Toyota’s new Auris van has the credentials to be a useful farm runabout. The compact van, based on the Auris hatchback car but without the back seats, has all of the modern styling of the Auris.
For the van conversion, the back seats are removed and the rear area is a flat load-carrying section with a solid bulkhead to separate the load from the driver. The two rear doors remain, giving three load-access areas to the rear, which has a rated weight capacity of 575kg.
Sit into the front of the Auris van and you’ll imagine that you are in the car. The layout of the controls is very similar to the Aura version of the car.
However, I missed the reversing camera, which is a great feature of the car. It would be very handy in the van as the rear-side windows are blacked out, making visibility a little more difficult than with a car.
Despite this, relative to other new car-derived vans that I’ve driven recently, I found that the overall visibility was good. Side-window visibility impressed me, as this is always a black spot for smaller vans, especially when approaching road junctions. With the Auris van, I found that the longer door and window section was appreciated.
I took the Auris van for some lengthy test drives in December, where there was scope to test its performance on the road as well as its load-carrying ability. In a performance sense, the Auris van is a match for the car, with good acceleration from the 1.4-litre turbo-diesel engine.
It is the economy area where the Auris van claims to further impress. Toyota claims that it is 12% more fuel efficient than the previous Auris van. That converts to an economy figure of 23.8km/litre (4.2l/100km or 67 mpg), which I found difficult to achieve. I was closer to 20% less economical, and while I achieved over 700km on a full 60-litre tank of diesel, I had expected a little better.
In driving terms, I found the engine to be lively and well matched to the six-speed gearbox. The van is easy to drive, with a light clutch and smooth and free gear change.
The Auris van comes with all of the safety features of the car. It comes with seven airbags as standard, including a driver’s knee airbag to keep you in your seated position.
It is fitted with a Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system to automatically activate each individual brake as needed. The system also controls engine output to help maintain stability and prevent skidding when turning sharply or cornering on slippery road surfaces.
The car version recently achieved a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash testing programme, so with the solid bulkhead dividing the load area from the driver section, this should be a very safe van on the road.
I filled up the load area more than once in the Auris van and it required minimum effort. The load area has good wide access from the rear hatchback door, but the height of the van might be a bit restrictive.
The entry price for a Toyota Auris van is competitive at €18,495, which is VAT inclusive. If you are VAT-registered, then the value is even better.
The natural competition is the Volkswagen Golf, which comes with a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine that delivers a similar 90bhp of power.
While the Golf has the more solid reputation, this Auris can be a match in terms of driving comfort and the load-carrying area. The entry price on the Auris is also keener, and the overall value is helped by Toyota’s three-year warranty.
Toyota Auris 1.4 D4D van