrically and all windows are powered. All models have bi-halogen headlights with manual levelling, on-board computer, rear window defoggers, sport-oriented seats, electrically powered steering assistance, follow-me lights and ABS with assistance and EBD. Airbags number four on the lower models with seven on the XRs. Remote central locking, kiddie locks and two ISOFix anchorages are included. As models get smarter, equipment levels rise. Get a brochure.
We were let loose in 1600cc manuals because, our hosts told us, the CVT launch cars hadn't arrived yet. The test route was all on tar, over a mix of city and freeway and probably typical of where an Auris would spend most of its life. They were comfortable, very decently fitted and finished and drove well. No fireworks, but these are regular commuter cars and the launch took place on the Reef, so the thin Highveld air took its toll. Let's just say the excitement promised for future Toyota rides seems to be locked in the future, for now.
In the meantime, the dynasty has taken note of those cheeky upstarts across the East China Sea and pitched its pricing for the 1600 XS directly at Hyundai’s i30 GLS. Now that’s a turnabout.
Information gathered during a manufacturer-sponsored media launch
To see our review of the 2013 Auris Xr, click here
Numbers
Prices range from R195 000 to R265 600
Engines:
1. 1329 cc, four-cylinder developing 73 kW/128 Nm
2. 1598 cc, four-cylinder developing 97 kW/160 Nm
Economy (claimed): 5,8 to 6,2 l/100 km
Tank: 50 litres
Performance: Zero to 100 km/h – 10,0 to 12,6 seconds
Maximum speeds: Not stated
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8