Tag: GXL

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TOYOTA C-HR KOBA 2WD

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We’ve always liked the look of the Toyota C-HR. Can’t say the same for its most direct competitor the Nissan Juke, a truly ugly attempt to be different. Now in its second generation and built in Turkey, C-HR offers more style, more power and more equipment than before — but it comes at a cost because prices have jumped considerably since our last encounter with the little crossover. Sitting between Corolla and RAV4 and updated in late 2019, for some price is unimportant. The letters C-HR stands for Compact High… Read more

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MIGRATORY SWIFT LANDS ‘HYBRID LITE’

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Among a plethora of petrol/electric powertrains – pure electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid – allied to automobiles, Suzuki has taken a different flight path with ‘hybrid lite’, an integrated starter generator for its fifth generation Swift. Unlike in some other EVs, where the electric motor can drive the wheels independently, the ISG in the top-selling compact swings into action to give the internal combustion engine extra shove when the accelerator is pressed. Taking power from a lithium-ion battery recharged when the brakes are applied, the ISG also kicks in under… Read more

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COROLLA CROSS GOES HYBRID ONLY

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  Launched here in 2022 the Toyota Corolla Cross is – as the name suggests – an SUV crossover version of the everlasting Corolla sedan/hatchback.’ It’s the largest of Toyota’s three-model range of compact SUVs above the smaller Yaris Cross and the sportier C-HR. The original Corolla Cross was available with the choice of petrol or petrol/electric hybrid powertrains but, in line with Toyota’s recent decision to discontinue petrol-only variants where a hybrid alternative is available, the petrol versions are now being phased out. Although existing stocks of the petrol… Read more

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KLUGER NOW COMES WITH A HYBRID DRIVETRAIN

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Toyota Kluger is a semi-luxury family SUV that will celebrate 21 years on the Australian market later this year. Like most other model updates Kluger has grown in size progressively through its life and the latest (fourth) generation, launched here in mid-2021, and is no exception coming in at just under five metres in length. Note that the Kluger name is only used in Japan and Australia. It’s the Highlander in all other markets but that name had already been taken by Hyundai for some of its top-spec variants. Kluger… Read more

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TOYOTA FORTUNER FILLS A GAP

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You don’t hear much about the Toyota Fortuner. Launched in 2015, Fortuner is the SUV equivalent of the Hilux utility. Like the Kluger it comes with seven seats, but it’s aimed at a quite different buyer. Depending on your perspective, it’s either the quiet achiever or the under-achiever, with about half the sales of Prado. For Toyota, its raison d’etre is or perhaps was to provide a diesel option to Kluger as well as an affordable alternative for those who can’t afford a Land Cruiser. But now that the US-engineered… Read more

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SWIFT MOVE TO ELECTRIC POWER AFTER 41 YEARS

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Swift might not be the most appropriate word, but after 41 years in Australia, the titular Suzuki vehicle that has consistently been near the top of the compact car segment, has gone hybrid. Core of the 2024 Swift is a petrol / electric power system and stop / start motor created especially for improved fuel efficiency in the built environment. Core of the works is an integrated starter generator that swings into action to give the vehicle extra shove when the accelerator is pressed. The ISG takes power from a… Read more

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A CASE OF CARRY ON, COROLLA

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  When the first Corolla made landfall in Australia in 1966, few people would have predicted half a century later the tiny vehicle, through sedan, hatch and wagon, becoming the world’s most popular car. Former Toyota Australia executive Rex Gilham, one of the men responsible for bringing Corollas Down Under says just 15 cars were in the first shipment in November 1966, the first vehicles to be exported from Japan. These went on sale in 1967. A year later, first locally produced models left Australian Motor Industries’ plant in Port… Read more

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TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 300 SERIES

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The Toyota LandCruiser 300 is the replacement for the 200 Series which had been around for many years, over several generations in Australia. Toyota says that it has so many improvements over its predecessors that it deserved the new title of 300. Despite being available since mid-2021 new Toyota LandCruiser 300s are still relatively rare on our roads largely because of supply issues. Many enthusiasts who were aware of the arrival of the LC300 got in early and put down deposits to avoid delivery delays. Toyota lists the driveway price… Read more