Every family hatchback seems to have an angle these days. Ford's Focus is positioned as the keen driver's choice, the Honda Civic and Citroen C4 go for the high-tech approach and the Volkswagen Golf makes great play of its classless image. The Vauxhall Astra's trump card is its sharp styling and Renault's Megane plays it all very chic but where does all this leave the Toyota Auris? Toyota don't appear to put as much faith in marketing spin as some, the Japanese giant usually content to manufacture a well-built, reliable product and let the market make of it what it will. It's a state of affairs that makes the Auris an ideal candidate for a long term test.

We run a lot of cars on long term test but when we collect the keys to a Toyota, we always expect, and tend to get, a trouble free time. Toyota haven't risen to become the world's largest car manufacturer in waiting by accident and it's this exemplary reliability record that has done more than anything else to propel them to greatness. All the elaborate styling, entertaining handling and advanced technology in the world is useless if the car won't start or is plagued by niggling electrical faults. The Auris, thus far, has a pristine copybook from a reliability standpoint.

So we've established, as far as a couple of thousand miles in a brand new car can, that the Auris is a dependable vehicle which isn't a big surprise. It's the other areas that go to constitute a top end family hatchback which we're more interested in putting to the test. Drop inside the car and it's the dramatic waterfall-effect dash instantly grabs the attention. All the major controls are mounted on the raised centre section which cascades down between the seats and also plays host to the handbrake and the gear lever. There's nothing but fresh air and a storage bin underneath this bridge and it effectively divides the front part of the cabin in two, negating the possibility of a quick shuffle across to exit by the passenger door when you've parked too close to a pillar in the multi-storey. This centrepiece aside, the cabin is typically Toyota which means tough materials, sturdy-feeling controls and little trace of individuality. The build quality is out of the top draw but with higher class materials and some extra design flare applied to areas other than the dashboard centre section, it could easily be raised a notch or two.

"The Auris, thus far, has a pristine copybook from a reliability standpoint."

At the wheel, the seating is pleasantly firm and a comfortable driving position is easily achieved. The angled centre console leaves the handbrake jutting up at an unusual angle but the gearlever and other controls are within easy reach of the driver. The Auris lacks the firm suspension found on sportier feeling family hatches but for many drivers most of the time, this will be preferable. The controls are light and the springs soak up bumps with little drama but the chassis is still taut enough to brake and corner without too much pitch and roll. So long as you're not the sort who yearns for really focused handling, the Auris is pleasantly at home in the town, the country or on the motorway.

The six-speed manual transmission features some closely-stacked ratios that you'll need to keep on top of to maintain decent torque which, with the D-4D 130 engine fitted to our model, is found in a narrowish seam between 2,000 and 2,800rpm. Fortunately, the 'box is a joy to use. The engine isn't the smoothest of diesel units but the punchy performance at low revs and the strong economy figure are much more satisfying. We've been averaging around 45mpg on out test, which has taken in a lot of fuel-sapping urban driving.

In creating the Auris, Toyota's engineers started with the passengers and then worked outwards, maximising occupant space with elements such as a flat passenger floor and high window surfaces. The all-new platform has an overall length of 4,220mm incorporating a 2,600mm wheelbase. This means that the wheelbase represents 61.6 per cent of the car's total length. The higher the percentage, the more space is afforded to people rather than oily bits. By contrast, the current Ford Focus, a model which is generally seen as an exemplar of smart packaging in this class, has a 58.5 per cent wheelbase to length and even something like the latest SEAT Leon manages a mere 59.7 per cent figure. With an overall height of 1,515 and a width of 1,760mm, the Auris is one of the biggest family hatches around, although the shape does much to disguise this bulk.

Perhaps the kindest way of describing the Auris' exterior shape is 'evolutionary.' A less charitable verdict would be unadventurous. If Toyota really wanted to position the Auris as a different and higher quality car than the Corolla, step one should be to ensure it doesn't look broadly similar in dimension to that car. Yet despite the neater touches, well, it does. While Toyota senior suits talk about J-factor, vibrant clarity and emotional identity, most of us think it represents a missed opportunity. There's nothing ugly or off-putting about the shape or the detailing but it would have been nice for Toyota to exhibit a little more flare.

The Auris may lack some of the surface sparkle that's layered onto rival products by their respective marketing departments but those who take time out to look a little deeper will find a product that demands respect. It's a highly inoffensive and competent vehicle that's going to appeal to a broad section of the populace. Maybe it is unadventurous but you can forgive Toyota's reluctance to depart too drastically from the basics that made the Corolla the world's best selling car. The more you get to know the Auris, the more the little unexciting things that it does so well come to the fore and this rather than any grand fashion statement or technological innovation is what makes it appealing.

TOP 5 AURIS DEALS

The results below show the top AURIS deals on buyacar

	Toyota Auris 1.4 D-4D T3 5dr MM Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £273	Saving £1,416	Price £14,234
	Toyota Auris 1.6 VVTi TR 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £249	Saving £1,246	Price £12,944
	Toyota Auris 1.6 VVTi T Spirit 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £276	Saving £1,388	Price £14,062
	Toyota Auris 2.0 D-4D TR 5dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £275	Saving £1,429	Price £14,361
	Toyota Auris 1.4 D-4D T3 3dr MM Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £265	Saving £1,361	Price £13,789

typical 12.28% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000