AURION, Avalon, Vienta. Whatever Toyota names it, we’re still talking about a Camry with a V6.
The extra kilowatts delivered from the strong 3.5-litre powerplant make this seventh-generation breed of family car quite quick and, backed up by improved interior space, comfort, features and refinement, the latest iteration is even touted as a pseudo Lexus.
To separate fiction from fact, we placed the base Aurion AT-X under our microscope.
40 Series Aurion AT-X
Released: October 2006
Ended: March 2012
Family Tree: AurionESSENTIALLY a sixth-generation Camry with a V6 engine, the Aurion replaced the unloved (and ancient) Avalon as Toyota’s answer to the Falcon and Commodore, just as Australians were no longer asking the question.
Like its four-cylinder siblings, the AT-X featured an all-new chassis, bringing the mid-sized Toyota in line with the rest of the global Camry models, whereas the previous Avalon was essentially a rebodied Camry that dated back to 1993.
Under the bonnet was a 200kW/336Nm 3.5-litre quad-cam V6 driving the front wheels via a new six-speed automatic gearbox.
Not only was the Aurion seamlessly smooth and powerful, but also reasonably economical, as well as generously equipped.
A minor facelift was introduced during 2009, but plummeting large car sales and quite dreary styling meant that Australians did not really take to the Aurion as much as Toyota had hoped.
Get the full story: Toyota Australia's first legitimate large sedan is here: the 200kW Aurion V6
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