Queensland highway patrol deputizes the TRD Aurion
Click image for a gallery of more police Aurions
Many thanks to Anton, an Autoblog reader from Down Under, who was kind enough to grab a couple of snapshots showing us one of the Queensland Police Department's new highway patrol cars. We've reported on Toyota Australia's TRD Aurion before -- it's basically the Camry we want but can't have. With a much better-looking face and 323 supercharged horses underhood, the Aussie-built sedan is inherently more appealing than the vanillamobile available at our local Toyota stores. And now the fuzz has them, too.
Earlier this month, the Queensland police welcomed some of the "regular" Aurions into its white-liveried standard fleet. Our new friend Anton noticed a TRD Aurion dressed in the red finish used by the highway patrol. Curious, he followed it back to the station and talked up the officers there to get their opinion on their new interceptor. The verdict is that the TRD Aurion has as much punch as the older V8-powered FPV Falcons and Holden Monaros, and it is the clear winner in terms of interior comfort. Its front-wheel-drive configuration took some getting used to, however. The RWD pursuit cars could power through corners, and any oversteer incurred could be easily corrected from the driver's seat. The officers say that the Aurion's tendency to torque steer forced them to adjust their driving technique.According to them, hammering the throttle mid-corner doesn't do much at all, and the the car plows straight ahead. Solution: they don't do that anymore, and they're apparently "overjoyed" with their new toys, which, as Anton puts it, "go like the clappers." Thanks for the TRD pursuit car shots, Anton!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jgp 3:14PM (1/19/2008)
That front end looks so much better than the Camry's snout.
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Chris Vitale 3:24PM (1/19/2008)
I hate to say it, but it would be BETTER with about 40 LESS horses, from what I've read on it. If they U.S. Camry's chassis can't handle its 270HP, imagine what it would do with 330?
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Farris 3:47PM (1/19/2008)
I would imagine TRD beefs up the chassis somewhat, but I'm not 100% sure on that.
MemphisNET 4:20PM (1/19/2008)
It's also RWD. No torque steer.
This is one Toyota I would totally welcome here :D
SPF 4:55PM (1/19/2008)
@MemphisNET
Nope, it's FWD.
cowboy bob 5:14PM (1/19/2008)
FWD sucks. The manufacturers love it because its cheaper to build, and meets fuel economy standards easier. As a consumer, any repairs to the driveline are super expensive, and driving it agressivly has some hairy results. Give me RWD every day.
MemphisNET 5:21PM (1/19/2008)
my mistake. mis-read that.
very surprised... that does seem like a rediculous amount of power to send forward.
why not the LS2/LS7? 7:06PM (1/19/2008)
Repairs to the driveline are super expensive?
This is just not the case. Perhaps to the transaxle, but since when is transmission work ever cheap anyway?
cowboy bob 11:57AM (1/20/2008)
LS7...Have you ever checked the book labor hour numbers for the replacement of a transmission? I have. Typical hourly times increase by 5 for the R&R of FWD vs RWD. In the world of auto technician labor rates that is about $350-$500 more in labor alone. Re-build shops typically charge about 20% more for a rebuild of a FWD vs RWD. That can be another $300. Next time get the numbers before you spin crap that isn't true.
Joshua 3:39PM (1/19/2008)
Love the "HEAT" plate. :)
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tekdemon 7:27AM (1/20/2008)
ditto, those Aussie cops have a sense of humor there haha.
Man, wish my Camry had 323HP and a HEAT license plate, lol.
Reality_check 4:06PM (1/19/2008)
From all over the world, Toyota is recognize for making great cars, even in Australia the police is using them, sometimes you spend a lot in advertisement (GM's biased blogs, newspaper, product placement) and sometimes you just have the best product available, don't worry, Toyota is only the #1 car maker in the WORLD, good luck with Mars and the moon.
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zamafir 4:17PM (1/19/2008)
cool, maybe they can make my 07 camry hybrid stop sounding like Styrofoam crunching every time I turn the wheel. Honestly, I don't understand the penis contest for top producer of cars. Car makers like Porsche are going to impress me quite a bit more on the whole then Toyota ever will - there's a lot more to what makes a car company then simply selling the most appliances with four wheels. It's odd that they should reach such a mile stone the same year the press was so rife with recalls.
John P. 4:19PM (1/19/2008)
Yeah that's cool and all, but this one looks and sounds a whole lot better than that TuRD.
http://es.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/saleen-transformers2.jpg
Reality_check 4:28PM (1/19/2008)
zamafir, you don't own a 07 camry, if you did, you wouldn't complain about it, but hey, i know that it sounds more interesting that way, you read a review somewhere that talked about that problem, good for you, and second even a 4 year-old understands that the best selling car means its good, that[s undeniable, if not they would have sold 25 like the Aztek did in 2007, a real advice buy that toyota hybrid that you want and i promise you, you 'll never be a GM fan-boy again.
zamafir 6:39PM (1/19/2008)
lmao, this is truely the day, a self apointed VW fanboy being called a GM fanboy.
I have a hybrid camry, i complain about it because it's already experiencing issues in it's first 5,000 miles of ownership that I've not experienced before. I purchased it specifically due to it's average fuel economy and ability to haul four adults around town with minimal emissions. Do i worship it? No. The interior is the worst I've seen in any car in it's class, the trunk space is horrid, the steering is mushy and now noisy and crunchy, and the acceleration is meh. It was purchased as a four wheel appliance, and is used as such. If you'd like to visit San Diego I'd be happy to let you drive it, especially on the weekend when you'll find it in the garage and the GTi or GLi out on the twisty roads.
MKIV 11:46PM (1/19/2008)
@zamafir,
I'm in San Diego.. I like to take you up on your offer to drive your car. I have a Hybrid Camry as well and I haven't had a single issue that you're describing here. I also have 3x the mileage you have and absolutely love this car.
Derek 12:42AM (1/20/2008)
Best selling means it is good at something, but at what? The Ford F150 outsells the Camry, so is the F150 even better? Lots of people in the northern hemisphere also think that the Earth is closer to the sun in summer and farther away in winter (we're closer in winter) but that doesn't make them right either. The real thing to consider is *why* did all those people buy it, and do their reasons matter to you? Lots of very good vehicles do not sell well because something about the vehicle does not appeal to the larger market. Personally, I'd hate to worry about losing my car in a sea of anonymity in the parking lot.
BTW: only 25 Azteks were sold in '07 because production stopped in '05.
Matt 4:09PM (1/19/2008)
Screw the Crown Vic, Charger, and Impala. I want that!!!
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sw 4:13PM (1/19/2008)
From what I've read all that car really needs is AWD and at that point in time it will be nothing short of exquisite. Hmm, a TRD AWD Aurion for sale in North America. Probably won't happen but you can't stop me from dreaming.
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