Toyota Inova

The Toyota Innova is a large MPV. It was first introduced by Toyota in 2003 in Indonesia. It is now also sold in other Asian countries like Malaysia, Philippines, and India.


           The Innova has a sporty design, along with cutting edge aerodynamics, 3 dimensional front, and panoramic windows. The Innova has a greater height and road clearance compared to other MPVs, which makes it able to drive over rough roads. The three-dimensional front grille not only provides an efficient air flow to the rear, but also adds to the impressive look.


           The interior of this car is equipped with surrounding adjustable passenger and driver seats. It has a good looking instrument panel, along with AC vents in all three passenger rows. There are bottle holders provided for every passenger. The Innova can easily seat up to eight people.


           The MPV is available in both petrol and diesel versions. There are a total of 5 versions in seven colors. The petrol Innova features a 2.0 Litre, 1988cc VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing - intelligence) engine that generates 100kW @ 5600 rpm of power, and a torque of 182Nm @ 4000rpm. The diesel Toyota Innova comes with a common rail diesel engine (CRDI) for decent performance and high fuel efficiency. This 2.5 liter engine is tuned for Asian conditions. It generates 75kW @ 3600 rpm of power, and 200 Nm@ 1400-3400 rpm torque.


           Safety features in the Innova include load sensing promotion valve (LSPV), SRS air bags (driver and passenger side), and a Theft Deterrent System which immobilizes the vehicle.

