dave262

Totally agreed... It is really very nicely adjusted - so much so that I think even if the service place touched it they would likely stuff it up! Mine was perfect when I got it, beautiful sharp cutoff line, and a beam that would light up the road for miles up ahead - until a branch fell while I was driving at 60km/h, hit the front edge of the bonnet, smashed the windscreen and dented the roof... and now results in a beam that has a blurry center point with a dodgy cutoff line =\ Dunnoh what to do now... fix it myself and possibly make it worse, or get service to do it and likely do the same!

No surprise considering. Look at all the layoffs that have happened at Ford recently, and are still being talked about in future too! Holden will probably be next to start laying off people, given that the current climate has nowhere near as much interest in large cars of which Holden has hardly any decent alternative to... Charging almost twice the price for a large car that is essentially an Aurion Sportivo with a supercharger and different exhaust tips is just ridiculous. The only reason it would have been done is more a "just cause we can" type attitude, without any real expectation that it will make many sales. For those who have them, they are great cars and very rare - so will definitely turn eyes when you see them (which may have also been part of Toyota's tactic to make sales of the Aurion generally - have people going wooooww what was that?!?). $50k is a far more realistic price for such a beast. At the $80k that was being charged for the TRD, you would expect things such as AWD, 6-speed Manual, Tinted windows standard, with inbuilt TV's or something at that sorta level. If they had an AWD TRD Aurion... then they would really be out in front of the rest... Can't say there are too many true "family" large cars out there boasting 240kW with AWD grip and safety!

My biggest question about turbo on an aurion would be where to mount the turbos? Typically you would use twin turbo in a V6 I would imagine, but it is so rare to see a FWD V6 that i don't know where you would place them... I reckon the engine itself could take a bit of boost... maybe about 8psi would be safe with it at the most. Supercharger is the only option I can see though, as you can't easily reroute exhaust from the back of the engine to a turbo, or is there something I'm overlooking here?

It does however also seem to be a bit more rev-happy generally, and seems to like downshifting somewhat. You can still accelerate much alike a manual if you want, by simply stepping up through the gears - but going down a gear, it is just like normal auto in the way it downshifts. Interestingly manual upshifting between 1st and 2nd seems to avoid that massive lag the full auto mode typically does...

Completely agree with you here. It will not make any gains on the standard Aurion, as the intake is already extremely well designed. Regarding the 4th gear thing, I think even dropping down to first would make no sense either. Why not simply make it stay in the gear it was in during normal auto mode? It's the same thing most cars do in this situation, and makes complete sense. Dropping down to 4th or changing any gear between modes is just stupid design choice and poorly thought out IMO.

I'd rather a more rigid car frame than the ability to carry large items. I don't think I would even want to carry anything that doesn't fit in the car properly for fear of damaging or scratching something! Remember however that the Aurion does actually have a fair amount of space throughout the car, which is more than you could say for most cars these days that seem to "appear" large, but are actually cramped inside (ie. the older Accord Euro). I must admit though, we bought a few bookshelves and random pieces of furniture from Ikea a while ago, and managed to fit it all in the Aurion, along with three people. These weren't small bookshelves either - they were tall floor-standing ones! Not really a problem fitting large-ish items in the car. I wouldn't want to do something like try and transport an already assembled shelf however, as that would have some serious problems fitting in an Aurion... or any car for that matter.

Any idea whether Toyota will be happy to give you the gear to get it running, since it's obviously not a TRD you are installing that into? It would be interesting to know how they respond when you come in with a list of parts required for a charger from a car that has only been around for about a year lol

Agreed about the price of parts. We've owned two Honda Oddysey's in the past, and although the first one needed nothing more than a few belts replaced - those were expensive enough! The new one has major issues with the engine and EGR system - with the engine requiring a complete rebuild due to a worn piston sleeve (it burns oil heaps). The EGR also blocked up and caused consistent cut-outs at idle - which we fixed by getting the valve cleaned, but the issue seems to be starting to reappear again as the idle is getting rough again. To replace the valve would cost $400, and for the piston sleeve about $2000 - as the engine must be rebuilt essentially. I think it may need a rebuild soon though, as it is steadily getting weaker and weaker... Anyways - I think the Aurion is a good buy on value and features - as it gives all the essentials, but nothing more - for a decent price. The Mazda I think is more a status symbol than anything, as they do seem to have a bit of a reputation these days, but I think generally the value for money isn't really there. The Honda is a very nice car, if you can afford it - and is focused more towards the modern day business-person who wants luxury - but they aren't the most fun to drive, or as practical as an Aurion when it comes to family.

I have one of the Touring models, and yes I would have to agree with the comment about them being grippy. They do seem quite good in this respect (so long as the tyres are not a little flat... which for some reason on these tyres I find makes them grip less than usual). They do however seem to wear down a little bit, as I have done about 13,000 km and the tyres on the front are already about halfway to the treadmark - but I will get them rotated during the next service, and I think they should last to about 30,000km easily. Regarding the shake... I do notice this too around sharp corners - particularly around roundabouts where it feels the outside tyre is scrubbing. It could just be alignment, as I suspect it could easily be, as in underground car parks in the wet for example, it tends to squeal taking a sharp corner even when really slow. Otherwise though, I haven't had any issues with these tyres at all!

