2018 Toyota Auris

Why should they deal with Diesel engines, while they are so active and partly so successful in all other fields? Will not the Diesel engine with its inevitable AdBlue admixture, on every imaginable spot electrically heated and with additional injection and SCR technology so expensive that the hybrids of Toyota become able to compete?

Not quite, because the Diesel engine can go a much higher average speeds with the same consumption. But the hybrid drive undoubtedly has a better image for the future and will at least with Toyota's annually increased development, be sucessful in Europe, last year with 41 percent share, this year even expected 47 percent.

In addition, the TNGA platform together with the Prius and the C-HR are trying to boost profit without increasing prices. In addition to the Prius drive with 1.8 liters and 90 kW (122 hp) will be the first time a second hybrid with 2 liters and 132 kW (180 hp), so far only practised to the Mercedes E-Class.

The smaller of the two should cover 'up to 50 percent of typical everyday traffic', whatever that means. The size of the LiIo battery is still not revealed. It may be important for the price formation and had recently been steadily smaller. In any case, the vehicle does not have a charging connection.

The stronger of the two hybrids probably eliminates more the above-mentioned slight lack of momentum in the Toyota hybrids, probably trending slightly more towards Lexus interpretation of a hybrid drive. Whether then the consumption finally adopted from Diesel regions?

Only one petrol engine remains of the previously offered four pure combustion engines still left, probably rather the downsizing principle homologated 1.2-liter turbo, so to speak as an entry-level model, if only to the Toyota dealer. In just over 20 years, Toyota has sold more than 1.5 million electrified cars, a good basis for offering two in a vehicle for the first time.

The third generation of the Auris, hybridized since 2010, has received 4 cm more wheelbase and length. The overhangs have remained accordingly. The width has increased by 3 cm, the height decreased by 4 cm, of which the center of gravity makes up 2 cm. The waistline was lowered by almost 5 cm.

The front is clearly changed. The flatter hood now ends earlier. The widened headlights frame a pushed forward, huge grille, bounded below by a successful three-part spoiler allusion. The roof falls backwards a bit stronger than the previous model, so that Toyota already speaks of a 'hatchback'.

The lower window line now only rises at the very end, which brings a little more tension into the side surfaces. Amazing that the 'X' re-emerges a bit more in the rear design, luckily not too much. Again, the waistline was optically pulled down.

Due to the much larger rear window, the arrangement and size of the windscreen wiper is now much more favourable. The new fully LED-taillights prove that less can often be more. The opener for the tailgate extends towards the user. However, the threshold for loading seems to have become a little higher. 03/18