From the look of the initial reports, the LC3 model of the Toyota Land Cruiser is going to get some serious modifications made to it.  Let’s take a quick look at the list.

–It’ll be getting about thirty five miles per gallon on a new kind of diesel engine, but a gas engine will be available on other models and get roughly the same mileage.

–The suspension has been revised and will give a more comfortable ride.

–Power and braking systems are altered to improve the Land Cruiser’s offroad capabilities.

You can see that there are a whole lot of improvements made in the newer model Toyota Land Cruiser, and chances are this will draw a whole lot of interest, especially from current truck and SUV owners planning to make trades.  A small SUV that gets thirty five miles per gallon and comes in straight gas or diesel?  That’s too good for a lot of car buffs to turn down.

Tags: diesel, Gas, suspension, Toyota, toyota land cruiser, Toyota land cruiser LC3

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There is something about the Toyota Urban Cruiser that makes it tick in the UK market, especially during these times when people are whittling down their transport needs. We are all aware that many are putting into consideration a lot of factors, fuel consumption which is perhaps the prime one.

However, new as it may seem, the new Toyota Urban Cruiser seems to possess something that is drawing attention. It is built in the same infrastructure as the Toyota Yaris and boasts of clever spacing for the family trips.

The car is for those who want the rugged four by four feeling without the ‘Chelsea Tractor’ image and is a softer alternative to the Toyota Land Cruiser. Aimed at singles and couples in their thirties and forties, rival models include the Suzuki SX4, the Kia Soul and the much-publicised Nissan Qashqai.

Two models are currently available; the two-wheel drive 1.3 litre petrol and the four-wheel drive 1.4 litre diesel. Both models produce around a humble 130g/km of CO2 and with the Toyota ‘Optimal Drive’ feature, official fuel figures are an impressive 51.4-mpg for the petrol and 57.6-mpg combined for the diesel.

(Source) Press

Tags: co2, diesel, drive feature, family trips, forties, four wheel drive, fuel consumption, KIA, MPG, Nissan, pentagon, petrol, publicised, rival models, suzuki sx4, thirties, toyota land cruiser, toyota yaris, waves

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The Cash for Clunkers has been approved and the next step that many are certainly awaiting would be the list of vehicles that qualify for the said program. The list of cars have been released but this early, the terms of the deal are not the ideal.

Surely, vehicles still operating satisfactory may be better off being sold by owners or even trading it in. Whichever course of action a car owner may choose, it certainly looks ideal if this Cash for Clunkers Rebate program is the final guidelines issued:

• It will offer no more than $4,500 to new car buyers.
• It will require the trade-in vehicle to be crushed (which means that owners will not collect any trade-in value.)
• Cars to be scrapped would have to have EPA combined fuel economy ratings of 18 miles per gallon or less, and the new vehicle purchased must earn better mileage.
• The participant must have owned the “clunker” for one year.

Vehicles:

• 1996 Honda Passport ($1,227)
• 1997 Lincoln Continental ($1,179)
• 1998 Chevrolet Silverado ($3,378)
• 1995 Audi A6 ($1,261)
• 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser ($4,042)

“This legislation attempts to offer a benefit for the environment and to spur vehicle sales, but the reality is that it does neither very well,” asserted Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl. “In terms of vehicle sales, the only consumers who will be interested are those willing to take no more than $4,500 for their current car and yet be financially able to buy a new one – quite a narrow profile.”

(Source) Press

Tags: audi a6, better mileage, car buyers, car owner, Chevrolet, chevrolet silverado, clunker, fuel economy ratings, Honda, honda passport, lincoln continental, mileage, narrow profile, new car, participant, rebate program, toyota land cruiser

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Purchasing used cars is the trend these days as consumers try to save on spending for high-cost new cars. And Consumer Reports breaks down the wise used car investments per category as it identifies the most and least reliable used cars for 10 years – from model years 1999 to 2008 – in the magazine’s 2009 Annual Auto Issue.

Reliability data was compiled from the magazine’s Annual Auto Survey, which generated responses about more than 1.4 million new and used vehicles.

Below are Consumer Reports’ picks in five categories:

Small Cars: Honda Civic, Toyota Echo, Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda 3, Mazda Protege, Subaru Impreza

Family Cars: Honda Accord, Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Toyota Camry (except ‘08 V6), Subaru Outback (6-cyl.), Nissan Altima

Minivans: Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey

Small SUVs: Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander

Midsized and large SUVs: Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota 4Runner, Infiniti FX35, Acura MDX, Infiniti QX4, Lexus GX, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Tribeca, Nissan Xterra (’05 – ‘08), Toyota Sequoia

To help consumers identify cars within their budget, Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Issue also contains a “Models to Look For” list, which is categorized by price. It features a variety of used vehicles which all have above-average reliability and are priced from less than $4,000 to $30,000 and up. CR found 19 cars that can be purchased for $6,000 or less including the 1999 Acura CL and the 2003 Buick Century.

(Source) Press

Tags: acura mdx, corolla toyota, honda cr v, honda odyssey, hyundai santa fe, infiniti fx35, infiniti qx4, land cruiser toyota, lexus rx, nissan altima, nissan xterra, pontiac vibe, subaru forester, subaru impreza, subaru outback, subaru tribeca, toyota land cruiser, toyota sequoia

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