Toyota Recalls

Toyota released information on a new round of recently and it affects some of their more popular cars.

The first is on their brand new 20117 Toyota 86. And it affects a total of 94 cars. Those cars affected use an actual key to start the car versus have a push button ignition.  The problem relates to the key. During predelivery service, the automatic transmission key interlock may not be properly connected. If it's not properly connected, an owner may be able to remove the key while the car is in a gear other than park. This doesn't present a safety concern on the road, but it may cause owners to leave the vehicle in an incorrect gear, which can lead to roll-aways, crashes and injuries.  Toyota will be notifying all 94 owners by first-class mail in January. Upon returning the cars to dealerships, technicians will inspect the ignition key interlock. If necessary, they'll connect the interlock and that should solve the problem.

Toyota is also recalling 12 model year 2016 Avalon, and 2017 Camry vehicles manufactured August 3, 2016, to September 12, 2016. The front passenger knee air bag module may have been attached to the lower instrument panel with incorrect fasteners. If the air bag was installed with incorrect fasteners, the fasteners may become loose over time, affecting the air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury.

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fasteners, and if necessary, replace the instrument panel brace and body bracket and reattach the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in December 2016.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. You can schedule your service recall with us here at Smart Toyota. And while your vehicle is being fixed take a look at our inventory and contact us today to schedule an appointment.

Toyota Mirai to launch for 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

                Toyota has big plans for the upcoming years, that plan is that at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they will release their new version of its hydrogen-powered Mirai. This underscores Toyota’s commitment to move towards alternative fuel technologies.

“The 2020 Olympics could be the venue to showcase the new Mirai to the world,”

Kiyotaka Ise, head of Advanced R&D at Toyota

                Toyota is the world’s top selling carmaker, and this month disclosed their ambitions to join and surpass Tesla and Nissan in the battle to build long-range battery-powered cars. And they are hoping to replicate with Mirai, the same success they had with the Prius, their award winning gasoline-electric hybrid. The Prius cemented Toyota as a pioneer in fuel-saving technology.

               

                The Toyota Mirai was first released in 2014 and powered by two high-pressure hydrogen tanks and an electric motor. And the best part is that the Mirai emits only water. Currently the Mirai is only available stateside in California. Despite having the underlying Electric Vehicle  technology from its development of plug-in hybrids, Toyota, along with Honda, has long been cautious about electric cars, citing limits to range, refuelling time and battery technology.

The company has set a target to sell more than 30,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles annually worldwide by about 2020, 10 times its 2017 production target. It also plans to introduce more than 100 fuel-cell buses in the Tokyo area ahead of the Olympics. The second-generation Prius hybrid, released in 2003, sold about 1.2m vehicles compared with less than 150,000 vehicles for the first Prius, which came out in 1997.

While we await the release of the all new Toyota Mirai in 2020, you can still enjoy Toyota’s other great vehicles. Check them out in our inventory and contact us to test drive your new Toyota today!

All Toyota Carmy

For years, hybrids have been notorious for being slow and underpowered versions of their regular engine model. But now the 2017 Camry Hybrid SE is changing that stereotype. The 2016 Camry Hybrid is more powerful and has more torque than the regular Camry at low RPMs.

Toyota is the Hybrid leader, having now sold over 9 million hybrids worldwide.  Along with the Prius line, the Avalon, RAV4 and Highland, the Camry rounds out the complete Toyota Hybrid line. And across the board they have improved the equipment since the beginning. Gone are the worries of how much the replacement batteries are going to cost, when original equipment now gets over 200,000 miles.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid has a powertrain that produces a 200 horsepower from the 4-cylinder engine and the ancillary electric motor and is equipped with a CVT transmission. The Camry seamlessly switches from all electric to the gas electric operation. The 2017 Toyota Camry Hybrid achieves a staggering 40 mpg, and has a regenerative braking system meaning when you brake it helps charge the batteries.

                All are well-equipped with keyless ignition and entry, rearview camera, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power driver’s seat (with power lumbar), cruise control, a color driver information display. Bluetooth connectivity, voice controls, and a 6.1-inch touch screen also are standard. Our SE adds 17-inch wheels, the sport-tuned suspension, a rear spoiler, sport fabric seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Options include a sunroof, navigation, smartphone app integration, and a Qi wireless cellphone charger.

Check out our complete inventory of Camry Hybrids and contact us now to take yours home today.

The New Toyota Prius

             

            Toyota has taken its ever popular Prius, redesigned it and made it even more sought after. With a new sleeker exterior and a more comfortable and spacious interior, Toyota has turned their Hybrid prince and made it into the King.

                                               

            The 2016 Toyota Prius is the most fuel efficient car without a plug, delivering a staggering 52 mpg. But that not the only high point, the Prius excels in technology and has all the smart tech amenities that every driver wants. The Toyota Prius houses a 7 inch color touchscreen in the dashboard and uses Toyota’s Entune suite for infotainment tech. When connected to a smartphone, Entune allows the Prius access to several apps through the dashboard. Apps like Bing, Facebook Places, and Yelp along with streaming services like iHEartRadio and Pandora are a few of the apps available.

