Euro-only Toyota Auris gains sporty SR180 model
click above for high resolution gallery of the Toyota Auris SR180
The bucket of parts that makes up the Toyota Corolla also gives life to several other vehicles worldwide. In the UK and other parts of the world, they get the Auris, a three- or five-door hatch-type-thing. While Toyotas in the United States are sleepy affairs, the Auris is ringing in 2008 with a sporty, well-equipped SR180 version. Looking great with a lowered suspension from Toyota Motorsport and blacked out rear glass, the Auris appears intimately involved with the pavement. There's a subtle spoiler atop the hatch, which always gives a nice finish to the back end of this style car, and the wheel arches are nicely filled with 17-inch alloy rims. Underhood, Toyota's D-4D Diesel provides 175 horsepower and a whopping 294 ft-lbs of torque through a six-speed manual while returning 38 mpg (US) on a combined cycle.
Equipment levels are up, providing the driver with such goodies as dual-zone climate control, automatic headlamps and wipers, and cruise control. Stability and traction-control systems are standard, too. It all sounds and looks very good until you run the roughly £18,500 price through a currency conversion – coming out the other side at about $37,000 greenbacks. Some people would sell a kidney on eBay for the opportunity to get something like this Stateside, and it certainly is a rare Toyota that makes us say "That's cool." If you're someplace where you can take advantage of it, order yours now for January delivery.
[Source: Toyota]
Gallery: Toyota Auris SR180
PRESS RELEASE:
AURIS ADVANCES WITH NEW SPORTING FLAGSHIP
New Year debut for SR180
KEY POINTS
- New sports-focused Toyota Auris SR180 flagship model
- Toyota Motorsport lowered suspension and rear spoiler
- Dark-tinted rear privacy glass
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- 175bhp 2.2 D-4D engine gives nought to 62mph acceleration in 8.1 seconds
- On sale on 1 January 2008
- Prices £17,995 (three-door) and £18,495 (five-door)
- A new flagship Toyota Auris hits the streets early next year, giving the range a new sporting edge. The SR180 does not stint on eye-appeal, with Toyota Motorsport lowered suspension springs giving it a ground-hugging stance and a neat new rear spoiler positioned atop the tailgate. Dark-tinted rear privacy glass and five-spoke 17-inch alloys add further to the style factor, while the choice of body colours includes an über-cool Pure White.
The SR180 is far from being all-show-and-no-do. The 2.2-litre D-4D engine generates 175bhp and a maximum 400Nm of torque from 2,000rpm, giving responsive and rewarding driving performance through the six-speed manual transmission. Benchmark acceleration from nought to 62mph is 8.1 seconds, while the D-4D engine's strong fuel efficiency returns an official 45.6mpg in combined cycle driving.
Further driving rewards are delivered by the dedicated, lightweight double wishbone rear suspension, tailored specifically to meet the demands of the model's higher performance characteristics. Vehicle stability control (VSC) with traction control (TRC) are provided as standard.
In keeping with its flagship status, the SR180 has a high equipment specification with automatic dual-zone air conditioning, dusk-sensing headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and cruise control all part of the standard package.
The new model is available to order now (for delivery in January), with both three and five-door versions available, priced respectively £17,995 and £18,495 on the road.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mario 12:17AM (2/28/2008)
the yaris looks better
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ApexAlex 7:32AM (3/07/2008)
jgp: "I hated that hood on the Camry, and I hate it here. It just looks really awkward how it ends before the grille."
what do you think of the mercedes tri-star standing boldly on the hood?
think of logo on the camry as Toyota's version of being A STAND UP STATEMENT. even more prominent, backed by body color paint rather than thin air. the treatment on the Auris/Corolla is similar, just not as big.
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SPG 6:04PM (12/27/2007)
That is a slick Corolla varient.
I'd love one as a daily driver and I think many other North Americans would as well.
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SPG 6:05PM (12/27/2007)
Are those Rav4 rims?
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graviton 6:07PM (12/27/2007)
Well lets see...
A base model 5 door Yaris runs $13,025 in the US and 9,310 pounds in the UK. So given this sort of ratio I would predict a US sale price of around $25k-26k. Not bad considering the sportiness and dieselly goodness, this would compete with the Mini, GTI, and Mazda 3 rather well.
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Paul H. 6:43PM (12/27/2007)
Who knew? Toyota can make interesting cars these days!
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mike 9:40PM (12/27/2007)
Yes, how did this get past the "dullness" committee?
Build me one with a smaller engine for hyper-mpg.
TigerMil 6:59PM (12/27/2007)
not for that kind of money.
won't sell for $20K in the US.
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Michael Ishigaki 4:24AM (12/28/2007)
Yeah, the design isn't good enough to sell for $20,000 here.
The engine DEFINITELY is. Who even knew Toyota had this engine in their toolbox???
275 lb-ft torque and 38 mpg?!
Michael Ishigaki 4:24AM (12/28/2007)
Yeah, the design isn't good enough to sell for $20,000 here.
The engine DEFINITELY is. Who even knew Toyota had this engine in their toolbox???
275 lb-ft torque and 38 mpg?!
Mike I 4:56AM (12/28/2007)
Well actually, come to think of it: It probably would sell for $20,000.
The GTI is truly and ugly car and it sells well.
Taylor 7:03PM (12/27/2007)
Wow, I kinda like this one. Now, kill the Yaris and replace it with this.
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pheer6224 11:13PM (12/28/2007)
I'd actually consider one, because a hot hatch that could run on biodiesel would be the ultimate daily driver.
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jgp 7:37PM (12/27/2007)
I hated that hood on the Camry, and I hate it here. It just looks really awkward how it ends before the grille.
Toyota _does_ have some cool cars they don't sell in the US, though, but this isn't one of them (examples? Avensis, Aurion, Mark X, and Alphard all come to mind off the top of my head).
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John R 7:50PM (12/27/2007)
don't forget the Crown. the crown athlete is pretty slick.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/2005_Toyota_Crown-Athlete_01.jpg
toyota makes me sick. they always seem to keep out the good stuff.
psarhjinian 9:48PM (12/27/2007)
I said this in another thread: with Toyota selling half a million Camrys per year in North America, they have exactly zero incentive to bring the Avensis or Auris over.
North America had their collective chance to encourage Toyota to make sporty cars. We didn't buy the MR2, Celica or Matrix Xrs. We didn't buy the small RAV/4 or supercharged rear-drive Previa. We didn't buy the IS300. We did buy Camrys and Corolla CEs and Highlanders and Lexus ESs. By the hundreds of thousands.
And Toyota heard our call and, yea, brought us more of what we wanted.
Personally, I'm amazed we even get a Camry SE with a five speed manual. GM and Chrysler won't even sell you a mid- or full-sizer with a stick.
WillDaThrill 9:40PM (12/27/2007)
Remember when all the coolest cars (minus the exotics) were made or sold in/to America?
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FamilyGuy 10:38PM (12/27/2007)
I would take this over the new 08 regular Impreza any day
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Bryan 10:42PM (12/27/2007)
It's sad to think that this is as far as we have come in small automobiles. Can we please come up with something new? This is one hideous mess and looks like every other Toyota. Nothing at all to see but blandness in a sea of already too many bland automobiles with the same cheap looking plastic bumpers and the same rims and the...zzz
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jason 4:29AM (12/28/2007)
Even if this car was a rebadged McLaren F1 selling for a Toyota-like $20000 you would still trash it on account of being an import. Why don't you just take your garbage elsewhere?