Toyota TRD Aurion 3500S & 3500SL 2007 Review

Not so much
>> Tyres too noisy
>> Dash needs pizzazz to match seats

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 4.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

OVERVIEW
For many of you, whether you read any further than this first paragraph or so will be a test of open mindedness... For a number of reasons.

What we're covering here is the launch of a performance vehicle that for many is simply back-to-front. Real Aussie performance fans choose rear-wheel drives don't they?

What we're covering here is also the launch of a performance division of a brand that for many is the antithesis of excitement. Sure, it's a brand that wins Australian and world rally championships, competes in Formula 1 and has a 50-year history in motorsport (that started Down Under!), but it's also the brand that brought us the Prius and Camry. Isn't it?

If you've got this far, then you probably have already worked out the wait for Toyota's first performance tin-top, the TRD Aurion is over. And with it, Toyota's own homegrown special vehicles operation, Toyota Racing Developments is officially out of the closet and into the car building game.

In doing so, the Australian operation is officially the first ever to use the TRD moniker as the producer of turn-key road-legal passenger cars.

In doing so it has also launched onto the Australian marketplace what by our reckoning is the world's most powerful front-wheel drive production saloon. A car that's capable of almost 260km/h and is faster down the quarter mile than the (in)famous GT HO. Still thinking about hybrids and rep mobiles?

Enter the TRD Aurion. Once tipped to challenge the best from HSV and FPV head-on, more recently Toyota has carefully managed expectations of the front-wheel drive supercharged V6's power output and performance credentials. Given the end result it need not have been so circumspect.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
TRD has launched not one but two hotshoe Aurions. Priced at $56,990, just under the luxury car tax threshold, the TRD Aurion 3500S ('S' signifying sports) kicks off the range. Sitting above it is the $61,500 'sports luxury' flagship, the 3500SL.

Though the 3500S and 3500SL differ in equipment levels, they share the same engine -- a bespoke supercharged version of the standard front-wheel drive Aurion's 3.5-litre transverse V6 (see below). Those of you who have read our news coverage of the new model already know the V6 packs an impressive 241kW of power.

Though it's the 'base' TRD Aurion, the sporty 3500S is well-equipped with power windows, mirrors and driver's seat; aircon and the usual mod-cons mid-level large car buyers expect.

Outside, Toyota Style Australia's handiwork is obvious. Inspired by Toyota's own F1 machinery, the TRD Aurions receive a substantial makeover that includes new model-specific bodywork, more aggressive spoilers and splitters at both ends, as well as reprofiled side skirts and new signature R-mesh grille inserts.

Inside, the car is separated from the run-of-the-mill Aurion by a TRD red steering wheel, TRD scuff plates and alloy sports pedals, leather door trims and moderately bolstered red leather/alcantara combination sports seats.

The rear seat has been also been reprofiled to what Toyota terms "a two plus one" configuration.

Both cars also feature rear underbody bracing and "aerodynamic enhancements", Lexus-style Optitron gauges and a six-disc CD stacker.

Aside from the $430 ask for metallic paint (there's a single non-metallic choice: white), the sole option offered to 3500S buyers is a "moonroof" and interior lighting upgrade. It costs $1995.

The TRD Aurion 3500SL raises the bar further with full leather interior, piano black dash and door highlights, and colour-keyed steering wheel and gearshift. Also included are dual-zone air, six-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, keyless entry and start, and parking sensors front and rear.

The SL is also set apart via special brightwork and badging, bespoke grille and bumper accents and silver-finish alloy wheels.

While the S is available in a total of four colours, just two of those (Ink and Silver Ash) will be offered to SL customers: "to preserve a feeling of exclusivity" Toyota says.

The model also gets additional rear body reinforcement (an alloy bumper mount) which the maker claims optimises body rigidity and improves NVH and handling.

Two option packs are offered for the 3500SL -- the combination moonroof and lighting pack (as per the S) at $2025 (put the extra $30 down to LCT) or the same equipment plus a satellite navigation system and Bluetooth connectivity priced at $5952.

Both the S and SL models will feature unique build numbers which are recorded via standard DataDot security tagging, an engine room plate and a dash-mounted build number.

