The new Auris is quieter, smoother and more efficient than before. It’s also easier to drive and has a more plush and sophisticated interior but overall its most striking feature is its fresh new look.

I was offered a 1.6 ltr petrol powered ‘Sport’ specced Auris in a beautiful Island Blue colour. Four different levels of trim are on offer starting with the entry level Active, followed by Icon, Sport and the top of the range Excel, fully equipped with dusk sensing headlamps, rain sensing wipers and may other features associated with more expansive executive cars.

The four-cylinder 1.6 ltr engine produces 132bhp, with around 160Nm of torque, and comes with a choice of six-speed manual or CVT gearboxes. I was offered the manual and hoped it would add some excitement coupled with a 132bhp engine. The Valvematic engine, which refers to the variable valve timing, is designed to make it more efficient. Combined with a weight reduction of 45kg over the old 1.6 Auris, it works; this car should achieve around 43mpg and emits 138g/km of CO2.

The petrol engine is smooth and unobtrusively quiet at any speed. This, plus the greatly improved driving position and quicker steering ratio, make the Auris more enjoyable to drive than its predecessor. The lightweight feel to the pedals and gearshift makes it a really smooth drive but on faster open roads you’ll have to change down a gear or two to tackle hills, where the relative lack of torque starts to lose ground.

The outgoing model, although as expected pretty good, was also impressively unmemorable.  The new Auris though, is visually striking. It has a strong face, a crisp shoulder line and a confident stance in the way the short, shapely tail sits on the rear wheels. The rear light clusters are works of four-pointed art, while the rear reflectors sit in vertical nacelles inside the wheel arches as though pretending to be red-hot air emerging from some powerhouse. At last a Toyota (apart from the GT86 which is an instant attraction) that has had some design love expended upon it. The new look carries on inside, with a large multi-mode screen sitting in the middle of a very shapely ‘carbon effect’ dash. The instrument cluster looks very ‘upmarket’ and is well equipped with conventional dials alongside digital readouts for engine and ambient temperature, and odometer. The blue dash illumination is a joy and produces a cool calm look and compliments the soft touch materials used throughout the interior to produce a premium feel. Other key features such as the nappa leather steering wheel highlight the high quality feel.  This model also came equipped with firm and supportive hard-wearing seats finished in black with Yamato red inserts.

The new car sits two inches lower, positioning occupants in a slightly more laid-back pose. This immediately makes it feel more engaging to drive, although the initial engine range seems limited, for now it's a 1.3-litre petrol unit with 101bhp; an 90bhp 1.4 diesel; and a 132bhp, 1.6-litre petrol engine. That last figure is a healthy output, and the Auris so powered felt smooth and lively. The best part, though, is the way it rides with suppleness and flow while responding crisply to the steering and gripping with vigour. It's a genuinely enjoyable car with a credible dose of Toyota's new "fun to drive". Overal this new Auris is great to drive. It’s engaging on country roads and refined on well surfaced main roads. Road holding on its fat low profile Continental tyres was impressive, apart from slight understeer when diving into corners at higher than average speeds, otherwise I felt secure and safe in the knowledge that It would actually be a struggle to throw it out of line.

The Auris is built in Britain and comes with a 3-year, Toyota warranty. It is also loaded with safety features that include ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), BA (Brake Assist), Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill-start Assist and a full complement of seven airbags. Overall this new model is a big improvement over its curvy predecessor and should prove a match in a hotly contested market segment comprising stiff opposition such as the VW Golf and Ford Focus.