Cosmo

Hey guys, my aunt just picked up her new 07 plated corolla ascent. And might I add, quite a nice car! However, there's just one small gripe with it. The antenna scrapes the garage door on the way in. Is there anywhere that I can get a shorter one?? Cheers!

When did you get your P's? Just recently? If you got them before July 1 2007, engine mods ARE allowed

I'm pretty sure the article said it had delivered 5 cars, and they had 20 or 30 more orders in queue

So where are those pictures??

not to mention fords and holdens will break down all the time. Have we forgotten the problematic typhoon? I reckon its a reasonable price to pay for reliable performance.

Looks like an awesome car, but what disappoints me most is that even a sunroof and sat nav is not standard on the 3500SL. It's meant to be sports LUXURY and Toyota's Highest spec model atm (Lexus doesnt count here <_<). Not to mention no HIDs...

2007 TRD Aurion specifications

Engine

Type: Six cylinders, 60 degree V-formation, chain-driven DOHC with roller rockers, four valves per cylinder, all alloy, cross-flow heads, cast-iron cylinder liners

Capacity (cc): 3456

Bore x stroke (mm): 94.0 x 83.0

Compression ratio: 10.8:1

Fuel system: Sequential multi-point electronic port fuel injection with ACIS, hot-wire airflow meter

Fuel type: 98 RON PULP

Fuel tank capacity (lt): 70

Fuel economy (lt/100km): 10.9

Carbon dioxide (g/km): 257

Emission rating: Euro IV

Max. power: 241kW at 6400rpm

Max. torque: 400Nm at 4000rpm

Drivetrain

Transmission description: U660E six-speed automatic, electronically controlled with lock-up torque converter and artificial intelligence shift control

Steering

Type: Rack and pinion

Operation: Power

Turns lock to lock: 3.2

Brakes, etc

Front: Ventilated discs, 325mm x 32mm with alloy dual-piston front calipers

Rear: Ventilated discs, 310mm x 18mm with alloy single-piston front calipers

System: ABS anti-skid brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist

Traction Control: Std.

Vehicle Stability Control: Std.

Suspension

Front: TRD sports suspension with increased coil spring rates and re-tuned shock absorbers, ball-joint-mounted anti-roll bar

Rear: TRD sports suspension with increased coil spring rates and re-tuned shock absorbers incorporating internal rebound springs, ball-joint-mounted anti-roll bar

Wheels, etc

Rims: 19 x 8J alloys

Tyres: 245/35ZR19 93Y

Body and dimensions

Type: Monocoque, four-door sedan

Length (mm): 4890

Width (mm): 1820

Height (mm): 1460

Wheelbase (mm): 2775

Front track (mm): 1572

Rear track (mm): 1562

Ground clearance (mm): 104

Towing capacity braked/unbraked (kg): 1600/500

Seats: 5

Luggage capacity (lt): 504

ARTICLES

TRD Launches Twin Hotties: http://www.carpoint.com.au/car-review/2778149.aspx

Aurion TRD hints at Toyota excitement: http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleD...ArticleID=42676

PHOTOS

REVIEWS

Carpoint - TRD Aurion 3500S and 3500SL - http://www.carpoint.com.au/car-review/2783028.aspx

Drive - First drive: TRD Aurion - http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleD...p;vf=7&pg=1

GoAuto - First drive: Toyota blows sport into Aurion - http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf...A25733F00225F08

CarsGuide - TRD Aurion: mean machine with grunt - http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0,20384...5003140,00.html

I was thinking, and then it hit me. The car show doesnt even use filters on their cameras.

The first and second ones look a bit funny. Third is awesome though!

Worst show ever. HOWEVER! if you guys recall DriveTV on channel ten a few years back hosted by that stahly dude was a blatant rip off top gear. They had a studio with the cars, with a live audience. AND they had a masked dude called "The Chip" who did powerlaps. The chip? Huh? The stig? But man! Shoulda seen his powerlaps, he was powersliding all over the place... oh yeah, definintely the quickest way to get a car around a track.

ABS is the best material for drift tyres these days :)

this got to be the funniest question of the month, sorry..

easy saying, replacement of headlight bulb+a small box looking thingy

search ebay, i m sure those sellers will explain better than me.

and different temperature(4500k 6000k 8000k 12000k), different colour...

why ppl like it? coz stock is a bit yellowish, u wan white or a bit blueish, tats why ppl go for hid kit. Or u wan purple? Green? Yellow? hid can do tat.

stock car usually dont hv HID, i think mostly dont, if anyone can tell me a stock car WITH, then nice.

legally, i dont know bout others, but victoria, only allow to 6000k. 8000k is illegal. Sorry if i m wrong, tats wat ppl told me. but who cares?

There are many cars out there with stock HIDs, Aurion Presaras, Liberty GTs, Mazda 6 MPSes, the list goes on.

OK, dumb question about to appear.

WTF is HID & why is it better. Does an SX6 have the HID ?

Thanks

Adrian

Nah, not a dumb question. The only dumb question is a question not asked!

Anywho, HID is High Intensity Discharge. They're headlamps that are supposedly more efficient (I think?) and are way brighter so you see better at night. They also look cooler because they're a whitish blue light, rather than your usual yellow. That's why HID lights are better. The SX6 doesnt have HID lights, only the Presara does in the current Aurion lineup.

Great lookin car! Nice plates too btw

Maybe use a hammer.