What might go unnoticed on the specification sheet is TRD's customer program. Echoing in some respects what Lexus offers, all new TRD customers will be contacted by a TRD 'concierge' via telephone and encouraged to access their own homepage and vehicle information at mytrd.com.au. Once there, owners will be able to view their vehicle's service information and subscribe to various TRD newsletters and motorsport alerts and so on.

The new operation is also planning 'money can't buy' offers including special access to events and motorsport opportunities, it says.

MECHANICAL
The TRD is obviously based on the standard Aurion. Built at Toyota's Altona plant in Melbourne, aspects of the TRD's assembly are incorporated into the main factory line while final assembly is carried out at a standalone operation nearby under contract by Prodrive. For details on the basic Aurion check out our previous reviews here.

The centerpiece of the TRD Aurion is the supercharged V6. Developed by TRD in Australia in conjunction with V8 Supercar regular Harrop Engineering, the forced induction dual-VVT-i Quad Cam 2GR-FE V6 engine features the first series production application of the new Eaton TVS (Twin Vortices System) four-lobe supercharger.

Harrop Engineering selected the supercharger, designed and cast its casing and inlet manifold and designed the supercharger drive system. The company also carried out the engine finite element and airflow analyses before handing the project over to TRD's own engineers.

The supercharger assembly literally bolts on to the standard V6. The engine retains its standard compression ratio and key items like the fuel-injection system are largely untouched. TRD adds new injectors and a remapped ECU, but there's significantly more componentry shared with the standard car than not.

TRD's engineering team lead by Stephen Castles then embarked on certifying the hopped-up powerplant to the same level of reliability and compliance as a 'normal' Toyota.

As it stands, the supercharged TRD V6 already complies with Euro IV emissions. And despite the full legislative compliance, after TRD's work and over 100,000km of testing as far afield as 40-degree central Australia and the frozen Shibetsu Proving Ground, the end result is an output of 241kW at 6400rpm and 400Nm of torque at 4000rpm.

That's better than 330hp in the old money.

And it's not just all top-end either. According to TRD, the supercharged engine betters the standard Aurion's torque peak of 336Nm at just 1800rpm and has better than 300Nm of torque available from 1250rpm through to redline.

This output is enough to sprint the TRD Aurion from zero to 100km/h in 6.1sec. Toyota says the standing 400m is dispatched in 14.2sec while the car accelerates from 80-120km/h in less time than it takes to read this sentence (3.81sec). V-max is an impressive 258km/h, though the care is electronically limited to 250km/h.

And although fuel economy isn't expected to be high on the priority listing of buyers, TRD says the vehicle returns an impressive ADR81/01 combined figure of 10.9lt/100km. During a spirited launch drive we were able to return better than 14.0lt/100km -- also impressive.

In both versions, the V6 is matched to a recalibrated version of the six-speed automatic transmission that graces the standard Aurion. There is no manual transmission option offered.

The TRD models also get a unique uprated brake package that features twin-piston calipers and vented 325mm discs at the front, and 310mm ventilated rear discs with single piston calipers. Thanks to careful attention to choosing the componentry (eg: alloy calipers which offset the bigger discs), TRD claims it has maintained or reduced unsprung weight.

The suspension is one of the key areas of improvement TRD has wrought. The TRD Aurion has wonderful blend of precision and comfort (see more below) thanks to careful tuning of relatively conventional suspension technology rather than throwing mega-dollars of electronics at it. A most un-Toyota-like approach!

Spring rates have been upped front and rear and dampers carefully tuned. The rear suspension also uses rebound springs to better control pitch and roll.

Boy racers might be surprised to learn TRD found no need to heave up the sway bars at either end of the car, nor install anything as crass as strut braces or the like.

PACKAGING
Like almost every performance saloon, the TRD Aurion delivers the donor car's practicality with little if any compromise. We've noted (see below) the effect of the reprofiled rear seat -- this will probably only worry those who intend to travel five-up over long distances.

This five-place four-door sedan retains all its boot space and even comes complete with a full-size spare tyre. True, Toyota mandates a 80km/h limit when fitted but truth be known it's the same full-spec 17-inch alloy wheel and tyre as fitted to the Presara variant of the standard car.

An important aspect of 'packaging' for some buyers will be the retention of the donor car's towing performance. Like the standard Aurion, the TRD can haul 1600kg and has undergone a testing regime to ensure the package is up to the rigours associated with towing.

