New Toyota Auris/Corolla 2021

The Japanese automaker Toyota presented the updated Auris “family” at last year’s international motor show, which took place in Geneva. According to the expectations of many, Auris should have been limited to a slight change in appearance and added options in the trim levels. In fact, the update turned out to be more significant; in addition to such aspects as the exterior and the list of equipment, changes were made to the engine line.

Auris is not in demand in our country: for example, in 2014 this model was sold in quantities of less than 1.5 thousand units. In Europe, the situation is much better; Toyota Auris has gained great popularity there, with more than half of sales coming from its hybrid modification. For your information, the top spot among all Toyota models in Europe is occupied by the Yaris.

As before, Toyota Auris is available in two body styles: hatchback and station wagon. At the auto show in Switzerland, this model was presented along with an updated version of the Toyota Avensis. Now let's take a closer look at what the new Auris family looks like.

Model history

In the 90s, the Toyota corporation had a harmonious, understandable gradation of its models. At the very bottom step, in the golf class, was the Corolla model. The medium size was represented by the Carina model, while the class of large passenger cars was headed by the Camry sedan.

As you can see, all models in this line began with the letter “K”.

However, in 1997, the harmony of this system was disrupted, and the Avensis model took the place of Karina on the assembly line. I don’t know whether the Japanese wanted to change the “K-style” to the “A-style”, but in 2006, as if instead of the Corolla, the Auris model appeared (not to be confused with the new Russian automobile brand Aurus ).

Why "as if"? And because the Corolla name, like the Carina, did not fade into oblivion, cars called Corolla were still sold in some markets. But in the markets of developed countries, Corollas have replaced Aurises. Although in Japan cars are sold under both names.

But let's return to the history of the model.

In 1999, the smallest model of the Japanese corporation appeared - Yaris. This was the first blow to the slender “K-style”. The model turned out to be very popular, and in 2005 its second generation appeared.

Toyota Yaris second generation

Less than a year has passed since the enlarged Yaris, so to speak, was launched onto the market, which was named Auris. As you can see in the name, continuity with the younger brother of the corporation is captured. It can also be seen externally. Toyota's new model looked like a larger Yaris.

Toyota Auris first generation

The car had a wide range of power units and was sold in huge quantities, including in our country. And it became clear that this experience can be considered positive and this model organically joined the lineup of the Japanese company.

In 2013, the long-awaited second generation of Auris entered the markets. The car received a new, more solid design. Now this is no longer an enlarged Yaris, but an absolutely independent model.

Toyota Auris second generation

The car still had a wide range of power units, but in addition to traditional engines, the list also included an ultra-modern hybrid power unit.

The car also turned out to be more than popular. In Europe, with 243,000 units sold last year, it became Asia's best-selling car.

Interestingly, Toyota Auris II was not officially sold in Russia; instead, a sedan based on it was sold, bearing the good old name of Corolla, now in its eleventh generation.

Toyota Corolla (E160, E170) eleventh generation

Be that as it may, 5 years for selling one model in modern realities is almost the deadline. And despite the high sales numbers, in 2021 the time has come to make changes to the model. Usually, most manufacturers do restyling, updating the model only cosmetically. But the Japanese decided to go further and, after 5 years on the assembly line, brought the next third generation of the model to the market, which will be discussed in this publication.

Appearance

In 2012, the fourth generation Toyota RAV 4 was shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Among other things, the car was externally distinguished by a very unusual front end, which the public really liked.

After this, the designers of the Japanese corporation decided to fully develop the ideas contained in the new RAV 4. Thus, in 2021, the small Toyota C-HR crossover appeared.

Toyota RAV 4 latest generation

This car amazed the public with its extraordinary futuristic design. Sharp edges, many ribs, the entire appearance of the crossover were received so favorably that the Japanese decided to continue moving in this direction and take the appearance of the C-HR as the basis for the appearance of other cars.

Toyota C-HR

In my opinion, it was not possible to make the new Toyota Camry organically in this style (unfortunately, I don’t know what it’s called). Although, let's just say, there was an attempt. Now we can observe another attempt, which, it seems to me, turned out to be much more successful.

New eighth generation Toyota Camry

First of all, the new Auris has acquired an extraordinary, unique front optics with LED filling. A huge bumper of complex shape now sports a huge radiator grille.

New Toyota Auris front view

The side projection of the new Auris has completely changed its silhouette compared to the previous generation. Now the new product has a much larger windshield angle than the previous generation. The rear pillars also received a greater slope.

Side view of the new Toyota Auris

Another important element of the side view is the large 18-inch wheels. In addition to them, the sidewall of the new Auris has many edges that give the car a fast and sporty look. True, there are still not as many of them as there are in the Toyota C-HR, but this does not make the Japanese hatchback any less inferior.

Toyota Auris rear view

From the rear the car looks just as beautiful and very unusual. The car received a very stylish LED rear optics of complex shape. It is very organically combined with an equally complex rear bumper, rich in aerodynamic elements and an exhaust system integrated into it.

As for the overall dimensions, the car has traditionally become larger than the previous generation. However, at the same time she became lower, this created an additional swiftness to the silhouette.

The new Toyota Auris has the following dimensions:

Length – 4370 mm;
Width – 1790 mm;
Height – 1450 mm;
Wheelbase – 2640 mm.

In conclusion of the story about the appearance of the Japanese novelty, it must be said that it looks deliberately sporty. And this was achieved, among other things, by changing the proportions of the body. Now the front overhang has become shorter by 20 mm, and the rear overhang, accordingly, is just as long. Thus, by changing the proportions of the body, the Japanese want to win the love of a younger category of buyers. Recently, the Japanese have begun to notice that young people have begun to ignore their main model, and they want to change this situation by radically changing the design of the Toyota Auris.

In general, if we summarize the impressions of the appearance of the new product, then it evokes only enthusiastic emotions. The car looks like a spaceship, or even like an alien from the future.

Exterior photos

There are no evolutionary changes here, but its appearance did not go unnoticed during the restyling, and some of its elements were also updated. What exactly has changed in the new Toyota Auris 2016-2017? First of all, let's start with the front view - this is where the most updates have happened.

The designers have redesigned the false radiator grille, and some changes have also been made to the front bumper.
The head optics have become more compact, and the look has become more predatory. In addition, it acquired LED filling. New fog lights were also installed.
Starting from the inner corners of the headlights, along the lower edge of the hood there is a chrome strip that closes towards the center into the company logo.
The air intake stretches across the entire width of the bumper, while it expands on the sides, thereby visually expanding the car itself.
In addition, Auris began to look somewhat sportier thanks to the appearance of new aerodynamic elements.

In profile, the car has remained virtually unchanged. Here you can note a distinctive roof line, an elongated sloping hood, swollen wheel arches, practical doors, a significant windshield angle, as well as a large front overhang. A shark fin antenna is installed on the roof, and a clearly defined rib runs along the sides of the body along the lower part of the glazing.

Note that the range of body colors has expanded: now there are two more new shades. The client can choose between 16- and 17-inch wheels with an exclusive design.

At the rear there is a powerful bumper, which has increased in size compared to the pre-restyling version. Strips of reflectors are integrated into it, the side lights have been adjusted and given a more elegant shape. A chrome line runs along the lower edge of the bumper. The optics use very high quality LED elements.

Interior

The new Auris was first presented at the recent Geneva Motor Show, which took place in March 2021. At the exhibition, the car was tightly tinted and its interior remained a mystery to everyone present at the exhibition. But this does not mean that we have nothing to tell about the internal filling of the car.

In March of this year 2021, in New York, a car show was held at which the new Toyota Corolla was presented, which, as we wrote above, is a copy of the Auris for the markets of other countries, including North America.

New Toyota Corolla at the New York Auto Show

So, exactly, the interior of the Corolla was shown in New York, which will most likely migrate to the Auris. We will evaluate it and compare it with the interior of the previous generation Auris.

Front panel of American Corolla

The first impression of the interior in general, and of the front panel of the new product in particular, is restraint. Looking at the outside, it seemed that there would be something ultra-modern inside, however, there was nothing like that there.

