Toyota TRD Aurion Spy Shots
10 Feb, 2007
49 Comments 
These pictures were taken today (by Mr Paul Maric) of what we believe is the Toyota Racing & Development (TRD) Aurion.
Looking Good Toyota! The TRD Aurion is set to come with a supercharged V6. Given that the current Aurion puts out 200kW of power, the TRD version should be one hell of a car!
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February 10th, 2007 at 9:29 am
I doubt it well be one hell of a car, its a Toyota. Plus all the power will be going through the front wheels only.
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February 10th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Mike, with all due respect, it’s people like yourself that epitomise the Aussie bogan stereotype.
It’s also people like you that discredit a fantastic car like the Mitsubishi 380, simply because it’s front wheel drive. Despite the fact that it handles and is better value than the equivalent Holden SV6.
I’m of the opinion that the new TRD Aurion will be a fantastic car. If the current Aurion is anything to go by, it should be a pretty damn quick car.
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February 10th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
FYI Paul, I have anything against the Mitsubishi 380 and if I wanted a large family car, but couldn’t afford a Commodore, I would go for the 380.
Also I don’t have anything against FWD cars, just those that wear a Toyota badge, so you shouldn’t make an assumption that I’m a aussie bogan.
I think that 240kw of power going through front wheels only is too much and being quick doesn’t mean its a good car.
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February 10th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Here we go again, that Bogan word being thrown around willy nilly.
Front wheel drive is no place for 240kw, its just simple physics and has nothing to do with being a bogan or not being a bogan.
If it comes out with 240kw the road tests will all mention the front wheel drive issue, its inevitable.
Most Toyotas IMO are rather ordinary looking things and I think the number plate of this one will probably turn out to be reasonably appropriate.
I don’t not like Toyotas but lets not get carried away and start thinking that they look good! Or that liking a Falcon or Commodore (generally look better than a Toyota) makes you a bogan.
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February 11th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Lol The whole FWD argument again. Guys Im sorry but maybe you havent heard of these wonderful things called traction control and stability control, they minimise if not get rid of torque steer and prevent understeer and oversteer. This argument has been done to death, all you RWD guys were going before the Aurion came out ‘oh 200kw on the front whweels, wont work’… yet the Aurion has now been reviewed as having better handling then the Faclon (RWD) and just behind the Commodore. In fact the Queensland police have started using the Aurion, due to its handling capabilties in Urban areas. Fact is the Aurion handles very well and so will the TRD Aurion, a better arugment would be it isnt a drivers car, as you cant wip her around a corner and get the tail going out. But nevertheless, handling wise 240kw on the FW will not be a problem, and as long as you dont intend to wrap yourself around a poll oversteering in your RWD… the TRD Aurion will be a hit.
As for ‘Myke’, you have lost any credibility as soon as you said ‘because its a toyota’… and you show your lack of knowledge about cars. Sure Toyota havent had the best image in Australia, they were rather bland in previous years, but their engines have always been among the best. Now we are finally getting the best engines in the world matched with an exterior body which provides a more aggressive image.
N e way, as for the look, find the article on the Aurion sports Concept, its prity much gonna look like that…without the 20inch rims etc.
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February 11th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
The Aurion, is one of very few Toyotas, that receives a good engine (plus I never doubted 200kw through FW). Other Toyota vehicles like the 2.4- Camry, Tarago and Rav4 are underpowered and (expect for the Camry) still retain a four-speed auto, effecting fuel efficiency.
Yes, the new Camry is a lot better than the car before it, but it still behind cars like the Mazda 6. Don’t believe me in Wheels November 2006 they said this about the Cam and 6 in a compasion and I quote:
“There can be no doubt by now about the result of this comparsion. The Mazda is a better car in prety much every way that counts; performance, handling, comfort, efficiency and interior presentation. Hell, it’s just a way more sophisticated and polished product. The new Camry Sportivo may be a better Camry Sportivo, but serious threat to the established A-grade imports from Japan? Definitely not…”
I do agree that Toyota are improving in terms of interior and exterior style, such as the new Auris. But whether it will be as good to drive as a Mazda 3 or a Ford Focus remains under question.
