COTY 2006 Toyota Aurion

It has employed a variety of tactics and styles but Holden and Ford have retained a firm grip on the market.

With the arrival of the Aurion all that has changed. This is a car that Toyota can be justifiably proud of, having taken the

V6 Camry from the rest of the Toyota world and poured a useful degree of local development and styling into the car.

It still shares most of the basics with the Camry but has its own styling and a 3.5-litre V6 coupled to a nice six-speed automatic. The highlights include 200kW of power and a claimed fuel economy of 9.9 litres/100km; numbers that are better than the base Ford and Holden on both fronts.

While there are five models available, including two Sportivo models with tuned suspension and a body kit, our preference was the Presara.

It is the top-of-the-range model and at $49,990 won plenty of votes for value. Standard fare included one of the easiest-to-use navigation systems on the market, leather trim, a full kit of airbags and non-switchable electronic stability control. The well-sorted suspension and electronic aids gave the Aurion a reassuring steadiness on the track with minimal understeer but a very light feel to the steering.

On the open road the car was comfortable, eerily quiet and very predictable. However, while the Aurion is clinical and precise in the manner of a surgical instrument, it falls a little short on the count of emotion.