Toyota Auris TRD unveiled in South Africa

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By Brett Davis | October 13th, 2011

Toyota has unveiled the Toyota Auris TRD in South Africa. The Auris, a rebadged version of the Toyota Corolla, features a supercharged engine and sporty highlights in TRD trim. It will replace the local Toyota Auris SportX.

The sporty Toyota Auris TRD features a 1.6-litre supercharged four-cylinder engine producing 133kW of power and 202Nm of torque, up 36kW compared with the SportX. Power is sent through to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.

Underneath, the Auris TRD comes with a number of TRD-style enhancements to offer sporty driving characteristics. These include sports lowered TRD Sportivo suspension keeping a sporty tyre and alloy wheel package firmly planted.

The Toyota Auris TRD also comes with a bespoke bodykit package with more aerodynamically shaped front and rear bumper bars compared with the standard Auris, as well as a front and rear spoilers to make optimum use of airflow.

Unfortunately for keen TRD fans in Australia, the Toyota Auris TRD will go on sale in South Africa only, with a market launch set to take place next month. What do you think though, is it a package you’d like to see available Down Under?

Toxic_horse

Not with that paint. yuck!!!

Gianni

That or brown. Your choice.

Grammar Nazi

Toyota must have had rocks in their head to launch the TRD locally brand first with the Aurion, and then with the HiLux!

They would have been onto a sure-fire winner if they’d simply strapped a hair-dryer onto a Corolla and given it some fruity spare parts. Every boy-racer in the land would have been clawing for them.
Ox

This is exactly the kind of car that Toyota needs in Australia to lift it’s bland image.

Damian

Or just a Corolla with the 3.5L V6 in the Aurion – known as the “Corolla Blade” in Japan. It’ll be a great package with a decent LSD.

Ox

With all that weight over the front wheels on a small car? I think a turbo 4 would be a better balance

Damian

Remember the Clio V6 (never sold in Australia) and the Mk4/Mk5 Golf R32? Imagine something like these with Toyota reliability. Probably not the best track package, but it’ll still be quick.

Thrillhouse

The Clio V6 motor was jammed in the space where the back seat should have been, as mid/rear drive layout. It was also the equivalent of about 65,000 fun tickets when new. Who in their right mind would spend 60k on a Corolla?
kazuo

agreed, corolla version will b cheaper.new balde with v6 only cost 40k aud
IfItAintARotorItAintAMotor

And the Golf had the best sounding V6, not that bland drone that comes from the Borion

Damian

“Who in their right mind would spend 60k on a Corolla?”

Nobody proposed that the V6 Corolla Blade be sold at $60k – that’s the beauty of it – a $40k V6 Corolla that will rip many hot hatches to shreds.

o

isn’t the corolla a rebadged auris?

Mitch

Yep

Ample Parking

Nup.

‘Corolla’ in Japan is basically a whole sub-brand of Toyotas, and not every JDM dealer is able to sell them. Auris is a more recent name used in some markets.

anthony

Woeldwide,the Corolla sedan is called Corolla,and the hatch is called the Auris.

Jacob

I still dont understand why people buy small sedans…

A hatch can fit so much stuff in the boot.

Old Dog

why sell hatchs, why not just utes. faaaar more practical.

Grammar Nazi

Read the first paragraph.

Smoothcall

WOW – a whole 202nm

That sports lowered TRD Sportivo suspension must really be something to put that much grunt to the ground LOL

Nelly Potato

Yep, torque is better than a standard corolla, but its still crap. Asian car manufacturers just don’t seem to get it. In real world driving, its torque below 2000 rpm that makes a car feel quick and responsive. It slike the Aurion with its 200KW…even though it gets good figures on the board it feels sluggish.

Bob

Yeah, BUT it needs more power to justify the TRD badge

HJP

Yes there is more powerful Corolla, but only in Japan, called Toyota Blade in which it uses Toyota Corolla hatch body with different cosmetics and shoehorned it with Aurion 3.5L V6 engine. I think if Toyota Australia ever decides to bring this car here, it would be justified to use TRD emblem.

