Most of the road test reports you read in this magazine are based on about a week's experience of the car in question. The Auris 1.6 T3 is a different matter entirely. It was our first long-term test car and was therefore part of my life for six months, as explained in a series of articles starting here.Since it was always fated to be at best the second most important car in the office car park (priority naturally being given to anything that was here for a shorter stay), the Auris was inevitably used mostly for mundane chores. It was appropriate, therefore, that the 1.6 T3 five-door manual is about as middle-of-the-road as any Auris could possibly be - no sturdy diesel engine, no excitement about how to get people or things into the back seat of a three-door body, not even the intrigue of Toyota's MultiMode automatic gearbox.What the Auris provided - and what I wanted it to provide - was pleasant, sensible, reliable everyday transport. I mean it as a compliment when I say that I enjoyed having it around, but that I didn't miss it at all when Toyota retrieved it from me after half a year.Not that it was perfect. On day one I was irritated by four things about the car, and although I gradually got used to them they continued to be a source of minor annoyance for the duration. One was the pair of lights on the dashboard which told me I should be changing up or down a gear, according to circumstances. This is meant to be an aid to fuel economy, but I found it frustrating to be driving in fourth and told I should be in fifth when I was a matter of yards away from a hill that would require a shift down to third.The placing of the handbrake release button on top of the lever, rather than at the front of it, is just plain wrong; and although Toyota provides an oddments tray between the front seats, it's inconveniently blocked by the part of the central console which arcs from the dashboard to floor level. The gearlever sits on this, and it's very well placed as a result, but as for storing bits and pieces on that tray, forget it.Annoyance number four consisted of the heavy C-pillars which block out a large amount of potentially useful rear three-quarter visibility. Manufacturers are, on the whole, doing a very bad job of this these days (to the point where I think there's a case for legislation about it), so I can't put all the blame on Toyota, but that was the company I cursed every time I had to reverse the Auris in a confined space.Going forwards, the Auris isn't so bad. At the start of my six months' "ownership" I felt that the major controls - particularly the steering - felt quite woolly, as if you had to persuade them to work, but I got used to that and soon found the car comfortable to drive.It was also quiet most of the time, unlike the 1.4 diesel version I tried a while ago. The noise levels became less acceptable when I did a long motorway trip; at 70mph in fifth gear the engine is turning over at 3400rpm, which is quite high in this day and age, and I could have done with a sixth gear for a bit more peace and quiet.An extra gear would also have improved the fuel economy, but as things turned out I got more miles per tankful on that run than on any other occasion. I managed 38.3mpg, which - though 1.5mpg short of the official combined figure - was my personal record. Without the motorway running, the car's average was nearer 35mpg, though I'm sure you could do better than I did.Performance? Well, I don't think many people who choose the 1.6 petrol model will be interested in tearing up the tarmac, but the 122bhp VVT-i (variable valve timing - don't worry about it) unit seemed strong enough. It's only when you start comparing it with the 1.4 diesel that you realise there is perhaps a better alternative.The little diesel (there's a two-litre version in the range too) produces a relatively feeble 89bhp, and on paper it's much slower than the 1.6 petrol. In real-world driving, though, it feels about the same, and of course it's substantially more economical, though costlier to buy.The two cars are very nearly in the same VED bracket, but the 1.6 petrol's 166g/km of CO2 emissions very awkwardly put it right at the bottom of Band E. A tiny improvement there would save owners £25 per year, which isn't much but still seems a result of carelessness on Toyota's part.Something about the shape of the Auris keeps making me believe it's smaller than it actually is, but I can't fault it for space. Passenger room is good front and rear, and the luggage capacity is 354 litres with the rear seat in place and 761 litres when it's folded down. Good access through the tailgate and a maximum compartment length of 1.7 metres both proved useful on the occasions when I had to transport a bulky keyboard (a musical one - nothing to do with computers) to distant parts of the country.I didn't check the Euro NCAP scores while I had the test car, but they would have made pleasant reading. The Auris was awarded five stars out of five for adult occupant protection, four out of five for child protection (for which no car has ever been placed in the highest possible category) and three out of four for pedestrian protection - if you see an Auris careering towards you when you're on foot, just make sure you avoid the front of the bonnet.Writing about the Auris now that it's no longer here is a strange experience. Although I had it for so long, it now seems as if it actually belonged to someone else (well it did, of course, but you know what I mean). I have no particular interest in living with another one, but if the chance were offered to me I would happily take it. And building cars like this is exactly what has made Toyota such a formidably successful company. Engine 1598cc, 4 cylinders Power 122bhp Transmission 5-speed manual Fuel/CO2 39.8mpg / 166g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.4 seconds Top speed 118mph Price £14,095 Details correct at publication date
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