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February 11th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Myke
You base your argument of the Camry on one article? Get back to me when you’ve found a couple more of the same opinion.
The 380 is a very bad argument for not liking the Aurion. It rolls like a pig, the steering is mismatched to the suspension tune (typical MMAL fare), and has the build quality of an EA Falcon. The only thing I liked about it was the smooth engine and transmission (wonder how reliable that will be?).
I’m not a Mitsubishi hater. I’m all for the Evo models and the Pajero, but Mitsubishi has its bad models as well, just like Toyota with it’s crap American pickup range.
Before you write off the TRD Aurion, remember the TMR 380 is 230kW, 442Nm AND FRONT WHEEL DRIVE!
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February 11th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Myke… personally Im not a big fan of the new Camry, why would you bother with it when the Aurion offers the same fuel efficiency, more power etc for not much more in price. But you cant stereotype all Toyotas. And forgetting how they are very good in terms of reliability, performance wise, I would be the first to have a go at recent Camrys at least, but its mainly because they stuck with the same engine through 2 long generations, just updating it with vvti along the way. I kno my older V6 Camry back in its day had more power then its Commo and Falcon rivals, with 1L less dissplacement as well! So just like back then when the V6 Camrys were on top, the Aurion is bringin it back for Toyota… this time though with a body to match. The TRD Aurion will do even more the companies perception in Aus, a 240kw or so grocery getter doesnt sound to bad to me… at least give it a chance!
And despite recent Toyotas being prity gutless (I have a 93 Toyota which compared to the Commo’s and Falcons of the time had more power yet 1L less dissplacement… so its only recently they have stuck with the same old engine until now V6 wise)
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February 11th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
There are plenty of articles to suggest that the Camry is an average car, that was just an example. I’m pretty sure many people would fail to find a review about the Camry that stated it was a great to excellent car.
I never forgot the fact that Toyotas are reliable, but there are many other car brands out there, that are as reliable and offer so much more. This website recently put up an article about the ten most reliable cars (http://www.caradvice.com.au/1436/top-10-reliable-brands/) Toyota came in third behind Mazda and Honda.
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February 11th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Yeah I saw that article… where is Holden lol? Fair enough m8… still though, dont write off the TRD Aurion, you said yourself the Aurion gets a decent engine, so the TRD version shouldnt be to bad along with some more aggressive styling and better suspension set up (Toyotas even the Sportivo always have the ugly gap between the tyre and guard… looks like TRD wont!!).
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February 11th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
The reliablity survey was based on a world scale, Holden isn’t a vehicle sold worldwide. With the Aurion, we will have to wait and see, remembering that although the engine might be a good one, Toyota hasn’t made a serious performance vehicle in a while.
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February 11th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
I disagree that the the various electronic nannies have solved the overpowered FWD issues.
Show me a road test of a 240kw FWD car that behaves itself like a RWD or 4WD.
You can’t have a car that steers, grips and drives all through the front wheels without consequences.
FWD isn’t chosen by manufacturers for the dynamic abilities it bestowes a car with. It is simply a more convenient package for interior space and manufacturing. It wasn’t first publicly available in a Ferrari…it came out in the Mini.
If it was otherwise then we would be surrounded with FWD supercars and performance cars and we are not.
The Aurion is certainly better looking than previous Toyota Australia offerings but seriously folks…it still looks like it belongs with the cardigan wearing brigade. It will have its fans but it won’t adorn any bedroom walls and it certainly isnt the stuff that dreams are made of.
Let the road tests tell the story. I’ll pull my head in if Motor proclaim it a better handler, better steerer and more emotive drive than a VE SS. I won’t buy one though…
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February 11th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Well, I in some ways it will handle better than a VE SS. Like all Holdens (15 or not I have driven a few on my mates farm VS,VZ) they have really heavy steering. The Aurion does have a larger turning circle though but you may be surprised when you hear that the 380 has a smaller turning circle than the new commodore.
Turning circles-
Toyota Aurion/Camry: 11.6m
VE Commodore: 11.4m
Mitsubsihi 380: 11.2m
I think Holden’s yank ceo (who tends to cover everything up) did this intentionally so that people find it harder to take the car back to the dealer after they learn they could get a better bang for their buck at the 50k mark. And no, steane, I am not talking about the TMR 380. If I had 55k to splash out on a car I would buy an evo. It is the best handling car in the world.
