See how MNers are getting on test-driving the new Toyota Auris Icon 1.8 Hybrid. Non-testers: Tell us your fave things about Britain - £200 voucher to be won. NOW CLOSED

[KatieBMumsnet]

This thread is for the 8 Mumsnetters who are taking part in the extended test-drive of the new Toyota Auris Icon Hybrid.
Five testers and their families will also be making a video of their test drive - so look out for this on Toyota's page on Mumsnet soon.

Below are some questions for you to answer over the course of the test drive - please don't worry about answering all of them straight away, some may be more relevant after you've had the car for a week or so.

We'd like you to post updates on this thread at least twice a week - more if you'd like! Please also remember to send any photos of your test-drive to me.

Questions

• What were your/your partner's first impressions of the car?
• What do the children think of it?
• How did you find driving a Hybrid? Was it what you expected?
• What's it like to drive?
• Is it a comfortable ride?
• What's the boot space like?
• What do you think about the features of the car? E.g Heads up display, electric seats, smart start system, multimedia system, rear-parking camera?
• Were these features what you expected the Auris to have or additional?
• Are there any other features you?d like the car to have?
• Has testing this car made you more or less likely to buy a Toyota in future?
• Has testing this car changed your perception of Toyota cars at all? If so, how?
• What one thing do you like best about it?
• What one thing would you change about it?

For those of you not taking part in the extended test drive, did you know the Toyota Auris is made right here in Britain? With this in mind, we'd love to know your favourite things about Britain?...What 'Great British Days Out' are a must for you and your family? Are you planning any holidays in Britain this summer? What about British produce? Do you try to buy British when you can? Share your comments and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Love2Shop voucher

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[HannahLI]

I am not a tester and I didn't know the Auris was made in the UK in fact I am not sure I have even heard of this car before. We are planning to holiday in Devon later in the year which is what we used to do when I was a child because its so pretty and there is lots to do, in particular we love salcome and dartmouth, paignton zoo. We also love days out closer to home one of the things that I love about Britain is that its geared up for walking. I lived in the US for 3 years and where we were there wasnt a pavement in sight! Here I love that we can make a day of taking a walk by the river followed by a picnic lunch. We live in Ely and its perfect for days out such as these!

[flamingtoaster]

'Great British Days Out' are a must for you and your family?
Yes whether it is the beach or museums and art galleries - or just seeing well known places that everyone should see.

Are you planning any holidays in Britain this summer?
Yes - we tend to stay in the UK

What about British produce? Do you try to buy British when you can?
I do try to buy British - particular meat because I don't trust other producers as much as I trust British farmers. I particularly like to buy local produce from PIY or farm shops.

[alemci]

it is either Park or Power. I have looked at some of the manual. it is confusing.

got blocked in today on the road and a colleague was standing behind the car as there was no room in front. didn't quite trust parking cameras. luckily the people moved

[CheeryCherry]

Non tester here... we love a day trip to the east coast of Yorkshire, to spend time on the beach and have fish n chips for tea. Or a picnic dog walk in the Yorkshire dales, by a river or waterfall if possible. We have a week by the coast un Yorkshire every summer, where many friends and family join us for days during that week.
We always pick and buy British strawberries and the new potatoes locally grown. We also buy sacks of spuds all year round from the local farmers. We are lucky to have a farmers market on a weekend so enjoy local produce.
Always buy British cheeses, apples, and meat. If the price difference isn't too much, I will always buy British. (unlike DH who goes for cheapest every time!)

[ThePskettiIncident]

My corner of the world in Devon and Cornwall is chock full of great British days out and produce; micro farms selling from local shops or on the roadside and local theme parks that brew local beer!

We'll definitely have some holidays at home when the weather is good; beaches, the moors and cliff walks. Truly lucky in those respects!

[alemci]

more successful driving today and my ipod seems to be working again.

very pleased with the car and have managed to make some videos.

- What were your/your partner's first impressions of the car?

very attractive and sleek. nice to have a white car as it has been silver for so long but harder to keep clean. liked the mats and the blue shift

- What do the children think of it?

They liked it too and I took my 17 year old to work in it and collected her again at the weekend

- How did you find driving a Hybrid? Was it what you expected?

no not really what I expected. The Hybrid is great to drive once you get used to starting it up without a key and driving an automatic.

