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By
EWAN KENNEDY
27 August 2007
Toyota has entered an exciting new market segment with a
sports version of its V6 Aurion. From Toyota's tuning division, TRD
(Toyota Racing Development), the hot new Aurion provides plenty of
exhilarating driving action thanks to its supercharged engine.
Best of all it’s largely an Australian developed car. One
designed by car enthusiasts within Toyota who have an intimate
knowledge of local driving conditions, and of the likes and
dislikes of Aussie drivers.
Based on the Aurion Sportivo range, the new Aurion TRD is very
much the real deal in modern-day muscle-car terms. This is
certainly no pretender with a fancy body kit and bigger wheels;
the complete car has been modified to give it the sort of
performance that used to require a V8 engine. Because the TRD
Aurion can go from rest to 100 km/h in just 6.1 seconds and can
top 260 km/h, though it is speed limited to 250 km/h. Only try it
at a racetrack, though…
The 3.5-litre V6 engine was already a very efficient unit, with
200 kilowatts. It has now been uprated to 241 kW by the fitment of
a new-design Eaton supercharger. And when we say ‘new-design’
that’s exactly what we mean. Aurion is the first car in the
world to receive what Eaton, a long time expert in this field,
calls its new TVS (Twin Vortices Series) supercharger.
Torque is what talks in any engine; the TRD unit produces a
hefty 400 Nm at 4000 rpm. More importantly, at least 300 Nm is
available from a mere 1200 rpm all the way through to the engine’s
redline.
Clever design work means that the extra 20 per cent of power
only requires 10 per cent more petrol when the two units are
tested to Australian standards. However, it’s necessary to use
the top grade 98 octane fuel to get this performance. The engine
can run on lower grade petrol should the car be caught short.
Power is reduced by the engine computer to cope with the change in
fuel.
Other companies working closely with TRD in this Aurion project
are also Australian; Harrop Engineering and Orbital Engine Co.
Final assembly of the car is done by Prodrive in a factory close
to Toyota's Altona plant in Melbourne.
The suspension, steering and brakes have all been revised to
match the 20 per cent extra engine output.
Looks are important in any hot car and TRD stylists have given
the Aurion a sharp appearance front and rear with a spectacularly
angular shape that pulls it right away from the original design.
Though we do have to smile at TRD's somewhat imaginative claim
that the styling has cues from the Toyota Formula One car.
Look closely at the mesh finish in the radiator grille and you
can see it’s done in stylised ‘R’ shapes as a reminder of
the ‘Racing’ in TRD.
Two models are offered, the TRD 3500S (Sports) and 3500SL
(Sports Luxury). The former is priced at $56,990 and has sports
seats featuring side bolsters and leather/alcantara trim, the
driver’s seat is power operated, there's a broad-rimmed sports
steering wheel, trip computer, six-disc MP3 audio system and alloy
pedals.
The $61,500 TRD Aurion 3500SL gains power operation of the
front passenger’s seat, climate-controlled air conditioning,
sonar parking aids, and remote-control ignition with a push-button
start/stop. The SL has a more elegant interior trim treatment than
the S.
On the road the first feeling is one of refinement. TRD was
keen to develop a Grand Touring car, not a weekend racer. The
engine is quiet in its operation, though there's a nice note to
let you know it’s something special.
Power and torque generation are virtually instantaneous, a real
advantage of using a supercharger instead of a turbocharger.
Indeed there's so much torque that torque steer – where the car
tends to pull from side to side during hard acceleration – is
there in spades. To the extent that we would have worries about
young and/or inexperienced drivers using this car in wet road
conditions without some advanced driver training.
On the other hand, the torque steer gives the TRD Aurion lots
of character, which is precisely what you want in a genuine sports
model. Driving enthusiasts will just love the lively personality.
There's lots of other things to love too. The steering is
precise without being abrupt and the way the suspension lets the
car hold the road in a neatly balanced manner is just beautiful.
You will have to be going very hard and doing silly things to get
anywhere near the limits of this big Toyota family car. And if you
do get it wrong, TRD has fitted an ESP system to give you the best
chance of getting out of trouble.
TRD Aurion is only the first product to be developed by the
guys at this new Australian automotive tuning house. Next on the
list is a TRD HiLux double cab that will be released at the Sydney
motor show. Other models seem sure to follow if this first pair
succeeds.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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