Toyota TRD Aurion: Refined Performance

Motoring Channel Staff - 17/Apr/2007

Melbourne, Australia — After the launch of the Aurion - Toyota's locally-built Australian large car - performance fans have been waiting with baited breath for the performance model, tentatively called the TRD Aurion. 

Powered by a supercharged 3.5-litre V6, the new vehicle was expected to gun it out with some FPV and HSV models, but these claims have been all but retracted by Toyota as it seeks to reposition the TRD Aurion in the Australian marketplace. 

Udpate: Click here for the full details on the TRD Aurion, which has a 241kW supercharged engine powering the front wheels.

According to the company, the new TRD Aurion with its supercharged engine and front-wheel drive transmission will rival vehicles such as the Subaru Liberty GT spec.B, the Alfa 159, and Volkswagens world-famous R32 Golf.

The reason behind this move is believed to be due to the front-wheel drive nature of the car. As testing gets underway for an August 2007 launch of the new TRD Aurion that is expected to have "at least" 235kW of power - which comes close to matching Ford's legendary XR6 Turbo in terms of raw power - this power may have trouble being effectively transferred to the road in a front-wheel drive car.

As the Editor of the Motoring Channel, Feann Torr, notes, "Front wheel drive cars with large amounts of power tend to be rather skittish under full throttle loads, and can exhibit unnerving amounts of torque steer. And especially those with forced induction [super/turbo charging]. 

"As such, it comes as no surprise that Toyota TRD is changing the market position of this car," added Torr. "The original car was expected to be an AWD vehicle, which would have been a real treat, but a powerful supercharged V6 engine in a front-wheel drive configuration would have difficulty keeping up with an HSV Clubsport or an FPV GT in a straight line. So it makes sense that Toyota has stopped pushing the TRD Aurion as a potential HSV and FPV killer - which has been the case in the past."

As David Buttner stated in a press release, who is Toyota Australia's senior executive director of sales and marketing, the upcoming supercharged TRD Aurion will compete directly against premium performance models from Europe and Japan: "There is a range of vehicles priced from $50,000 to $60,000 that have reshaped the performance-enhanced market in recent years," he said, alluding to vehicles like theVW R32 Golf and Subaru Liberty GT spec.B. 

"This is where the sales growth has occurred over the past 10 years - and this is where we are positioning the TRD Aurion," he said.

Mr Buttner said the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) philosophy is very different from the "muscle car" approach of other local enhancement companies: "TRD stands for an optimal blend of performance, refinement, handling and Toyota's traditional quality, durability and reliability. TRD is a bold innovation for Toyota. It adds individual character and enhanced performance to the outstanding integrity offered by all Toyota vehicles."

Compared to the standard Toyota Aurion, which uses a naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 that generates 204kW, the new TRD Aurion's supercharged V6 engine - based on the same architecture - has a development target of at least 235kW according to Toyota, which is a rise of around 15 per cent.

"The TRD Aurion will provide a balanced driving experience for a sophisticated market, integrating its power with dynamic cornering ability, precise steering response and impressive stopping performance," Buttner said, suggesting that the Australian muscle cars are unsophisticated.

"It will distinguish itself by delivering its ample reserves of all-around performance in a way that is enjoyable and relaxing to drive all day, every day," he added. And what about the chances of an all-wheel drive TRDAurion ? Not for a while, but there are AWD systems in use in Japan that would suit the Aurion, and Toyota originally wanted the vehicle to be AWD, so watch this space.

In repositioning the TRD Aurion as a competitor not of the locally-built performance cars, but of smaller European and Japanese performance models, TRD may be reducing its potential sales reach as the current Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) and Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) models are still very popular with buyers. At the same time however, Mr Buttner did say that TRD would be more than a one-car trick, and said that development on a range of vehicles, not just variations based on one locally produced car, would arise from TRD.

"This is the first time in the world TRD has been established as a separate brand under Toyota," said David Buttner. Having shown a concept car version of the TRD HiLux - which according to Toyota will be based on a 4WD Double Cab, powered by supercharged 4.0-litre V6 engine generating more than 200kW of power - it is expected to become the second model in the TRD range, and there are plans to launch the car in Australia before the end of 2007.

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