Toyota Auris springs into action

Those crazy wags in Toyota's car-naming department. They name their littlest car the Aygo. Then the slightly bigger one gets called the Yaris. Now they get their hands on Toyota's brand new C-segment hatchback and originally decide to name it? the Auris.

Yes, they've wedged the names of their two smallest models together to make a slightly bigger one. Could they not have at least borrowed some new letters?

Despite its obvious role as the replacement for the ubiquitous Corolla, the Auris is based on a completely new platform.

With a flat rear passenger floor and greater interior space, Toyota reckons that the small hatch will spearhead the company's drive into the European market.

The chunky, stubby-nosed bodywork takes many of its cues from the Auris Space Concept seen at the Paris motor show this year.

With its high waistline and rugged haunches the Auris certainly looks fresh enough, but with Toyota predicting 1.2 million European sales by 2008, don't expect the novelty to last long.

The Auris will launch with the option of a brand new engine - a 1.6-litre petrol unit with VVT-I valve timing. There's also the choice of the familiar 1.4-litre petrol engine, and three diesels, including the Yaris's brilliant 1.4 D-4D unit.

If that's a bit short on power for the bigger Auris, the quickest engine in the line-up in a 2.2-litre, 175bhp diesel unit that will sprint to 62mph in 8.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 130mph.

And if you want to pretend that your lovely new Auris is a Ferrari Enzo (you won't fool anyone, sorry - even if you get it in red), it's available with the ever-overrated flappy-paddle gearbox thingummy.

Toyota calls it the Multimode system with paddle shift controls, but at the moment it's only available as an option with the 1.4 diesel and 1.6 petrol engines.

UK buyers can steal a march on our European cousins, because the Auris goes on sale here next February, a couple of months before the rest of the continent.

No prices yet, but add a couple of grand to the current Corolla and you won't be far wrong.

© Source: original article on topgear