Toyota

So long, Toyota Prius C; It’s been a good eight years

The Toyota Prius c, introduced in December 2011 as the carmaker’s least expensive and smallest hybrid, will likely be retired with the introduction of the 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid. According to a report on Motor1.com, the little hatchback will be outdone in its well-touted economy by the new Corolla. Available in the spring of 2019, the EPA has already released the mileage estimates for the new Corolla, 53 mpg in city driving, 52 mpg on the freeway. The Prius c is rated at 48 mpg in city driving, 42 mpg on the highway Fuel economy for the 2020 Corolla Hybrid is already available from the EPA. It gets 53 miles per gallon city and 52 mpg highway for a combined

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PREVIEW: 2019 Toyota RAV4 debuts new design, features

The Toyota RAV4 debuted 22 years ago. The new fifth-generation 2019 edition of the sport utility vehicle will debut in dealerships in December in gas models and in hybrid models in March 2019. Gas models will be offered in five grades: LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure and Limited. RAV4 HV will be offered in four grades: LE HV, XLE HV, XSE HV and Limited HV. Following the guiding themes from Toyota trucks, the new RAV4 has a revised front end and grille design to create a wider stance. With their polygonal motifs, the wheel arches appear to hold the tires from a high position, emphasizing the lifted-up body and drawing attention to the vehicle’s capability. Ground clearance is increased by

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2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback redefines nameplate

The automotive industry is ripe with contradiction. Who could imagine a four-door sports car or a sub-compact also defined in the sports realm? Porsche may have its old-guard enthusiasts who still don’t consider the four-door Panamera a sports car, but it is. The Toyota Corolla is at the opposite end of the car-buying spectrum. Once firmly positioned in the entry-level malaise of boxiness and boredom, the Corolla is now offered in a hatchback with hard-to-hide sports car tendencies. It’s available with a more expensive continuously variable transmission, but the smooth-shifting six-speed manual is the way to go. The base level Panamera begins at about $85,000, but it’s easily a six-figure vehicle perfectly capable of daily family duties. But it’s also

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Lexus, Toyota get Consumer Reports’ reliability honors

From transmission issues to troublesome turbocharged engines to 15 other areas, Consumer Reports studies in its annual automobile reliability survey. The 2018 compilation, like in every year, has surprises. This year, Toyota and its luxury sibling Lexus, reversed positions. While tabulating the results of more than 500,000 vehicles, Lexus gets the top spot. Lexus had six models in the study, earning an average reliability score of 78. The brand’s least reliable model is the IS while its most reliable model is the GX. This year, all Lexus models with sufficient data were rated average or above. Toyota had 14 models supplying reliability data, with the Japanese automaker receiving an average reliability score of 76. Its most reliable model is the

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2018 Toyota RAV4 retains tradition as top-selling SUV

Now in its 22nd year, the Toyota RAV4 was the first compact sport utility vehicle introduced in the United States. It debuted in 1996 with its acronym meaning “Recreational Activity Vehicle: 4-wheel drive.” The all-wheel-drive designation remains optional. And it’s part of the reason the RAV4 has remained so popular throughout its tenure. Its versatility, variety of trims levels and optional equipment are different than many carmakers whose trims levels are only slightly tweaked. With a few exceptions, sales of the RAV4 has increased every year, with 2017 its best-selling edition with 407,594 units sold, including more than 50,000 hybrid models. The 2018 edition is the sixth year of the current generation, so the sales increase may halt as Toyota

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2018 Toyota C-HR looks cool, lacks performance

With the sport utility vehicle continuing to attract more buyers, manufacturers continue to find new ways to market the versatile vehicles. Welcome the latest newcomer to the SUV sub-species, the 2018 Toyota C-HR. Categorized as subcompact crossover, the hyphenated letters in the Toyota C-HR name stand for Compact High Rider, Cross Hatch Run-(about) or Coupé High Rider. The names make about as much sense as the term subcompact crossover. The category is also odd because competition for the C-HR includes vehicles equally hard to categorize: the Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3 and Mini Countryman. Except for the substantially more costly Mini Countryman, the subcompact crossover market includes vehicles with comparable pricing. Like other vehicles with exterior designs

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2018 Ford F-150, 2018 Toyota Corolla icons of success

The Ford F-150 pickup, the overt sentinel of masculinity, and the Toyota Corolla, the tiny titan compact sedan, have little in common with two exceptions, reliability and enduring success. The Corolla, manufactured since 1966, is the best-selling car in history with more than 43 million sold. The Ford F-Series, introduced in 1948, has been the country’s best-selling vehicle for decades. It’s the second best-selling vehicle in history with more than 40 million sold. While the sedan might be able to fit in the bed of the pick-up and cost one-third as much, driving either vehicle is experiencing automotive royalty. There’s little out of the ordinary about the Corolla. It’s understated and remains increasingly popular because of its consistency. The F-150

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Industry fuel cell expert clears the air on hydrogen

Nineteen months ago, Chris White did something no one else in Northern California had done. She leased a new car that operates only on hydrogen. Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are manufacturers offering hydrogen-only vehicles. Mercedes-Benz and GM also have plans for hydrogen-only vehicles, the emissions of which are water. The 2017 and 2018 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell are available for lease only in only 12 dealerships in California. Five locales are in the San Francisco Bay Area, one is in Roseville. The long-time Communications Director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership in West Sacramento, White also lives in West Sacramento. But she often travels to San Ramon on business and Truckee to visit relatives. Hydrogen stations are located in both