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February 11th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Hi Damo. I’ve had 2 VL turbos, a VS,VT and VX Clubsports as well as a VZ S Ute and a VZ Maloo which is my current drive. I’ve also owned a Skyline R33 GTR (my favourite!)and a Porsche 964 Carrera 4 along with a bunch of older english stuff mainly MG’s and Capris.
The Capri and MG had the heaviest steering (no power assistance), the GTR the most direct, the Porsche had the best feel but not as good as a friends Carrera 2, the drive to the front wheels dulled it down a bit.
None of the Commodores had heavy steering including my current VZ. What they do suffer is a lack of feel in the steering. You get used to it but it is a flaw that is well known and a product of their compromised front end design.
This has been fixed in the VE and as a result it is receiving acclaim for the way it steers and how it feels to drive. I personally have not driven one yet so I can’t personally confirm or deny this.
The crazy thing is that the GTR was introduced in 1989 and still makes all of the cars we are talking about, including the Aurion look very ordinary. It’s the one car that I actually miss and wish I had kept.
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February 11th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
Steane, I think the electronics have overcome the FWD issue… you will notice that the Aurion only comes in a 6 speed auto. This is because they have designed the car so all the electronic systems work together to provide good handling… not the best if you want to drive a manual, but it has worked handling wise as many reviews have reported, the issue of the car being FWD is non-existent!
As for showing a FWD car that behaves like a RWD one… of course its not going to. But both have their advantages, I read a while back a review based on the track that some guys did on two identical cars, one FWD the other RWD. At the end they concluded that the RWD was superior to the FWD around slow corners while the FWD was better then RWD around fast corners. Both have their advantages, for the street, 240kw will handle ok… if you wanna oversteer yourself into a telegraph pole, then get a RWD
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February 11th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Paul, which two identical cars come in FWD and RWD? I’m not being a smart A, I’m just interested as I wasn’t aware there was such a thing.
You seem convinced and thats cool. Like the worlds main manufacturers of 200kw+ performance, sports and GT cars I’ll stick with RWD or 4WD when I buy my future peformance cars.
Hit a telegraph pole or fall asleep at the wheel? I think about an Aurion and my pulse slows to nothing and that has to be far more dangerous than a bit of oversteer!
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February 11th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
The test, which Ive been trying to find… was with race cars m8, they obviously put the money into testing the two identical versions.
As for the Aurion and pulse thing, lol you must mean the VE… who cares if its RWD, at 180kw its clocked at doing the 100 in like 8.5secs or so… old V6 Camrys are quicker then that.
And anyway, we are not talking race tracks here, street cars… if you are reckless enough to throw your car around on the street then congrats to you, personally I have abit of fun but I dont want to end up in jail over manslaughter charges or whatever, so 240kw on the front wheels will do me fine for abit of adrenaline rush from 0-100kmh.
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February 11th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Listen, if you want to drift you get a RWD. It is simple. But you would not get a commodore or an HSV because they hardly change the parts from stock. THE TMR 380 has a fair few aftermarket parts, you can drift it provided you leave the handbrake on and put some mcdonald’s food trays under the rear wheels (nah im just being smart but it does work), you would drift around a bit though, fwd or not. To be honest, I really don’t think drifting is a big deal because (well in australia anyway) because you get your average hoons (non sti wrx, v8 statesmen, and just proper fags) who end up getting it mixed up with burnouts anyway. Don’t believe me, when I was talking about drifting to my mate some fagget kid somes up to me and says “my uncle will kill you if you drift, like 3 of his friend have died like 10 years ago” and im like “do you know what drifting is and he is like “yeah it is like burnouts and stuff”. Then again, when he does turn 16 he will be driving his parents vr commodore, it doesn’t even have 2 pac paint. Oh shit, enough ranting on by me. Anyway, I believe unless your a complete hoon (or just prefer RWD i like either layout) both cars have their advantages unless your driving a vectra vxr or astra vxr which has “catastrohpic understeer”, as quoted by Jeremy Clarkson.
