TOYOTA was the pioneer of hybrid technology and now it has spread to most of its range.

It’s in the little Yaris and continues in the revamped mid-size Auris.

Yet I still can’t quite be convinced by it.

In the Auris, the electric motor is married to a 1.8 litre engine. That sounds like it should have plenty of poke, but it still labours up hills and when you need overtaking power.

Consumption-wise, its 74mpg figure compares directly with the 1.4 diesel in the range. It’s cleaner, with carbon output of just 87-91g/km, but then the diesel isn’t much more, 99-103g/km, and it’s £1,500 cheaper.

But, if you do a lot of your driving around town, then the hybrid comes into its own.

As I’ve remarked before, with diesel and petrol there’s not a lot you can do when your consumption figure significantly drops in stop-start urban driving, but with the hybrid you’ll spend much of your time up to about 30mph running solely on battery power.

So that means your mpg will stay neatly as high as it does when you’re on a 60mph cruise.

For me, over about 230 miles I averaged out at 55mpg. That’s no better than a diesel or even some petrols, but much of my driving was urban and a conventionally-fuelled car would struggle to meet that in town.

And in other departments the new Auris is an improvement. The batteries on the hybrid no longer live in the boot, so you’ve got more space there.

On this top-spec Excel model the bells and buttons included a touch-screen entertainment and information screen, which was easy to navigate. The iPod connection is spot on and the sat nav easy to use.

You also get heated seats, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, 17in alloys, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing lights, parking sensors and a rear camera.

It looks pretty good from the outside and, while it won’t win any awards for driving thrills, the ride is extremely good and very comfortable, especially for longer journeys.

As a very capable, spacious, comfortable family car, the Auris ticks plenty of boxes.

The pros and cons of the hybrid will depend very much on where you do your driving, so think carefully before you buy.

The hybrid starts from £19,995 in Icon spec and £21,745 in Excel spec.

Toyota Auris 1.8 hybrid

Max speed – 112mph

0-62mph – 10.9 secs

Consumption – 74 combined (72 with 17in wheels)

CO2 output – 87g/km (91 with 17in wheels)

Rating 3/5 Auris range from £13,995

Find out more at westovergroup.co.uk/Toyota