Hybrid hides its green roots

ROADTEST: TOYOTA AURIS HYBRIDWHEN THE dawn of a new electric age was promised, Toyota cast a cautious eye over proceedings. It seemed fixated on hybrids rather than grasping the electric car revolution. We questioned whether it was out of step.

Silly mistake. Electric cars still make great promises for the future but have failed to sell, while hybrids remain the favoured choice of emissions-conscious motorists, the viable alternative to diesels, and a way to dip a toe into electric motoring.

Toyota’s Prius is an eco icon for early adopters, and as such was over-hyped by its advocates and unfairly mocked by its critics. The firm is now eager to make hybrid a mainstream alternative, evoking no more divisive responses than an efficient diesel. Next summer we will see a hybrid version of the Yaris, alongside a seven-seat Prius. We suspect a hybrid Avensis is not too far away.

But first up is this hybrid version of one of the firm’s big sellers in Europe. Aside from its environmental credentials, the Auris Hybrid has all the positives and negatives of the regular hatchback variant. It’s roomy in the back, but up front still suffers from hard plastic surfaces, bland styling and generally doesn’t match rivals like the VW Golf or Ford Focus. On the road it performs much like the Prius, cruising silently around town and powered mainly by the 1.8-litre petrol engine when on motorways. It’s largely the competent powertrain we’ve already praised on the Prius.

That said, it suffers the same flaws as well. The CVT automatic gearbox used by Toyota for its hybrid models is expletively annoying on this Auris. Kick down and it takes an age to engage, the engine spinning away in full pitch with no extra momentum. The changeover from petrol to battery power is seamless, but it doesn’t compensate for our annoyance with the transmission.

Toyota is not the first to offer a hybrid that doesn’t flaunt its green credentials. Honda has had a hybrid version of its Civic saloon for some time, but it’s a “mild hybrid”, which means far too much of the work is done by the 1.3-litre petrol engine.

There is a real eco challenger coming from the diesel-hybrid offering from Peugeot and Citroen in spring 2012, but the pricetag for the 3008 Hybrid4 is going to be higher than the Auris HSD. So in reality this car’s main rivals come from within its own showrooms.

Frankly, the Prius is more attractive and has more personality than the Auris.

Similarly, while the Lexus CT200h Eco model is €3,565 more than the entry Auris HSD, it’s only €1,105 more than the “luxury” specification version of this Toyota. Even if you get the entry-level eco CT200h, you’ll notice a far greater premium feel to the Lexus, from the finish on the interior to the exterior styling.

Then there’s the question of diesel versus hybrid, the Auris’s greatest challenge. Those that buy hybrid will still pay the same motor tax as the motorist in the Auris 1.4-litre diesel. But the latter costs €20,670, some €4,755 less.

But think of the fuel savings, I hear you retort. Well, using the official combined figures from both cars, the petrol-electric hybrid manages 4 l/100km (70.6mpg), while the diesel achieves 4.5 l/100km (62.8mpg). Given that petrol is roughly the same price as diesel these days, that equates to a 74 cent saving every 100km. That means you’ll make back the price difference between the two versions from fuel savings alone after 642,568km. Even the most ardent hybrid advocates will have lost the will to live after that drive.

The key selling point therefore is a mix of the benefits of electric driving in town and the feel-good factor of going green. The problem here is that by choosing this car over the Prius, you are actually downplaying your eco-credentials. I can’t see the logic in that.

The Auris HSD may be a better hybrid those from competitor brands, but it’s not as good as the other hybrids within the Toyota and Lexus ranks.

The Auris might be a welcome addition to the hybrid family, but unless you spend a lot of time in traffic and can really benefit from its battery power, then the diesel is still the much better option.

FACTFILE

ENGINE1,798cc four-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine putting out 99bhp @ 5,200rpm and 142Nm of torque @ 4,000rpm and a 82bhp electric motor. Combined output is 136bhp.

PERFORMANCE0-100km/h in 11.4 seconds.

ECONOMY4.0 L/100km (70.6mpg).

EMISSIONS93g/km (Band A €160 motor tax from Jan 1st).

FEATURESLuxury versions add: Alcantara seat trim with leather bolstering, rear parking sensors, rain sensing wipers, Smart Entry system, and dash top air defuser.

PRICE€25,425 (Luxury version for €27,885).

RIVALSLexus CT200h Eco: €28,990 (€160 motor tax). Nissan Leaf electric car: €29,995 (€160 motor tax). (All motor tax rates are from January 1st.)

OUR RATING5/10; eco-friendly but bettered by its diesel sibling