Built from the inside out

9:57am Friday 15th February 2008

AFTER 40 years in production, the Corolla, the world's best-selling family car, is relinquishing its crown and stepping down in Europe to make way for its replacement, Toyota's all-new Auris. Toyota believes the Auris will compete alongside Volkswagen's Golf and the Ford Focus at the top of the C-segment class.

This is not an entirely unrealistic belief considering the Corolla's success, and the number of best in class' claims already credited to the new hatchback. The Corolla replacement undoubtedly has a blend of qualities in sufficient quantities to make it an interesting newcomer to the segment.

With excellent fuel economy and low insurance groupings, the Auris has been designed with the family in mind, That means safety, reliability, and running costs are crucial, and it is here Toyota’s Auris shines.

Designed primarily for the European market, the Auris has been five years in the making and has been developed with the chiefs at Toyota keeping a watchful eye on what us European drivers really want from a car.

According to Toyota's research, one of the things the motoring public demands is lots of space, with people increasingly opting for compact MPVs over family hatches. It has responded by designing what it calls an intelligent package', making the Auris taller and roomier than the outgoing Corolla.

From the outside, the Auris's height and internal dimensions are disguised by smooth gradual lines. While there is nothing particularly bold to look at in terms of this exterior design, aerodynamically it leads to a very low drag coefficient. For occupants, the smooth airflow this allows helps keep wind noise at a minimum, as well as improving fuel economy.

The role of Auris in transforming Toyota's profile in the C-segment hatchback market will enjoy maximum impact with the arrival of the new performance-focused T180. This flagship model benefits from a raft of engineering and design features that deliver even greater driver rewards, not least the power provided by Toyota's acclaimed 2.2-litre D-4D 180 four-cylinder engine, the most powerful - yet also one of the cleanest - among all diesels in its class.

In order to make best use of the 175bhp available from the lightweight unit, the T180 is equipped with a new rear suspension: a multilink system replaces the torsion beam deployed elsewhere in the range, giving better dynamic performance. Front brake discs have also increased in size to maintain stopping power and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRC) systems are fitted as standard.

The 8.1 second nought-to-62mph acceleration time only tells part of the story. With a prodigious 400Nm of torque generated between 2,000 and 2,600rpm, the T180 has powerful in-gear performance, too, shifting from 50 to 75mph in 8.4 seconds. A six-speed manual transmission is fitted as standard. The engine is smooth and ultra-efficient, with the lowest compression ratio - 15.8:1 - of any production diesel unit.

High-pressure piezo-electric injectors and ceramic glow plugs further contribute to its refined performance and fuel economy, with 45.6mpg in combined cycle driving. The engine's environmental credentials are equally impressive. Thanks to Toyota's D-CAT clean diesel technology and the maintenance-free four-way DPNR catalyst, the D-4D 180 is the cleanest diesel on the market in terms of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions; carbon dioxide emissions are 164g/km.

The T180 is styled to match its performance with 17-inch alloy wheels and smoked glass headlamps. The equipment specification matches the T Spirit grade, adding an electric sunroof to premium features such as keyless Smart Entry and Start, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, automatic wipers and headlights and cruise control.