Sport Excel HSD

Clever Car, suprisingly fast, very quiet, airy, brillant on fuel & pretty

I always wanted an HSD Toyota because I love its techno credentials and it does not disappoint. Drive the HSD as a turbo diesel and you will hate the apparent lack of torque, but drive it like an HSD which is more akin to a planes thrust and you will soon be delighted with how fast the car can go. My Auris is a brilliant town & motorway car, extremely quiet at high speeds and still good on fuel. Expect average MPG of approx. 52mpg (48-66mpg).
One has to adjust driving style to this type of car, taking into account the CVT gearbox's slight lag between power needed and being generated + the 2 stage braking which can grab for the ab-initio as the car rolls to a stop and the electric brake changes to mechanical disks and pads.

The steering is somewhat non linear and can give the feeling over oversteer, but again, due to the cars low centre of gravity, it goes around corners much faster than you may at first think.

Excel Trim - I opted for the modestly priced Excel premium trim as I wanted cruise control, this also comes with niceties such as rear Camera, auto park etc & I also went for the amazing panoramic roof & full leather - I have more than enough toys.
I definitely recommend getting Cruise Control with an HSD car, because keeping the speed constant with the HSD / CVT system can take some concentration as the engine sound does not equate / is totally detached from road speed.

Night driving - I wish I had opted for HID headlamps, because even tough these headlights are very bright, they have a super sharp cut-off on dipped beam which leaves the road outside the beam in pitch back, which can cause panic on twisty roads at night.

I ride a 200Mph Motorcycle, which is exhilarating & does way less MPG than my Auris, also can't do the shopping and is not fun in the wet or cold. The HSD system is not trying to be an F1 Car, it really does deliver brilliant MPG, is fully Auto, quiet and the package inside the Auris chassis makes for a relaxing drive & to top it off even with the low profile alloy wheels, the suspension is lovely and compliant.

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