BIG ‘CRUISER UTE IS BUILT FOR PURPOSE

If you want a definition of the term `workhorse’ look no further than Toyota’s 70-Series LandCruiser. Whether it’s carrying miners or carting hay bales in every dairy farm in Australia, the 70-Series is a hard-working 4×4 – certainly not an SUV – that earns its keep day-in day-out, year-in, year-out. All variants are powered, and we mean powered, by a 4.5-litre V8 turbo diesel engine. The latest, LC79, version of the 70-Series comes with four body styles: Wagon, Troop Carrier, plus two- and five-seat Cab-Chassis. Each comes in WorkMate or… Read more

TOYOTA GR SUPRA GTS AUTO

Toyota’s Supra is a rebodied BMW Z4 and built in Austria. It’s been a couple of years since we last drove the two-seater but age has not wearied the GR foundation member. Launched here in 2019, Supra received a shot in the arm back in December, 2020 with a 35kW boost in power and additional bracing under the bonnet to improve handling. Then, in November, 2021 wireless Apple CarPlay was added. In April last year Supra went to a full model update with the availability for the first time of… Read more

NEW PRIUS – IN CASE YOU’RE INTERESTED?

Although it won’t be offered here, we thought you might like to take a squiz at the new Toyota Prius. It’s the most fuel-efficient Prius ever with fuel consumption of 4.1L/100km, 60 per cent more power with up to 146kW and on-demand all-wheel drive. When we last drove the car in 2019, we suspected the Prius had passed its use-by- date. The technology was sound but its job was done and no longer served a purpose — and of course it wasn’t an SUV. Over the course of 20 odd… Read more

JUST 86 ANNIVERSARY GR86S UP FOR GRABS

Toyota is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its popular 86 sports car with the release of a 10th Anniversary Limited Edition. Limited to just 86 examples locally, it arrives in Australian showrooms this month priced from $46,700 plus on-road costs. Based on the flagship GTS variant, the 10th Anniversary Edition GR86 is immediately identifiable by its unique Solar Orange exterior paint scheme – a nod to the original “hachi roku” revealed to the world in late 2011. The orange theme continues inside the vehicle, with contrast stitching applied to the… Read more

TOYOTA COROLLA GR

Before my review of the new Toyota Corolla GR, I would like to give you my own experiences of a Corolla. Way back when I bought one in 1971, I didn’t have any connection with the motoring business but chose it because it looked better than others in the class – which is as good a reason as any I reckon… I didn’t have a family then, but three children arrived over the following six years. All came home as tiny babies in the Corolla. As they grew up there… Read more

TOYOTA COROLLA CROSS ATMOS HYBRID FWD

You could in all likelihood be looking at the successor to the evergreen Corolla hatch and sedan as the market continues its move away from traditional styles. Corolla Cross joins the Yaris Cross, C-HR, RAV4, Kluger, Fortuner, Land Cruiser Prado and Land Cruiser 300 Series in Toyota’s ever-growing line-up of SUVs. And, like many of the aforementioned models, it is available with a fuel saving hybrid petrol-electric powertrain — one that importantly recharges itself. It’s the right-size and the timing couldn’t be better, but it’s going to cost you almost… Read more

MAKE WAY FOR THE GR COROLLA

Toyota’s fire-breathing GR Corolla blasts into Australian showrooms next month priced from $62,300. Toyota Australia has secured 700 examples of the GR Corolla GTS for sale in the first year, to be joined in coming months by the limited-run Morizo Edition – of which just 25 will be available. The rally-bred GR (for Gazoo Racing) features a turbocharged petrol engine, all- wheel drive, wider front and rear track, completely overhauled suspension as well as a fresh design to set it apart. It’s the same high-output 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine found… Read more

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 300 SERIES

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

TOYOTA MAKES ITS MOVE INTO FULL ELECTRIFICATION

The name might sound like a robot from Star Wars, but bZ4X is actually the name Toyota has picked for its first fully-electric vehicle, due to arrive in Australia late this year. In fact, the ‘bZ’ stands for Beyond Zero, as in zero-emissions, while the ‘4X’ identifies that the vehicle is a compact crossover SUV. Under the Toyota/Subaru model sharing arrangement, which brought us the 86 and BRZ sports cars, the bZ4X will also be sold here as the Subaru Solterra. Available in two and all-wheel drive form, power comes… Read more

TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID HATCH

If ever there was a car that needed no introduction it’s the Toyota Corolla. First released in 1966 and arriving in Australia the following year, it is the all-time biggest-selling car worldwide, passing the 50-million mark in 2021. The current (12th generation) Corolla has been on sale here since 2019 with an upgrade for the 2023 model year providing the latest fifth-generation hybrid powertrain, the latest version of the Toyota Connected Services system as well as upgrades to the multimedia system. As before MY23 Corolla comes in three grades: Ascent… Read more