Toyota

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime fares well on the long, winding road

After two days of brief, round-trip commutes of only a few miles each way from Harvey’s to Heavenly Mountain Resort, I returned today from South Lake Tahoe to Sacramento in my test vehicle, a 2017 Toyota Prius Prime. It’s a plug-in hybrid. I’m driving the new vehicle, the most upscale Prius ever made, for the entire Amgen Tour of California. The women’s race began May 11 in South Lake Tahoe and ends May 14 in Sacramento. The men’s race begins May 14 in Sacramento and will advance to its May 20 conclusion in Pasadena. Driving the reverse route of the 103-mile haul from my home in Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe, I made two brief side stops on the way

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime: Cool technology for modern hybrid

The 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid is the most upscale addition to the Prius family. Its exterior design removes the stodgy image of many of the models in the country’s best-selling hybrid lineup. The Prime’s interior is chock-full of technology, most visibly the JBL navigation system. It’s an 11.6-inch vertically oriented high-resolution touchscreen. While not available on the entry-level Prime Plus, it’s standard on the Prime Premium ($29,965) and the top-line Prime Advanced ($33,965). I’m driving the Advance trim for two weeks during the Amgen Tour of California, May 11-20. It will take the women’s field from South Lake Tahoe to Sacramento over four days. The men’s race will begin in Sacramento on May 14 and progress to Pasadena

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2017 Toyota Prius Prime named Green Car of the Year

For the second straight year, Toyota has been awarded World Green Car honors at the New York International Auto Show. The Toyota Prius Prime was named this year’s winner after its sibling, the Toyota Mirai, earned the award last year. The Prius Prime was chosen from an initial entry list of 12 new vehicles from around the world. Tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology (beyond engine componentry), aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle’s environmental responsibility, were all taken into consideration. Toyota is no stranger to the World Car Awards program, now in its 13th year. In addition to the Mirai’s win last year, the Toyota Prius earned “Top Three in the World” status

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2017 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: Stylishly efficient

When your older sibling is the most popular hybrid vehicle in history, the pressure is on. Could the Toyota Avalon Hybrid hold its own while its ever-expanding Prius family members thrive? The answer is a resounding yes. Introduced in late 2012, the 2017 Toyota Avalon Hybrid further separates current hybrids from their debut more than 15 years ago. Once awkward-looking and awkward-functioning sedans comparable to futuristic vehicles featured in movies and television programs, hybrids are now mainstream. Their superior gas mileage is equaled by overall attractive styling, performance and functionality. The 2017 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is an exemplary example. It’s a continuation of last year’s model, but the formerly optional Safety Sense package, which includes forward collision warning, automatic pre-collision

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Ford F-Series trucks, siblings dominate 2016 sales

The number is staggering — 17.4 million new cars and trucks were purchased in the United States in 2016, dominated by sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks. The Ford F-Series again paced the industry surpassing 800,000 in sales and about 250,000 more than the runner-up Chevrolet Silverado. Twelve of the top-20 best-selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2016 were either SUVs or pickup trucks. The reason: a combination of versatility and lowering gas prices. The sale of pickups has increased for years. Only six manufacturers are represented in the marketplace, but the combined sales were more than 2.2 million. The 2016 car market had two surprising results. Compact-car sales fell 6.1 percent in 2016 and midsize vehicle sales fell 11.2

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Honda dominates TheWeeklyDriver.com’s 2016 Best Cars List

For the 10th straight year, TheWeeklyDriver.com is selecting its top vehicles of the year. In 2015, we included 12 vehicles instead of 10 on the end-of-the-year list. And we’re doing the same this year. Honda has four cars on the list, the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Honda Fit and Honda Odyssey. Toyota is represented by the Toyota Avalon Hybrid and Toyota Sienna. Lexus also has two cars on the list, the Lexus IS 200t and the Lexus RC-F. Kia, Lincoln, Mazda and Scion are also represented. As editor and publisher of TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I reviewed 38 cars and trucks in 2016 model years during the 2016 calendar year. I also drove several other vehicles briefly at manufacturer preview days.

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2017 Mazda6: Major family sedan rival for Honda, Toyota

As the best-selling vehicle in the manufacturer’s lineup, the Mazda6 is part of arguably the most competitive car segment — family sedans. For 2017, the 16th year of the vehicle, the Mazda6 continues its strong market position. It’s a performance-oriented option among iconic more tradition rivals like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima. The Weekly Driver Text Drive Equipped with a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower, the 2017 Mazda6 has a six-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration seems peppier than the car’s specs, largely because of the sport-oriented tuning and responsive steering. While technically a family sedan, the Mazda6’s sporty persona is further exemplified by its cornering precision and lack wind and road noise at all speeds.