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February 11th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
By the way, in my opinion, an FWD layout is better than RWD for Australian Roads, it is a lot safer and has a lot more traction etc.
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February 12th, 2007 at 6:24 am
Forgetting the FWD/RWD Aurion argument for a moment. I will say that I do not condone or practice oversteer slides or drifting on the street. I support the impounding of any cars used by their owners in this way.
This is generally a pastime practiced by young men and they bring shame and disrepute to all performance car enthusiasts.
Only this weekend it looks as though another young chap lost his life travelling in a car that was street racing (allegedly) in Melbourne. It’s just stupid and continues to justify our even more stupid politicians and their ’safety’ cameras.
Paul, I wouldn’t buy an SV6. I have owned alloytec and ecotec engined cars and they are rubbish. In this regard Toyota have it all over the Holden. I’m a performance car enthusiast and alloytecs, front wheel drive, SV6 and Aurion don’t qualify for the starting grid unless you wear white and are running late for the next game of lawn bowls.
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February 12th, 2007 at 8:21 am
“SV6 and Aurion don’t qualify for the starting grid unless you wear white and are running late for the next game of lawn bowls. ” - Quality Post
Always amazes me how the FWD/RWD argument really gets the blood going with car enthusiasts. IMO - A true sports car is RWD or AWD. But for family cars FWD is a safer option for everyday driving with everyday drivers.
So I guess the manufactures are stuck with the problem of making a decision early as to which system to adopt. IE Are we trying to make a sports car a family car or are we trying to make a family car a sports car?? When you consider the portion of sales these sports editions represent. It doesn’t surpise me that FWD is becoming more popular. And lets face it, in a country where you going to get tagged for doing 104 in 100, and finding a decent bend in the road is almost a rare as NOT finding a traffic light. Is the RWD/FWD argument really valid?
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February 12th, 2007 at 9:49 am
Lazybones, you may be right and I may be crazy. It is good to see that there are people left with some passion when it comes to cars, like Paul and yourself and not to forget Damo who punches well above his weight, occassionally below the belt and has a penchant for icecream and the odd vulgarity at strange hours of the night.
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February 12th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Thanks for respecting my views at I do for yours. By the way, the ice cream post, and a few others up late, that was my mate, I was aslepp then because I had to get up for work at 8am and he was watching scarface. Also, I prefer AWD in most cases. Unless you are comparing something like a sporty mazda RX7 series 6-8 or RX8 I to a mazda 6 MPS I would still choose the RX7/8 whether it is AWD or not. Well, a few more occasions but with me the car I truely desire is the one with the best handling; meaning a lancer evo.
Well, I would rather a 4g ralliart eclipse if it ever hits production but that would be so hard to get in australia unless I snag one in about 5 years when it would be old if I buy one when I go to the UK when I’m like 20, primarily for the high dollar value and the fact I’m a dual citizen.
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February 18th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
240kW, regardless of FWD, is simply not in the game, not at the coin they are going to ask for it.
Toyota going to charge $50k+ LOL, do they take us for fools, or do they have a short memory where the $40k turbo-Corolla sat around in sales yards for more than 18 months…
Good luck to them anyway!
Said it b4 and say it again, its only BigT’s 2nd go at a large car, 3rd go will be a “stripped” S1 Lexus LS400 clone for $30k, it will be game-over for Falcodore then
Otto
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February 19th, 2007 at 9:50 am
GUYS,
WAKE UP & SMELL THE COFFE !!!
In Australia the fastest you are allowed is 110 Kph,
so what are yours gonna do with a fast but very heavy on fuel vehicle, the fuel prices are going up every day as well.
Every time you want to speed a bit you worried about cops you are risking fines or loss of licence, stuff that.
I’d rather get a comfortable,safe,luxurious and reliable vehicle.
And that is a Toyota.
so,who cares about FWD or RWD current technology fixed all those things.
Toyota Aurion Sportivo is a beauty ,fast ,good looking ,safe ,luxuorious in compare to the others in the same price range
What i reckon is best for our country is:
a reasonable fast, light on fuel and luxurious,comfortable and reliable vehicle.