Golfschwein

The Blade could really shake things up. I doubt it would win a comparison test with a GTI, but it would have fun trying, and maybe that’s half the point.

Golfschwein

Check out the guts on the guy with the blue and white striped shirt!!!!

I don’t much go for his attire, or his beer gut, but the Auris/Corolla could be a convincing enough package, as far as mild warmovers go, certainly more so than Toyota Australia’s risible offering with the Hilux TRD.

It’s inoffensive and might well succeed if offered as a cheap and cheerful.
Ryan

A slightly less bland Corolla and it would be good competition against Holdens Cruze SRi variants.
Toyota Guru

The last time we had “Seth Efrikan” built Corollas here (2005-2006), they were piles of crap. Way short of the Japanese build quality and materials.

Golfschwein

Never knew! What sort of issues did they have, other than those mentioned?
CK

What are you talking about? I have a South African built Corolla Sportivo 2005 model, and have had zero issues with it since I bought it (over 6 years ago). It’s the most reliable car I’ve ever owned, and I thrash the crap out of it, and still goes without complaining one little bit. Scheduled servicing only, with no other expenses.

Jim Sim

Tell me about it Toyota Guru, crappy suspension compenents, brake pads that would wear out every 20000kms and lip the disk to the point you would have to replace it every service.
Glad they put an end to the South African Corollas.

CK

I must have a one of kind Sportivo ‘rolla as I just changed my brake pads for the first time at 80,000km’s. And have no issues with suspension which you make mention of.

j

Toyota “Blade Master G” of a few years ago, based on the Corolla/Auris but with the Aurion 3.5 v6 and awd. That should be the TRD Corolla.
Moe

Looks nice but toyota should stop wasting their time and bring out what people really want a nice rear wheel drive 2 door TURBO sports car like the supra and hurry up already with the FT-86.
http://zuboora.com mohamad is right when he

I bet all the pensioners can’t wait for this to come out.
*work all your life
*retire at an old age
*claim your super
*head straight to the toyota dealership
And buy a SUPERCHARGED corolla
Yikes

bert

YOU FORGOT TO SAY:

Cheap Servicing, so my money stays in super.
Never breaks down, so my money stays in super.
Best resale value, so my money stays in super.

Buy a toyota,AND SAVE A BUCKET LOAD!

AndyGF

What tiny ‘saving’ you get by buying a toyota or any of the really boring cars, you make up for in psychiatry bills and anti-depressants…

Live a little! Buy something with a good engine, or interesting gearbox, or even just great steering feedback? Just something to make the daily drive that much more interesting.

bert

What like your CAMIRA? HA! HA! HA! HA!

Rick

It’d be better than a corolla hahahah

MatthewM

The old Toyota Corolla Sportivo delivered 140kw naturally aspirated.

vti07

Was that the same engine as the Celica?

Force-15

As far as I know the Corolla and Celica used identical engines; only the electronic ‘chips’ differ. The Corolla tune produces 100kW and can run on 91 octane unleaded, whereas the Celica tune produces 140kW but needs 98 octane unleaded.

CK

You’re wrong about that. The Corolla Sportivo’s engine is identical to the Celicas, the standard Corolla uses a different engine and only produces 100kW. the sportivo Corolla and Celica both run on premium fuel and both produce 141kW, as they are the same engine.

Force-15

Guess I should have done some research before commenting rather than rely on hearsay. My mistake…

gt6

Taking you too the Bowls Club just a little bit faster…
Mr Gaspo

Apparently, there is also a stripped out light weight track model… no carpets, no aircon (just a fan stuck to the dash), low drag non-metallic beige paint, racing beige vinyl interior and a special racing outfit (walk shorts, high walk socks, safari suit jacket, horn rimmed glasses with sticky tape holding the bridge together). Phew, now I need a Bex and a lie down before I go off to lawn bowls.