If you are just trying to get used to how the safety systems work, I would not recommend doing this on a mountain road!... not the safest place to choose for "testing" such a thing. As others have mentioned, go to somewhere like a car park after hours and work out what it's capable of, and remember that these systems are designed to prevent you from losing complete control - not as a test to see how far you can take the car before you crash! The stability control on the Aurion I have found in particular on gravel roads is incredible! Driving around some hills during a camping trip some time ago, I was driving around corners and noticed that the car seems to handle beautifully going around corners - so much so that it felt like a 4WD! It is a slightly disconcerting feeling when it does kick in, as it does seem to grab the steering a little and does some really interesting tricks with the braking system to keep the car on the road. Going around corners, I would not have believed the road was gravel or that the car was FWD due to the way it was handling... I have only had to experience this system on a main road twice however, once being a real situation where I had a hoon try and push me off the road and had to do a huge swerve to avoid him. In this case, the car handled exactly as you see the car in the Hyundai ads when a truck pulls out in front of it - it just swerves around quickly without any problems. Going around a sharp corner and losing traction - i'm not sure how it would behave as I have never hit the speed at which it kicks in.

The only way you are going to get below 10L/100k is either because you are rolling downhill most the time (what goes down must come up though!), you have a huge tailwind constantly, travelling at 80km/h fairly consistently and not sitting stuck at lights or in traffic jams, and if the car is turned off whenever u are stopped (which actually is often shown causes more fuel usage restarting than just leaving it idle). Even when the car is brand new in peak hour city driving you will never get that type of economy from a non-hybrid car.

I have finally found the rattle in my engine bay... and I must say it was probably the simplest, most inconspicuous and unexpected thing I would have expected. The rattle I had, turned out to be the engine earthing wire that is on the drivers side of the engine... This was snagged under the edge of the plastic cover on the engine, and when the cover was moved made a sound similar to a rattle. I re-routed the wire away from the cover, and the sound is now gone! I would never have imagined that if it weren't for me accidentally leaning over the engine to get visibility of a couple of pipes =S

It is good to see that companies such as Toyota are looking into such things as liquid gas injection, as it is something that they will need to consider when competing with the likes of big fleet-sellers such as ford and holden. Again, I would never run gas in my car regardless of whether the engine was designed for it enough (call it feeling uncomfortable with a tank under me filled with pressurised gas!), but for those who want to get the conversion in the hopes of saving on fuel costs - this will be great news. Don't expect any major results soon however, and you may find it will take a couple of generations before any significant advances are made and all the issues are resolved. And before you go jumping straight into this sort of thing blindly - also remember that the government has on numerous occasions talked about adding an approx 60c/L tax on gas, but have as of yet not mentioned any timelines. Just some food for thought anyway...

This is something I had pointed out in one of my earlier posts - the intake systems in V6 engines are much more complex than any run-of-the-mill 4 cyl and actually have reasons for all those boxes (resonators) and valves that open at certain points. Altering the valves affects the operation of the entire VIRS system (variable intake resonance system), which you will find makes a HUGE difference in performance generally. Remove the entire system and note the complete lack of torque through the entire range...

You may find that part of the increase in fuel consumption may also be the ECU tuning itself to change gears, VVTi, fuel ratio etc. to your driving habits. One of the worst things about modern cars like the Aurion is they tend to do this constantly, and over time without realising it you will be adapting to the car handling... and what once seemed like lead-footed driving - may now seem like granny driving lol You may also find that as the engine wears in, fuel economy usually increases as all the parts loosen up, then gradually decreases over time as the engine starts building up carbon deposits, sensors start becoming contaminated, the catalytic converter starts gradually blocking up, air and fuel filters start blocking up etc., with the net result being a decrease in economy. I had the same thing happen on mine. Started off with like 10.xx L/100k or less in city driving when the car was new... now it's closer to 12L/100k in straight city driving. But then again, it's Melbourne - we probably have one of the poorest infrastructure for roads and public transport of any developed area in the world! =P

It's a very mixed bag when it comes to LPG conversions. Some engines take it well, others do not. Obviously there is a huge impact depending on the type of equipment used in the conversion and the fitter. I am personally very happy with just running with fuel, as I run off ethanol only (which is already cheaper than standard generic fuel anyway), and I get on average about 590km/tank with a combination of suburban and city driving. In the country for continuous driving I get about 700-750km/tank. To me this is perfectly reasonable, even with prices as they are these days for fuel. I would not have gas installed for the above mentioned reasons, and because with petrol I still have a full warranty, with an engine tuned to run correctly as designed with normal fuel, and no risk of additional wear and tear on the engine. Sure it may cost a little to fill up when required, but if you choose your days carefully and only stick with the reputable problems, it's not a terrible thing.