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February 19th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Jack you’re right mate, sportscars ,AWD,FWD,RWD all useless talk unless u live in Germany (Europe)
where they have cream dela cream roads and 4 to 5 lane autobahns, with no speed limit and proper trained drivers not like here where every tom ,dick and harry gets a drivers licence.
Yours should see their drivers licence training, how professional it is.
we have third world standards.
i bet Ten thousand dollars take a P plater or someone who’s got their Full Gold licence from AUS . and put him in to a drivers licence class /test in germany he/she won’t pass.
let alone drive there
they wouldn’t even be able to enter the Autobahn.
Therefore with our badly trained drivers and measly 110 speed limit we shouldn’t even talk about Sportscars,V8’s, Turbo’s ,RWD …etc
what pisses me off mostly is, On the Freeway/Motorway 90 percent of the Aussies don’t even know that you shouldn’t stay on the right lane it’s for Overtaking only.
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February 20th, 2007 at 11:09 am
^
Well lets not generalise, Im sure there are alot of crappy drivers in Germany as well…
N e way, there is nothing wrong with these powerful cars, obviously you guys havent heard of drag strips or tracks where you can take your car for a run. And regardless power does have practical uses, like overtaking someone, knowing you have the power to do so safely etc. And in the end its all about image as alof othings are in life, why do women buy expensive handbags etc? That is even more useless then a powerful car.
And as for the TRD Aurion being $50k and this somehow being ridiculous, look around, other performance cars like the HSV GTS are like $70k… now that is expensive, and for what, a car that is half a second quicker. I would pay $60k for a TRD Aurion!
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February 27th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Cool cars - crook photo!!
They’ve just put up some stuff about them and the people behind them here:
http://trd.com.au/TRD/#main/vehicles/mims
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March 1st, 2007 at 6:01 pm
most of you who have bagged the aurion with fwd think your an expert after reading a few article’s. go drive it you will see. iv driven all the big 6’s and the aurion is the best package, including drive. and i currently own a rwd sports car. cant wait for the trd.
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March 1st, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I agree Tom
I think the TRD will be a really good package and one which will surprise a lot of people.
However, I still think Toyota need to consider AWD or RWD for their performance cars to be taken seriously by the majority of performance car enthusiasts.
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March 2nd, 2007 at 12:06 am
Ok, slightly off track but for anyone who thinks, believes or says that Toyota cars are bland, simple and nothign exciting..
Have you ever been overseas? Asian countries mostly I mean to ask ? I assume not.. had you been there you will realize why Toyota Australia does not really give a huge amount of significance to a market full of consumers who for the most are literally european wannabes who like to have euro plates stuck on to get that feel of prestige and believe that Toyota is just some ordinary car.
Have you heard of the MarkX ? Mark2 Grande? Verosso ? Premio? have you heard of any one of these particular cars? I’m sure you haven’t .. as quoted from online
“The 3GR-FSE used in the 2006 Toyota Mark X adds gasoline direct injection (its name is “D-4″) engine. The 3GR-FSE engine rated at 256 hp (188 kW) at 6,200 RPM and 314 Nm at 3600 rpm.”
and thats in RWD, tell me any one Holden or Ford that can go up against that torque figure and still be in one piece by the end of the run.
I’m just in the process of importing a 97 JZX100 Chaser with a 1JZ-GTE engine, that delivers a thrusting 380nm torque @ 2400rpm.. deliberately I’ll badge it Avalon or Camry and go have runs with you stuffed in the head “Commofalcodore I’m rear wheel driven so I must be fast” kind. Grow Up, drive it, do a fair comparison (apart from the one RWD bs) and then voice your opinion.
end rant/
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March 2nd, 2007 at 9:59 am
Chase Her, I think its important to realize that one of Toyota’s mistakes in Australia is exactly what you pointed out.. the lack of care for the products they bring here, Toyota has an array of great cars that could lift the brands image in Australia, but as we are not a big enough market (although Toyota sell more cars than anyone else in Australia already) we never get these cars, and hence why all the comments.
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April 6th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Ford already has more torque and power than the D4 motor, about 100nm of torque more. Anyway, if Toyota are so great at making engines how do they only manage to get 185kw out of the v8’s they use in the lexus and land cruiser 4wd’s?
