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The all-new 2009 Toyota Venza crossover is intended to blend styling, comfort, and practicality into a package that many buyers are craving. While some may see the Toyota Venza as just another crossover vehicle, others are seeing the Venza as a bold new direction for Toyota that offers something that few of its competitors can.
Although the resemblance is thin, the Toyota Venza is based on the FT-SX concept vehicle, which debuted at the North American International Auto Show back in 2005. But other design studies, such as the 1995 concept from Lexus called the FLV, or Further Luxury Vehicle, are also attributed to the final Venza design.
According to Toyota, the Venza is 70 percent car and 30 percent sport utility vehicle. At first glance Toyota Westminster dealer customers say Toyota’s math looks just about right. After all, much of what underpins the new Venza is what also can be found in the Toyota Camry sedan. In fact, the Venza is even built at the same plant in Kentucky where the Camry is built.
The Toyota Venza is less of a SUV, but Kingston Toyota dealers say it still maintains some SUV characteristics. It offers the all-weather capabilities thanks to all-wheel drive, plus the convenience of an eight inch ground clearance, both of which are identical to the Toyota Highlander crossover.
Buyers can opt for either front- or all-wheel drive, and can choose between either a four cylinder or a six cylinder engine. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Drivers can also opt for interior conveniences such as the heated seats, satellite navigation combined with a backup camera, a premium sound system, and high-intensity discharge headlamps. These features, combined with sleek styling, held give the Venza more of a premium feel according to Cheyenne auto dealers.
Although the Toyota Venza offers fairly competitive ground clearance for a crossover, Lexington Toyota dealer drivers have found that it’s very easy to enter and exit the vehicle. Inside, there’s plenty of space, with some dimensions measuring fairly close to those of the Camry. Seats in the rear are wide and can easily accommodate taller passengers.
Cargo space is one area where the Toyota Venza is lacking. Behind the second row (no third row is available) there is 31 cubic ft. of cargo space available, which is less than that of the smaller RAV4 and of course the Highlander crossover. That being said, the interior of the Venza is clearly more about luxury than utility as upscale materials and a more posh look has been executed throughout. Many buyers will think of the interior as being akin to Lexus interiors rather than a Toyota interior. That being said, there are plenty of Toyota Venza accessories available to help utilize the existing car space.
Safety has also been an important consideration for the new Venza, as it offers ABS, electronic stability control, brake assist, curtain air bakes for all passengers, and seat mounted airbags, all of which are important to Albuquerque Toyota dealers customers. While crash testing results from the NHTSA have not been released just yet, it’s expected that the Venza will achieve strong ratings.
The 268 horsepower V6 engine offers plenty of power for the Toyota Venza, while the 182 horsepower four-cylinder is a more economic choice. But Cleveland Toyota repair predicts the latter certainly won’t be a common option as performance will suffer due to the Venza’s hefty weight. The V6 will achieve around 19 mpg in city driving and 26 mpg on the highway. The four-cylinder will get slightly better fuel economy, with 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
Refined and roomy, Lewis Automotive believes the Toyota Venza certainly offers crossover shoppers a fresh new design. It will also deliver a level of refinement that may even be unexpected for a Toyota crossover. While the look of a tall station wagon won’t appeal to everyone, there will be plenty of buyers that want a comfortable alternative to bulky SUVs and boring me-too crossovers. For those buyers, the Toyota Venza may be just about perfect.
While there are plenty of Toyota and Scion models that are commonly customized, the rarest model to recieve attention by tuners may be the Toyota Prius. The Prius is the leading hybrid vehicle world wide, and has fueled demand for more hybird technology. That being said, this isn't to say that the Toyota Prius doesn't inspire unique Toyota accessories and parts. The video below illustrates one Prius that recieved over $180,000 in customizations, which is exactly why it has been dubbed the world's most extreme Toyota Prius.
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Find additional news and Toyota reviews at Toyota Dealer News.
There will be plenty of unique concepts being shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which begins this week. One of these vehicles will be a natural gas Toyota Camry Hybrid. With the unstable cost of gasoline, and the desire for cleaner vehicles, a hybrid that combines an electric motor with a natural gas-powered engine could help provide Toyota with an additional “green” vehicle, complimenting the segment leading Prius hybrid.
Toyota believes that natural gas has a prominent future as a primary fuel source in cars. That being said, natural gas powered cars typically get worse mileage than gasoline powered vehicles while also delivering worse acceleration. However, natural gas, (CNG) is readily available, and also offers a less expensive price tag than gasoline. With the value of CNG there's been a rise in Toyota parts manufacturers that have made gasoline-to-CNG conversion kits available for Toyota drivers. Currently, natural gas is around $2.50 per gallon, which is a bargain if gas prices rise again to summer time levels of over $4.00 per gallon.
The CNG Hybrid Camry is not completely new to Toyota. Back in ’99, Toyota has produced a fleet of CNG-powered Camry vehicles to California drivers. But with a limited CNG fueling infrastructure, the vehicle didn’t exactly catch on. With fewer than 1,000 CNG fueling stations across the country, Toyota dealers Olympia believes the infrastructure is still extremely limited.
Changing consumer buying habits and geo-political developments have certainly helped to make CNG-powered vehicles a viable option for consumers says Toyota Dealer Durango CO, even with their shorting comings. Additionally, in a hybrid, the weak mileage of a CNG-powered vehicle may be overcome, while drivers could enjoy emitting fewer emissions and paying less for a gallon of fuel.
