Aurion - New Pics, Models, Prices.

[Dave_au]

From www.drive.com.au

Originally Posted by Toby Hagon, drive.com.au, 16/10/06

Aurion enters large car fight


With keen pricing and equipment, Toyota’s new Aurion is the latest large car to tackle the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. But is it good enough?

Toyota Aurion

Toyota’s large car combatant – the Aurion - will sell from $34,990 and include an electronic stability system, side curtain airbags and a six-speed automatic transmission on all models.

Details of the already heavily-marketed new Toyota V6 were released today as Toyota prepares to again tackle the only market segment it has never been competitive in - large cars.

Despite a dwindling large car market – sales are at their lowest for more than a decade and are already down more than 20 per cent in 2006 compared to 2005 – and uncertainty regarding fuel prices, Toyota is optimistic about its latest entrant into the large car frey.

“Aurion provides compelling reasons for existing large-six (cylinder) customers to stay in the segment and for former large-six customers to return,” said Toyota Australia senior executive director of sales and marketing David Buttner.

For four decades the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon have dominated large car sales locally, despite repeated challenges from the likes of Chrysler, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and even Toyota.

The Aurion arrives years after the disaster that was the Avalon, a born-again version of a hand-me-down from the United States that struggled to reach half its original sales volumes.

“We’ve learnt a lot since the Avalon,” said Toyota Australia chairman emeritus John Conomos. “People didn’t shop Toyota for large six-cylinder cars – they shopped our competitors … so that’s what we’ve had to work on.”

Conomos, who said he is “excited, not nervous” about what is a crucial new entrant for Australia’s top-selling brand, admitted there will still be some “traditionalists” who will stick to the Falcon and Commodore, both of which drive the rear wheels, something many Australians still rate highly.

But Toyota’s Buttner said the Falcon/Commodore diehards are a dying breed.

“The tribalists love tradition and grunt. They’ve bought the same car for generations, largely determined by what their father bought – or which car won at Bathurst,” said Buttner. “They are a diminishing sub-segment, accounting for about 20 per cent of the market.”

But the Aurion is not without its substantial challenges, which includes history and the failure of every large car combatant to upset the long-running Falcon and Commodore stranglehold.

Toyota is setting optimistic sales targets of around 2000 cars per month, which accounts for roughly 20 per cent of the large car segment.

Coincidentally, that’s the same target as the Avalon it effectively replaces, a car that struggled to achieve half those goals.

The Aurion, which was unveiled at the Melbourne motor show early in 2006, is effectively a Camry with a different nose and tail.

However, whereas the Camry is now exclusively four-cylinder, the Aurion comes with an advanced 3.5-litre V6 engine that produces a class-leading 200kW of power; 20kW more than the Commodore and 10kW more than the Falcon.

It is also more fuel efficient than its large car rivals according to the official government-supplied fuel figures, achieving an impressive claim of 9.9 litres per 100km travelled.

The Aurion also comes with a six-speed automatic transmission, a feature that’s now an affordable option on the Falcon and only available on V8-powered Commodores.

Toyota is also quick to point out that while the Aurion’s interior dimensions are identical to the “smaller” Camry, it is differentiated with more features and unique touches, such as the foot-operated handbrake that liberates more space in the centre console.

Still, there’s no denying the similarities between the Aurion and the Camry, from the driving experience to the general styling themes inside and out.

The Aurion will be offered in five model grades; AT-X, Sportivo SX6, Sportivo ZR6, Prodigy and Presara. Prices range from $34,990 to $49,990.


Aurion: the line-up

AT-X $34,990
Sportivo SX6 $38,500
Prodigy $39,500
Sportivo ZR6 $42,500
Presara $49,990

Under the bonnet

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Power: 200kW at 6200rpm

Torque: 335Nm at 4700rpm

Fuel consumption: 9.9L/100km (government figure)

The Sportivo looks sensational (lots borrowed from Lexus) (production version)




Base a bit hard to swallow:


More pics
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...rticleID=20878

[Venomous]

HOT.HOT.HOT! Congradulations Toyota

[Venomous]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Especially that one

[Outbackjack]

They look OK, but they are still front wheel drive. Blah.

[Abacus]

You are looking at the kiss of death for the 380.

[Fairmont I6]

sportivo zr6 $42k thats almost xr6turbo territory! wonder what sort of power its got?
i love the front end, but not keen on the side profile and rear except for sportivo

[Cheahman]

Looks alright for a camry. But its still fwd, so I wont ever be owning one.

[Bucket]

Originally Posted by Cheahman

Looks alright for a camry. But its still fwd, so I wont ever be owning one.

