Review of Toyota Aurion V6

The Aurion V6 is a higher end four door sedan manufactured by Toyota. Toyota depicts Aurion V6 as a car of "a new era in driving pleasure” which creates “a dynamic balance of the emotional and the rational”, flaunting its striking styling, exciting performance, and luxurious refinements.

The Toyota Aurion has a 3.5 litre V6 engine with twin-cam valve actuation system. The engine output is 200KW and 336Nm Torque. 6-speed sports automatic bring power to road through front wheels. Its emission rate is 215g CO2 per litre, which makes it green while still retaining an attainable price. The car curb weight is about 1.5 tonnes. With all five passengers, it’s able to travel 100 Km for 9.3 litres of gasoline. The car also gains a 5 star rating for safety. Aurion V6 comes in 6 different variants, which are AT-X, Prodigy, Presara, Sportivo SX6, Sportivo ZR6, and a special edition made in consideration of touring aspects.

The entry level Aurion AT-X comes with features like dual zone climate control, reverse camera, acoustic windshield, and sound insulated cabin for a quiet and noise free cabin. It has 16 inch alloy wheels, seven airbags, an electric driver seat with lumbar support for the driver, Bluetooth connectivity, and a 6.1 inch touch screen console capable of iPod and iPhone connectivity. Aurion Prodigy, a higher end model, replaces the 16 inch alloys wheel of AT-X with 17 inch ones. There is a full size spare with matching alloy wheel.

Additional features of the Aurion include its front fog lamps, parking assistance, a rain sensor, leather interiors, a driver seat with an electric programmable memory system, and rear sunshade. Aurion Presara includes HID lamps, JBL audio, moonroof, a blind spot monitor, and satellite navigation with traffic updates provided by SUNA GPS Traffic Updates available in certain Australian cities.

Sportivo SX6 and Sportivo ZR6 are sportier versions of Aurion which come packed with a sports paddle shift gearbox, a one touch entry and engine start option, sporty front seats, HID lamps, an adaptive front lighting system, and a sports suspension system.

While AT-X, Prodigy, Presara and two sports model make up the standard Aurion versions, a touring-oriented version was made available by Toyota which features dual exhaust, dual zone auto climate control, a reverse camera, and sports pedals. This version is a special edition that is available on order.

The external dimensions of the Aurion increased in 2012 model in terms of length and width. The Aurion now has more rear seat leg room and increased boot space. The seats can be pushed down to make areas nearly flat, which can come in handy for times that one is travelling with large cargo.

The fuel efficiency was measured between 7 to 8 litres per hundred kilometre on motorways and country sides. The efficiency decreased to 10 litres per hundred kilometres in city traffic. Aurion has six automatic speeds, and the sport version features steering mounted paddle shifters.

Since Aurion is developed in Australia, the suspensions are tuned according to Australian driving conditions. Ride, handling and body roll brings trust to 5 star safety rating of the car. The car has some under-steer when coming out of corners which opposes its 1.5 tonne curb weight. Generally, a car this heavy would show slightly more over-steer. The under-steer makes it a sportier car.

Unwanted noise and vibration has been eliminated by the use of acoustic windshields and insulation in the cabin. Double seals have been installed in the door glass. The acoustic windshield, door, and cabin installations work together to make the car handle well in harsh road conditions. 

To sum it up, the Toyota Aurion V6 was made for tasteful customers who wanted something modern and new. Although Aurion is sold in many south-eastern Asian countries, Toyota's main focus in developing the Aurion V6 was leaned towards Australia, and it is Australian built. The car is nice to drive, has a safety measure rating of 5 stars, and is efficient enough for modern emission norms.

Author: Erin Warbrook is a freelance writer who lives in Perth, Western Australia. If you want to

test-drive the new Aurion A6, call into New Town Toyota; one of the premier Toyota dealers in

Western Australia. Download the New Town Toyota iPhone app for fast service and test-drive bookings.