Fact of the matter is, you will always have torque steer in fwd cars regardless of driver aids, and if you ever break traction in a fwd you will have reduced steering aqbility as well. I know this because all traction controls still allow a little bit of slip just the same as ABS (the same sensors used for traction control) allows a small amount of skidding.
As for grey imports, aren’t they still virtually impossible to insure for their full value? And isn’t that what caused the resale of lexus’ to freefall due to all of the SC400’s being imported and sold for about 15K?
Toyota do have a nice car in the Aurion, but to think it blindly conquers all shows how ignorant and stupid people can be. I for one have test driven the Aurion and found many excellent features as well as some faults; just the same as I have found with Holden, Mitsubishi and Ford. BTW, the same Aurion as here is called AVALON in the USA and it has been rated one of the lowest on the US customer satisfaction list due to regular warranty issues as well as numerous quality problems. Not for nothing, but it does prove that no manufacturer is immune to quality and design issues.
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April 6th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
QUOTe = Ford already has more torque and power than the D4 motor, about 100nm of torque more.
And weights more. Eitherway, the TRD Aurion will have roughly the same 0-100km/h speeds! And its a better package, the XR6T is just a faster XR6… the TRD Aurion is completely differentiated from any other Aurion, both interior and exterior… and underneath the skin (brakes, chasis work etc).
QUOTE = if Toyota are so great at making engines how do they only manage to get 185kw out of the v8’s they use in the lexus and land cruiser 4wd’s?
Ummm 4WDs aernt performance cars mate… and they are all about torque, not power. Anyway look at the 07 Lexus LS’s… 4.6L V8 - 280kw and 500Nm of torque (also has a 8 speed tranmsssion!). That puts shame to our Aussie V8s which need a a litre and a half more dissplacement to get only alittle bit more power and torque.
QUOTE = BTW, the same Aurion as here is called AVALON in the USA and it has been rated one of the lowest on the US customer satisfaction list due to regular warranty issues as well as numerous quality problems. Not for nothing
Give the whole story my friend. For starters on a basic level it has a different body to our Aurion. More detailed, its warranty issues have prity much soley been related to its transmission which they have had problems with… which is DIFFERENT to the Aurions, its only a 5 speed compared to the Aurions 6 speed unit. So nice try to discredit the Aurions reliability but the Avalons problems in the U.S do not relate in anyway to the Aurion.
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April 10th, 2007 at 12:27 am
Sweet, I remember this post, it’s open again! That “man” person who I am guessing is a woman IMO. Totally agree Paul- 4wd’s are not performance cars unless Mitsu bring out the evolander (outlander) concept or a turbo mivec petrol ralliart pajero. At the end of the day, the TRD aurion and TMR 380 are both great cars. So what if they are still FWD. TMR and TRD are both starting out and they just want to make sure that they won’t fail in their attempts to enter the proper aussie performance car industry. If it is a success we can expect AWD turbo/supercharged variants in their range in the replacement models. Who knows? In 5 or so years there may very well be performance TMR/TRD model in the entire Mitsu/Toyota range. Don’t write this off anybody, Rob Mcinery is in charge at MMAL, you know the man who start HSV and went on to fix up the rest of GM, he left about 8 years ago so all of GM’s losses make sense. And Toyota? They have a great management team like the new one at Mitsu and are the biggest automotive company in the world so they definetly have a big enough budget. They are making great profits too at toyota, marketing the camry and aurion as two seperate cars which they are equals better sale figures.
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April 23rd, 2007 at 11:32 pm
I am soon to order a ZR6, and after driving SX6 for a day last week I cant wait to get my backside into it. Currently drive a VX Acclaim, which will hopefully be my last Commodore. The Aurion was great to drive, comfortable, powerful, quiet, fuel efficient, refined - in all a great package.
A few comments…it fitted 5 people with gear for 4 nights no problems, the boot it bigger than the VX. It does have a slight problem though if you load it to the gun’ls the cargo can foul the boot lid springs which makes it difficult to close. Also the rear speakers protrude into the boot space and run the risk of being damaged - something to be mindful of.