It's official, the powers been limited to 232kw. Looks like disappointment after disappointment for this car. Oh well, hopefully it drives well!

Also, forget what youv'e been fed by the Toyota marketing machine, it's not about KW kids, it's about Nm.

i still think that they will get spanked by the 520nm the LS2 churns out....

I think the LS2 gets spanked by the 630nm the E63 churns out. The supercharged V6 is not competing with the LS2!

sophisticated luxury high performance model

since when was TRD luxury??????

Since now apparently!

I would rather handling over power. You get quicker lap time too. If you saw the two mustangs on Top Gear recently you will see the difference a well sorted car makes over one with just raw power. Linear power is another important factor than top Kw and Torque numbers. :P

A good example is also the SS vs. MX5 in the BFYB few issues ago. MX5 still got around the track at about 98% (I think) of the pace of the SS despite having less than half the power.

But not in the FPV/HSV Territory.

Maybe it can give an FPV-GT a run for it's money in a straight line, knowing how heavy those are... :P

Yeah, Toyota said it'll have at least 235kw and they're gunning for cars like the Liberty GT and Mazda 6 MPS. They were going to build it with AWD, but ran out of time.

The CD stacker is in the boot for the azura and grande. Note that the gen5.5 azura has alcantara seats, not full leather. Go back to gen5 azuras for full leather, but minus the toyota assist thing and the lid for the console bin. And... I think the ES300 might be tuned differently.

Oh yeah, go for the Azura if you do, it just looks so much better than the Grande :) Not to mention your grande will be often mistaken for an Altise!

Doesn't look like any convincing will be needed, since Toyota is gunning for a completely different market rather than the V8 Falcadores.

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Words - Joe Kenwright

Toyota is watering down buyer expectations about the TRD Aurion's ability to take on Holden and Ford's hotties... But why?

Toyota is not gunning for HSV and FPV. That's the news that emerged last week as Toyota moved to dilute performance expectations of its yet-to-be released TRD Aurion.

The supercharged Aurion is due for release mid-year. To date it has been touted as a threat to the performance crowns of the local hotshoes. Now Toyota says it has imports in its sights -- it will now chase European and Japanese sports offerings such as the Alfa 159, VW R32 Golf, Subaru Liberty GT Spec B and Mazda6 MPS in the $50-60,000 range.

A Toyota spokesman told the Carsales Network that as TRD Aurion "evolved" into the final production version, it became apparent that it was more of a "sophisticated luxury high performance model" than a V8-beater.

It was also revealed that the Aurion flagship will be released in two levels (as predicted by CN), the 3500S (Supercharged) and 3500SL (Supercharged Luxury).

The strong European overtones in the nomenclature are no coincidence when Toyota believes this is the area of the performance market that has the potential for strong growth. Toyota's latest shots of the new model highlight its striking looks which are more consistent with sophisticated European performance than brute Aussie muscle.

Visible high quality is also part of the brief.

Toyota also confirmed that last week's announcement was to generate more realistic expectations ahead of the new model's release when the raw power figures and local go-faster team behind the new model could suggest the new TRD Aurion was chasing the big local rear-drive V8 models. This was an impression that various Toyota staff encouraged.

So what's changed? Toyota officials have admitted now that the original TRD Aurion concept was to feature all-wheel drive but there wasn't the time nor resources to develop it specifically for such a low volume application when it is not available on other local Camry-based models.

The addition of the local supercharger installation has not only bumped up the standard Aurion's already healthy 200kW by a projected 35-40kW but supercharged engines have a tendency to generate bags of torque almost from tickover. The Aurion's stock 200kW V6 is already retarded under hard acceleration off the line so it can't overwhelm the Camry front-drive platform. A torquier supercharged engine needs even more careful management to avoid excessive wheelspin and torque-steer.

Toyota has confirmed that it has required considerable development in the engine electronics and the electronic stability and traction controls to manage the extra grunt off the line in the absence of the all-wheel drive that was part of the original brief.

Despite this, those who have driven the TRD Aurion Supercharged report that the awesome power delivery is quite addictive when the starting point is already smooth and powerful.

Although the TRD Aurion outguns all of its projected European and Japanese rivals by a significant margin and matches it with an edge in attitude and looks, it won't match the AWD that is specified in all of them at their top levels. The proof will be in the driving and there can be no doubt that Toyota will mask any traction difficulties with the same level of expertise as the rest of the Aurion range.

However, there is no getting around the fact that over about 170-180kW, most front-drive performance models start to get untidy under full acceleration from rest unless the electronics temporarily shut things down. Without AWD, it is hard to imagine how the TRD Aurion can deliver the full sensation of its extra grunt until it is well and truly on the move.

Rightly or wrongly, most Australian performance cars are judged by the way they perform between zero and 100km/h. If the non-supercharged Aurion is any indicator, our bet is that the new TRD Aurion will be just getting into its stride at that speed hence Toyota's revised European reference.

As for a true FPV or HSV beater, Toyota continues to demonstrate that it doesn't rest on its laurels. If the original brief was to feature all-wheel drive, then sooner or later it will happen when there are overseas Camry models that feature all-wheel drive.

must say it looks quite nice :D

poorly designed add on/replace parts

Ooo, is there some insider information? Has TRD told you that they're going to incorporate poor designs in to their cars?

done in some little workshop

TRD is being run by Prodrive. If you don't know who they are, you obviously don't know enough about cars to be making judgements on this car.