Toyota Auris Gains New Turbocharged Engine – Plus Safety Sense C Package

By Steve & Tamami Laser

Hot on the heels of the introduction of the new Scion iM at the New York Auto Show last week, we learn today that a turbocharged gas engine has found its way into the parent company’s Toyota Auris counterpart for Japan. The new turbo is also on tap for the European Auris later this year.

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Toyota says the refreshed Auris with its new turbo engine plus a new safety package went on sale in Japan today. This latest redesign “advances the Auris brand by building on the individuality and performance that has defined the model since its first generation.” In addition, Toyota has combined the best of the model’s new features by creating the high-end 120T grade.

The 120T comes with Toyota’s newly developed 1.2-liter direct-injection turbo engine (8NR-FTS), and also offers an extensive range of comfort and convenience features. This small displacement engine puts out 85kW (116ps) and 185Nm (18.9 Kgf-m) of torque. Instead of flat-out performance, this engine is designed for economical operation and low emissions.

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The engine pairs a single-scroll turbocharger with a cylinder head that uses an integrated water-cooled exhaust manifold to optimize exhaust temperature. This enables adaptive intake cooling that is not affected by the engine’s thermal load. The result is said to be responsive acceleration and maximum torque across a wide rpm range.

Peak torque is generated at a wide range of rpms between 1,500 rpm and 4,000 rpm. This, combined with Super CVT-i adjusted to bring out the best in the turbo engine, is designed to for responsive acceleration and smooth, performance.

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Standard Auris 120T features include a specially designed instrument panel with wood-grain finish, and seat fabric made from a combination of Ultra-suede leather and artificial leather for a smooth feel. Driver experience is further enhanced with other features such as cruise control, heated driver and passenger seats, and an auto anti-glare inside rear view mirror.

As part of Toyota’s multi-faceted approach to support safety on the road, the recently-announced Safety Sense C package uses both a laser radar unit and a camera to achieve reliability and performance. The package comes standard on 1.2-liter turbo and 1.8-liter models, and is available as an option on 1.5-liter models.

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Pre-Collision System (PCS) uses a camera and laser radar to detect objects ahead of the vehicle, and when there is a possibility of collision it prompts the driver to brake with an audio and visual alert. If the driver fails to brake in time, the system automatically applies the brakes, reducing speed by approximately 30 km/h to help prevent or mitigate the collision.

Lane Departure Alert (LDA) uses a camera to detect white and yellow lane markings. If the vehicle starts to deviate from the lane, LDA alerts the driver with an audio and visual alert.

Auris information applies to models sold in Japan. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.

News source and photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Corp.

Story (commentary) © 2015 CarNichiWa.com