             

 

            The new Prius also features driver aid and auto-parking. Additional features include collision mitigation braking with pedestrian detection and adaptive cruise control with stop and go function as well as blind spot monitoring, despite the already excellent visibility. 

            The Prius still uses the engine system that made it famous, Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, pairing a 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine with a 53kW electric motor. However, the Prius got an upgrade when it comes to its batteries, packing a new 0.75 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, a slimmed down version of the original 35 pounds lighter.

            The exterior has a new squinty face in the front and aerodynamic slope too the rear end that make this Prius one of the smoothest production car bodies to ever grace a wind tunnel. The car sits almost an inch lower to the ground and has a new independent, double wishbone rear suspension. The new suspension makes the Prius feel more planted over bumps, quitter on the highway and more stable during cornering.

            Check out our Inventory and contact us today to set up a test drive.

The all new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

For many drivers, small SUVs make for a perfect everyday vehicle, economical enough for commuting and offering more useful cargo space than midsize sedans, extending their use for weekend recreation. Entering the scene in 1994, Toyota's RAV4 pioneered its segment. Now this small SUV gets Toyota's ultra-efficient hybrid drive system, making it a killer everyday vehicle. Consider its standard all-wheel drive, and you've just about hit perfection.

          

       Although it isn't a serious off-roader, impressive is the lifted nose of the 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, although faux skid plates under front and back are a bit much. The sides of the RAV4 Hybrid show similar sculpting to its bigger brother, the Highlander, but the narrow grille looks petite by comparison. Saddle-brown leather seating, in this Limited trim RAV4 Hybrid, gave the cabin luxury style.

         

       Although the RAV4 Hybrid uses the same engine as the Camry Hybrid, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, it gets a more complicated hybrid drive system, adding a second drive motor to the rear wheels for all-wheel drive. And that comes standard. Otherwise, the RAV4 Hybrid uses the same 245-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack as the Camry Hybrid, a little less sophisticated than the lithium ion battery pack in the new Prius.

          While short of luxury, it felt very comfortable on most road surfaces, complementing its smooth ride with minimal road noise. Given the hybrid drivetrain, engine noise is very limited. Adding to the RAV4 Hybrid's suitability for long highway trips, its electric power steering left a little play at center, so over corrections don't cause accidents.

          That steering is tied to a lane keeping assist function, standard with the RAV4 Hybrid's Limited trim, actively preventing lane drift. Adaptive cruise control operated very smoothly at speed, not reacting too abruptly when cut off by a car. Centered in the dashboard, Toyota's navigation and Entune app integration showed up on a 7-inch touchscreen. 

Check out the New2016 RAV4 and contact us today to schedule test drive now!

The Toyota Corolla as good as gold!!

The Toyota Corolla, which has been one of the pillars of sensibility, reliability and straightforward packaging, has entered its 50^th year! Gone are the days of the original boxy Corolla with the mirrors placed on the hood. 

1966 Toyota Corolla

50th Anniversary Toyota Corolla

The New Corolla is getting a midcycle refresh. The front carries the characteristics of different Toyota models like the Yaris and the Prius, with a significantly different grille and feature segment-exclusive LED headlights. The rear end is much the same as it was, other than some slightly tweaked taillights.

The interior is where this Corolla really changes from the previous models. An update to both its design and to its audio system, offers a higher end infotainment including a new larger 7- inch touchscreen and standard backup camera. The Corolla also contains Toyota's Safety Sense-P suite of active and passive safety systems, which includes forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and automatic high beams.

To celebrate the model’s 50^th Birthday, Toyota is releasing a Corolla 50^th Anniversary Special Edition. This car, based on the Corolla SE, has fancy alloy wheels, the previously mentioned 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 50^th anniversary-themed floor mats and badges and “black cherry” interior contrast stitching.

While we don’t know how much the new Corolla is going to run, we do know that it will be here this fall and they are available in 3 colors silver, white and dark red. Until then check out our other great Toyotas and contact us to get yours today.

Scion stays alive with 3 models as Toyotas

Toyota debuts three former Scion models

The Toyota brand will welcome three orphaned Scion models under its umbrella at next week’s New York International Auto Show. The Scion FR-S, iM, and iA will become the be rebranded in 2017 as the Toyota 86, Corolla iM and Yaris iA respectively. 

The All New Toyota 86

The Toyota 86 is getting a completely refreshed look. Including a more aggressive look with larger center exhaust intake to reflect the car’s low, wide stance. New front and rear treatments include reconfigured LED lighting systems, new turn signals, and a revised front bumper. Alloy wheels feature a twisted spoke design and logos for the 86 are incorporated on fenders and wheel wells.

Completely Re-designed Interior

Inside the cabin, luxury material is used on the instrument panel surround and door trim. New seating material with silver stitching plus a sporty steering wheel with integrated audio controls are new. The car’s suspension has been tuned for enhanced control. When fitted with the manual transmission, the new 86, which will star in the racing film “Formula Drift,” inherits improved torque and 5 more horsepower.

We are all anxiously awaiting the new Toyotas! To check out the Toyotas that are currently on the lot and to get a Scion before they disappear, contact us today to get yours now!