Toyota ratchets up the room with 2012 Prius v

As the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric car, the Toyota Prius has become the iPod of hybrids. More than 2 million of these automotive icons have been sold since the Prius was introduced in 1997, with mostly minor changes to its aerodynamic profile.
But that's about to change with the 2012 Prius v — a larger version that looks as if growth hormones were slipped into the tank. Due in showrooms in October, the v — for "versatility" — lengthens the rear cargo hold on the regular Prius and ratchets up the hatch, opening up far more space in the back 40 without sacrificing too many miles per gallon. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates a combined fuel economy rating of 42 mpg. In my real-world test of the car, I averaged 41.3.
That runs right over the competition for a comparably sized four-door five-seater, especially when factoring in the v's expected $26,000 price tag. Traditional hybrids still offer an upfront price advantage over plug-in hybrids and pure electrics. The electric Chevrolet Volt, for example, costs $33,500 even after applying the $7,500 federal tax credit.
Also
 Photos: 2012 Toyota Prius v
 Carmakers' rebound is driving jobs in U.S.
 Toyota unveils redesigned, lower-priced 2012 Camry
 Photo: Toyota ratchets up interior room with the 2012 Prius v
2012 Toyota Prius v at a glance
And the Prius offers yet another draw: an evolved and proven drivetrain.
The Prius v is powered with the same Hybrid Synergy Drive as the third-generation Prius introduced last year. Its 1.8-liter gasoline engine works in combination with a pair of high-output electric motors and nickel-metal hydride batteries to make 134 net horsepower. Like the regular Prius, the Prius v can be driven in gas, electric or a combined gas-electric mode, as determined by an onboard computer programmed to maximize efficiency. The interplay between the engine and motor is, for the most part, unnoticeable.
What's new with the Prius v is that drivers can select between different drive modes by pressing buttons situated in the center console, within easy reach of idle fingers. There is no gear shift. The Prius v uses a continuously variable transmission. "Eco" is for fuel economy. "EV" prompts the car to run on battery power alone. "Power" increases throttle response. Without pressing the buttons, the car defaults to "normal."
Driving in Eco mode might be good for the planet but at times it makes the car feel underpowered. The Prius v strains to propel its 3,274 pounds forward. There was such a lag between pressing the accelerator and actually gaining speed from a dead stop that it felt a bit like driving a locomotive.
Cruising in EV mode is a short-lived experience. The vehicle is responsive, but it can only operate this way for less than a mile. That's by design. No matter what mode you choose, the Prius v often defaults to battery power for short periods to increase efficiency. So a separate button doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Power mode was by far the most responsive and satisfying, though drivers will pay the price at the pump. Driving on the highway, I glanced at the dashboard and saw my fuel economy sink ever so slightly from 42 mpg to about 40. So I restricted my use of Power to city traffic, when I'd get the most fun out of it.
Like most alternative drivetrain cars, the Prius is equipped with a coaching mechanism to help the lead-footed cultivate a lighter touch. A simple, easy-to-read graphic lets drivers see when they're pigging out on fuel or are giving power back to the battery when slowing or braking.
Oddly, this information is displayed in a wide screen at the top of the center stack, which rises like a hooded cobra from the broad, black-plastic dash. There aren't any gauges directly in front of the driver, which helps explain why the graphics are so large: They're farther away from the driver than normal.
I was driving the Prius v Three — a mid-level trim with 16-inch wheels that, considering the car's size, didn't seem undersized or to compromise handling that was, for its dimensions, nimble. There is also a base-model Two and top-of-the-line Five, the latter of which is available with advanced technologies including a hard-drive navigation system, a panoramic moon roof and emergency assistance.
The Three comes with enhanced audio and a 6.1-inch touch screen for navigation, as well as a backup camera display that, unfortunately, does not negate the annoying, delivery-truck-style beeping that kicks in when the car is placed in reverse.
Otherwise, the technology is user-friendly. Ripping a page from Ford's technology playbook, the Prius v marks the debut of a new technology called Entune. Similar to MyFord Touch, Entune enables hands-free phone calling, iTunes tagging, Bluetooth music streaming and Pandora Internet radio listening. It also comes equipped with apps for Bing, OpenTable and Movietickets.com as well as a text-to-voice system that can read cellphone text messages.
But what's most notable about this car is the amount of interior space it offers in a vehicle that's so fuel efficient. The Prius v's driver visibility, passenger legroom and cargo capacity are value-added improvements over the regular Prius. Although the Prius v is roughly the same height as the regular Prius up to the car's midsection, the front seats are slightly taller, making it feel more like an SUV from the cockpit. And, although it has grown only six inches in length, the back hatch has been lifted, providing far more vertical and horizontal space.
Collapsing the 60/40 rear seat opens up 97.2 cubic feet of room — enough for a lifetime supply of Boogie Boards. The front passenger seat also folds flat, creating an even longer space along one side for surfboards, or, perhaps, even a kayak. There are, however, slight gaps between the collapsed seats and the cargo floor. It isn't a seamless, smooth floor from back to front.
Still, in my time with the car, this large-format Prius inspired more than a few approving looks from middle-aged drivers piloting Volvo wagons and other European imports. "Finally," their eye contact seemed to say, "a car that will let me carry my titanium mountain bike without the Hummer footprint. Hmm."
That holy-grail combo is clearly in demand.
Earlier this week, Toyota announced a collaboration with Ford that will expand its hybridization to even larger vehicles, including sport-utility vehicles and light trucks. The two major auto companies are joining forces to develop a new advanced, rear-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain more quickly and affordably than either manufacturer could accomplish on its own, Toyota said in a statement.
Until then, the Toyota Prius v will more than suffice.

Toyota Supra

The Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra (in its third generation, Mark III) became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica. In turn, Toyota also stopped using the prefix Celica and began just calling the car Supra.Due to the similarity and past of the Celica's name, it is frequently mistaken for the Toyota Supra, and vice versa.

The Supra also traces much of its roots back to the Toyota 2000GT with the main instance being its engine. The first three generations were offered with a direct descendant to theToyota Crown's and 2000GT's M engine. All four generations of Supra produced have aninline 6-cylinder engine. Interior aspects were also similar, as was the chassis code "A".

Along with this name and car Toyota also included its own logo for the Supra. It is derived from the original Celica logo, being blue instead of orange. This logo was used until January 1986, when the Mark III Supra was introduced. The new logo was similar in size, with orange writing on a red background, but without the dragon design. That logo, in turn, was on Supras until 1991 when Toyota switched to its current oval company logo. (the dragon logo was a Celica logo regardless of what color it was. It appeared on the first two generations of the Supra because they were officially Toyota Celicas. The dragon logo was used for the Celica line until it too was discontinued.)

In 1998, Toyota ceased sales of the Supra in the United States and in 2002 Toyota officially stopped production of the Supra in Japan.