True, the Corolla's interior is restrained, not outdated. The instrument panel is no longer analog, but digital; in its place is now an LCD display, on which all data is displayed.

Front panel of Toyota Auris second generation

Another 8-inch LCD display is located on the center console. True, it is located, in my opinion, frankly unsuccessfully. I would call this display arrangement pseudo-makeshift, as if the Japanese could not find a regular place for it. By the way, the displays on BMW cars are located in exactly the same way.

Another thing you need to pay attention to is that the interiors of the old and new Auris clearly have continuity. All the buttons are in the same places, the front panel architecture is also made in the style of the old model.

Interior of the new American Toyota Corolla

Toyota has never skimped on interior trim materials. Also, the Japanese have never had any complaints about the build quality of both cars in general and the interior in particular. However, in this regard, the interior of the new Corolla amazed the automotive journalists who saw it. The highest quality and most expensive materials are used in its decoration, and the interior itself boasts an incredible quality of panel fit. In fact, once again the Japanese have shown a new level of interior design, which should become the standard for future cars in the golf class.

Photos of Toyota Auris 2016-2017 interior

For its price category and class, the predecessor had a very respectable interior, and, in fact, there were no complaints about its design. But in the new version, the engineers did not want to stop there and improved it by making the necessary adjustments.

Firstly, the materials have become even higher quality, including the use of soft plastics.
The dashboard has been completely redesigned. It is made in the form of two large dials - speedometer and tachometer. Squeezed between them is the TFT display of the on-board computer, the diagonal of which is 4.2 inches.

On the front panel, for the most part, everything remains the same: it retains its asymmetrical architecture, but at the same time, some elements have been changed.
The center console now has a larger multimedia screen than before; below it is located the climate system control unit, which has also been modernized.
Among the minor changes are: different ventilation deflectors, gear lever, and door handles.

The seats remained the same, and in principle they did not need any modification: comfort here is at the level. It is only worth noting that only two passengers will feel as free as possible on the back seat, although there is also enough space for a third person.
The steering column can be conveniently adjusted in two planes: tilt and reach.
The trunk volume is quite decent - 360 liters, it can be increased to a maximum of 1200 liters.

We also note, importantly, improved noise insulation performance. At speeds above 80 km/h, it becomes especially noticeable that in this indicator the car has indeed become more perfect.

Options and electronic assistants

Toyota has always equipped its cars very richly, although it was not a leader in this area, and apparently, the new Auris will not differ in this regard from the best examples of the world automobile industry. As I wrote above, nothing is known about the equipment of the Japanese new product, but it is known how the Japanese equipped the American analogue of the Auris - the Toyota Corolla.

In the basic configuration, the American equivalent of the Auris will have:

7 airbags;
Single-zone climate control (I think in Europe they will install at least two-zone);
Electric handbrake;
Start-Stop button;
Rear View Camera;
Intelligent cruise control;
Automatic braking system;
Lane keeping system;
System for automatically turning on/off high beam headlights;
Entune 3.0 multimedia system.

We will find out which of these systems will be on the new Auris, and which will be included in the basic configuration, and which will be an additional cost.

Technical stuffing

In addition to changes in appearance, the technical content of the new product is another aspect due to which a premature change of generations was initiated.

Now the new Toyota Auris is based on the new modular platform of the Japanese concern TNGA. This trolley has a MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension.

Now the body of the new product has become even more rigid, and the proportion of heavy-duty steel in it has increased. The car's center of gravity has decreased compared to the previous generation, which undoubtedly has a positive effect on the car's handling.

However, the main news for the Japanese hatchback is in front, under the hood. Now Auris will not have a diesel power unit, which is logical due to the ban on diesel engines from 2021. But instead, two hybrid power units will be installed on it. In addition to them, the basic version of the Auris will be equipped with the latest 1.2 liter turbocharged petrol engine.

