Hybrid cars come in all shapes and sizes – small like the Honda Jazz, medium-sized like the Toyota Prius, and massive like the Lexus RX450h. But we’ve never, until this here Toyota Auris Touring Sports came along, cast eyes on a hybrid estate. Take a second to soak it up and when you’re done, marvel at its ridiculous name.
It is, as you’ve probably guessed, an Auris Hybrid with an enormous boot. The car is around 285mm longer than the standard hatchback, which contributes to an increased load capacity of up to 1,658 with the rear seats folded down or a very respectable boot capacity of 530 litres with the seats in their normal position.
For reference, a Ford Focus Estate provides a mere 476 litres with the seats up and 1,052 with them folded.
Toyota has achieved this impressive storage capacity by positioning thecar’s lithium-ion battery pack beneath the rear seats. The company has also made clever use of available space by incorporating a dual-level loadspace floor, a one-touch seat folding system, a roller-style luggage net, hooks for shopping bags, aluminium roof rails and a 12V power socket in the boot.
The Toyota Auris Touring Sports uses the same propulsion system as the new Auris hatchback. This comprises a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine and an electric motor that, together, produce 134bhp – enough for a 10.9-second 0-62mph time and a 112mph top speed.
Sadly, Toyota has yet to confirm just how the hybrid powertrain benefits fuel economy, but it has confirmed CO2 emissions of just 86g/km. If this estate model is anything like its hatchback brother it should be pretty thrifty. Expect fuel economy in the region of 74mpg.
Standard petrol and diesel verions are also planned.
We’ll have more info on the Toyota Auris Hybrid Touring Sports, including pricing and availability, in the coming weeks.
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