1000km Road Test - Toyota Aurion TRD 3500S

Toyota tries to take on the high performance Falcon and Commodore sports sedans - and doesn't succeed.

Value for money

Pricing

The TRD Aurion 3500S costs $56,990; the 3500SL costs $61,500.

Warranty

Three years/100,000 kilometres.

Standard equipment

The 3500S is positioned as the sports model, while the 3500SL is, as its name implies, a sports/luxury variant.

The 3500S, tested here, includes six airbags, stability control, cruise control, red leather/suede sports seats, red leather door trims and steering wheel rim, airconditioning, six way power adjustable driver's seat, 19 inch alloy wheels in dark grey, TRD front and rear bumpers, rear spoiler and side skirts, alloy pedals, an in-dash six stack CD player and Data Dot security.

The 3500SL adds dual zone air, six way power adjustable front passenger's seat, keyless entry and starting, rear parking and front clearance sensors, plum coloured full leather upholstery and trim, 19 inch alloys in silver and specific exterior trim highlights.

Aurion buyers have servicing costs capped at a maximum $120 each for the first four services, at 15,000 km intervals, up to 60,000 km or three years, which ever occurs first.

Selected options: Metallic paint $430 (3500S); sunroof $1995-$2025; sunroof/satellite navigation (3500SL) $5952.

Retained value

This is a new model, with no history.

Design & function

Ergonomics

The TRD Aurion's dash is as per the Aurion Sportivo, with the addition of a numbered build plate, so it's simple, straightforward and efficient. A translucent centre console houses the minimum of switches and buttons for the airconditioning and audio systems, the latter duplicated on the wheel.

However, the instruments have complex layered faces and crowded increments, so your precise speed is difficult to read at a glance. While the instrument lighting can be dimmed, the centre console does not dim with it, which is distracting at night.

Plenty of oddment storage includes a split level bin in the centre console.

Technical details

• TRD is Toyota's local performance operation, a fledgling version of HSV and FPV.
• It has boosted the standard 3.5V6's outputs to 241kW at 6400rpm and 400Nm at 4000 rpm with the addition of a belt driven Eaton supercharger, a new four lobe design that's claimed to offer greater thermal efficiency, hence improved charge density and performance, than three lobe designs. TRD worked with local firm Harrop Engineering on the supercharger.
• A supercharger provides a more linear delivery and superior bottom end performance than most turbocharger-assisted engines. The TRD Aurion has more than 300Nm of torque, for example, available from just 1250rpm.
• It puts this to the road via a six speed automatic with unchanged ratios, sports mode and sequential shifting. Drive goes to the front wheels only.
• The body is strengthened at the rear, and the SL has an additional extruded aluminium rear bumper reinforcement.
• Suspension has firmer spring rates, heavier compression and rebound damping, with firmer rebound springs in the rear dampers, a lower ride height and revised geometry at both ends for improved agility and responsiveness.
• Brake upgrades include larger ventilated discs, twin piston aluminium front calipers and single piston aluminium rear calipers, with high performance Ferodo pads.
• Nineteen inch alloy wheels are fitted with top of the line 245/35ZR Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tyres. A space saver is in the boot.

Safety

The Aurion scored four stars out of five in ANCAP testing.

Security

The similarly equipped Aurion Sportivo scored 63 points out of a possible 120 in NRMA Insurance's security ratings.

Comfort

The sports driver's seat is one of the best we've sat in in a Toyota. Heavily bolstered and contoured, and firmly but generously padded, it's sized for big blokes and good for a 1000km day. The power lumbar adjustment is welcome.

Space and practicality

Leg room in the back seat is comparable with Falcon and Commodore. The seat is shaped for two, with a comfortable cushion. The backrest is quite steeply angled. Passengers will also cop some sun through the rear window.

There's ample boot space, but a small porthole only for extending capacity and old style hook hinges which can interfere with bulky objects. Two shopping bag hooks are provided.

Build and finish quality

Toyota's deserved reputation for the best quality, reliability and durability in the business suffered a blow when shortly after its release an Aurion TRD suffered an engine failure, the cause of which is still unclear. Toyota suspended sales in September 2007 while it investigated, but sales have now resumed.

The hard sports suspension had already given the low kilometre test car's body a workout, to the extent that tell tale signs of body flex - door seal noise, wind noise around the doors, steering shake and some un-Toyota-like creaks and squeaks were apparent.

On the road

Fuel efficiency

The Australian standard test average is 10.9 litres/100 km. You can expect to average this on the highway, and 15-18 litres/100 km in town. 98 octane premium is recommended. CO2 emissions are 257gkm, and the TRD scores three and a half stars out of five in the Green Vehicle Guide.

Performance

Driven gently, the supercharger gives you effortless, refined V8-like performance, but when you put your foot down power comes on with a muscular, frantic rush and the Aurion reaches 100km/h in just 6.4 seconds. That's only 0.4 seconds slower than Holden's 6.0 litre V8/six speed auto Commodore SS.

However, the Aurion's problem is that it can become all but undriveable if you exploit its performance. Torque steer - that severe tugging at the steering wheel, accompanied by the car wanting to veer to the left, the right, or anywhere but straight ahead - is extremely savage across the midrange, from 3500-6000rpm. There can be no other result when 400Nm is going through the front wheels. You can avoid it by driving the Aurion gently - but unless we're seriously mistaken that is not what this car is designed for.

You can also avoid torque steer by keeping the engine spinning above its peak torque revs, but it's difficult to find places where you can hold 5500-6500rpm, and it does tend to be rather expensive, both at the pump and in the courts.

The six speed delivers on the sports promise as long as you change gears yourself, in which case you're rewarded with crisp, smooth shifts and programming that lets you decide when to change up or down.

Handling and steering

Torque steer also blights the driving experience in this regard. Sure, the Dunlop tyres hang on like premium rubber should, the suspension tweaks give the car a flat, taut attitude in corners and sharpen up its steering response, but on the sort of tight, testing road where a good sports sedan earns its keep the experience is completely corrupted by the fact that you have to fight with the car to get it to go where you want it to go.

This also makes overtaking a fraught exercise, as you have to really concentrate, and make constant adjustments at the wheel, even to simply keep the car pointed straight under full power. It's an unpleasant sensation because you feel as though you're not completely in control - and you're not.

Ride

The ride is harsh, especially at low speed.

Braking

No problems here.

Smoothness and quietness

In cruise mode, the Aurion is smooth and quiet. The supercharger's usual whine is almost completely muted, even under acceleration. The tyres are noisy, generating a rumble on coarse bitumen and a high pitched hum on smoother surfaces.

Summary

While Toyota has long wanted a performance sedan to give its image a bit of sparkle among performance enthusiasts, the TRD Aurion is not the car to do it. Sending this much power to the front wheels, in a big heavy car, while expecting it to handle and steer acceptably, doesn't work. Others have tried and failed. So does Toyota in this instance.

Test by Bill McKinnon, December 2007.

The writer of this report does not necessarily represent the views of the NRMA and this report is provided for you as an alternative to our own NRMA car reviews.

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