Engine 8NR-Fts 1.2 L Turbo

This power unit will have the following technical characteristics:

Characteristics	Values
Factory index	8NR-Fts 1.2L Turbo
Volume, cubic centimeters	1196
Compression ratio	10:1
Power, hp	116
Torque, N*m	185
Average fuel consumption, l/100 km	4,7

This new engine had the following features. First of all, a cooling system was integrated into the cylinder head, which made it possible to optimize the temperature of the exhaust gases. This made it possible to better cool the air entering the cylinders and achieve more efficient combustion.

In addition, the combustion chamber was made in such a way that it produces a so-called “vertical vortex”, which significantly increases the efficiency of turbocharging. All these tricks made it possible to increase the engine efficiency to 36%.

Engine Toyota 8NR-Fts 1.2 L Turbo

Hybrid engines

As for hybrid power units, there are, so to speak, two of them: one is economical, the other is sporty.

The economical version of the power plant consists of a 1.8-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor. The total power of this power plant is 122 hp.

The sports version has the following composition. The main one is the 2-liter Dynamic Force gasoline engine and is assisted, as expected, by an electric motor. The total power of this power unit is 180 hp.

By the way, this power plant should be familiar from the Lexus UX 250h.

Equipment

Among the new equipment, the following can be noted:

a new multimedia system with an 8-inch diagonal color touch screen;
on-board computer 4.2 inches;
The Toyota Safety Sense package appeared, which is an active safety complex.

The updated version included new cameras and radars, which significantly improved security capabilities. You will have to pay extra for the provision of smart systems.

What's what?

As already written above, the Auris will not be officially sold in Russia; the Toyota Corolla Sedan, which has not yet been officially presented, will be sold here.

Auris is a purely European theme, and themes on it are already known in Europe. The car will be sold somewhere from the end of summer at a price of 22,500 euros per unit with a 1.2 liter gasoline engine.

By the way, now in Europe old Auris are being sold at prices starting from 18,000 euros. This is for cars with 1.2 liter petrol engines, which were installed on cars of the previous generation. As for hybrids, they are sold a little more expensive, prices start at 21,000 euros.

If you can’t buy a new Auris from us, then used ones from Europe sell quite quickly. True, you won’t find cars from 2021 and 2016 in Russia. At least, on auto.ru there is not a single Toyota Auris of these model years.

The latest Japanese hatchback dates back to 2015 and already has a decent 73,000 km of mileage. You can buy this car in Russia for 800,000 rubles, which corresponds to about $13,000. This car is equipped with a 1.6-liter engine and has a power of 132 hp.

Toyota Auris 2015 on the secondary market in Russia

As for cars produced in 2014, there is more choice and lower prices, although not significantly. Interestingly, on the secondary market you can find Auris from Japan, with left-hand drive.

Japanese Toyota Auris 2014

If it were not for the left-hand drive, this proposal could be considered simply a hurricane. The car has a mileage of only 60,000 km in Japan, a 1.5-liter gasoline engine and a price of only 615,000 rubles ($9,922). Considering that the assembly is Japanese, we can hope for increased reliability. The only thing you need to have is the skill of driving a left-hand drive car. By the way, one cannot help but pay attention to the fact that in Japan, traditionally, each model has its own emblem, and it is located on the radiator grill of the Japanese Auris.

As for more traditional European-built cars, their prices are slightly higher.

All cars on the secondary market are equipped with 1.6-liter gasoline engines with a power of 132 hp. Prices for these cars range between 720 and 800,000 rubles ($11,616 - $13,000).

As for the minimum prices for this model, then, of course, the first generation Auris is sold at it, where prices fluctuate around 300,000 rubles.

For example, the most affordable Auris that I was able to find on the auto.ru website is a 2008 hatchback with a mileage of 200,000 km. The car is equipped with a 1.4 liter engine with a power of 97 hp. This car is sold at a price of 269,000 rubles, which corresponds to $4,300.

The price is certainly attractive, but the mileage... It seems to me that with such mileage the car cannot be problem-free, no matter what the seller says.

Toyota Auris at the Geneva Motor Show

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Toyota Corolla at the New York Auto Show

New Toyota Auris/Corolla 2021. Specifications, Reviews and Options