As an iconic sports car, the Supra has appeared in numerous video games, movies, music videos and TV shows. Some of the most notable appearances include the Gran Turismo,Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, and Midnight Club series of video games and the 2001 film, The Fast and the Furious.

Toyota Camry

As previous shots have indicated, the new 2007 Camry has been due on our local shores for quite some time now, and today UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has finally launched it, the 4th generation Toyota Camry. And this time, unlike its previous 3 incarnations, it is a fully imported CBU model from Thailand. Toyota has decided to take advantage of AFTA rates and import Camrys from Thailand instead of assembling them here, as part of its production rationalisation plan for the ASEAN market.

Weve actually had a hint that the new Camry will be a CBU, previously spyshots have been available of the new Camry in port holding areas.

The new Toyota Camry is available in three versions a the low end Toyota Camry 2.0E priced at RM139,066, the Toyota Camry 2.0G at RM149,053 and the high end 2.4V going for RM168,303. This is a slight increase over the current prices where the 2.0E, and the 2.4V goes for RM134,700, and RM161,300 respectively. The 2.0G is a new addition to the Camry range, a higher spec version compared to the Camry 2.0E.

As for the 2.4 liter model, power is now 165 horsepower at 6,000rpm, up from the previous ranges 150 horsepower at 5,600rpm. Torque is up from 218Nm between 3,800rpm to 4,200rpm - its now 224Nm at 4,000rpm. The 2.4 liter model has a new gearbox, instead of the previous 4-speed Super-ECT, the new 2.4 liter Camry gets a 5-speed automatic gearbox with Sequential Shift. 2 of the gears are overdrive gears, for better during highway cruising.

Car thefts down in 2010 nationally, across Savannah

Bucking national trends, Savannah’s car thieves prefer later-model vehicles with the keys already in them.
Rounding out the city’s list of the most stolen cars in 2010 are the 2011 Toyota Tundra, the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado and the 2007 Ford Taurus, according to Savannah-Chatham police.
On the national level, Asian automakers held the top three spots, with models from the early to mid 1990s appearing most often, but this year the remainder of the top 10 consisted mostly of American brands, which is unusual, said Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
He couldn’t say why exactly thieves shifted to domestic producers this year, but Honda and Toyota typically own the list because they own the streets, he explained.
“There’s just so many of them out there,” he said, adding the top 10 changes by location, depending on the tastes of the car owners and criminals who live there.
Thieves typically go for earlier models because they assume older cars won’t come equipped with security, but the majority of thefts in Savannah result from people leaving their keys somewhere in the automobile, said Julian Miller, metro police spokesman. Savannah’s car thieves are an opportunistic bunch, seizing vehicles when the keys are visible or after discovering a spare set during a break-in, he added.
“These guys aren’t stripping Maseratis and selling the parts overseas,” he said. “You see a car with keys in it, and you’ve got a car.”
William Hopkins III of Ardsley Park recently fell victim to exactly this when someone made off with his truck in the night. He said he accidentally left the vehicle unlocked with a set of keys resting in the console.
“The whole thing’s my fault,” he said. “I have no one to blame but myself.”
Nationally, car thefts dropped off sharply in 2010, and the same held true for Savannah, though the reason may differ, Miller said.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau credits improved technology from manufacturers, but Miller attributes the decline from 1,135 to 624 largely to Police Chief Willie Lovett’s decision to transfer greater control to precinct captains who know their area more intimately.
“His concept was you can’t have a cookie-cutter approach to crime,” he said. “You have specific issues in specific areas and they need specific tactics to address them.”
With 394 auto thefts so far this year, 2011 has largely mirrored the success of 2010, when the city posted 358 at this point.
The city’s central precinct, which runs from just west of Abercorn Extension at West 59th Street eastward to the Victory Manor neighborhood, has experienced the most auto thefts annually for many years running.
The islands precinct, which includes many east Savannah neighborhoods in addition to Wilmington Island, finished second twice in the past three years.
Miller said the problem is simple: Although the central and island precincts contain pockets of affluence, they’re also home to some of the most economically depressed areas in Savannah.
The Edgemore-Sackville neighborhood had to fight hard for the gains it made around the time in 2010 when auto theft rates improved, said Joan Williams, a former president of the neighborhood association who stepped down in 2010 after serving for nine years

Toyota AE86 History

AE86 History

The history of the AE86 dates back to 1983 when it was released on the Japanese Domestic Market. Although new sales weren't amazing, the AE86 has developed a huge international following both in the street and racing scenes. In this section I will show the variations of the AE86, expain it's history and why it is still a popular car toady.

