GAMBLE or water-tight business move?
Toyota's decision to jettison the name of its most successful model, the Corolla, was always going to provide a feast for thought.
With more than 31 million cars sold worldwide since 1966, you couldn't be blamed for feeling that the Japanese giant had 'taken a punt' by changing the label.
The Corolla was always one of those cars that you could describe as a safe bet, thanks to its reliability and efficient layout.
So its replacement, the Auris, needed to raise the stakes, both as an overall package and in terms of its image.
The latter remains under discussion but there's no doubt that as a range of cars, the Auris is a near perfect mid-size family hatchback.
It's available in three and five-door style with a choice of 1.4 and 1.6-litre VVT-i petrol engines and 1.4, 2.0 and 2.2-litre D-4D diesels, plus several trim grades.
Bang in the middle of the diesel line-up is the tested 2.0 D-4D five-door, British built at Toyota's Derby factory and kitted out in upmarket T Spirit spec.
This is a terrific engine and everything you expect from a modern oil-burner. Exceptionally smooth and strong on the motorway, it's also near silent and light years removed from some of the noisy units still found in some manufacturers' latest offerings.
Two 150-mile journeys brought out the best in the car with its 124bhp of kick making the Auris a lively, enjoyable car to drive with bags of mid-range pulling power.
Ride quality is outstanding and the Toyota's behaviour is predictable through corners - it's a car with first class dynamics.
Factor in average fuel consumption of more than 50mpg and you have a model that bridges performance with economy. And for drivers obsessively concerned with those figures, there are even green shift arrows on the dash pointing out when to change gear for optimum efficiency.
Visually the Auris isn't the most stunning of vehicles with its conservative lines, at least until you step inside.
The short yet tall shape enables the rear bench to be mounted quite high without affecting what is exceptional headroom. And with room for three across the back, there's almost as much space as in the much larger Avensis model.
There's also plenty of stowage, the likes of underseat tray, second glovebox, pop-out cup holders, door bins and sunglasses holder providing 32 litres of interior space.
But perhaps the most interesting, and opinion splitting, aspect of the Auris cabin is its unique 'flying bridge' centre console, which allows the gearstick to be placed high and leaves the rather elegant handbrake vertical rather than horizontal.
Downside is that the arched cubby behind the gearlever isn't very accessible - at least that's my wife's view on it.
For my part the only irritating aspect of the Auris is the quirky pull-back button on the handbrake, otherwise this is a car with which Toyota can bank on proving another long-runner.
FAST FACTS
Toyota Auris T Spirit D-4D 130 5dr
Price: £16,595
Mechanical: 124bhp, 1,998cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 121mph
0-62mph: 10.3 secs
Combined mpg: 52.3
Insurance group: 7
CO2 emissions: 144g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust