What Makes the TOTO Aurora Different from TOTO's Other One-Piece Toilets
What makes the Aurora different is its flush engine. It is built around the INTEGRAVITY SYSTEM, which TOTO calls "a new gravity-driven flush engine that precisely balances powerful flushing with enhanced bowl-cleaning performance." TOTO's page for the Nexus one-piece, the closest comparison in the rest of the range, names TORNADO FLUSH as its flush system and nothing beyond it. The Aurora keeps TORNADO FLUSH as its bowl design and adds INTEGRAVITY on top.
How the INTEGRAVITY SYSTEM Changes the Flush
INTEGRAVITY uses what TOTO describes as "a dual-tank, dual-valve architecture" that "sequences rim wash and siphon jet for controlled, efficient results." A conventional gravity toilet empties its tank through one valve, so the rim wash and the siphon jet start together and finish together. Splitting them across two valves lets the rim carry on rinsing after the jet has done its work. TOTO's published claim for the outcome is that the Aurora "Rinses the Bowl 5x Longer," footnoted as a comparison with conventional toilets. It does that at 1.28 or 1.0 gallons per flush.
One Body, Four Configurations
Every Aurora shares the same ceramic. It is a completely skirted one-piece body with an elongated front bowl, Universal Height seating and CEFIONTECT glaze, which TOTO says "prevents debris and mold from sticking to ceramic surfaces." The skirt encloses the trapway, so the outside of the bowl is a continuous curve with no ridges to wipe around, and the supply connection is concealed. TOTO offers it in Cotton, with Ebony available on the two bowl-only models. The four configurations differ only in flush volume and in whether a WASHLET is fitted, which is unusual for a TOTO line and makes the buying decision shorter than it looks.
Universal Height, and Who It Suits
Universal Height is the only seat height the Aurora is made in. It puts the seat roughly 17 to 19 inches off the floor rather than the 15 or so inches of a standard-height bowl, which is why TOTO lists every Aurora as ADA compliant. Most people find the extra couple of inches easier to sit down on and stand up from, though anyone short enough to lose contact with the floor may prefer the lower version. The store's comparison of TOTO Universal Height and standard height covers the trade-off, and the full range of taller bowls is in tall toilets.
How to Choose Between the Four TOTO Aurora Models
Choosing between the four Aurora models comes down to two decisions: how much water you want the toilet to use, and whether you want the bowl on its own or as a complete WASHLET+ set. The ceramic is identical across all four, so neither decision changes the styling, the height, or the footprint.
1.28 GPF or 1.0 GPF
The difference between the Aurora and the Aurora 1G is flush volume: 1.28 GPF (4.8 LPF) on the standard models, 1.0 GPF (3.8 LPF) on the 1G versions. Everything else matches. Both run the same INTEGRAVITY flush engine over the same TORNADO FLUSH bowl, both are Universal Height, both are elongated. Choose the 1G if the lowest available water use is the priority, and the 1.28 if you would rather stay with the volume most of TOTO's range is built around. The wider selection sits in 1.0 GPF toilets, and the store's guide to TOTO flush volumes covers what the number does and does not tell you.
Bowl Only, or the Complete WASHLET+ Set
The bowl-only Aurora ships with a SoftClose elongated seat. The WASHLET+ versions replace that seat with a TOTO WASHLET bidet seat and route the hose and cord inside the skirt, which is what the plus sign means: ceramic designed so the WASHLET fits with no visible connections. Across the WASHLET+ Aurora models TOTO lists EWATER+, which "auto-cleans wand after every use," PREMIST, which "automatically mists the bowl before each use," a self-cleaning wand, CLEAN RESIN and a night light. If you want to see how TOTO packages the rest of its range this way, compare the TOTO WASHLET+ toilet sets.
Which WASHLET+ Seat the Aurora Takes
The Aurora WASHLET+ is offered with four TOTO seats: the S2, S5, S7 and S7A. The tiers step up in comfort and automation rather than in the wash itself, so the practical questions are whether you want an auto open and close lid, an automatic flush, and the more advanced remote. Auto flush is listed as an option on the S7 and S7A only. Decide the seat before you decide anything else, because it is the part you touch every day and the ceramic underneath it does not change. Browse the store's toilets with the WASHLET S2 and toilets with the WASHLET S7A to see the two ends of the range side by side.
Will the TOTO Aurora Fit Your Bathroom?
The TOTO Aurora fits a 12-inch rough-in as standard, and TOTO builds 10-inch and 14-inch versions of the same model at additional cost. Rough-in is the distance from the finished wall to the center of the bolts that hold your current toilet down; the store's rough-in size guide walks through measuring it without pulling the toilet. Confirm the number before you order rather than after, because the rough-in is fixed by which model you buy.
Bowl shape is not a choice on this line. Every Aurora uses an elongated front bowl, which measures roughly 18.5 inches from the seat bolts to the front rim against about 16.5 inches for a round bowl. That is around two extra inches of projection into the room, so in a powder room measure the clearance to the door swing and the vanity as well as the rough-in. If elongated works for you, the Aurora sits alongside the rest of the one-piece elongated toilets; if it does not, this is not the line to force.