Owners will be pleased to know there's a template that means the snazzy rear diffuser won't be butchered when the dealer fits your towbar either.

SAFETY
The TRD Aurion shares the same level of safety kit as the standard Aurion. This includes driver and passenger front and seat-mounted side airbags and side curtain airbags. All five seats have three-point seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters on the front two.
In its TRD guise the anti-lock braking system is retained. Both EBA and EBD are standard.

One bugbear with some buyers might be the TRD's traction control and VCS (stability control) systems are not switchable. We're believers that performance cars should offer the choice but contend that in this instance there's not a lot to complain about given the relatively unobtrusive manner in which the system operates -- at least on the launch TRDs.

Toyota gave the media a chance for a very short stint in the TRD at Baskerville Raceway near Hobart. Along with the, at times, challenging roads of the test loop it showed that the wieldy chassis characteristics of the TRD and the safety net of the VSC were well matched.

COMPETITORS
If Toyota boss David Buttner is adamant about something, it is that TRD is not looking to take Holden and Ford's performance offshoots, HSV and FPV, head on. Sure there might be the ability for TRD to attract some potential Lion and Blue Oval customers but more than likely buyers will be existing Toyota customers or perhaps those stepping up or into near-prestige marques and models.

Buttner sums it up: "Quite clearly we're not aiming for the tribalists that will buy only the traditional locally-produced performance sedans... But there is a large market out there of people that are open to an enhanced performance vehicle from Toyota."

"TRD Aurion matches the size of the locally produced sports sedans that are priced above it, and it exceeds the performance of its imported rivals," he said.

Subaru's Liberty GT and 3.0R models are very likely to be in the same consideration set. Depending on the variant, auto models range from $52-$57K -- slap bang in TRD Aurion territory.

Mazda's MPS too might be a shopping target (mid-$50s with leather but no auto), although like the Liberty this is a segment smaller in pure space.

Despite TRD's protests you cannot rule out a well-optioned Falcon XR6T (think high $40s with all the fruit) or even FPV's circa $61K Typhoon.

TRD staffers say even the likes of Mercedes new C-Class models is in TRD's sights. Check out our thoughts on who will really buy the TRD Aurion below.

But TRD's boffins reckon they've tamed the neddies loosened from the Aurion's 3.5lt V6 thanks to Mssr Eaton and Harrop's handiwork, and in the hands of the average buyer and driver largely they're right. There's no escaping the torque steer more than 300hp-plus creates, but thanks to a well-fettled chassis, the TRD Aurion is better than manageable up to and beyond eight tenths.

Traction -- aided by the same sort of brake traction control system used in all-wheel drives like the Kluger, and in a worse case scenario, stepped intervention via killing spark and fuel -- is surprisingly fulsome. From a standing start there's a momentary pause off the line as the torque overwhelms the big Dunlop rubber and the TCS, and then the V6 chimes back in and electronics meter the power evenly to generate a rapid getaway.

TRD's engineers have allowed a degree of wheelspin from a standing start and in tighter corners and that's what you get. Wet apexes will stump the Aurion, but the level of traction, given the total lack of a tricky differential, even out of tight uphill corners is surprising.

The chassis meantime is well behaved and very forgiving. In extremes you can butcher the power delivery and prompt the VSC to intervene but most of the time all the driver is aware of is sharp turn-in, a distinct lack of roll, surprisingly little push (understeer) and giggle-inducing levels of mid-corner grip. In this respect the car behaves like a much smaller vehicle.

So too, in its liveliness as you chop the throttle into a corner.

A large part of the equation is the clever tuning of the rear springs and dampers to ensure that the rebound springs are in play at minimal travel. Offsetting the need to increase the damping force (rear springs are substantially firmer but rear damper bump has actually been reduced!), this not only limits the body roll of the car in corners but also better controls fore and aft pitch. As such, the rearward weight transfer under acceleration is not as pronounced, aiding front traction.

TRD's chassis wizards have also tuned in a fair degree of toe-in and negative camber into the front geometry to further enhance this front-end grip and turn rate. A neutral rear alignment means the tail's more 'interactive', than the standard car -- further aiding the nimble feel.

