Australian-built, and with quite a few changes to the Japanese original to suit the special tastes of the Aussie driver, Aurion V6 has been given a tougher look than its brother, the four-cylinder Toyota Camry. Aurion has a purposeful semi-European appearance that works nicely if you want a touch of style in your family car. 

Though we use the term ‘Japanese original’ the Aurion is actually aimed at the American market. The chief changes to our car are sportier suspension and steering setups, more in keeping with the European driver than those in the USA. 

Aurion has good interior space. There's better than average rear-seat legroom, though as is the way with virtually every car in this class, the back seat can’t really transport three large adults without a degree of shoulder and leg rubbing. A trio of children up to their mid teens will certainly have room to move. The front seats are well-shaped and provide good support, obviously not sportscar support, but the family man who likes to drive will be happy with the way the seats work during sporty cornering. Though the seats are set relatively high to maximise legroom, the headroom is good in all seating positions, even to the extent that those travelling in the bush can wear their favourite hat. 

Not only is there room to move in the Aurion, clever design gives it an airy feel that appeals to family drivers trying to keep the kids happy. 

Oddments stowage spaces are plentiful, with a good-sized centre console, though the door pockets are relatively slim and may not carry everything you like. 

Toyota Aurion's boot is well-shaped and can carry a lot of stuff, that's partly because the car is a front-wheel drive so there's no space consuming differential underneath. The fashionably stubby tail means the boot opening will limit the size of boxy items.  

The Aurion is only offered as a sedan, whereas Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore have big station wagons in their lineups. Toyota says it's relying on its range of 4WDs to cater for the needs of the wagon buyer, but those looking for a plusher ride and better economy really would be happy if a wagon was on offer. 

Toyota's Australian engineers carried out a lot of local testing on rough country roads, not to forget suburban surfaces that have seen better days. Handling is precise and predictable. Slight understeer comes in as the limits are approached. The transition from one bend to another is coped with in a competent manner. ESP is there should the driver overstep the mark.

Ride comfort is good, even on the aforementioned rough-and-ready Aussie roads, though some surfaces can catch it out at times, resulting in a slightly jittery ride.

Power comes from a 3.5-litre, twin-cam, V6 engine where its maximum is 200 kW. At 4700 rpm, the Toyota's top torque of 336 Nm comes in pretty high in the rev range, indeed so high that few everyday drivers will ever see the engine producing its maximum grunt. However, there's good pulling power from relatively low revs so the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Aurion's engine is lovely and smooth and nicely responsive and a real pleasure to sit behind. It really is the latest iteration of the sort of powerplant Australian drivers have loved for decades.

 The Toyota six-speed automatic transmission is a real beauty, gear changes are barely noticeable and it seems to be in the right ratio most of the time. Pseudo manual changes can be made should the driver feel the need for a bit more performance, or realise that the car isn’t responding correctly to rapidly changing road conditions. 

On the road, most Aurion owners are likely to use ten to eleven litres per hundred kilometres in suburban and city running. This will typically drop to eight to nine litres on motorways and moderately paced country driving. Figures of under eight litres are there if you want to put your mind to it in easy driving conditions.  

Toyota Aurion is a handy size of car at a pretty good price. Its big strength is excellent refinement and Toyota's legendary build quality. It certainly deserves a place on your list of family cars, even if you have previously been a died-in-the-wool Ford or Holden devotee. 

AT A GLANCE

Touring 3.5-litre four-door sedan - $34,990 (automatic)

Prodigy 3.5-litre four-door sedan - $39,990 (automatic)

Sportivo SX6 3.5-litre four-door sedan - $38,990 (automatic)

Sportivo ZR6 3.5-litre four-door sedan - $42,990 (automatic)

Presara 3.5-litre four-door sedan - $49,990 (automatic)

 SPECIFICATIONS (Toyota Aurion Sportivo ZR6 3.5-litre four-door sedan) 

ENGINE:

Capacity: 3.456 litres

Configuration: V6

Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder

Compression Ratio: 10.8:1

Bore/Stroke: 94.0 x 83.0 mm

Maximum Power: 200 kW @ 6200 rpm

Maximum Torque: 336 Nm @ 4700 rpm

 DRIVELINE:

Driven Wheels: Front

Manual Transmission: Not offered

Automatic Transmission: Six-speed

Final Drive Ratio: 3.685:1 

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:

Length: 4825 mm

Wheelbase: 2775 mm

Width: 1820 mm

Height: 1470 mm

Turning Circle: 11.6 metres

Kerb Mass: 1590kg

Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 litres

Towing Ability: 500kg (1600kg with braked trailer) 

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:

Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Rear Suspension: Independent, dual lower transverse links, trailing lower arm, hydraulic dampers, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Front Brakes: Ventilated disc

Rear Brakes: Disc 

PERFORMANCE:

0-100 km/h Acceleration: 9.3 secs

Standing 400 Metres: 17.0 secs

 FUEL CONSUMPTION:

Type: Petrol 91RON

Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 9.9 L/100km

 GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:

Greenhouse Rating: 5.5/10

Air Pollution Rating: 8.5/10 

STANDARD WARRANTY:

Three years/100,000km