Looks good


"Class Leading 200Kw" Just a shame about the Class bottom out Torque

[05MkIIFutura]

Originally Posted by Bucket

Looks good


"Class Leading 200Kw" Just a shame about the Class bottom out Torque

If everyone really thrashes their engines as much as they say they do then torque is irrelevant, at high revs you are producing max power not torque. Have a look at a power/torque graph, the power maxs at higher revs than torque. (admitedly the Aurion's torque curve will not be as flat so engine tractibilty will prob be worse than the Falcon, but the 6 speed should take care of that)

The FWD issue is only in the mind of few - the average Joe would never extend a car this far. For average even super brisk motoring the FWD problem is a myth - indeed the FWD is inherently more secure for most drivers -particularly in the wet and on unsealed roads.


By the way, I quite like this one, hmm, might be an option when the lease ends

[MRJUCY]

Originally Posted by 05MkIIFutura

The FWD issue is only in the mind of few - the average Joe would never extend a car this far. For average even super brisk motoring the FWD problem is a myth - indeed the FWD is inherently more secure for most drivers -particularly in the wet and on unsealed roads.

You'd be surprised just because someone doesn't know why a driver can still tell something drives poorly.

The first time my mum drove a FWD she could tell it was different by the feeling of being pulled, the lack of traction, steering feel & massive turning circle was apparent to her at not much more then parking speeds even tho she didn't know why & she is a 60 year old lady & the least enthusiastic driver you'd ever come across.

Saying that many people these days would have never driven a RWD car & wouldn't even know what they're missing out on & I do think this thing will sell better then the Avalon but I think the sales will come from people who would have previously bought a V6 Camry rather then a rival manufacturer.

[Steffo]

Ugly. I hate these new Toyotas. And 335Nm is a pretty girly torque figure for a modern, 2006 model large car. A 3.9 MPFI EA had 338Nm...

[Danny]

They look sensational, just fantatsic, and I'd half have one, and It will definitely be the end of Mitsu full stop. But Holden and Ford? Erm, No.

Until Toyota will develop a RWD with at least some sort of Lexus sourced V8 and utility Variant, only then can they begin to win the hearts of Aussie buyers, then it takes years to build up a rep like Falcoin and Commo. But at the moment, Big heavy powerful FWD car to me = Scary.

Still, Looking good Toyota. Congrats!

[Outbackjack]

This toyota turkey sounds just a bit arrogant for my liking......

But Toyota’s Buttner said the Falcon/Commodore diehards are a dying breed.

“The tribalists love tradition and grunt. They’ve bought the same car for generations, largely determined by what their father bought – or which car won at Bathurst,” said Buttner. “They are a diminishing sub-segment, accounting for about 20 per cent of the market.”

But the Aurion is not without its substantial challenges, which includes history and the failure of every large car combatant to upset the long-running Falcon and Commodore stranglehold.

Who does he think he is summing all ford/holden drivers like this. I wonder if he has ever considered that the rear whell drive ford/holden variants are just simply good cars and his front wheel drive crap will not appeal to anyone that takes their driving seriously....... and dont consider driving a chore that must be endured. :

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Outbackjack

This toyota turkey sounds just a bit arrogant for my liking......

But Toyota’s Buttner said the Falcon/Commodore diehards are a dying breed.

“The tribalists love tradition and grunt. They’ve bought the same car for generations, largely determined by what their father bought – or which car won at Bathurst,” said Buttner. “They are a diminishing sub-segment, accounting for about 20 per cent of the market.”

I would have thought 20% of the market was pretty significant - maybe if Toyota released something with real performance in Australia they could build real passion in a range other than Land Cruisers!

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by GMH8TR

I would have thought 20% of the market was pretty significant - maybe if Toyota released something with real performance in Australia they could build real passion in a range other than Land Cruisers!

I think their quite satisfied with the whopping market share the non-"tribal minded" provides them with. After all, their number one again, they must be doing something right.

[feebs]

Lots of cars look OK in photos..

Seen the new tojo's in the flesh , OK from front, crap from the back.

At least they fixed up half the ugliness from the last sportivo.

I don't even like typing sportivo, much less looking at one.

There are many poeple that don't care what there car looks like, and Toyota and Mitsi have sold cars to most of them..

[MethodX]

it looks ok, but front wheel drive?
no thanx

No way it looks better than the VE

[XR Martin]

With names like SX6 (SV6) and ZR6 (XR6) you can how much originality Toyota has :

[XR8putts]

Bah.


Styling is fine, good even. Power is good, Torque not so much. But all of this is pointless, wasted even.

RWD is what will make it compete with Ford and Holden. Surely it cant be that hard, this is Toyota, you telling me they find it difficult to produce RWD?! I thought there would be more R&D in producing FWD, with the space issues and all.

