woodworm

Just to finish off what I started... the local service manager had a drive and thought our AT-X was pretty typical - a compromise between good cornering and ride. Then we took a new Sportivo for a drive and the fimness of ride was similar at around-town speeds. The Sportivo did seem to have a bit more of a controlled composed ride though and I didn't think it jiggled as much (it was new though). I was a bit surprised as I thought the AT-X should have a softer ride and soak up the bumps but it looks like we will have to embrase and enjoy the jiggles as they said they couldn't really improve it. The shocks check out OK and apparently never give any trouble anyway and there isn't much else it could be. I might try a different brand of tyre next time as that is the only option left. I commented that we thought the ride should be similar to a commodore but according to Toyota, the Aurion has a firmer ride as the springs have been beefed up (from those in the Camry) to accommodate the V6. There ya go! Thanks for the input.

Thanks for the comment, if thats the case then at least ours is probably 'normal' although I can't really see how the car got such good reviews with such an obvious deficiency. We are taking the local service manager for a ride next week so will see if he thinks our bounce is excessive.

Yep, the Subaru is 'all wheel drive'. The Taurus is front wheel drive, V6 3.0 litre so similar in size and so-on to the Aurion. It's hardly a nimble car and ours is getting a bit soggy now but has always been a nice drive if you aren't in a hurry around the bends.

Hi all. As mentioned, we have owned a Taurus for many years which has soft suspension. It sacrifices cornering a bit but is very comfortable and quiet - just not especially reliable now at nearly 200 k. We were really comparing the Aurion with a Commodore and Legacy (Liberty) we had test driven. It's not so much soft, floaty, cushy, comfy suspension as flustered. Driving along as a passenger (I cant drive at the mo as I got knocked of my bike on the way to work, broken bones etc, hence the need for a second car for when I can drive again) it's fine on smooth seal but you just feel shaken (not stirred) when travelling over anything remotely uneven - it's better on the open road but still not very good. The Commodore just laughed at those bumps and the Taurus is much more composed in a straight line. The Subaru was better than all the others we tried but the new model is almost twice the price of a 2 year-old Aurion, but I'm certainly wondering whether the Aurion was the right decission now. Hope that clarifies things. Thanks for all the input.

Right, thanks...I'll get on to it. Toyota first, then a suspension specialist if that fails! Definately not a joyful ride! Cheers

Hi all and thanks for the quick replies. I'm in NZ, a few fairly sucky roads but not that bad and if a 1996 Taurus can handle them then... Anyway, it's completely standard, hasn't got or had a tow bar was an Avis car for <20 000 km, went through Toyota's "Signature Class" makeover and then was leased to a manager at a local firm till they downsized and it became the local Toyota's managers car for a few months. Thats why I'm surprised that they didn't find the ride unacceptable. As mentioned, we've been looking for a car for a while and really prefered the Subaru, just couldn't afford it. I'll have a word with a local suspension outfit to see if the shocks are the problem but I'd be shocked if they were!. The car is is excellent condition and in other respects is tight without any rattles, dents or other signs of abuse (and yes, a very nice smooth transmision and engine) but your comments do make me think there is something wrong. Cheers

Hi - I'm a newby here having recently bought a 2 year-old Aurion ATX (48,000km). I've a question I'd really appreciate some comments on. When we test drove the car I thought the ride was akin to a pogo stick and we thought we'd move on to a Subaru (which has a very nice ride!). Then we found the tyre pressure was 40 psi, 8 psi over that recommended. When that was lowered to 32 psi the ride improved, so we bought the car. Having ridden in it for a couple of days I'm rather disappointed that the improvement is not as marked as I thought, in fact the ride is rather worse than our aging Ford Taurus (hardly the car to beat I'd have thought ) and certainly not as good as the 2010 Subaru or the 2008 Commodore we tried - it just seems unsettled by general potholes and road bumps that most cars would glide over. I wondered if someone could recommend a better tyre than the Dunlop SP Sport 300 215/60 R16s that it has currently or is the bouncy ride just a characteristic of the Aurion suspension that we will come to love and appreciate Sorry if this had been covered a 1000 times and I've missed the posts and thanks for any advice.