Toyota’s Auris line was discontinued here towards the end of 2018. There was no official announcement of this – manufacturers never tend to announce when they’re dropping a model line.
The reasons for this only became clear in mid-2019 when Toyota introduced the Corolla Hatch, which is in effect a third-generation Auris. In fact in some overseas markets, the Auris was already called a Corolla hatchback in the previous-generation versions.
Related: A Corolla by any other name...We drive Toyota's sassy new Hatch! (launch report)
Presumably Toyota South Africa felt there was much more emotional connection for Toyota owners with the Corolla name. Although the Auris never approached the sales figures generated by the amazingly successful Corolla sedan, it nevertheless built up a strong following here over a period of just over a decade.
Toyotas are known for their longevity and the fact that the Auris was available here for over a decade makes it a great used buy.
Related: Shop for a new and used Toyota Auris here
First-gen Auris
Toyota’s first-generation Auris was introduced here in mid-2007 as a hatchback version of the Corolla sedan. The big difference between the two cars was, in fact, that the Corolla was locally-built at Toyota’s plant just outside Durban, whereas the Auris was fully imported.
The first-gen Auris was available in both petrol and diesel versions. The model line-up was as follows: The Auris X, a 1,3-litre entry model with a 73 kW petrol engine; The Auris XI, XS Sport X and XR models, which all used a 1,6-litre non-turbo petrol four-cylinder, which produced 97 kW; And the top-of-the-range Auris was the XD, fitted with a 2,0-litre turbo diesel engine, producing 93 kW and 310 NM of torque.
Hybrid-introduced in 2012.
Towards the end of the first-generation’s model cycle, Toyota introduced a hybrid version of the Auris in two trim levels. The hybrid was actually well-priced, as the Auris 1.8 HSD XS cost just a little over R10 000 more than the diesel XD model. There was also a higher-spec trim version known as the HSD XR.
One of the advantages of the hybrid Auris was that it effectively offered automatic transmission, with its CVT gearbox. Until this point, you could only order an Auris with a manual transmission.
And a sporty Auris TRD!
Curiously, just months before the revised all-new Auris was introduced in early 2013, Toyota also introduced a supercharged petrol version of the Auris, known as the Auris 1.6 TRD. The TRD badge is always associated with Toyota’s sporting models. This one produced 132 kW and was rated with a sporty-but-not-astounding 0-100 km/h time of 9,0 seconds and a top speed of 220 km/h.
This was rather a strange model in the Auris line-up, which was never perceived as particularly sporty.
Second-generation Auris
When the second-generation Auris was introduced in early 2013 with a much more dynamic appearance, the diesel was dropped. In our eyes this was a pity as the high-torque diesel version made a lot of sense in this hatchback, especially as it came in a high level of trim.
The initial second-gen line-up came with a 1,3-ltre entry model and four 1,6-litre models. The top model now featured an automatic transmission, known as the 1.6 XR AT. Late in 2013 two hybrid models were introduced.
The final Auris model line-up consisted of the 1.3 X manual, 1.6 Xi manual, 1.6 XS manual, 1.6 XR Manual, 1.6 XR Automatic and the Hybrid XR with CVT transmission and electric motor assistance.
Our Top 2 Auris models
Auris XD – pre-March 2013: In the first-generation Auris we would go for the Kauris XD, the diesel model. The petrol 1,6-litre was never a great engine as far as performance is concerned, whereas the diesel with 310 Nm of torque made it a strong performer without the driver having to work too hard at it.
Auris Hybrid XR: In the second-generation line-up, our favourite Auris is the hybrid model. This car gave you all the fuel economy advantages of the later-generation hybrid – realistically in the 5,5 litres/100 km range – at a lower price than the Prius. It is also a nice under-the-radar hybrid that doesn’t make huge statement about being green, as the somewhat pretentious Prius does.