It REALLY needs digital speed readout. The dash instruments are clearly visible - the 3D effect slightly odd to me, but not a problem really, other than the needle is 3 to 4 km/h hour thick under the speedo scale, which is easily the difference between receiving the ominous letter in the box a few weeks later, and not. There are no calibration marks between 10km/h marks between numerically marked points which count up in 20 km/h increments - thats a bit odd to me. (wonder what the police versions will have?) Toyota really should do a firmware upgrade and include digital speed read-out in the display options.
As for drivetrain, it is happy to rev all the way to the redline, something Im just not used to in the VX. Its audible, but not threatening to disintergrate at 6000 rpm. The tranny, when left in auto, is smooth enough for me not to be aware of which gear I was in. Admittedly its the first time I have driven a 6 speed, so I wasnt ready for the “normal” shift pattern. 5 and 6 are direct overdrive, but im not sure at which speed they are selected by the auto. Launching the thing is tricky (ok, I didnt thrash the thing but the dealer told me defintely to wring its neck). A bit longer in the car and the driver would get used to the threshold of engine management and, if you can sneak in just below it all, progress off the line is surprisingly quick (for a vx driver, of course)
FYI, the RAV4 is soon to get the Aurion engine (as is the Kluger) 200Kw in a RAV?? Are they thinking of proving the part time 4 wheel drive system for the TRD?? Would make sense to me.
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April 24th, 2007 at 12:20 am
The Aurion is a great smooth yet powerful, as well as comfortable drive. The fuel economy and hadling is great. My only real skepticism is the trip computer has no memory so unless you go on a flat out drive from one state to another (ie. Adelaide to Melbourne) on a full tank right from the start as well as having no brakedowns (which is highly unlikely in a Toyota) and do not pullover (and turn off the engine) you will never know how well the fuel economy averages out. If there are any Aurion owners (on this site) who have been on a moderately long trip I would like to hear how well the fuel economy went.
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May 3rd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I believe the Aurion is a great vehicle. Added competition in the large car segment will only generate more refinement across all makes & models.
What I still cannot understand is that people who have never driven or ever intended to own a Toyota are so quick to pass judgement on a vehicle that has entered the market to offer the consumer an alternative to Ford or Holden.
The Aurion’s pre-launch advertising (My Opinion) caused GM to bring forward the launch of the VE (Nice Car) & Ford to speed up introduction of the new “Orion”… The name so, so close.
One thing everyone can agree on is that Toyota must be doing something right to continue to be Australia’s No.1 Car Company for the last 6 years.
I believe the thing that sets Toyota apart from other car makers is its track record for reliability & durability. While GM & Ford are posting out recall notices for faults with new models Toyota continues to spend its money on research & development.
Only time will tell!!!
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May 9th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Hey just came across this and read most of your posts.
You guys seem to forget that Lexus is toyota and they’re not all front runners. Its all about marketing, cost etc.
Theres nothing wrong with front runners as long as you know how to drive them. same as rwd. look at the integra type R. Not too many crap reviews about that, especially when it comes to torque steer. And type R’s are known with their “measely” 1.8 and 147kw to be quite capable around the track.
Toyota i’ve found to be the bloody miracle car… just goes and goes and goes. If some of you guys doubt Toyota are any good at looks and performance you must have been under some pretty big rocks when the MR2, Supra and GT4 was around. Plus don’t overlook the 4AGEZ engines either. Give a lot of Fords and Holdens (sixes and eights) a real run for their money.
Power is irrelevant really. I’ve seen stock swift gti’s not only beat vs’ & vt’ through the hills but also off at the lights. I’ve always liked FWDs (look at pretty much all of Honda’s arsenal bar the NSX and S2000) but also love RWD’s. For me, i’m a lot safer in a FWD than a RWD. Easier to lift off the gas and NOT touch the brakes and steer through a corner than it is to oversteer and start playin the correcting game. For me anyway.
I’m glad companies are pushing to new boundaries over here, makes it more competitive and keeps them pushing technology to new limits, and isn’t that what we really want. Faster more RELIABLE and economical cars.