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2018 Hyundai Sonata challenges Toyota, Honda sedans

Thirty years ago, a few years after the Hyundai Sonata debuted in South Korea, the midsize sedan arrived in the United States. Honda and Toyota were already well established; the newcomer had little chance of success. The 2018 Sonata, with interior and exterior makeovers, is still trailing Japanese manufacturers’ favorites, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. But the Sonata is far removed from its early tenure reputation as a cheap sedan alternative best avoided. Except for the SUV segment, the midsize, five-seater is deep into the mix of the industry’s fiercest competition. The Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Altima and Kia Optima also have much to offer, so how does a buyer make a choice? Honda and Toyota have stellar

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2018 Hyundai Ioniq: Serious challenger for Toyota Prius

Since the debut of the Toyota Prius in 2000 as the first mass-marketed hybrid in the United States, several manufacturers have tried to infiltrate the odd-looking green car leader’s dominance. All have failed. Now, there’s a legitimate contender, the Hyundai Ioniq. The unusual name is the combination of the words ion and unique, and the vehicle’s title works. The Ioniq’s specs outdo the Prius numbers in multiple categories. Key Takeaways First car offered in three electrified flavors: Ioniq Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, and full Electric — something not even Toyota’s Prius lineup matches in a single nameplate. 58 combined mpg tops the Prius: The Ioniq Blue is rated 57 city / 59 highway mpg, a few miles per gallon better than

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2018 Toyota Land Cruiser: luxury, power, gas sucker

The Toyota Land Cruiser has been manufactured for 67 years, and it’s geared toward a niche audience of SUV buyers seeking ruggedness and off-road durability. It’s the second-largest and oldest vehicle in the manufacturer’s lineup. For 2018, the Land Cruiser remains much the same as last year. It seeks a market share with the Land Rover Discovery, Lexus LX 570 and Lincoln Navigator in the behemoth SUV category. The auto industry’s gas guzzlers are the easiest segment to dismiss. How can anyone justify an $87,000 SUV that averages 13 and 18 miles per gallon respectively in city and highway driving? For the few thousand Toyota Land Cruiser buyers each year, the answer is simple: They know what they want and

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TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2017 Best Cars of the Year

TheWeeklyDriver.com presents its 11th annual best cars of the year list. For the past two years, we selected 12 vehicles instead of 10 because we couldn’t decide what cars to leave off the lists. The selection was more clear-cut this year, so we’ve again chosen 10 vehicles. Volvo is the only manufacturer with two vehicles on the 2017 best cars list. Bentley, Genesis, Honda, Kia, Lincoln, Mazda, Volkswagen and Toyota are also represented. As editor and publisher of TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I reviewed 38 cars and trucks in 2017 model years for at least a week. Most of the vehicles I drove in the calendar year; some 2017 models in 2016. I also drove at least a half-dozen other vehicles

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2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid redefines SUV market

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid debuted in 2005. It attracted immediate attention as a midsize, three-row sport utility vehicle achieving 30 miles per gallon in city driving. Not much good has happened in sales since. But Toyota can blame itself. It’s obsessed with hybrids. A year after its debut, the Highlander Hybrid had its biggest year with 31,485 units sold, about 25 percent of all Highlanders purchased that year. A decade later, the Highlander had its biggest year with 191,379 gas models sold, but only 5,976 hybrid models were purchased. The increased popularity of the Toyota RAV4 greatly reduced Highlander sales. The smaller SUV had total sales of more than 352,000 in 2016, including 45,070 hybrids. Toyota also has seven additional

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2017 Toyota Corolla: Enduring sedan keeps getting better

The 2017 Toyota Corolla marks the enduring sedan’s 51st year. Through 11 generations, the former econobox-on-wheels has lifetime worldwide sales of 43 million through last year. Since 1997, when it surpassed the Volkswagen Beetle, the Corolla remains the best-selling car in history. A new generation arrived in 2012, with yearly updates since. In 2016, Toyota began to offer a limited special edition to celebrate the car’s 50th anniversary. While competition remains intense, the 2017 Toyota Corolla keeps up with new safety and driving improvements, some not standard on luxury sedans. A rearview camera, forward collision warning, lane departure intervention and adaptive cruise control are now standard on all models. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The compact sedan market may be

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: Many changes for 2018 Toyota Camry

A higher sticker price and appreciably better gas mileage are among several big changes in store for the 2018 Toyota Camry. The top-selling sedan in the United States will make its nationwide debut later this summer. The eighth generation of the re-engineered Camry LE will be priced at $24,885, including shipping, about $900 more than the 2017 price. The L “value” version of the 2018 Camry, with smaller wheels and fewer convenience features, will be priced at $24,380. Fuel economy with the new four-cylinder engine is estimated by the EPA at 29 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway and 34 combined. That’s 26 percent better than the current base model’s 24 mpg city/33 highway/27 combined. The new

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2017 Kia Forte worthy compact option beyond Honda, Toyota

The 2017 Kia Forte is the 10th year of the South Korean compact. It’s among the best of several cars in different segments trying to find a market against some of the country’s long-standing, best-selling vehicles. Matched against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda3 and others, the Forte remains unheralded. It’s in the sixth year of its second generation, but for 2017 has a restyled exterior, including more modern crafted headlights and taillights. Available as a sedan in LX, S and EX trim levels, the Kia Forte also has a hatchback variant, the Forte5, in LX, EX and SX trims. The two-door Forte Koup was discontinued after the 2016 model. For my test vehicle,

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