Text, photos and videos by Cor Steenstra
The 2011 Toyota Sequoia is a lot of vehicle. Based on the Tundra chassis, and with clear body panel, as well as interior parts sharing with the Tundra, it is a very capable and roomy offering from Toyota. Like the Tundra though, it also does not spare in using fuel, although the closed body does make for a small reduction compared to the open bedded counterpart.
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Text and photos by Cor Steenstra
The Toyota Tundra, especially in the double cab, long wheelbase version we tested, is a huge vehicle indeed. It takes some getting used to maneuver around, and you will not be able to use the normal parking spots, with the tail sticking out substantially.
Due to that, it of course also uses fuel quite a bit, with the 5.7 liter V8. On freeway travel we managed no better that 16 mpg, but add some in town travel to the mix and it immediately goes down to 12-13 mpg. In this day and age it does take getting used to, and given that we had such good experiences with the Nissan Leaf on the other end of the spectrum, it was quite a shock.
Design wise the Tundra shows fits within the recent Toyota Design language, but is clearly not pushing any boundaries. Having seen the concept a few years back, it is sad to find that it was not possible to get closer to that significant statement with the production version.
On the inside the Tundra is clearly related to it’s Sequoia counterpart, and shares many carry-over parts. It is logical and makes total business sense, but it would have been nice if the Tundra could have set itself apart a bit more, be a bit bolder and rougher.
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Text and photos by Cor Steenstra
The Toyota Sienna SE is clearly a sporty version of the traditional “soccer mom’s” minivan in the Toyota range, and does this in such a convincing way that it actually makes this car a fun to drive vehicle for dad as well. The Sienna is not only equipped with plenty of carbon-fiber touches throughout, it actually has a lot of substance in the more powerful engine and harder suspension. This works very well for sporty driving, but, admittedly, it does not do wonders when you actually have to transport the fam to an event. You do notice the harder suspension as such, which makes it more uncomfortable and less fun to drive.
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By: Craig Kember, Erwin Lui, Kevin Hunter
Building on Toyota’s leadership role in creating eco-sensitive vehicles, the NORI concept challenges us to look ahead and create a clever vision that addresses fuel economy, emissions, green materials, new design and manufactured technology, and transforms it into an emotionally appealing design solution.
As the majority of current generation automobiles consist of a chassis covered by attached body panels, the NORI concept presents the idea that the body and chassis are one, as a PODULAR form, designed to be strong, light and beautiful. Bioplastics technology is created using “nori” (the Japanese word for seaweed) combined with a carbon fiber weave for strength. Woven into the PODULAR form are solar cells that capture and generate supplemental solar energy. As a holistic solution and new design aesthetic, NORI reduces weight and the number of parts while capturing and generating energy.
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By Cor Steenstra, Photography Chris Jones, Model Kaylin Omo, Hair & Make Up Michael D Gallego, House by Ross Design
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:
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By Cor Steenstra, Photography Chris Jones, Model Gayle Steffens, Make up Pamela Crawford.
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.
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Text and photos by Chris Jones
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.
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By Cor Steenstra. Photography Chris Jones
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.
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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:
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