Camry v. Aurion

Heads in the sand, guess you gonna get fudged up the a.

Could have sworn the 3 shite camrys I drove, were all NZ cars .

but then again you are paid Toyota lackeys .

Just like dealing with facts not keyboard warriors, you go putt around in your pommie junk.

Thanks everyone for your help. It sounds like a Camry would be fine, but Aurion a whole heap better, which is what I thought. I'll keep looking for the right one.

Hey jaguar, I'm one who backed up OP choice of Camry, yet have spoken up loudly about my personal dislike of Toyota, and my preference for euro. Indeed I have a triumph bike and a Volvo car.
But, for reliable good transport that works for the non enthusiast, in NZ, Toyota wins. Sorry if you had bad ones though.
Cheers

^^^
Yeah, I'm the reverse, love the old Toyotas in a family car drive all day everyday way, its just they have gone downhill fast, esp in customer relations and the camry.
The suspension is the worst piece of sh* ever and high oil consumption and poor gas returns, all add up to a dog. Read the reviews they are accurate and relate to NZ as well, don't worry what the paid lackeys say.
Can't comment on Aurion, other than you probably face the same low standards in customer enquires and outrageous service fees .

So like I said, love the old Toyotas, esp the old 70s engines, but stay clear of the 2000 + models and dealers.

Haven't driven an Aurion, but have same engine in a Blade, which is basically a Corolla body. Maybe different traction control, but it has no problems with torque steer. You DO notice the traction control kick in sometimes, and acceleration off the line is actually faster and about 1/2 throttle in first gear. So it's not perfect.

Now maybe they have somehow totally stuffed up the larger Aurion's handling, But I doubt it.

BTW, it would be better with 4WD, and might be able to utilise more power off the line. But that wasn't the question.

4 cyl Camry = Transportation Appliance.
V6 Aurion = Fast Transportation Appliance.

Raewyn I'd like to suggest you have a look at the Toyota Mark X
For simplicity of explaination I'll just say its another variation on the Camry
But IMO far nicer to drive

Camry and Mark X are on different platforms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_K_platform (camry) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_N_platform (Mark x) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpxJSYqvhTs (Australian Toyota factory)

I know that ol son and for us propeller heads that's important. But for the OP its not important.

Thanks for the heads up about the Mark X. I had already noted that it was rear wheel drive, which I have much more experience of, but was put off because it seems that they're only Jap imports and I don't know about parts availability. The links to the wikipedia pages are interesting. Maybe I should be finding out more aobut them - certainly there are more low kms ones witin my budget.

I took a Mark X for a good ol test drive as it was one i was looking at. Didn't buy it. For a start it had adjustable suspension that had already been replaced to sell the car. Not a high Km car either. It felt cramped to me.
Had stupid bloody touch screen all in Japanese and several other items all labeled in funny little jap symbols. Now ya can replace all of that of course with a kit you can buy for them so it's in English.
Also rear seat had an odd bump in middle from memory that wouldn't be comfy for middle passenger. Had good features if doodads are ya thing.
Wasn't any thing special on the road, was okay.
There were to many things that I didn't like so I ended up with a NZ new 07 Camry.
If you want to know anything from an actual owner who has been a fair way in it just ask and I will give a honest opinion of it as an everyday car.
And they were never intended to be a performance car and I have no idea why some seem to think they are, there are other cars for that if thats what you want.

Thanks for that. Very useful. I'm not looking for performance, just minimum effort and wear at 100. I drive 30kms each way to work which = 1.5hours a day sitting in the car. Whatever I buy I will probably keep 10 years if I like it so reliability and longevity are important.

I had a mark X 2.5 for a while, in an attempt to avoid euros but still have rear wheel drive and nice engine.
Rear shocks are weak point but once replaced car felt good, easy to get shocks and all running gear is Le X us is250 . Got all, filters etc easy from super cheap. Very quiet, great on open road.
Excellent engine, smooth as, 6 speed auto.
Very cramped for my 6'2 frame, could not get seat back enough.
Screen easily replaced cheaply.
If your not a big person try one. If rear feels loose or noisy new shocks needed.
I couldn't love it, especially due to being cramped. But it is a damn good car if it works for you.

I have a 2006 Aurion (Sportivo SX6) and it's a very good car all round. The 3.5L V6 is effortless to drive, with loads of power available when you need it. There's something very satisfying about having that much power on tap while still blending in as a normal family sedan. Fuel economy is great if you don't boot it too much (same fuel economy as the 2.4L Camry equivalent) and there's enough room to fit 3 child car seats in the back which is a bonus. It's definitely worth considering if you're looking for a sedan that not only looks good and drives well, but is also good on gas and ultra reliable.

I would imagine you could keep a Camry for 10 years without issue if all relevant maintenance was kept up.
Cheap to run. I do 30kms a day and I can tell it is cheap to run for the size of it. I can compare it with many other cars Ive had doing the same run.
It will apply return 7.2 ltrs per 100km on a mix of open road and city. That includes some very long hill climbs and a lot of varying road. 5 up with boot full of luggage. If it done just a straight run on flat surface it would dip into 6.somethingltr per 100km with out issue.
As for power, there is more than enough to get you past a truck or whatever in short time. Doesn't lose momentum on hills any worse than any other car, certainly don't have to thrash it.
At 100kph its just fine and relaxed.
Its reasonably quite car, tires will change things as does road surface, some surfaces you can't hear bugger all.
Plenty of room for 5 and over all very spacious. Heaps of boot space.
Not alot of fancy gear but depending on year you get a few extras.
NZ new has 8 air bags. Stereo's are good as for a factory unit, later than 08 has aux and usb hidden away in a pocket.
Steering is excellent for what it is, light enough not to be a drag and not to light as it's all over the place.
They will go around a 70kph corner well above that with out any issue at all if that's ya thing. Brakes a very good with usual antilock etc. later will have stability control, not sure what year.
The rear window demister isn't as good as others but rest of heating system is excellent.
A pillar will hide a truck on the wrong angle (like all modern cars) so once you know you look twice.
Seats are nice and comfy with some power adjustments on drivers side.
The dash can rattle on a cold day but goes away when it warms up, struck this in other ones as well.
I took a 2010 with very low kms for a 160km trip and then on same day also did 160kms in the one I got and for whatever reason the 07 with twice the kms just felt better. Apparently the 10 has electric assist power steering or something that made it fell odd and a bit squirrely on the road, both me and the wife thought the same about about the latter one. may have had different tires as well.
If you didn't know the KMs on mine you would think it was very very low.
Trim bits are just as good as any in it's class, all plastic lol.
Go drive a few and see what you think I reckon.

Tyres and a good wheel alignment can make a huge difference to many cars. I have traded several vehicles over the years and a week later the dealer has said, the first person that drove it, bought it.