Toyota Auris Touring Sports – a fine station wagon

AT first glance the new Touring Sports version of the Toyota Auris reminded me of several other silver-coloured station wagons I have driven recently.

Once again it’s a bit like the new baby situation, does the baby look like its mother, father or grandparents, or has it got its own unique features?

The Touring Sports is a really long motor and two roof rails add to the elongated effect. The Touring or Estate version of the Auris is the first fully hybrid estate in the popular C Segment, but I drove the six-speed manual Luna diesel version. I never drove the previous version of the Auris, but colleagues tell me that this new model is a big improvement. Now you also get stop-start technology which equates to better fuel consumption.

Normally if you are unfortunate enough to crash into any object when reversing, the tail lights will break and you get that horrible sound of breaking glass. The rear lights are high up in the Auris, but there are two discreet rear lights low down also. The low lights are embedded into the bumpers and won’t break if you are unfortunate enough to back into a wall or another car. Hopefully you won’t have any scrapes as the car is fitted with an excellent reversing camera.

The boot is huge and it should be able to handle the sports equipment requirements of the whole family, in fact a whole team of hurlers, footballers or rugby players. And tucked away underneath is a

‘mini’ spare wheel which in my estimation moves the car up a few notches in the rankings. The boot opening has been lowered slightly, making it easier to load or unload your luggage or playing gear.

There is plenty of leg and head room for five well-built adults. With a massive boot you can get even more space by leaving down the back seat; then you will have

‘acres of space’ and should be able to literally

‘throw in the kitchen sink.’

At the front the lights are attractive, with again two very low lights. It’s a really long car and you will appreciate that reversing camera. I liked the controls on the dash for the radio and air conditioning, well laid out and easy to use. There are also several slave controls on the steering wheel if needed.

Prices start at

?¬22,700 for the Aura, while the Luna version I drove costs

?¬25,700. Road tax in the 1.4 diesel version I drove is only

?¬190. Overall a fine spacious, comfortable station wagon.