The Auris is fast and easy to maintain

Edward Baguma

One of the performance features of the Toyota Auris is that it runs on a 1200cc turbocharged engine. It gives you that sporty feel when driving on the highway. It has a small engine but easily picks up speed.

On the highway, the 1200cc engine gives me between 12km to 18km per litre of fuel, which I believe is one of the best mileages over long distances. The mileage covered per litre is quite different in urban areas because of slow traffic. Here, it reduces to between eight and 11km per litre, dependent on how heavy your acceleration foot is.

Being a turbocharged car makes diagnosis of some of the mechanical conditions easy by just listening to sound from the engine. For instance, when I recently run low on engine oil, my engine performance declined. The engine produced a dragging sound. I could accelerate but it was not picking speed as required. When I went to the garage and replaced oil, it regained its performance.

When it comes to service, I only use quality engine oil and I replace it alongside the oil filter, spark plugs, fuel filter, air cleaner, brake pads and any other part that requires servicing as advised by my mechanic. All this costs Shs250,000.

Minor service where I just top up the oil, blow the air cleaner and clean the oil filters costs Shs120,000. Even when I reach the 5,000km mark and its time to service, if the previous service was done well, there won’t be any need to do it again.

Dorothy Asasira

I have driven the Toyota Auris for two years. One of the features I like about it is its ability to serve as a passenger and cargo car. This is all possible because of its spacious interior. Also, the driver and codriver sections have ample leg room which enables me to drive long distances without suffering from joint pain.

My particular model runs on a 1200cc petrol engine. Such a small engine allows me to refuel with as low as Shs20,000 on days when I am working with a tight budget. A full tank that costs approximately Shs210,000, takes me for three weeks and sometimes into the last week of the month.

 I do not understand car mechanics in detail but for service, I buy new engine oil, oil filters and the air cleaner and a few others parts. Everything including labour costs me an average of Shs200,000 and I spend this amount once in four to five months. I carry out service after covering 5,000km as recommended in the service manual.

Sheila Nakaweesa

I had a number of options to choose from when buying my first car but I zeroed down to the Toyota Auris because of its low fuel consumption. The other options such as the Vitz and the Ist equally had small consumption engines but the Auris had a lot more interior space. The Auris also offered more comfort.

In the nine months I have had it, I have discovered that it is stable on the road even at relatively high speeds.   

It is a small car easy to drive in the tightest corners but also easy to park. The only challenge is that motorists in bigger cars and trucks tend to be bully me off the road, especially during rush hour traffic.

I have serviced it once in the nine months I have been driving it. During the service, I replaced the tyres, engine oil, fuel filter and the music system and all this cost close to Shs1m.

Basic Specifications

Fuel Type: Petrol

Manufacturer: Toyota

Produced on: 2009

Bore x stroke: 72.5 x 80.5 mm 2.83 x 3.15 inches

Engine alignment: Transverse