The 2011 Toyota Sienna is a big car. It seems to use all available width but does so in less of a box design as recent new minivan designs. This is enhanced by the current Toyota surfacing design language, which places sculpture throughout the vehicle, making the appearance of the car look much less bulky than it really is.
The minivan category has long since been negatively associated with soccer moms, and Toyota is doing its best to try and redirect this by introducing the Swagger Wagon theme for this 2011 Sienna:
The 2010 Toyota 4Runner is a big car.. a very big car. We passed quite a few previous generation 4Runners while driving the 2010 one, and the increase is size is phenomenal. In comparison one might wonder if the car grew with its core buyers of if it actually went up-market and lost those same buyers.
Being so big, and us coming from driving the Toyota Prius, the fuel consumption of the 4Runner gave us a small heart attack of course, but then, the 4Runner never pretended to be aimed at the fuel consumption minded people. It would have been nice, and would certainly have made for a very interesting car, maybe even something ground breaking.
The 2009 FJ Cruiser is still unique as the day it was reborn in 2006. It has a very functional looking design, with elements taken from the original FJ40. The round head lamps and upright windshield, give it a retro feel. It definitely stands out from its competitors. The FJ we tested was the 4WD 4.0L V6 5-Speed Auto model. Fuel mileage is rated at 16/20. Seating is comfortable and cargo space ample.
If you are looking for a capable off road vehicle, then the FJ cruiser is the one for you. If you are not used to driving large vehicles, you will find that the FJ is a very comfortable ride on road and easy to handle. A Backup camera linked to a screen in the mirror, makes it even easier. It does however feel like a real off road vehicle. The center mount inclinometer isn’t just for show. To drive this on pavement alone would do it a disservice. The Independent front suspension has higher mounted A-arms, which allows 7.88 inches of travel. A smaller stabilizer bar lends to 19.25 inches of articulation. The rear has 9.06 inches of travel and 21.45 inches of articulation. That makes for excellent off road performance. Continue Reading…
Toyota added a five-door Liftback, to its popular, fuel-efficient Yaris subcompact model line for 2009. We had a chance to sample this Euro-style and came away impressed. Impressive was certainly the built quality and feel. It seemed a solid car, very different from what you expect in this category, certainly among its peers.
Our test car was equipped with the 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine, which 106 BHP should be sufficient to propel this little vehicle with easy. Most likely due to precisely the built quality, it seemed under-powered. We really had to rev the engine to make it go round, but when we did it went very nicely indeed, always safe, easy to control within the cars limits. Continue Reading…
At the Detroit Motor Show a significant new introduction of the Toyota Prius for 2010 was made. This car has been leading the wave of Green and environmental conscious fuels saving that has become so prevalent with the failing of America’s past administration. We found it interesting to see what Toyota does to improve on its leadership role:
Text and photos by Chris Jones
By Cor Steenstra. Photography Chris Jones
