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Showing posts with label Toyota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toyota. Show all posts
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid Sedan
The 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid is largely unchanged from last year. A couple of cosmetic tweaks here and there is about all. Few will notice the difference, but why fix what isn’t broken?
The Toyota Camry has been our sedan of choice for over ten years. For the past nine, it has been the country’s best selling passenger vehicle. While that’s a great thing for Toyota, it does say something about us as a society.
That our favorite car is an ordinary, run of the mill, sensible sedan car. Fortunately we’re here to review the car, not have a sociological discussion!
The 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid has distinct advantages over most other hybrids with perhaps the exception of the Fusion. It’s almost exactly the same as a normal car, with none of the downsides of hybrid technology. It’s slightly more expensive than the normal Camry, but not enough to put you off buying one.
That means families in the market for a new Camry can go hybrid without even having to think about it. The interior is the same, the quality and reliability are the same, the car is essentially the same on the surface. That makes it a winner.
The 2.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine is as smooth as anything Toyota have made. It produces 147 bhp and 138 lb-ft of torque. It works with the electric motor, which produces a further 40 bhp. The energy is sent to the front wheels via a CVT transmission.
Offering 33/34 miles per gallon has earned the Camry hybrid the Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) ticket. That’s good news for the marketing department, but doesn’t make much difference to the owner.
They are more interested in the real-life gains from the increased gas mileage.
The inside of the 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid is okay. It’s well-built, the materials are of a decent quality, and everything is in the right place. The use of blue LED lights for the dashboard and interior lighting is a nice touch.
The seats are comfortable and supportive, and have enough head and legroom for even the tallest people. Even in the rear there is still room for almost everyone. The Camry will comfortably sit five without too many compromises.
Trunk space is limited by the large battery pack that sits in the corner. It reduces the available space from 15 cubic feet down to a little under 11. That’s still enough room for the groceries, but one of the few shortcomings of a hybrid.
The 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless ignition and entry, an eight-way power driver seat, a 60/40-split rear seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, auto-dimming rear view mirror, trip computer and a six-speaker CD/MP3 stereo.
The experience of driving and owning the 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid is pretty much the same as owning a standard one. The gas engine is capable and refined, and the electric motor adds some well needed boost.
The electric motor can also run independently when there are low power demands. That means under 30 miles an hour, or when cruising, the car can run on electric power alone. That is another serious advantage this car has over its hybrid rivals. Not all of them can run on electric without the gas engine providing power.
The steering and suspension are the only negatives of this review. Cornering the Camry is similar to doing it in a speedboat. The body rolls, the corner seems to take forever and there isn’t that much feedback from the wheel. Changing direction is a little lifeless, and doesn’t provide enough information through the wheel to the driver.
However, considering that is the only downside to the whole deal, it shouldn’t put prospective buyers off the car.
As the Camry is the best-selling sedan in the country, the hybrid version is likely to follow that trend. With competition in the hybrid market hotting up, there may be discounts to be had. New car deals may be less obvious than usual, but the market is too sluggish and the competition too close to not have them.
[Source: carevo.com]
Friday, July 15, 2011
US Government offers Concessions to Detroit Big 3's Trucks Models
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the US government is willing to allow carmakers to lower the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) of their future trucks and SUVs at a slower rate than normal cars.
In return, the Obama administration wants to reach a deal by early next week that will allow the government to improve mileage standards from today’s target of 35.5 mpg (6.6 lt/100 km) by 2016 to 56 mpg (4.2 lt/100 km) by 2025 for both cars and light trucks, leaving the automakers a longer period of time to bring their large trucks, pickups and SUVs in line.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
New Gen Y Buyer Survey Spells Trouble for Detroit
Auto pricing website TrueCar studied the car buying behaviour of four million Gen Y (18 to 27 year-old) over a twenty-four month period and here’s what they found.
Scion took the crown for top brand, with 37.4% of the market and for top model (the tC coupe), with 21.2%, while second place went to Mitsubishi (32.1%) and their Lancer sedan (20.3%).
Mazda was the third most visited brand for Gen Y buyers, though only 17th in terms of model. The top four vehicle choices were Japanese, with a German in seventh place and a South Korean in ninth.
Toyota and Honda want to Win Back Sales Share from Hyundai Sonata with New Models
Not too long ago, if someone told you that a South Korean model would challenge America’s best selling sedan, the Toyota Camry, you would have probably laughed in his or her face.
Needless to say, a lot has changed over the past few years with Hyundai and in particular its latest Sonata sedan, not only challenging, but this past May even surpassing the Camry in U.S. sales for the first time in history.
Of course, the fact that Toyota’s production capabilities were seriously affected by the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, played a significant role in Hyundai’s accomplishment.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
2012 Toyota HiLux Pickup Truck gains Refreshed Looks and More Powerful Diesel
Toyota has blessed its European market HiLux pickup truck with a mid-life facelift for the 2012 model year. The cosmetic surgery starts with the exterior that gains a redesigned front end sporting a different grille dressed in chrome, new bonnet, headlamps and front bumper. The changes continue with the redesigned front and rear wings, a new crop of 15- and 17-inch steel and alloy wheels, plus new door mirrors.
2012 Toyota Yaris: New Gallery with 86 Photos and UK Pricing
Toyota today announced prices for its next generation Yaris hatchback in Europe including the UK where the supermini is available for order now with first customer deliveries to take place in September.
The new Yaris is available in three- and five-door body styles with British buyers offered a choice of four grades (T2, TR, SR and T Spirit) and three engines including 1.0 and 1.33-litre petrol units and a 1.4-litre D-4D turbodiesel. On-the-road prices start from £11,700.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Mercedes-Benz Tops Secret Shopper Study of U.S. Dealers, Lincoln Places Last in Luxury Segment
Mercedes-Benz dealers were number one for customer treatment in the US according to an independent study by survey company Pied Piper. The California-based company hired 3,524 “secret shoppers” and sent them to US dealerships in order to determine how their salesmen were performing in anything from explaining a car’s features to closing a deal.
This is the third year in a row that Mercedes-Benz, which looks set to top the sales charts this year in the luxury segment, has topped Pied Piper’s study.
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