Toyota Aurion Sportivo 2016 Review

It bears similar looks, an unchanged V6 engine and strong ownership credentials as before, but there is something unique with this latest Toyota Aurion: it is the last of its kind. As Toyota ambles towards its Australian manufacturing exits in a little over 12 months, we sample the final, locally-produced Aurion update. The take-away sentiment? It’s going to be missed.

Think large, Australian-built six-cylinder sedans and Toyota’s Aurion isn’t typically the first nameplate that springs to mind.

Toyota’s answer to Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon has largely lived in the shadows of its cross-town rivals since its inception back in 2006. And yet, the large, V6-powered Camry spin-off has enjoyed a relative wave of success during that time and even before then, when a similar V6 version was still badged as the Camry.

Now, the end of the road is nigh for the humble Aurion. Unlike the Camry, which is set to be replaced by an imported version from 2018, the future of V6 version is clouded, almost certainly heading the way of the locally-built Commodore and the Falcon. That creates a little bit of nostalgia around our week-long road test of this final update.

So, the details (full specification guide here). Sharing the same big car-big country formula as its storied rivals, the five-seat Aurion measures 4.85m in length and tips the scales at 1555kg. The range starts at $36,490 (plus on-road costs) for the AT-X, moving as high as $50,440 (plus on-road costs) for the flagship Presara. Positioned between those models is the sporty-flavoured Sportivo tested here, priced at $43,990 (plus on-road costs).

Priced above both the Commodore SV6 and the Falcon XR6 in Sportivo trim, the Aurion comes loaded with a decent suite of gear including a seven-inch colour screen housing satellite navigation with real-time traffic updates, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, Toyota connected mobility apps and a digital radio tuner that cranks sound via a 10-speaker JBL sound system. Keyless entry and start are also featured.

Differentiating the Sportivo from the regular AT-X are 18-inch alloy wheels, a Cherry Red paint option, leather-trimmed sports seats, auto-levelling LED headlights, LED fog lights and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with memory function. It also sports a body kit, lowered sports suspension and revised steering tune still utilising a rack and pinion arrangement.

On the safety front the Sportivo scores seven airbags, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, stability and traction control, ABS brakes, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and ISOFIX attachment points for the child seats in the rear. No automated emergency braking function is available.

The Aurion shares the same big-engined formula as the Holden Commodore SV6 and Ford Falcon XR6. Its 3.5-litre V6 unit boasts 200kW and 336Nm, the difference being that it apportions drive through the front wheels instead of the rear.

The engine is a real centrepiece of the Aurion; it reminds you why naturally-aspirated engines are still relevant despite being relatively old hat. The six has the right amount of low-down torque to offer effortless pull at the lower end of the dial, seguing to an impressive and free-revving top end that materialises fully at 6200rpm. We didn’t perform official nought to 100km/h testing but it would be safe to say the Aurion could notch triple figures around 6.5 seconds, torque steering momentarily under heavy acceleration as its Bridgestone Turanza tyres ply power to the ground. Around town the engine will occasionally call on the stability control program to intervene when its front tyres are overloaded, particularly in the wet.

The engine is allied with a smooth shifting six-speed automatic which, combined with paddle shifters, lends more driver engagement than your typical Camry, without really setting the world on fire. An adequate spread of ratios including a top cog which spins the engine at about 2000rpm during highway stints brought a real-world fuel reading of 8.6L/100km over 800km worth of driving. Punctuating the car’s long-range amenability was excellent noise and tyre suppression.

Where the car’s sportiness is conveyed is in its ride. The larger 18-inch wheels and sports suspension combine for firm, sporty and sometimes choppy progress over broken bitumen. The Aurion is never quite settled until riding on smooth highways as a result.

The trade-off is better road holding in the corners and admirable levels of control for a circa 1600kg, front drive car – but a Commodore it ain’t. With so much architecture over the nose, the Aurion feels a little wafty through quick changes in direction and it lacks the outright maturity and finesse of the Holden and to a lesser extent the Ford.

In a similar vein, the steering response is as relaxed as the Aurion’s ride. The initial feel of the wheel is slow and heavy, lightening as the big sedan rolls through the corner.

Inside the Aurion feels its age. Despite recent updates, including the addition of a larger infotainment screen, the car is still a couple of years behind in its overall interior styling, compounded by the lack of digital speedo, a clunky foot-operated park brake and a lone USB point.

Moreover, the infotainment system is slow to start up and the car must be stopped to input basic satellite navigation searches (annoying when there are two people in the car). The instrument cluster comprises a digital screen; however it is not as useful as what it could be in the way of readouts and driving data.

The rest of the cabin still stands up to modern duties, though, with comfortable chairs (the driver pew featuring electric adjustment), and acres of space across both rows. The second row, in particular, will happily accommodate two adults on longer journeys, courtesy of air vents, a flat floor, excellent knee and head proportions, a rear sun shade blind and a swag of storage options that match an ample offering of cupholders, cubby holes and door pocket selections up front.

Access to the rear of the cabin is available from the boot via split-folding seats operated only from levers in the boot, the caveat being that the opening impinged by structural bracing. Similarly, the 515-litre boot proportions are short yet wide, limiting real-world practicality, though there is a space-saver spare tyre house underneath.

The Aurion is the safe bet for a family car, reinforced by Toyota’s excellent reliability and cheap capped price servicing record ($140 per visit) across nine-month/10,000km intervals).

It may lack some of aura of the Commodore or the Falcon, not to mention their dynamic flair, but on the whole Toyota’s outgoing sedan deserves its time in the spotlight come the end of 2017, when Toyota shutters its Altona plant for good.

The large sedan shows its age, but in many ways the inherent simplicity is its strength.

2016 Toyota Aurion Sportivo