AE86 Versions

The AE86 was first produced in 1983 in Japan and this continued until half way through 1987. During this time there were two distinct versions produced, the zenki and the kouki. These two versions can be distinguished by their front indicators and their rear lights. The zenki has small front mounted indicators and rear lights with the word 'SPRINTER' across the top of the right light. The kouki has larger corner mounted front indicators and rear lights with either a red band across the top or a black band with a white stripe.
The AE86 was available in two body types, these were the coupe and the hatchback. The hatchback is the frame most enthusiasts think of when discussing the AE86.

To further broaden the purchasers choice when buying an AE86 there were two more variations on the AE86. These were the Sprinter Trueno and the Corolla Levin. These are still available today from Toyota as they have carried through the range up to present day in the form of the AE111. The key differences in the Trueno and Levin are in their light assembly. The Trueno was given pop-up head lights unique to the AE86 and the Levin was given fixed head lights very similar to those of the rest of the Corolla range of that era. Because of this set up the Levin had a larger grill between the lights than the Trueno, in later years the Trueno grill was phased out completely and the bonnet was simply extended between the lights.

The 4A-GE

In 1984 the 4A-GE was introduced as the replacement for Toyotas respected 2T-G engine. The 2T-G had a reputation as being a strong reliable engine and many people were initially scared of the fragile appearance of the 4A-GE. With 4 valves per cylinder, Toyota had to be careful with their construction methods as this new configuration did not allow for a design as visually robust as the 2T-G. This is because the head had to make way for 2 extra valves per cylinder and the engine as a whole needed to allow for high revolutions. Toyota improved its metallurgy to resolve these issues. For specifications of the AE86 4A-GE.

Why So Poplular?

Although the AE86 is now 18 years old it is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. There are three major factors contributing to this, firstly a Japanese cartoon called Initial D, secondly a form of Japanese motorsport known as drifting, and thirdly a lack of affordable, small rear wheel drive cars on the used car market.
In Initial D a young Japanese man who drives an AE86 engages in street racing with many of the most respected cars in the world today such as the Nissan Skyline GTR and the Mazda RX7. The series emphasizes the importance of driving ability and shows that expensive and powerful cars are useless without a skilled driver.
Drifting is a popular Japanese motorsport that involves inducing over-steer, usually in a rear wheel driven vehicle. This results in loss of traction in the rear wheels and the idea is to maintain this throughout the corner. Competition in Japan are rated on things such as drift style and ensuring the vehicle is drifted where ever possible. Drifting can be a graceful sport when executed properly but very expensive when things go wrong... and they usually do.

Finally, the most significant reason for me buying my AE86 was this. The AE86 was one of the last, if not the last, cheap rear wheel drive light light sports cars. After production of the AE86 ceased in 1987 there was very little choice for anyone wanting a similar car, most manufacturers, including Toyota switched to a front wheel drive format. The advantage of front wheel drive is that they generally weigh less, have more cabin space due to having no transmission tunnel, and are often thought of as safer for the average driver to handle. As most performance car enthusiasts know, if you open the throttle to much in a powerful rear wheel drive on a corner the consequences are usually much worse than doing the same in a powerful front wheel driven vehicle.
Because of the reasons above the AE86 has become a very collectable car and has a price to match. If you are lucky enough to find one to purchase. All that for an 18 year old car.... there must be something to it.

Scion iQ

This fall, Toyota’s Scion division will be rolling out its latest ride, the iQ, into dealer showrooms on the West coast.

With the small, extremely fuel efficient and feature-laden iQ, Scion is aiming for the same sweet spot as other undersized city cars — the Smart ForTwo, Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 — but it’s doing so with a much more affordable, and, it hopes, hipper package.

With a starting list price at a little under $16,000, the iQ continues Scion’s reputation for making inexpensive, funky-looking cars for young urbanites.

