Toyota

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

Read more

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

Read more

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

Read more

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

Read more
,

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,

Read more

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: Top rival for Honda, Toyota

As the smaller of the two Hyundai Santa Fe offerings, the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is the five-passenger version of the Santa Fe that several years ago replaced the now-defunct Veracruz. The Santa Fe Sport is classified as a small crossover sport utility vehicle, but each year since its debut it seems to get bigger and worthy of a medium-sized designation. Although not a new generation, the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport has refreshed styling inside and outside as well numerous updates: a height adjustment for the power passenger seat, a larger five-inch standard display and an available seven-inch touchscreen with Android Auto. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Offered in base, 2.0T and 2.0T Ultimate trims, my test vehicle

Read more

2016 Toyota Highlander (Hybrid) poised, pricey

The Toyota Highlander hybrid debuted in the United States in 2005, five years after the gas model. The idea was to help ease a major concern among potential sport utility vehicle owners — lousy gas mileage. It worked. As a holdover from last year’s top-rated offering, the 2016 Toyota Highlander hybrid is a three-row, midsize SUV. It’s powered by a 3.5-liter V6 and three electric motors that combine for 280 horsepower. It features a continuously variable transmission and is standard with all-wheel drive. Seven-passenger seating is standard, too, with two captain’s chairs in the second row and a 60/40-split bench in the third row. The Weekly Driver Test Drive My test vehicle was the Limited Platinum trim, the higher level

Read more

2016 Scion iM: Say hello, bye to worthy budget hatchback

The Scion iA and its sibling, the Scion iM, are new vehicles for 2016 and soon they’ll be gone. The Scion iA is a sporty entry level sedan; the Scion iM is a five-door hatchback. The duo was manufactured, like all Scions since the brand debuted 13 years ago, to appeal to millennials. But it didn’t work to the company’s expectations. And now some of the brand’s offerings will be discontinued, while others will be absorbed and continued in the Toyota lineup. The Scion iA and iM are among models that will be transferred to Toyota. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Scion iM is a four-cylinder, 16-valve, 1.8-liter, 137 horsepower, five-door hatchback with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

Read more

2016 Toyota Corolla: Special Edition Honors 50th Birthday

Who could have known that 50 years ago, a little econobox on wheels would become the best-selling car in history? That would be the Toyota Corolla, now a half-century old. The 2016 Toyota Corolla, two years removed from a redesign, represents the milestone with its usual array of trim levels plus a Special Edition. Last year, the minor additions to the Corolla included a fold-down real center armrest in all trims except the base L model and a Driver Convenience package as standard equipment. New Corolla Honors Sedan‘s Legacy The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Special Edition was my weekly test drive, an homage to the brand and limited to 8,000 units. Its basic are the S Plus trim, plus

Read more

Ford, Toyota dominate 2015 U.S. car, truck sales — again

As has occurred yearly since nearly the invention the the automobile, the Ford F-Series was the best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2015. The iconic pick-up truck, manufactured since 1948, had a 3.5 percent increase in sales last year from 2014. The Ford F-Series was the country’s best-selling vehicle for the 34th straight year. It sold 780,354 units in 2015, and it also led a top-three sweep of trucks as the top sellers in the country. The Chevrolet Silverado was the country’s second-highest seller with 600,544 units sold, followed by the Ram Pickup, with 451,116 units sold. The Chevrolet Silverado had 13.4 percent sales increase from 2014 to 2015, while the Ram had an increase of 2.6 percent. The

Read more

TheWeeklyDriver.com names Best 12 Vehicles of 2015

For the ninth straight year, TheWeeklyDriver.com has selected its Best 12 Vehicles of the Year. Ford, Honda and Hyundai each have two vehicles on the 2015 list, which this year has expanded from the usual top-10 list to a dozen selections. As editor and publisher of the TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004, I fully reviewed 38 cars and trucks with 2015 model years. I also drove a half-dozen other cars briefly at manufacturer preview days. This year’s list has expanded to a dozen vehicles for one simple reason: Manufacturers keep making better machines. For the first time since the end-of-the-year list began, our list includes a pick-up truck. For the 2014 list, we selected a single top vehicle, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

Read more

Honda CR-V has new motto: In for the long haul

If the popularity of vehicles made by Toyota and Honda need any additional proof, look no further than the latest longevity study by bankrate.com. Six vehicles manufactured by Toyota and four made by Honda comprised the top-10 of car owners keep at least 10 years. The site’s study looked at vehicles new in 2015 and sold between January 1 2015 to July 15, 2015. Honda CR-V versatility equals its longevity The Honda CR-V, a perennial top-10 selling vehicle, earned the top mark. While just edging the Toyota Prius, Honda CR-V models purchased in 2005 are still owned by 28.6 percent of their original owners. The Toyota Prius, which has dominated the hybrid market since its debut, was second in the

Read more

2016 Toyota Camry: Best-selling sedan gets sporty, better

Toyota has plenty to worry about. But the Toyota Camry, its best-selling vehicle, offers more cause for celebration than concern. The midsize sedan has for years also been the best-selling car in the United States. So what’s a manufacturer to do a model year after a new generation of one of the most successful cars in history was introduced? The answer is the new limited Special Edition of Toyota Camry. It’s the sports-oriented model that adds a new departure to the Camry stable. The Weekly Driver Test Drive A five-passenger midsize sedan, the Toyota Camry is now available in six trims. My weekly driver was the above-mentioned Special Edition (SE) model. It takes the best of the LE and SE

Read more

Mercedes-Benz, Honda models among 10 cars gone in 2016

New year car models used to be available for the first time in September. But manufacturers now debut cars for different reasons at the different times of the year. While some 2016 models are still pending, some 2017 models have been available for months. But consumers beware. If you’re considering a 2016 model, it may no longer be available. Honda to Toyota, Mercedes Benz to Nissan, some models of prominent cars ended their tenures after their 2015 models. Here’s a list of 10 well-known cars available as 2015 models, but defunct as 2016 models: 1. Mercedes-Benz M-Class — The German manufacturer’s midsize SUV has been replaced by a sleeker-looker models, the GLE-Class. 2. Honda Crosstour — It was funny looking

Read more

Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt green car of the year finalists

The pioneering hybrid Toyota Prius and the second generation of the Chevrolet Volt have been selected among five finalists for the 2016 Green Car of the Year. The 11th annual award will be presented as per tradition on November 19 as a preamble to the LA Auto Show. The Green Car Journal, which debuted the award in 2005, has selected the Audi A3 e-tron, Honda Civic Hyundai Sonata as well as the Prius and Volt. According to the publication, and increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year program each year, a reflection of the auto industry’s expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. “This is the strongest

Read more

Toyota Corolla, Honda Fit among top-5 cars less than $20,000

For several years, the average price of a new car in the United States has hovered around $30,000. But it wasn’t too many years ago when the $30,000 plateau was the starting point of entry level luxury vehicles. But what if the average new car buyer can only afford to spend $20,000? Are there new 2015 vehicles with price tags of $20,000 worth purchasing? In a word, yes. Family sedans to entry-level sports cars to manufacturers whose models are among the best-selling in history — all have quality new vehicles available with starting prices of less than $20,000. And they’re, without doubt, quality automobiles. Several quality cars have starting prices of less than $15,000. And some entry level cars have

Read more
Previous Next