WITH a fresh new appearance, a host of innovative on-board technology, safety upgrades, improved handling capabilities and the introduction of some exciting new engines, the latest Toyota Auris certainly has plenty of all-round appeal.

The car originally made its debut back in 2007 and has proved a popular addition to the Toyota line-up ever since with UK sales expected to top the 19,000 mark in 2015 alone.

Priced from £15,245 to £25,095, the new Auris is available in five trim levels called Active, Icon, Design, Business Edition and Excel with a choice of Hatchback or Touring Sports body styles.

And customers have much more choice when it comes to engines now with the introduction of an all-new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine joining the existing 1.3 petrol version.

In addition there is the 1.4-litre diesel unit along with a new BMW-sourced 1.6-litre diesel powertrain which was recently launched in the new Avensis.

And finally to round off the selection there is a hybrid model which mates a 1.8-litre petrol engine with an electric motor to generate 134bhp.

The new Auris has a much broader and sportier stance thanks to a number of design enhancements. The revised bumpers help to emphasise the width of the vehicle, the grille stretches to the headlights and the rear of the car looks much lower and wider.

And the interior is certainly very upmarket and premium in appearance too with a redesigned 3D-looking dashboard, lots of soft-touch materials, neatly housed instrumentation and a seven-inch colour touchscreen with smart neon blue surrounding buttons which is very easy to operate and houses most of the vehicle's infotainment systems.

The Auris is feature-rich and even the entry level Active boasts the likes of automatic air conditioning, LED daytime running lights, LED rear lights, Bluetooth and powered front windows.

Move up to Icon and you will see the introduction of 16-inch alloys, the Toyota Touch 2 touchscreen with DAB audio, multimedia control, a reversing camera, a leather steering wheel, powered rear windows and fog lights.

Design grade adds visual upgrades such as 17-inch alloys, rear privacy glass, various upholstery options and cruise control.

The new Business Edition is geared towards fleet drivers and is fitted with Toyota Touch 2 with Go sat nav, heated seats with powered lumbar adjustment and cruise control.

Finally the range-topping Excel has The Toyota Touch 2 Go Plus package with voice recognition and WiFi hotspot function, intelligent park assist, LED headlights, 17-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control and heated part-leather seats.

Toyota is also focusing on safety as a priority and this year launched its new Toyota Safety Sense system.This pack is available as a £450 option on all Auris models except the Active style and features a pre-collision system, lane departure alert, automatic high beam and road sign assist.

We tried out a couple of versions of the new Auris and they each had their own driving characteristics and appeal.

First up was the new 1.2 turbo 114bhp petrol version in hatchback format with six-speed manual gearbox in Icon trim. This model costs £18,295 (it also had a few options such as the sat nav system).

It can reach from 0-62mph in 10.1 seconds and has a top speed of 124mph. According to official figures it can deliver combined fuel economy of 58.9mpg with carbon emissions of 112g/km.

Despite its compact engine and fears it would not have enough spirit to propel a car of the Auris's size, we were proved wrong. It is punchy, full of bite and has ample power on tap at all times. You do have to work your way through the gears carefully when climbing steep hills, but otherwise the car handled beautifully.

The road holding was excellent and comfort levels also impress with good all-round visibility. Leg room in the back is a little tight for taller adults if the front seats are not pushed forward, but the space is certainly reasonable for a car in the C segment.

The boot is also generously-sized with a capacity of 435 litres (increased to 1,199 litres with the 60:40 split-folding seats dropped down). There is an underfloor compartment in the boot plus good-sized door pockets, a deep glovebox, handy central bin, cup holders and overhead sunglasses holder too.

The new Auris benefits from suspension and steering revisions which were introduced to improve the ride comfort, handling and driver involvement and this was very apparent when moving swiftly along winding country roads.

Sound levels within the cabin have been improved with an upgrade in insulation although you will still hear a little road surface noise if the car is pushed particularly hard.

Next was the hybrid model which accounts for 55 per cent of Auris sales.

Once more this was the hatchback style in Icon trim with a few extras added. The starting price for this car is £20,695 and it can reach 62mph from a standing start in 10.9 seconds with a top speed of 112mph. It can deliver 78.5mpg on a combined run with emissions of 82g/km.

This model was fitted with a CVT automatic gearbox which is a bit like marmite in the motoring industry - you either love it or hate it. On some smaller-powered cars it can whine and screech but thankfully not so on the Auris.

In electric-only mode the car can be driven up to speeds of 44mph and there is also ECO or Power modes which can be introduced at the press of a button and alter the car's driving dynamics and economy accordingly.

Once again the car was a capable performer and it coped well with fast-moving motorway traffic, especially when in Power mode. Then in busy town centres the ECO setting was ideal as it meandered along with slower vehicles.

To be honest the cars were so different and would appeal to different buyers, but both had their own qualities.

And when you consider the highly-efficient diesel options on offer it would seem there is an Auris to suit all budgets and demands.