Falcodore

Classic

Falcodore

If they introduced this here i think a large proportion of the road toll would sway towards the elderly….WAAAY too much power for pensioners!

Rick

Only Toyota would think that a badge and a couple of kilowatts would make it a sports hatch . If Toyota want any chance at reviving the trd badge , they are going to at least have to build a hatch with enough horsepower to be competitive with the other hot hatches ( at least 166kw) I mean it’s a big step for Toyota but it’s to small of a step to be taken seriously and I certainly wouldn’t put the trd badge on it them figures are barely worth a sportivo badge let alone the trd one . As for the previous trd models, they were actually really good cars but as with most toyotas they priced themselves out of the market ,I mean asking similar money as a hsv ( for the aurion) with barely more horsepower than an sv6 it was never going to work .
RB26

I like it…better than what you can get right now in oz as far as a corolla is concerned….gives the car modding scene and tuners something to work with too.
The old JDM Levins with 4AGE engines were pretty good…so no reason why something with half that effort should be bad. Bring it over.
Ford Fairlane

This car is underpowered.

Its got the power to equal cars in the class beneth it but would get blown away by every hot hatch in its own class.

Toyota + Performance Cars =……..?

Old Dog

your equation is wrong, i think you meant:
toyota + ? = performance car.

JooberFPVGT

toyota + Subaru? = performance car.

Matty B

Depends on the pricing of it, Unfortunately there would be no real hope of this thing ever being a performance bargin knowing Toyota, but it’s all relative.

Go1

Aurion TRD was good and very powerful.. What ever happened to that??

Jober As A Sudge

No…the TRD Aurion had a good engine but point it at a corner and it all went to pieces.
Thrillhouse

No one bought them because they sucked, so they stopped building them.

Rick

They overpriced it, and in usual Toyota fashion ,underpowered it 240kw doesn’t even match a xr6t falcon and barely beats a sv6 commodore all for a hsv price that’s why it was doomed from the start,even though it was actually an alright car as long as you kept it away from corners

Al Juraj

Our Corolla is everything but the tasteful bits. Overseas cars get an array of high-tech gearboxes, such as 5-speed auto, 6-speed robotised and 7-speed CVT, but we can’t have any of those. Priding itself to be a first-world country, Australia makes do with the uncalled-for 4-speed auto. We’re also stuck with two lukewarm engines and a lowly torsion beam rear suspension while countries elsewhere get, well, something a lot better.

Rick

And here in oz we pay more than anyone

Mad Max

I had a look at this yesterday at the Johannesburg International Motor show. It looks ok in the metal. If only we had a motor show like this in Australia. Yes they have 46million people here and yes there is around 1.0 billiuon people on the continent. I understand all of that. But the JIMS motor show is an indoor outdoor show on around 10 acres of land. The sites a bit like the Melbourne Show grounds (for those of us in Melbourne) with a mixture of permenet and temporary buildings. I did not see everything but was still there for 7 hours. EVERY car company was there and the only cars not open to sit in were Porsche, Ferrari and McLaren. ALL of the AMG Benzes, high ned BMW´s EVERYTHING was open. Heck, BMW even had the entire range on display. There was a huge range of busses, trucks, boats (even a lake with boats on it) motorcycles, a stunt bike and drift car display, a rock buggy ride, a 4WD test track, a softroader test track and even helicopter rides. The entry price? AUD12.00 adults and kids under 16 free! If only we did this in Australia!
Bluey1701

Probably an OK car only, doesn’t really float my boat.

They have to change the badging though. I see TRD, I cant stop thinking TURD.

It’s for that reason the Citroen rebadged their early turbo diesels for the English speaking world from TRD to DTR

BBM-RSA

The Japanese and Toyota in particular don’t seem to be able to make an ordinary car feel special. You can have powerful engines but it is the package that matters, something the Europeans have mastered. Just take a look at the cars it has to compete with and it is clear that the odds are against it, and besides the Auris does not sell very well here RSA. Auris is silly name for a car and TRD=TIRED.