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2018 Toyota Camry: Watch the debut live from Detroit

When you sell more than 400,000 units of a car in a year, you get to have bravado. That’s how and why the 2018 Toyota Camry is just a tease — for now. The carmaker has announced the new edition of the best-selling car in the United States for many years will be unveiled in January at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, often called the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota’s only preview image of the new Camry is a close-cropped, three-quarter low-angle rear view. Sure, it’s a partial view. But it appears the usually conservatively styled sedan has been modernized. While the Toyota Camry had a long reign in its top-selling perch, its sales have decreased more than nine

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2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO: Ruggedness defined

Toyota likely has the most varied lineup of pickup trucks. The offerings expand again with the 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO, the compact’s sixth available trim in extended or double crew cabs. The Tacoma TRD PRO returns after a one-year absence. My test vehicle included the optional 3.5-liter V6 with 278 horsepower and a six-speed automatic transmission. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Despite its emphasis on off-road responsibilities and possibilities, my test week with Tacoma TRD PRO was road-driving mode only. Scooting around in mud and up, down and all around on fire roads would have been invigorating. But a week in a 4×4 workhorse pickup on the road is a good thing, too. It takes a truck like the

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2017 Toyota Yaris iA: New start for stellar subcompact

What a short, odd life it’s been for the Toyota Yaris iA and Yaris, formerly the Scion iA and the Scion iM. The sporty entry-level sedan and five-door hatchback were introduced as 2016 models. But when Scion abruptly folded 13 years after it debuted, only a few vehicles survived and were absorbed into the Toyota lineup. For 2017, the former Scion iA is now the Toyota Yaris iA. The Scion iM is just the Yaris. Key Takeaways Formerly the Scion iA, renamed after Scion’s 2016 shutdown: Toyota absorbed the Scion iA into its own lineup when the youth-oriented brand folded after 13 years. Mechanically identical, new badge and grille. Mazda-sourced platform beneath the Toyota badge: The Yaris iA is essentially

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2017 Toyota Corolla goes bold at 50

The Toyota Corolla, the best-selling car in history, keeps rolling along — and quite well. Now celebrating 50 years and with more than 43 million sold, the anniversary will be designated with refreshed styling and a new safety system. The manufacturer has also introduced a 2017 Toyota Corolla SE 50th Anniversary Special Edition model limited to 8,000 units. The 2017 Toyota Corolla gets a sportier look. There’s a new front grille and LED headlamps. The L, LE and LE Eco grades gain Bi-LED headlamps, while complex-LED headlamps come standard on SE, XSE and XLE grades. With the base L model adding a back-up camera, that feature is now standard across the Corolla line. Redesigned 16-inch wheels are standard on the

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REVIEW: 2016 Toyota Sienna, minivan for all or one

The 2016 Toyota Sienna, celebrating its 20th year, ideally defines one of the manufacturer’s best attributes. Entry level sedans to large people movers, Toyota vehicles have lots of standard equipment. And it’s among the signature attributes of the popular minivan. Updates include improvements in the Entune connectivity system, sonar parking assist warnings and blind-spot monitoring. The Weekly Driver’s Test Drive: 2016 Toyota Sienna The 2016 Toyota Sienna, like the Honda Odyssey, its main competitor, no longer has any relation to the stodgy reputation of minivans of yesteryear. Manufactured since 1997 when it replaced the Previa, the 2016 Toyota Sienna is now in the fifth year of the third generation. Only a few minor changes differentiate this year’s models from 2015

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2016 Toyota Prius Two: New style, more room, great mpg

Now in its fourth generation, the Toyota Prius family features six models, including the most economical, the Toyota Prius Two. It’s the lightest, most space efficient and achieves the highest gas mileage rating in the best-selling hybrid lineup. The Weekly Driver Test Drives Toyota Prius Two While the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Camry Hybrid are all fine competition, the new Toyota Prius Two design reconfirms the vehicle’s position as the segment leader. The Toyota Prius Two trim, my weekly driver, comes standard 15-inch alloy wheels, LED running lights, taillights and headlights as well as heated mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, a 4.2-inch information screen and cruise control with tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. The hatchback offers a 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder

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Toyota makes trucks cleanly, quietly, quickly in Texas

During a recent visit to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX), the 2.2-million square foot, 2,000-acre facility 17 miles south of downtown San Antonio, my notion of the workplace environment of automobile manufacturing plants was shattered. The sweatshop image I’ve viewed in movies and read about in tragic examples of worker exploitation was replaced by modern, efficient, environmentally savvy city of state-of-the art technology. It’s a factory where machines and humans co-exist in a healthy, constantly moving indoor environment. Toyota calls the plant where about 200,000 Toyota Tacoma and Tundra trucks are manufactured per year a campus. It’s an appropriate moniker. The facility has 7,200 employees, the majority of whom rotate day and night shifts in two-week intervals. Employees are

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2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid: economic, near luxury

The Toyota Avalon debuted in late 1994 as the manufacturer’s flagship full-sized sedan. It replaces the Toyota Cressida. The hybrid trim was unveiled in December 2012, further adding to Toyota’s nearly always-expanding lineup. For 2016, The Toyota Avalon Hybrid has only a few changes. Most notably, there’s a redesigned front grille and front turn signal lamps. The base XLE Plus trim debuts; the Touring trim is discontinued. Technology features are also enhanced with a wireless smartphone charging system standard for the XLE Premium and Limited trims. The Toyota Safety Sense package is available as a Limited trim option. 2016 Toyota Avalon Test Drive The 2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is in rare company. It’s joined by the 2016 Buick LaCrosse as

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Leonardo DiCaprio: green car, issue advocate chided

Leonardo DiCaprio is a well-known proponent of global warming issues. But the Academy Award winner is being criticized for his approach to hosting his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Annual Gala To Fund Climate and Biodiversity Projects. The occasion will be held July 20 at the Bertaud Belieu Vineyards on the French Riviera. The actor is flying is top celebrity guests from around the world. Critics of DiCaprio, including the Daily Mirror newspaper in England, report guests’ travel will result in substantial overload of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions. The reception list includes: actors Kate Hudson, Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Spacey. A host of international rock and pop stars,

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