News & Reviews- Make: Toyota

When I have opportunity to test the base trim level of any given model I jump at the chance. No, it's not because there's less to write about, making my workload easier, but rather because more often than not automakers load up the cars we journalists get to drive in order to show off all the fancy features on offer, and these cars don't always reflect the vehicles the majority of real buyers are purchasing. On that note I'll hazard to guess that the barebones RAV4 LE is very popular.

You've probably experienced arriving at a dealership only to find out the vehicle in the TV or newspaper ad photo wasn't anywhere near as well equipped as the one you could actually purchase for the advertised price. Such "loss leader" style advertising is nothing new, but at least with the RAV4 you won't be disappointed with the base model when you arrive. It's good enough to live comfortably with thanks to an impressive list of standard features such as tilt and telescopic steering; comfortable, Read Full Story

So you want to buy a new vehicle, but a mid-size sedan isn't versatile enough for your active lifestyle and not really your style anyway, minivans are hardly mini anymore and don't even begin to fit your image, and most of the mid-size crossover SUVs are simply too large and truck-like. Fortunately for you Toyota has been busy filling forgotten niches over the last number of years, one of which was a void left by its long-departed Camry Wagon. Rather than elongate the Camry's roofline and add a liftgate to the rear the company rethought the entire wagon concept and in the process reinvented it, the result being a low-slung crossover-like five-door dubbed Venza.

For those in the know the Venza is nothing new. Toyota brought it to market in 2008 as a 2009 model and it's been selling strong ever since. Even after six years on the market with only minor updates its design remains fresh and unique, mostly because there's nothing else quite like it on the road. Certainly the idea of Read Full Story

If there's a perfect example of how to do the light-duty pickup truck market right, Toyota and its midsize Tacoma is it. Consider for a moment that the Tacoma once played third fiddle to the Ford Ranger and Dodge Dakota, two models that it has since completely displaced from the North American compact/midsize market, and currently outsells its most prominent competitor two to one, and it's easy to appreciate that the Tacoma deserves respect.

Honda has tried to do battle against the Tacoma with its unorthodox Ridgeline since 2005 and suffered such poor sales last year that it recently pulled the model off the market with a promise to return with a totally redesigned attempt for 2016, but this is when Toyota will punch back with a completely revamped Tacoma. Until then, the well-proven battle warrior will need to duke it out with two fresh remakes from General Motors, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins reborn from the ashes of identically named trucks that were abandoned Read Full Story

Last year Toyota introduced a new model to the Camry Hybrid lineup, based on the sporty-minded Camry SE. Like with the rest of the Camry range, the Hybrid SE has been significantly restyled for 2015, with a big, bold new grille and all-new front fascia being the most prominent features. The changes don't stop there, however, and the rest of the bodywork has also been sculpted and refined to present a much more sophisticated overall look - only the roof remains unmodified, and you could be forgiven for mistaking this new Camry for a Lexus.

As in the past, the Hybrid SE shares various distinctive exterior pieces with the conventionally powered Camry SE, and for 2015 this means it has a dark mesh grille instead of a slatted grille, unique 17-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, and a sport-tuned suspension. To my eye the SE models remain the best looking cars in the Camry range, although the difference is somewhat less pronounced with this latest styling update (past SE models got Read Full Story

There's probably no Canadian automotive segment as hotly contested as small SUVs and crossovers. Over the course of 2014, three times as many small SUVs were sold here compared to once-dominant midsize sedans, with the numbers standing at 327,219 small SUVs and crossovers versus 108,548 midsize sedans by the end of November.

Chasing after these sales is a wide array of rivals including heavy-hitters like the Nissan Rogue, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Jeep Cherokee, Mazda CX-5 and, of course, the Toyota RAV4, which by mid-December was tracking for a solid second-place finish in the 2014 sales race, ahead of the Honda CR-V and just behind the top-selling Ford Escape.

That kind of success depends on doing all of the important things right, and the Canadian-built RAV4 certainly delivers where it matters. It's roomy, comfortable and nicely thought out, its proven powertrain offers reasonable performance with decent fuel economy, and ultimately it has very few real flaws. If words Read Full Story