This blunt little box seems like a knock off of the two-seater Smart ForTwo, but it’s actually a four-seater. Cleverly dubbing the car a “3+1 seater,” Scion has massaged the overall design so the front passenger seat can be slid very far forward, allowing an adult to occupy the back seat immediately behind it without sacrificing leg room for either passenger (though the seat behind the driver is still a very tight squeeze). Scion bought the extra room by relocating things that normally occupy the area in and around the front seat passenger to other parts of the car. The glove box has been moved under the seat, and the heater/air conditioner unit has been miniaturized and moved to the center console. The airbag and dash remain the same.

And speaking of airbags, the iQ features eleven of them — a record for any car, and a feat made all the more impressive considering the iQ’s minuscule size. There are separate airbags for the head and knees of both the driver and the front passenger, side-curtain airbags, seat-cushion airbags, and even an airbag for rear window, which is a first.

Just how small is the Scion iQ? A tenth of an inch over ten feet long. That’s a little more than a foot longer than a ForTwo, and a full 20 inches shorter than a Fiat 500. It definitely makes the Mini look anything but. The iQ also tips the scales at a flyweight 2,127 pounds, or about as much as a first-gen Miata.

Speaking of Miatas, although the upcoming iQ is not sports car, nor does it possess handling that would make Colin Chapman smile, it does have an amazingly small turning radius. The front wheels can be spun to nearly 45 degrees, giving the iQ a turning radius of an astonishingly low 13 feet, or about the length of a Miata. Ergo, maneuvering this little guy through inner-city traffic and hanging a quick U-turn to snag that last parking spot is a snap.

The iQ is motivated by a 1.3 liter inline four. Nothing fancy, no turbos or superchargers. And no, there won’t be a hybrid version — lord knows where they’d put the batteries and other hybrid gear. To keep the length down, Toyota did some rather ingenious things like push the wheels and suspension bits way, way out to the corners of the car, much like Mini and Fiat have done. The 8.5 gallon gas tank has also been relocated so it resides under the drivers seat. Yes, that gave me a rather disconcerting feeling when I was tooling around Seattle in the iQ, but I eventually got past it.

With that little size and weight, and that small of an engine, the mileage numbers are very, very impressive for a non-hybrid car. Scion’s iQ returns 36 MPG city, 37 MPG highway and a combined figure of 37 MPG. These numbers make the little iQ the current record-holder when it comes to combined figures for internal combustion engine cars. Toyota is holding off on trumpeting that last fact until the EPA confirms it, though.

The iQ’s four-cylinder engine produces 94 horsepower and 89 pound-feet of torque. No, you won’t be walking away with any drag trophies from the local strip with this thing, but that’s more than enough juice to get you out of your own way when driving around town. Also making city driving easier is the iQ’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), and the iQ is rated an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV-II), which is nice.

The tech and gadgetry extends to the interior appointments, where the top of the center console houses the Scion Drive Monitor. It’s a small screen that displays information like outside temperature, average MPG, and an ECO-drive indicator that helps the driver maximize the iQ’s fuel efficiency.

Hipsters need music, so the iQ comes standard with a 160-watt, four-speaker Pioneer audio system with an AM/FM radio, CD player, a USB port, HD radio and a built-in hands-free phone connection with streaming audio capability. The audio system also features an organic electroluminescent (OEL) screen, and an RCA output for hooking up an aftermarket subwoofer.

There’s an optional “premium” audio system that has the same features as the standard unit, but ups the output to 200 watts and includes extras like a 5.8-inch LCD touch-screen display that allows iTunes tagging, Pandora radio (connected through your iPhone), and six RCA outputs to add external amplifiers. Plunk down even more cash and upgrade to the top-tier Scion Navigation package. You get all the goodies in the 200-watt audio system, plus a navigation system and DVD player — all accessible through a seven-inch touch-screen LCD display.

All in all, it’s a great city car, and it should hit a bulls-eye on price, performance and interior features with a certain demographic.

WIRED Tight turning. Great MPGs. No muss, no fuss CVT tranny. Comes with hipster cred.

TIRED 100 MPH speed limiter. That +1 seat is for pee-wees only. Hipster cred.