* * News of Toyota's Camry Hybrid and CNG Camry can be found here.
Perhaps the latest hybrid buzz has centered on the all-new Honda Insight, which will compete head-to-head against the current Toyota Prius. Amid the coverage of the upcoming Insight, new photos have been leaked showing off the next generation Toyota Prius.
The Prius remains an important model within the Toyota lineup, and many dealers such as Yakima Toyota has done well with the popular hybrid model. With buyers increasingly looking for smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles, the next general Toyota Prius is an important vehicle for the automaker, who has not been immune the sales trends that have adversely effected domestic automakers. While truck sales at Toyota dealer St Paul has slumped slightly, hybrid sales remain strong.
Photos of the next-gen Toyota Prius show off a more rounded and sleeker design that’s more reminiscent of the current Toyota Yaris or Camry. Reports suggest the Prius will be powered with a 1.8-liter gasoline engine that will produce 75 horsepower. Combined with the electric motor, the Prius should be good for about 160 horsepower total.
Toyota has also been experimenting with solar panels as well. Although there may be more useful Toyota accessories to put on the new Prius, some top of the line Prius models may even feature this solar panel technology along the roof to assist in recharging the vehicle.
The next generation Prius is due to be shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January. In addition to buyers excited to see the upcoming Prius, many shoppers at Used Cars Burnsville are excited for the deals that will result on the current generation Prius.
All automakers are struggling amid difficult economic factors, and especially the drop in sales in North American. No automaker is immune from this climate, including Toyota. With the slowing economy in the U.S. and the ever-rising price of oil, Toyota may miss their sales target in this volatile market.
Last year, Toyota sold more than 2.62 million vehicles in the U.S., Toyota’s largest market. This year, things aren’t looking good for Toyota says Cleveland Ohio Toyota who, needless to say, would like to overtake this sales mark. Luckily for Toyota, who has also become the world’s second largest automaker, is seeing growing sales in developing parts of the world such as China and Russia to help offset the sales declines seen in the North American market.
Toyota is expected to review its sales goals in July. So far this year, total auto sales in the U.S. account for about 12.5 million vehicles, despite brisk sales in the compact and crossover segment says Burnsville Used Toyota, which is reportedly the lowest number for June in decades. By June of last year, total auto sales in the U.S. were up to 16.3 million vehicles. Even Ford has predicted that total sales will fall short significantly to about 14.4 million for the year, the lowest in 13 years.
Many new car buyers are flocking towards smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles, and Toyota certainly does have plenty to offer there. Buyers are drawn to vehicles such as the Corolla and Yaris these days according to Toyota Dealers Portland, but are especially intrigued with their Synergy Drive hybrid vehicles to help offset the rising costs at the pump. Despite industry wide sales declines, Toyota has done well as buyers are turning their backs on domestic brands for not offering as appealing compacts and hybrids.
Truck and SUV production has been cut by nearly every automaker, including Toyota who has already reduced production in some of its factories that produce the Tundra and full-size Sequoia SUV. Toyota hopes to offset these declines with their relatively popular compacts and hybrids, but it may not be enough with the widespread sales declines across the industry.
Toyota has big plans for the future Toyota Prius models. Among the plans for the next generation Toyota Prius include solar panels that will help the vehicle produce even more power and efficiency.
Kyocera Corp will be providing Toyota with the solar panels and electronics that will be used to partially power the air-conditioning system. This system will not allow the Prius to derive much more electricity out of the system to be used beyond the air conditioning system, but the system will be used as a way to make it seen as a green vehicle.
The next generation Toyota Prius is due to be introduced next year, and Burnsville Toyota customers are already anticipating its launch. As consumer wait for the next version of the popular hybrid, all automakers are working to produce new technology that will help improve efficiency. This is especially important as consumers are demanding more fuel efficient offerings.
Although solar power is a bold step in new vehicle technology, it has not been well received as a viable solution for efficiency in the automotive industry. Solar panels alone are extremely expensive to produce and are not yet capable of producing significant amounts of power and cost efficiency in cars, a concern to those already seeking vehicle service at Toyota Service Burnsville. Pricing for the upcoming solar-panel laden Prius has not yet been released.
Solar panel technology for cars is not an entirely new concept. Mazda had briefly experimented with solar panel technology in the 1990s and was used to ventilate Mazda sedans in the 1990s. Unfortunately, the technology was short lived as it was expensive and not well-received by consumers.
As the popularity and demand of renewable energy increases, the use of solar energy in automobiles is still unlikely to find stable ground. Many hybrid shoppers at realize that even solar panels laid across roofs of homes can only provide a limited amount of power, and thus smaller applications on cars cannot be expected to provide significant and useful amounts of energy.
Toyota’s concept may find plenty of attention from interested consumers despite its poor electricity production capabilities as gas prices continue to soar. But the real technological advancement to make a big impact of vehicle efficiency is the development of long-lasting batteries. Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and other automakers have partnered with various battery manufacturers including Matsushita and NEC to produce the next generation of lithium-ion batteries to store ample amounts of energy.
The Toyota Prius is the first mass produced gasoline electric hybrid car and was introduced back in 1997. Already the Toyota has sold well over 1 million units, making it one of Toyota’s most successful and popular models at any Toyota Dealer Minneapolis or nearly all parts of the country. Despite this development, don't expect to see solar panels at Toyota parts stores any time soon. As the price of gas has recently soared around the world, new technology that can offset the cost at the pump is increasingly needed. However, the solar panels may only be a modest or temporary solution for drivers’ energy cravings.