The pay off is steering that some drivers may find over active on the straights -- feeling almost like it's over-assisted. It's not, but even small deviations at the wheel get the car moving. Tramlining is noticeable and the car is also sensitive to camber changes.

Steering weighting is satisfyingly meaty, though, and at higher levels of commitment there's little if any kickback and no rack rattle. In this respect the TRD Aurion is up there with the best rear drives.

The PBR-sourced brakes are more than up to the 'charge in, stop, turn and charge out' strategy some might adopt but this is a car that rewards a smooth traditional approach to corners. Driven as such it's remarkably quick point to point.

Given its manners in turns, that the ride is so comfortable is also a surprise. Plaudits to the chassis team -- the end result is right in line with TRD's stated aim of creating a performance car you can live with.

It's a shame about the Dunlop tyres though. While the standard car is hushed, there's always a dull roar from the 19-inch Sport Maxx tyres -- indeed, it's the predominant sound when you're driving and drowns out any semblance of supercharger or exhaust tones.

We can live with the compromise asked of the steering (turn-in for tramlining) but we'd certainly be looking for quieter rubber next time around if the Aurion was ours.

The TRD's cabin is Toyota pleasant. The front seats are a good compromise, locating the driver sufficiently for sporty driving without locking him or her into one position between tight bolsters. Spend a day in a full sports seat and you'll be looking for that bit of leeway.

The reprofiling of the rear seat places the centre passenger higher than normal. Taller teens and backseat adults may find that in combination with the headroom-sapping sunroof, things are a touch tight.

We liked the sporty upgrade the seats and door trims lend to the interior but found that they clashed with the Plain Jane essentially untouched centre stack. Though there is a TRD build number plaque, the whole silver 'waterfall' needs a 'lift' to hold its own with the in-your-face red and plum tones of the upgraded parts.

Toyota Style Australia boss Paul Beranger was particularly keen to hear our summation of the interior 'clash'... A WIP progress perhaps?

Beranger also hinted that down the track he'd like to introduce 'Evolution' derivatives of each of the TRD products that address these sorts of issues, along with powertrain tweaks and the like. You read it here first, trendsetters.

There's little to complain about under the bonnet as it stands. The TRD Aurion has a weight advantage over its rear-wheel drive Holden and Ford counterparts and combined with an absolutely linear and glitch-free power curve, acceleration both from a standing start and in-gears is prodigious... And effortless.

Once rolling, even fourth gear delivers very rapid overtaking urge and plenty of stick out of corners. It's only in the really tight stuff that you're looking for third or second. Make no mistake, this is a very fast car.

The auto transmission is the same unit as used in the Aurion, but the nature of the car (or maybe it was Tassie's roads) sees you using the manual mode more often. The six-speeder's ratios are well matched to the power delivery though it would be nice if the 'Sport' position did more than allow you to select gears manually.

On a performance variant like the TRD, 'Sport' should mean sport -- bring on the sharper, faster shifts and how about a different 'map' for the fly-by-wire throttle while we're at it, Mr T.

As much as we're very taken with the TRD's overall blend of refinement and performance, the question of exactly who will buy the TRD Aurion still has us a little stumped. With the initially dealer orders favouring the top-of-the-line 3500SL, it is almost literally the $64,000 question.

The likelihood the car is going to grab a big chunk of any existing product's customer base is slim. More likely it will eke a few sales here and there from a wide variety of competitors.

We're not convinced of Toyota's claim that the TRD Aurion will attract aspirational buyers. If we were spending this much and had visions of escaping the hoi polloi we'd be buying an IS250 and copping the full snob value of the Lexus badge.

And while the extra kW might sway some Subaru GT/3.0R Liberty and Mazda 6 MPS shoppers, we'd suggest this fast-techno market's love affair with AWD will mean most will steer their original buying course. As for potential Benz, Audi and BMW buyers moving to Toyota -- we had trouble containing our amazement at the launch and stick with our initial summation... You've got to be kidding!

What the TRD Aurion will do is reward stalwart Toyota customers who have more money to spend and stop the bleed of these customers to supposedly greener, more exciting pastures.

Whether this will be enough to justify the performance arm's existence is not a question we can answer. We damn well hope so -- if the first car's this good, we're looking forward to driving a whole lot more...

To comment on this article click