New Year Gains for Toyota’s 2017 Verso and Auris

• Toyota Verso adopts new range structure for 2017 with Active, Icon and Design grades
• Design specification enhanced to include 17-inch black alloy wheels, part-leather upholstery, rear privacy glass and an enhanced Toyota Touch 2 with Go multimedia, connectivity and navigation system
• Icon models gain Smart Entry with push-button start, rain-sensing wipers, rear door sunshades and a new seat upholstery
• Toyota Safety Sense now standard on Auris Icon, Design and Excel hatchback and Touring Sports models
• Auris Design models feature new 17-inch alloy wheels and Alcantara upholstery
• Both 2017 model ranges are on sale now

Toyota has introduced equipment upgrades for its new 2017 Verso and Auris models, with Verso also moving to new, refocused three-grade line-up.

2017 Toyota Verso

Toyota has taken the opportunity to streamline the Verso line-up into three grades: Active, Icon and Design. The change has introduced plenty of premium features to the Design models, which top the new range.

The Design’s high style quality is taken up another few notches with the addition of new 17-inch black alloy wheels and rear privacy glass, in addition to the standard-fit panoramic roof. In the cabin, part-leather upholstery is now part of the package, together with the latest top-end Toyota Touch 2 with Go multimedia, connectivity and navigation system. Controlled by a central touchscreen or by voice commands, this provides 3D map graphics, a text-to-speech function for text messages and connected services for better journey planning and local information. The deal includes three years of free map updates.

The specification of Icon models has also been raised with the addition of Smart Entry and push-button start, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, a new seat trim and sunshades for the rear doors. Toyota Safety Sense remains standard on all Verso, providing extra protection against accidents with a Pre-Collision System with Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking, Automatic High Beam and Lane Departure Alert.

Verso models come with an easily adaptable cabin which seats up to seven in three rows of seats; the entry-level Active model is available only as a five-seat vehicle.

The choice of powertrains for Verso Design now includes the 130bhp 1.6-litre Valvematic petrol engine with six-speed manual transmission, in addition to the 1.8-litre Valvematic and 1.6-litre D-4D diesel units. Across the board, performance figures remain unchanged.

2017 Toyota Auris

The British-built Toyota Auris takes an important step forward in terms of safety with the addition of Toyota Safety Sense as a standard package on all versions of the car – both hatchback and Touring Sports wagon – bar the entry-level Active grade, where customers can specify it as an option.

The functions of the package can alert the driver to an imminent collision risk and help them take action to avoid or reduce the consequences if an impact does happen. Auris’s features match those of Verso, above, with the addition of Road Sign Assist, which recognises important warning and command signs on motorways and major routes and repeats them in clear graphics in the driver’s colour TFT multi-information display.

Design models are refreshed inside and out with the introduction of new-design 17-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels and Alcantara cabin trim. Leather seats can now be specified for Excel grade models as a factory-fit option. To round off the 2017 upgrades, there is a new exterior colour choice: Tokyo Red.