Toyota Aurion - My Thoughts

[xr8ted]

Hi all.

I have recently gotten a promotion at work which now means that I have a company car. That company car is a brand new Toyota Aurion ATX. I have now over 2000km on the clock, so I thought that I would put my own little review on here for those who are interested. My previous daily driver was a BA XR8, with minimal mods. Its now my weekender.

Anyway, the first thing that surprised me with the Aurion was the engine and transmission. It really is a good setup. 200kw, 336nm. The engine is smooth, and from 3000rpm to 6500rpm, it really hums along. It lacks a little bit of low down torque, however, the 6 speed transmission does its best to hide this. This transmission is good. It seems to be aware of which gear your asking for, and it doesnt go hunting like other autos I have driven. The sports shift is annoying as it does not hold gears like its supposed to, and changes up automatically. I still prefer a proper manual. I lined up a VE V special the other day, and the aurion easily left him behind. He was surprised that the aurion went so well. The torque steer is normally cancelled out by the traction control before it gets too bad.

In terms of chasis setup, given that is a large front wheel driver, it understeers, and the ESP comes on too early. It cannot be turned off. Neither can the traction control. There is a fair bit of body roll, and the suspension feels soft when your having a go, but when your not, the ride finds bumps that I would not normally feel in the BA XR8. I dont know how they have achieved this, but somehow, toyota has. How can a car be soft and ride badly? Any late modle falcon or commodore is better dynamically. The brakes feel firm, but I have not really tested them properly yet.

In terms of equipment, for a base car, its loaded. Fit and finish is very good.

In summary, I feel that this is case of a good engine and transmission, being trapped in a poor chasis. For anyone who enjoys driving, this is not the car for you. However, for people who dont, and are more concerned with price, level of equipment, and build quality, I can see why non enthusists buy Toyotas. Its just not for me!