- What's it like to drive?

very easy and the steering is so light

- Is it a comfortable ride?

yes very smooth. good over speed bumps

- What's the boot space like?

good size. Easy to open

- What do you think about the features of the car? E.g Heads up display, electric seats, smart start system, multimedia system, rear-parking camera?

love the easy displays, media system is wonderful and easy to operate, not sure about smart start - takes a bit of getting used to as is the rear parking camera, still check over my shoulder as well. find it hard to drive back looking frontwards. needs practise.

Were these features what you expected the Auris to have or additional?

parking camera

• Are there any other features you?d like the car to have?
  

parking itself but not sure if I would trust it plus bootjack from drivers seat. I liked the petrol one.


- Has testing this car made you more or less likely to buy a Toyota in future?

have had Toyota before. would definitely consider buying another

- Has testing this car changed your perception of Toyota cars at all? If so, how?

has got me interested in Toyota again as the car is so good and seems very economical on fuel.

- What one thing do you like best about it?

automatic and media centre


- What one thing would you change about it?

bigger back windscreen. view felt a bit restricted.

[majjsu]

When I travelled for months abroad, before children, I would miss proper cups of tea, Cadbury chocolate, a proper Sunday roast, the smell of fish and chips, the way we queue, breakfast news, country villages, farm shops and our local accents - those are my favourite things.

I love days out whether it in or outdoors. I think we are so lucky with what is on our doorstep - beach, castles, heritage sites, parks...

I do try to buy British wherever possible and try local farm shops.

Since having children, we now holiday mainly in UK. I think we have some great places, I love the diversity that we have from cities to the countryside.

[hjmiller]

Great British Day Out - has to be a trip to the East Coast - Whitby is particularly lovely.
Holidays in Britain - none planned this year but we often do
Produce - I always try to buy British and as local as possible, both to support our producers & reduce the environmental impact by reducing food miles.

[dahville]

Not a test driver and I didn't know the Auris was made in Britain - that is a consideration for us when looking at cars.

Our 'Great British Days Out' are (any guests who come to stay get to choose between these days out):

• cliff walking along the Welsh Coastal Path, especially St David's to Solva
  
• a drive along the Gospel Pass on the way to visit the ruins at Llanthony Priory and then Tintern Abbey
  
• looking for dinosaur footprints at Rhoose Point
  
• walking the Worm's Head, Rhossili at low tide
  
• a visit to Avebury stone circle
  
• any drive in Pembrokeshire, especially if it includes a visit to a beach :-)

[GetKnitted]

My favourite thinng about britain, today, is the BBC!

Also, another poster already answered, but the p is the hand brake...

[CMOTDibbler]

My favourite days out in Britain are some of the seasonal things - I love village fetes (and in the area I'm in now, the 'walkabout' where the fete spreads over the whole village with stalls in peoples gardens, decoration competitions etc), agricultural shows, and carnivals.

We'll be camping in the UK as our holiday this year, and we buy as local as possible. Am very lucky to live in an amazing produce region which celebrates the main crops and I love seeing the new season produce come into the farm shops and our fab greengrocer

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

What 'Great British Days Out' are a must for you and your family?
The beach! In a British way of bloody well going whether it's sunny or not . We like Brighton and the Kent coast.

Are you planning any holidays in Britain this summer?
We've had it- a trip to Wales over the bank hol weekend.

What about British produce? Do you try to buy British when you can?
Yes definitely, although I'm not sure that would ever extend to car buying. But in the supermarket, yes always (except wine).

[MakeTeaNotWar]

For those of you not taking part in the extended test drive, did you know the Toyota Auris is made right here in Britain?

I did not know that! As a young graduate, i spent time teaching english to japanese high school students in the city of Toyota where the car originally comes from so it will always have positive associations for me.

British summer always means lovely long days - not always dry or warm it is true but bright early mornings and late evenings which I love, so much more than winter's short darkness. I always thing of festivals esp Glastonbury, school holidays, strawberries and Wimbledon.

DH is the local butcher so we are very aware of the provenance of our food and strive to buy local where possible.

[ThePortlyPinUp]

For a good British day out you can't beat a trip to the seaside, shivering on a beach eating cod and chips with an ice cream for afters :)

We have already had a long weekend away with the kids this year so the summer holiday will consist of cheap or free day trips, Heacham Beach and Sandringham woods are top of the list.

I try to buy British and support local farmers and small businesses, we're very lucky where we live in a rural area to buy fruit and veg and eggs direct from neighbours allotments.