It will sell, but nowhere near as well as its itended target market vehicles (XR6, XR6T, SV6).

[monaroCountry]

From Drive.com.au

-The 336Nm of torque isn't available until right up at 4700rpm, so our initial brief evaluation uncovered that it isn't overloaded with effortless low-down performance

-Left to its own devices in "D" for Drive, the six-speed isn't always as smart as it needs to be, often too eager to shift up a gear in hilly, twisty terrain. It's not long before it's jumping back down a ratio or two to keep the large sedan motoring along.

-Despite claims of sportiness, the Aurion is more adept at cruising rather than enthusiastic driving.

-The steering can sometimes feel a bit numb and get some mild kickback on very bumpy corners. The seats could also do with more lateral support, something forthcoming on only the Sportivo models.

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by monaroCountry

From Drive.com.au

-The 336Nm of torque isn't available until right up at 4700rpm, so our initial brief evaluation uncovered that it isn't overloaded with effortless low-down performance......

Full review (negatives taken in proper context.)
Also note that this is NOT THE SPORTIVO MODEL BUT THE BASE AT-X
Toyota Aurion: how it drives

Toby Hagon, drive.com.au, 16/10/06

On the road, the Aurion is - unsurprisingly - not radically different to the Camry it's based on.


Except that the 3.5-litre V6 delivers a lot more grunt a lot more smoothly.

With 200kW of power it's certainly snappy enough in accelerating, cleanly shuffling through the gears to deliver decent performance.

It's also smooth and willing to explore the upper limits of its rev range.

The 336Nm of torque isn't available until right up at 4700rpm, so our initial brief evaluation uncovered that it isn't overloaded with effortless low-down performance, where Australians have come to expect it.

That said, it's far from slow.

The Aurion's six-speed automatic also makes the most of the engine, with closely spaced ratios that allow the engine to use its optimum power band.

Left to its own devices in "D" for Drive, the six-speed isn't always as smart as it needs to be, often too eager to shift up a gear in hilly, twisty terrain. It's not long before it's jumping back down a ratio or two to keep the large sedan motoring along.

The automatic does, however, have an easy-to-use manual override that allows the driver to take more control and select a specific ratio.

Our initial drive wasn't enough to determine the nuances of the fuel consumption in everyday driving. But the government-supplied claim of 9.9L/100km is better than the rival Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore.

The Aurion is also impressively quiet, dispelling of the worst of some NSW back roads ably.

Despite claims of sportiness, the Aurion is more adept at cruising rather than enthusiastic driving.

The steering can sometimes feel a bit numb and get some mild kickback on very bumpy corners. The seats could also do with more lateral support, something forthcoming on only the Sportivo models.

At slower speeds, though, the Aurion is no such handful, comfortably cosseting occupants and dealing with big bumps and lumps.

All up, the Aurion is hardly about to rewrite any rulebooks, but does what it does competently and without fuss.

And, in true Toyota style, it feels like it will keep doing it for many years to come.

[sfr rob]

OK, i am going to get flamed by the one eyed Ford people on here..

but i would almost trade my ba fairmont ghia in for one of those if they were RWD.
they look fantastic and very modern. they have the new commodore looking like a steaming pile of poo... not hard to do.

Did i hear there is a super charged version coming out????

[Sapper]

Yeah, there's gonna be a charged version with supposedly 240kW. The Sportivo ZR6 will probably be it. That said, a mate of mine has driven one of the 200kW versions and he's pretty impressed. Its funny that what they say in their ads turns out to be true- their engines are all top endy just like formula one engines! With a 7 step set of procedures to turn off the traction control (if you dare!) and front wheel drive, you'll never appeal to the hearts of the punters.

[sfr rob]

hahahaha.. yes!

i can picture me now...
in a McDonalds carpark after i "borrow" there trays cutting hoops with smoke pouring off the front tyres. :hihi:

[b2tf]

Gee they'll look great in the bowling club carpark......

[pecker73]

Yeah, they look nice.

I look forward to being stuck behind one doing 70km in a 100km zone, or even better.... One in Springvale which, for love nor money can't stay in its own freaking lane. : : : :

Finally. FWD ! Try turning into a corner on the track at 150km. : :

[Fairlane]

Well the Sportivo looks SHARP, but the base model looks pretty crook.

[ondori]

Very nice

All we need is all those slow Avalon Drivers to upgrade, then I can be stuck behind one of these doing 10km/h under the limit.

[xr8_forever]

Originally Posted by ondori

Very nice

All we need is all those slow Avalon Drivers to upgrade, then I can be stuck behind one of these doing 10km/h under the limit.

Or just wait for the Aurion taxi drivers!

200kw underfoot

[ClevlndStemer]

it'll sell well.