Today I had the chance to drive an Auris Hybrid w/Navi and winter tires for about 1 hr in city and highway traffic (where I could reach the max. speed). In no particular order, the differences and impressions I got: the boot is not at all deep - if you think the Prius' boot is not deep enough, you haven't seen an Auris... you can see the current fuel consumption in numbers, rather than in a bar --> consumption during full acceleration from 100km/h to max, on flat, around 17-19L/100km (12-13mpg); consumption at a traffic light accelerating in ECO mode at the limit of the PWR area, around 25L/100km-9mpg (which slowly goes down when gaining speed!); compared to the EU Prius this is much better since all you can see is a full bar = >10L/100km, but you don't know how much up you are really... the energy flow monitor is Camry Hybrid style - it does not show arrows going from the engine to the battery, thus inaccurate - on the Prius you can see arrows, going from the engine to the electric motor and/or directly to the wheels *and* to the battery via the motor (describing accurately how it works). the current fuel consumption reports 0L/100km when standing still with the engine running - though formally correct, it does not switch to L/h like, e.g., on VW cars rear visibility is not much better than on the Prius overall behaviour of the powertrain practically the same as on the Prius (no reason to be any different, since both cars also weigh essentially the same, i.e. about 1440kg) maybe due to the tires, tends to lean to a side when taking bends "fast" - the Prius seems to be less prone to leaning and seems to handle better the road - still, depends on the tires used... average fuel consumption seems to be in line with the Prius - no noticeable differences navigation system somehow confusing - happy I didn't take take the Prius with embedded navi - I am so happy of my TomTom and it costed a fraction - not to mention that a Navi in the middle console is more difficult to look than my Navi sitting exactly in front of me behind the steering wheel.. (matter of personal preference, of course); the navigation commands are not replicated in the instrument cluster no head-up display - I *really* missed it conventional speedometer with pointers (?), instead of numbers - difficult to understand at what speed you are travelling - I am not used to those anymore - I like to see a number - much easier and faster; MFD is small and a lot of clicking to see the information needed - the average fuel consumption is "generic" and not linked to Trip A/B - can be useful, but at the beginning I was wondering why it wouldn't change after resetting Trip B and when switching between A and B switching between Trip A and B only via mechanical switch on the instrument cluster (OMG) auto headlights available - why not on the EU Prius!?!?!? available in MFD travelled time (also not related to Trip A / B) - I miss that on the Prius FM radio works! on my Prius instead... the Navi has a CD player sitting on top of a (blu-ray?) smaller slot for the Map...no SD card slot to be seen also in the Auris, no way to know where the front of the car ends... the switch to day/night illumination is somewhat slower than the Prius (i.e. when running into tunnels) somewhat smaller inside, more "snug" better look&feel of plastics no historical fuel consumption "statistics" - the Prius is more geared at showing you what you are doing and "teach" you how to save gas the HSI is easier to "see" on the Prius - on the Auris a gauge moves at the border of the left round instrument and there is little difference or feedback in which region you are - the Eco light monitor is a pretty small light in the center of the instrument cluster; somehow the Power area is just as wide as the hybrid+eco hybrid area - why?
You said it's smaller inside, more snug; but how much head and leg room was available for someone who is 6'+? What about available space between the passenger's belly and the steering wheel. Sometimes the maker packs lots of technology into a vehicle, but forgets about the varied sizes of drivers and passengers. Thanks for the great write-up. Happy Motoring, Tom
Gulp twittwl/Tom - I don't know... Meaning: I went in and drove - I did not check this and I did not feel cramped inside. I am 1,78m / 5.8ft (not 5ft8in - maybe 5'10"?). Maybe the wheel was a bit closer than on the Prius, but I did not pay too much attention to it and the steering wheel/driver's seat can be regulated also for height. But I get your point... Sorry I cannot really comment on this. One thing for sure - the back seat space is narrower (distance knee to front seat back) as I sat inside at the back once. The Prius in comparison is a "space ship"
Thanks for the write-up! The navigation should be running of a DVD so that slot you see is probably for the DVD that contains the maps and other navigation features. I believe the sensitivity for the automatic lights can be adjusted (not sure if that affects the day/night mode of the interior lighting)
The section about the Auris Hybrid mentions that the power train is the same as the Prius (true) but that the batteries are Li-Ion (false)... The batteries are Ni-MH like on the Prius, right? same exact battery pack. The article on Wikipedia should be corrected...
Urgent need of advice: My 2004 Prius (Sweden; 166,000 km) was found at regular service yesterday to have such serious issues that it's hardly worth repairing. Leaking water pump, seriously leaking hybrid gear, rusted-through brake disks, and more. I can't drive it; left it at the workshop. Repair would cost approx $ 2,600 USD. For replacement, my mind is oscillating between the 2013 Auris Hybrid and 2013 Plugin Prius. The latter is 25 cm longer and 50% more expensive... I've never owned an Auris. It looks very attractive. Is it an equally good buy as a Prius? Or will I regret it? Is it more noisy? Tiresome during long driving? Is there any reason at all that I should choose the Plugin Prius despite its price??
Or is it indeed worth repairing and hoping for many more years and miles to come? Or what will the next big shock be?
It depends how your car is valued. Personally, if you can live one more 9 years with the same as before, try to repair...By the way 2600usd for leaking repair sounds too much...a new pump and the sealing kit for the transaxle surely can be put for half of that... A new car is always a bad economic option...
