TRD Aurion Pics

[charged]

They should forget about the Aurion and import a stripped and cheaper IS350 variant here, RWD same 3.5 and 14.2 quarters FTW


Full Test: 2006 Lexus IS 350

[motorsportnerd]

Originally Posted by crisis

Pity the Japs eschew RWD. That would be a very nice and desirable car otherwise.

I'd imagine that it is very unlikely we'll see a RWD Aurion while the donor Camry remains FWD. Which is a pity. It would be way, way too expensive to engineer the TRD Aurion, or even the base Aurion, for RWD - unless the Camry went that direction as well.
However, I wouldn't rule out AWD - it should be possible to develop an AWD setup off the Camry drivetrain. It would only be worthwhile from an cost perspective if the entire Camry/Aurion range offered AWD as an alternative rather than just keeping the AWD chassis to the high performance versions.

It occurs to me that more I think about it that the Aurion's natural rivals are the US market Chevrolet Impala SS and Pontiac Grand Prix GXP. The six clyinder versions of the Impala and Grand Prix are rivals to the US market Camry six. The Impala SS/Grand Prix GXP are hero cars that sit atop the respective ranges. They're not outright sports sedans and are certainly not muscle cars. Rather they are sporty sedans with a decent level of luxury appointments aimed at the Impala/Grand Prix buyer who wants a little more.
Perhaps the purpose of the TRD Aurion is to develop the basic drivetrain/chassis/suspension so that it can then be put into the US market Camry? Then Toyota in the US would have an instant rival to the Impala SS/Grand Prix GXP and the cost of development of the TRD Aurion for the very small sales it'll generate in Australia would be much easier justified.

[fpv_gtho]

They'd really need AWD for the American market, not so much to put the power down better, just as a bit of extra safety considering how much of the country has snow.

IIRC also, Toyota are quoting acceleration times of 0-100km/h in 6.1s and 400m of 14.2s. If those figures are accurate, i think it'd be safe to say Toyota have switched on to how to get alot of power to the ground through FWD, as apparently the new Kluger in FWD is almost as fast as a Territory Turbo in a straight line.

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

IIRC also, Toyota are quoting acceleration times of 0-100km/h in 6.1s and 400m of 14.2s.

i'm pretty sure the 3.5L camry in the US gets close to that anyway though, the TURD's..um..TRD's strengths must be in in-gear acceleration?

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

the new Kluger in FWD

wtf. FWD suv??

[SlickHolden]

Might be one of them only goes AWD if the front looses traction??

[fpv_gtho]

Alot of US acceleration times are faster than ours, they were quoting 5.5 0-100km/h times for the first Monaro's we sent over there as GTO's remember.

The Kluger's based on the Camry/Aurion chassis, so its got an east-west engine. Thats why its FWD in 2WD format, Toyota are selling them in 2WD and 4WD now like Ford do with the Territory.

[crisis]

Originally Posted by motorsportnerd

I'd imagine that it is very unlikely we'll see a RWD Aurion while the donor Camry remains FWD. Which is a pity. It would be way, way too expensive to engineer the TRD Aurion, or even the base Aurion, for RWD - unless the Camry went that direction as well.
However, I wouldn't rule out AWD - it should be possible to develop an AWD setup off the Camry drivetrain. It would only be worthwhile from an cost perspective if the entire Camry/Aurion range offered AWD as an alternative rather than just keeping the AWD chassis to the high performance versions.

For sure. I liked Charged’s idea. Toyota have a rear wheel drive platform, use it! Problem is they have their marketing so convoluted with Lexus and Toyota that an IS350 variant will not put the blocks in the right holes with the Toyota marketing people. They should use that platform for all Australian mid size cars.

[fpv_gtho]

It'd be too expensive. The IS is supposed to compete with the BMW 3 series and the MB C class, its not supposed to be a low cost platform so Toyota would probably have to charge Falcon and Commodore prices for something considerably smaller.

[crisis]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

It'd be too expensive. The IS is supposed to compete with the BMW 3 series and the MB C class, its not supposed to be a low cost platform so Toyota would probably have to charge Falcon and Commodore prices for something considerably smaller.

Given the amount they could sell combining the demand for both types you would think the cost could be positively affected. I though the Cadillac CTS was supposed to be based on the current Commodore platform and the Statesman is. The more use you make of it the cheaper you would think it would become? They may be artificially creating a prestige value because it is rear wheel drive.

[fpv_gtho]

Im not really sure how the costs get reflected across the production now theyre all obsessed with platforms. It comes down to things like double wishbone front ends rather than struts, 5 link rear ends rather than 3/4 etc. Toyota arent strangers though to managing costs, we've regularly been a step behind the US and Japan with the Camry - we've had the latest bodywor, but usually an older chassis underneath. Theyre also continually turning fairly low profits for high numbers of sales.

CTS is on the Sigma platform, which is another platform trying to compete with other lower end luxury models. I dont know about it being based on the current Commodore platform, but it debuted in 2002 and was apparently considered to go under the Commodore but they realised it'd be too expensive, so produced a lower cost RWD platform.

[SlickHolden]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

Alot of US acceleration times are faster than ours, they were quoting 5.5 0-100km/h times for the first Monaro's we sent over there as GTO's remember.

The Kluger's based on the Camry/Aurion chassis, so its got an east-west engine. Thats why its FWD in 2WD format, Toyota are selling them in 2WD and 4WD now like Ford do with the Territory.

Don't the U.S use a rolling start??

[motorsportnerd]

Originally Posted by crisis

For sure. I liked Charged’s idea. Toyota have a rear wheel drive platform, use it! Problem is they have their marketing so convoluted with Lexus and Toyota that an IS350 variant will not put the blocks in the right holes with the Toyota marketing people. They should use that platform for all Australian mid size cars.

Might work if its not too expensive to use that platform for cheaper cars.
However, personally, I still like the idea of an AWD platform for the Camry and Aurion. Sure it would be copying the idea Mitsubishi had with the Magna (not to mention Audi and Subaru who have offered AWD for decades), but at least Toyota has the money to make it work. More important, it would give Toyota a different marketing avenue to Ford and Holden.
It would be hard to deny the performance creditionals of an AWD 300kW Aurion.

And where would Toyota get an AWD platform from? Well, the Kluger is based on the Camry, so there's the AWD hardware right there.

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by motorsportnerd

Might work if its not too expensive to use that platform for cheaper cars.
However, personally, I still like the idea of an AWD platform for the Camry and Aurion. Sure it would be copying the idea Mitsubishi had with the Magna (not to mention Audi and Subaru who have offered AWD for decades), but at least Toyota has the money to make it work. More important, it would give Toyota a different marketing avenue to Ford and Holden.
It would be hard to deny the performance creditionals of an AWD 300kW Aurion.

And where would Toyota get an AWD platform from? Well, the Kluger is based on the Camry, so there's the AWD hardware right there.

Toyota has AWD history as well, with the Group A Celica homologation specials.

[motorsportnerd]

True that. However, if/when Toyota introduces a Camry/Aurion with AWD, they will be accused of copying other marques. Most won't remember the Celicas and will conveniently ignore Toyota's many decades of experience with 4WD/AWD systems in SUVs.

[SlickHolden]

What about the AWD Corolla's in the WRC??