Don't even worry about that - because it honestly means nothing. Yes they do make a little tappet noise on startup, which disappears after approx 3 mins driving. It is very quiet tappet noise, and you won't even notice it unless you are listening for it. There is no damage to the tappets or engine, and it doesn't effect the running of the engine itself either.

I have a rattle coming from behind the centre console. I have a post about 'Broken Intrusion Bar". Turns out that the steel bar that everythng is attched to has a defect. The sound is like a bolt bobbying around in a plastic mug. See attached PDF. That worries me a little... coz it is that sorta sound i think. Like a small bolt really rapidly jumping around inside a plastic mug... Hope it's not something that serious! Will take a look on the weekend if I have time and the weather is decent...

Sorry about the thread mine... just did a search and this is the closest to what I have right now. I am still intermittently coming across a rattle similar to this, but it doesn't seem to actually be as a result of the aircon (from what I can tell, as the rattle is there regardless of the aircon status). Which aircon pipe was it? I might hunt around the engine bay in mine for a little and see what I find. Was really bad tonight and sounded like I had a bolt stuck in a cylinder =S

Correct me If i am wrong but didn't It only get a four because Toyota refused to allow the final test to take place I thought I read somewhere that they actually finally had the test done in the end, but it didn't change the rating? Maybe just misread it, or got bad info lol

Mostly the Aurion is not such a bad car by default... there is probably very little that you would see in a new model just from the fact that very little needs changing! From my own observations after driving my car daily.. I think there are a few improvements I'd like to see.. - 5 Star safety rating (I still cannot believe it only got a 4 star...) - Auto transmission refinement (no surging, jolt or lag between gears) - On/Off switch for traction control - Wipers that automatically slow down when u stop at lights, then go normal when moving (like Honda has) - Climate control that in hot weather and cold setting (without aircon) doesn't still blow hot air. My 18 year old Magna could even do that properly! - As mentioned above, passenger seatbelt warning would be nice - Put padding between plastic surfaces to prevent rattles (the same kit that Toyota fits to fix the same issue) - Better door speaker baffle design to prevent the "boominess" of the stock drivers A few additions or options that should be either optional or standard: - Active cruise control - Manual transmission - AWD It would actually be interesting to see what others have noticed could be improved / added to the Aurion. It is a great car as is, but there is always room for improvement! You never know, Toyota may even have people who troll forums just to hear what people like us want to see!

If the intrusion bar was commonly found to be faulty, the car would have already been recalled. There is no way that conservative Toyota would allow something like that to be of any risk to their reputation. Metal is a naturally occurring material, and is subject to impurities. It is also welded by robots in most cases that cannot actually check the quality of the welds that have been performed (for obvious reasons). I would put it no further than just a manufacturing defect.

Just realised I had some of the pictures on this computer anyway... As you can see - piston slap is not a good thing on an an engine. It is essentially where the piston wobbles around enough to scrape against the side of the cylinder. The scratch marks on the side of the piston in the picture are where it has scraped, and the other picture is how seriously the cylinders can allow blowby to pass by, which will cause all the baked-on oil that you see around the sides of the piston.

Very much doubt it would be piston slap. My old Magna had piston slap and there is no way the noise on startup of the Aurion is even close to piston slap. At worst, it will just be a few tappets being a bit slow at pressurising and getting oil through when cold. Piston slap sounds similar to bearing knock most the time, but unlike when bearings are stuffed - piston slap actually goes quiet under heavy load. Piston slap will also have noticeable effects on performance (makes the engine much slower at bringing up the revs as the pistons tend to wobble around and dig into the walls a bit), and after a few thousand K's, you will find that it will start converting the round cylinders into a oval shapes. It will also start burning a fair bit of oil and smoking a bit. I can give some pictures of what the results of piston slap are when I am at home, but I am almost certain that the Aurion sound on startup is not piston slap. It will simply be tappets more than likely.

Dave here, AGE: 22 SEX: Male STATUS: Single... and yes it really sucks REASONS FOR BUYING: Liked the look of the Aurion ever since I first saw it, and when I looked at the specs, decided it was time to move on from the old 1990 Mitsubishi Magna TP 2.6 (yes the smoky, rattling, boxy one! Mine didn't do either of these, except looked like a rusty box haha). I still have that old thing though, but kept it for my little sister and brother to learn on. The Aurion I liked the fact that it was safe, comfortable, stylish, feature-rich, reliable, and of course fuel efficient. It is also very nice to have a car that just works, and doesn't require attention on maintenance every single weekend. It is also very nice to find a car designed so thoughtfully with consideration for many things other manufactures won't even consider - just little design things and features that are often overlooked. Overall, I guess being used to big cars (I also drive a Subaru Forester and a Honda Oddysey), the Aurion is still big but feels more like a smaller car, but actually appears stylish. The power for me isn't really a must-have, but is definitely a nice-to-have feature. After driving only 4 cylinder cars, a silky-smooth V6 is definitely a welcome change =) No regrets on the purchase at all!