Pickup trucks have become an interesting anomaly in the automotive world. These vehicles, with a cab for people and a bed used for hauling or towing, they were originally built to do manual labor. No frills, no fun. Just the ability to start on a cold morning and work all day on the farm or construction site without issue.

Today though, things are radically different. Sure, trucks these days still promise to fulfill everything expected of them, but they are now much more civilized and comfortable, offering many luxuries found on more expensive cars.

But do the fundamentals still work? Are these two four-wheel-drive behemoths, the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab 4TRX and 2010 Toyota Tundra Double Cab, capable of working hard all day, then take the family out to dinner in the evening in comfort? I got to spent some time finding out. Continue Reading…

Elizabeth James had to drive into the river to stop her Toyota Prius

I knew this day would come. The movies warned us, and we didn’t listen. The robots have developed a mind of their own and are targeting drivers of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

There have been reports of hundreds of recent accidents and 16 deaths resulting in what experts are calling an electronics failure (and what Toyota is calling a stuck floor mat) that results in the throttle getting stuck open. The affected cars are accelerating to around 100 mph, and no amount of braking stops the car. These runaway Toyotas are making buyers question their purchasing decision, and demanding answers from Toyota.

An estimated 2000 cases of this glitch have been reported in Toyota Camry, Prius, and Lexus cars. Toyota denies any issue with electronics in the cars, but instead calls the incidents a result of “oversized floor mats” sticking open the throttle. “I’m absolutely certain that in my situation, it was not the floor mats,” Elizabeth James told ABC News about her experience with a Toyota Prius suddenly accelerating past 90 mph in Denver, CO. Toyota refused to speak with ABC News about the incidents, insisting that it’s the floor mats. Executive Bob Daly posted on their website, “Some news reports suggest there may be other causes of unintended acceleration, speculating about electronic engine control systems, braking performance or electro-magnetic interference among other theories. There is no evidence to support these theories.” Continue Reading…

The 2009 Toyota Venza is quite an interesting vehicle. According to Toyota’s comparison website, the Venza’s main competitors are the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord, but the Venza is obviously no mid-size sedan. It looks more like a small crossover SUV, or maybe a wagon, but smaller than both. It’s the length of a Toyota Camry, the width of the Highlander, and in between the two for every other dimension. Despite never figuring out what the Venza really is, I found one important thing about it: it’s incredibly useful.

Sitting between the Toyota Camry and Highlander in size certainly has its upsides. Most people don’t need as much room as an SUV gives them, but need more versatility than a sedan, and that’s where the Venza comes in, essentially creating its own class of vehicle in between a car and SUV. Continue Reading…

With the big three auto manufacturers producing new “retro” versions of old enthusiast cars (Mustang, Camaro, Challenger,) it’s easy to overlook who seemingly started this trend. Although it’s far from a muscle car, Toyota developed the FJ Cruiser in 2006 as a modern version of their old Land Cruiser FJ40.

The Toyota FJ40 is still an enthusiast vehicle today, being coveted by collectors all over the world. Produced from 1960 to 1984, the FJ40 had a healthy lifespan, which makes it no wonder Toyota wanted to get some of that enthusiasm back for the FJ Cruiser, which sells moderately well today. So what made the Land Cruiser FJ40 so great to command such a loyal following? Continue Reading…

The Lexus LF-Ch Compact Hybrid is an odd little car. Or, to be more exact, it’s odd that Toyota would badge a car like this as a Lexus. The hybrid part makes sense, but making a small hatchback as a Lexus, even if Toyota is calling it a “Premium Compact”, seems to run counter to what Lexus has been marketed as up to this point. The fact that Toyota will be showing the Lexus LF-Ch Compact Hybrid at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show this coming December points out that the company is pretty seriously considering offering the car in North America.

A Lexus LF-Ch Premium Compact Hybrid … will Americans go for that?

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Have you ever seen the South Park episode “Smug Alert,” in which the whole town of South Park buys hybrid cars? Despite the car’s zero emissions, the hybrid owners are so smug about their cars, they end up spewing out tons of emissions in the form of “self-satisfied garbage” which rivals that of San Francisco. This seems to be the general consensus of non-hybrid owners. Hybrid owners are cocky, smug, and slow drivers that think they’re better than everyone else on the road - I’ve heard it a hundred times.

Here’s the thing - in the past, there’s always been some truth to that. The original Honda Insight and Toyota Prius were too small, too unlike “regular cars,” had little versatility, and didn’t get fuel economy that was any better than driving a small diesel-powered car economically. Celebrities and many others bought the car for the trendy green image, so it looked like they cared about the environment, and this is where the smug-factor began.

As Toyota and Honda are making their hybrids better, however, this image may start to dissipate. Why you ask? Because as the hybrids get better, they become more like your regular cars. Other than the overall lack of power, there is no longer a sacrifice to buying a hybrid - they will have just as much room (or more) than their gasoline-only counterparts, the transition between electric and gas engine becomes less noticeable, and their everyday drivability will rival that of a gas-powered car. In short, they’re becoming more like the cars that we’re accustomed to, and less about the image. Does the all-new 2010 Toyota Prius accomplish this? Toyota worked hard on making the new Prius better in every way. We drive the new Prius for a week to find out. Continue Reading…