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

[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. :

[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.

[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:

[Fairlane]

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

[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. : :

[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.

[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.

[ClevlndStemer]

it'll sell well.

[Ringo]

yep....death of the 6 cyl 380 is upon us....

[ClevlndStemer]

i think it will eat right into the commodore and falcon sales too.

[Spotty]

I'm sure Toyota have done plenty of market research to back up their claim that the 20% tribe is a dying breed. I'd like to take a bit of punt on what their research will not have revealed to them. Their research would have been targeted predominantly at new car buyers. There is a huge demand for real wheel drive aussie cars is in the sub $15k used market. The type of people who buy them love their value for money, their ruggedness and ability to do the outdoor stuff such as tow boats,vans, camper trailers and head bush camping. How many people do you know would buy a used camry(even if it was as large as the new aurion) if their lifestyle was like this? This is a huge gamble for Toyota and I wish them well. No doubt they will sell plenty of aurions however there will be a lag of a few years before their real popularity in the overall car market and not just the new market can be assessed.

[Poetic Justice]

ZR6 and SX6 are both derivatives of model names used on the Celica if anyone can remember (bar the 6 of course), so its not a straight out copy of Holden and Ford's model usage.

the ZR6 is pricey because of it's options I'm pretty sure, comes with leather, sat nav (opt) and a roof etc. There will be no forced motor in the Toyota line up, it will be a TRD model which hasn't been 100% confirmed yet.

[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

[Polyal]

Definately a sharp looker, but I dont think it will have a massive impact, but obviously those stung by Holden and Fords warranty issues will be happy.

This will be the real test for the FWD vs RWD BS; what do normla aussies want?

[MRJUCY]

Wow it's almost as ugly as the concept. Someone should take it & it's Seppo handbarke tie it to a fence & shoot it.