[manfalou]

Gutted not to be chosen a tester =( However... The best of british HAS to be seaside fish and chips! No holidays in britain for us this year but a couple of weekends away in Chester. I live around 20 minutes from Chatsworth... another thing thats great about britain... the stately homes and grounds that are available to explore and visit on sunny days with your family picnic =)

[hermancakedestroyer]

Hi, I'm a non tester unfortunately!
...What 'Great British Days Out' are a must for you and your family?
Picnics are a must in the 'summer'
A trip to London to explore the sights is always very enjoyable.

Are you planning any holidays in Britain this summer?
We are going camping in Devon this year - a beautiful part of the country

What about British produce? Do you try to buy British when you can?
I love British produce. Tastes better, lower carbon footprint etc.
Yes I do try to buy British whenever I can

I love Britain!

[GlaikitFizzog]

Any testers finding the app a nightmare to upload to? I've tried about 5 times to upload one picture and it keeps failing. I dread to think how long a video will take!

[MadMonkeys]

Non tester here - I love holidays in Britain. The best area for us is the west highlands and islands if Scotland, especially Skye. We also particularly like Cornwall and Northumberland. We buy British where possible - locally grown as much as we can, veg and fruit and gorgeous pork from Packington Moor Farm shop in Staffs.

[melliebobs]

Ok so keyless entry is proving to be a pain in the arse when it wants to. They said its work with the keys in ur bag. Mine are in my pocket and with handfuls of shopping coa I chose not to get a carrier bag I've just had to stand there in the middle of the car park rubbing my bloody leg on the door

[weenwee]

I'm a non-tester (sob), but here's what I, as an expat, love about my adopted homeland:

Britain (and I mean Wales, England, Scotland, IRE, and NI) feels like to me an old, cankaterous, but ultimately cuddly pensioner. They've seen it all, and have the battle scars to prove it, but still has hope for the youngsters who are coming up after them (cough United States cough), and knows that eventually, cooler heads will prevail. I love to go to the little villages where most of the houses are older than America, and just soak up the quiet beauty of it. There is nothing like eating fresh strawberries 50 yards away from the plants that grew them, or Cornish cream in Cornwall! Our fave thing is to head to mid-Wales and get fish caught fresh that morning - the smell of the sea stays with you for days. Twywn, Wales, is the perfect spot for us - you wake in the foothills of the Snowdonia mountains, and the sea at your feet. Lucky life.

[Littlecherublegs]

Non-tester here:

Yes, another proud Brit!!!

Since we've had our son (now 9 months) we've taken even more advantage of the amazing Great British countryside, parks, green space, and National Parks (we live right near the Peak District!).
We've also had trips around GB including Center Parcs at Sherwood Forest (twice!), Edinburgh, and Chester.

And yes we try to buy British produce when we can.

[janekirk]

The feeling of contentment after a great family day out. When everyone is tired out and you can just all flop back on the settee.

[pussinwellyboots]

For those of you not taking part in the extended test drive, did you know the Toyota Auris is made right here in Britain?
No I didn't but it would make me more likely to buy it if it were an option.
With this in mind, we'd love to know your favourite things about Britain?...What 'Great British Days Out' are a must for you and your family?
Visits to lakes, seaside anywhere outside and good for picnicking

Are you planning any holidays in Britain this summer?
Yes, a week in Devon over the summer

What about British produce? Do you try to buy British when you can?
I try to buy British wherever possible.
Share your comments and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 Love2Shop voucher

[ouryve]

What 'Great British Days Out' are a must for you and your family? Are you planning any holidays in Britain this summer? What about British produce? Do you try to buy British when you can?

I think we have some fabulous coastline - everything from the lovely quiet beaches with lots of white sand, tucked away in Northumberland to stony ones with lots of rock pools. We're not planning any holidays, this year, but always manage a few days out, when we can.

I'm pretty fanatical about buying British produce, where possible. Apples, for example - for about 9 months of the year , we have no excuse for buying imported ones, yet very few supermarkets offer British apples through their season. Imported strawberries are always expensive and disappointing (though I will occasionally buy Spanish blueberries in Spring, before our own bushes bear fruit. I never get them from the other side of the world, though). I love British rhubarb, too! 95% of the meat I buy is british, higher welfare, if possible (I usually make it possible) and locally sourced, when I can. We have some lovely organic meat producers, here in the northeast

[Babycarmen]

I am extremely proud to be British. I love buying British produce, especially meat and veg. We always holiday in Britain, we live in North East Scotland and the countryside is gorgeous up here, and there are loads of great beaches and attractions. It would be nicer if the weather was warmer sometimes but we don't complain :)