Toyota has mastered the art of building appealing, mainstream automobiles and the 2019 RAV4 carries on that tradition
First, let’s talk about the paint job on my test RAV4. Toyota is calling it Blue Flame With Ice Edge. I call it taxi cab meets corporate fleet vehicle and it’s, well, distinctive. Taste is personal, of course, but of the infinite number of paint choices the company could have picked, why this particular eyesore?…
In virtually all respects, this is an extremely well-equipped and dependable automobile – as it is year after year
What makes a car good? Why do some models succeed beyond their manufacturers’ wildest expectations while others are stillborn? Price point? Absolutely – people want to get their money’s worth and a well-priced automobile with good value for the buck has already got a leg up on the competition. What about styling? Not so much.…
Many, when they do buy, view automobiles as a necessity rather than a lifestyle. And many others are content to live without wheels
With baby boomers fading into the sunset, millennials have taken over as the biggest generation, population-wise, in the world. Born roughly between 1980 and 2000, they’re sometimes called generation Y and now represent the largest demographic group of consumers in North America. Not to mention the most strategic group of voters. But millennials aren’t throwing…
According to Consumer Reports, there are plenty of good used cars out there from the last decade – and some models to avoid
Thinking of buying a used car that’s four years old? Well, every year, Consumer Reports publishes its “Best And Worst” automobile issue. This is arguably the most comprehensive and thorough automobile guide and takes a hard, cold look at new and used cars and SUVs. Consumer Reports accepts no advertising, so they have no axes…
From the comfort of the ride to the quality of the mechanics to the utility of its design, this used minivan offers value
In 2010, Toyota was still grappling with its unintended acceleration/sticky floor mat/wonky gas pedal/ineffective brake pedal imbroglio. But one of the few models in the company’s stable not affected was the Sienna. If you liked minivans, the 2010 Sienna has all the necessary ingredients. It goes about its business efficiently and unobtrusively. At the time,…
The Toyota Prius C is small and basic, but it's also relatively cheap. However, it just may disappear from the market shortly
One the problems with being environmentally responsible is that, for carmakers and consumers, it doesn’t come cheap. Electric and hybrid cars, for the most part, are more expensive than their internal combustion-propelled counterparts. Mitsubishi and Nissan, for example, are both actively immersed in electric/hybrid vehicle technology. They also sell affordable, non-hybrid econoboxes priced in the…
The 2019 Toyota Sienna offers plenty of comfort and space, ample power, safety and good handling
On average, I reckon I drive between 50 and 60 new cars a year. Everything from mainstream four-door family haulers, to high-powered sports cars, to ridiculously overpriced pickup trucks, to over-the-top luxury sedans. Extrapolate that over a 30-year career and you’ve got … well, never mind. I drive a lot of cars. Easily the questions…
Any number of more reasonably-priced automobiles bring more to the table in terms of usability and practicality
In their never-ending quest to get maximum market share and give customers what they think they want, carmakers sometimes bring out a vehicle that – on paper – makes absolutely no sense. I’m thinking of “sport cute” models like the Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona and Toyota C-HR. These vehicles don’t do any one…
You could run exclusively on battery power, with long-range gasoline support
I’m the proud owner of a 2017 Toyota Prius C, a car I love to drive. It handles well and it gets great mileage. So I was looking forward to driving the new Prius Prime for a week. Since most of my driving is on the highway from Hamilton to Toronto, I routinely average less than…
The 2010 Ford Fusion, 2007 Honda Civic and 2004 Toyota Prius all have much to recommend them
One of the pleasant bonuses of owning a hybrid vehicle is that it will probably be reliable. Indeed, according to Consumer Reports, most hybrids are more dependable than their garden variety non-hybrid counterparts. The Toyota Prius and Camry hybrids, for example, generally top the list for most reliable cars, period, from this organization and elsewhere.…