- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.5i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
200kW, 336Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 9.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2010)
Toyota Aurion: how it drives
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.