VVT in all its forms (VTEC, MIVEC etc) is amazing (though getting old) technology and it shouldn’t be overlooked. Imagine ya V6 and V8 with 15-20% more power and even better economy.
Each to their own, thats what makes it so great. Be absolute crap if we all had the same cars.
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May 18th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
well… why don’t we line up the 240Kw aurion next to australia’s best Preformance Car… the FPV Typhoon, One of the quickest and best handling cars in this Land called australia… the only car in the Aurions market in australia is the Typhoon, they are both 6’s both are Special Vehicles, one is FWD and the Other is RWD that the only differance Expect the Typhoon is a 270kw beast and the TRD aurion is only 240Kw.. i love V8s but these days you dont need a V8 to be fast eg. Rex and Evo and now the typhoon….. and even then standard XR6-turbo has more Power and it will be cheaper!!! so what the?? toyota?? if you going to bring out a preformace car or special vehicle car it better be faster than a normal vehicle like the XR6-Turbo…. but lets line em up - Typhoon vs TRD Aurion
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May 18th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Chopstar, you will find the Aurion will most likely then not just understeer into a ditch
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May 29th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
here is to paul.
dont you know that the typhoon actually has 550nm of torque from 4.0. actually .6l displacement less than tho toyota you talk about
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June 4th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Even if it says 400Kw, it will always be 100km/h cap for me. So, except of being able to accelerate quicker, it’s useless…
Well, I’ve been using Toyota for ages and it proof that:
1. It doesn’t have the nicest interior, sometimes it’s pretty bad actually
2. Not the best engine available in term of power etc
but it’s last long and one of mine is 15 years old Toyota which hasn’t give me any trouble as my 4 years old peugeot and 5 years old Honda.
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June 30th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Hi,
Early this year I had the dubious honour of owning a 4 ltr 4×4 Hilux Dual Cab.(Thankfully Sold)
So i am laughing my head off upon hearing that Toyota is actually adding a blower.
This is because the Hilux is an absolute handful in the wet due to 20th century suspension set up and totally inadquate in the braking department.(Drum On Back, Front not much better)
Thanks for the laugh !
Cheers
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July 9th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
hey shephen lipshus,
trd dont just tune engines. the upgrade will include suspension and braking.
cheers!
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July 9th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
^
I wouldnt even bother explaining things to ‘Stephen’, more than likely drove his Hilux like a performance car (Seen a fair few tossers with them around after that commercial a while back) and wanders why he understeers or has brake fade.
The TRD Aurion is actually designed to be more of a performance car… not a utility designed for lugging tools around.
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July 9th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
refering to some of the above statements, Japanese cars imported from japan dont have more then 280hp is because the japanese government put a hp cap for factory produced cars. This cap has been removed only a couple a years ago.
Chopstar, i dont think its fair to compare the TRD Aurion agains aussie’s best performance car as u put it. Maybe search for japans best performance car and test it against the FPV Typhoon. Do an all round test like how the people at ‘TopGear’ do the test for cars.
Cheers
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July 9th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Im not sure if its unfair based on that though ‘Overseas’, both the Typhoon and TRD Aurion have many things in common, such as both are boosted 6’s. But there are also differences, the market the TRD Aurion is aimed at doesnt want brute muscle as is seen in the Typhoon, if that were the case Im sure they could have got ALOT more power out of the Aurion (Direct Injection version is 230kw… supercharge that and you have at least 270kw) and made it AWD for handling reasons. Rather its about acheiving a balance between comfort, handling and power. I think they will achieve this, we know Toyotas are usually reasonably comfortable and it wont be hard to beat the competition in this regard, we know they have upgraded its handling on top of the reasonable handling of the stock Aurion which rides on smaller 215 tyres and we know they can get power out of the most powerful family 6 in its class with the supercharger. On top of all this it will have something the opposition certainly doesnt have; refinement, quality and reliability… all features that are evident on most Toyotas.
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July 28th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Do you want me to let you all in on a little secret? The best engine for upto 350-400rwkw is definately the toyota twin turbo 1jz-gte (the single turbo vvti is even better). Anything over go the 2jz Supra Turbo Motor (or make a 1.5jz which is a 1jz head on a 2jz bottom end so it has 3L like the 2j not 2.5L).
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