Archive for Toyota

Toyota has given the 7-seater Toyota Avanza a second facelift, after the first facelift that also debuted the 1.5 liter model in Malaysia, and it will be coming to Malaysia almost immediately right after the Indonesian launch this morning.

Five spec levels will be available in Malaysia - the 1.5S (RM78.5k), the 1.5G (RM74.5k), the 1.5E (RM70k), the 1.3E automatic (RM65.8k) and the 1.3E manual (RM62.5k). All the 1.5 liter versions only come with automatic transmissions. These are estimated prices for Peninsular Malaysia private registration.

The changes on the exterior are mostly aesthetic, while on the interior you get a new dashboard colour that is a mixture of grey and beige that Toyota calls “greige”. The 3-spoke steering wheel is also now a 4-spoke design while the center dash area where the air cond controls and head unit are is now done up in a colour called “smoke silver”.

It seems that the ceiling of the car also gets slightly reshaped with little guidelines that help guide the air conditioning from the front blowers to the third row. There is also added insulation in the roof to reduce the noise that raindrops make when it hits the car’s roof.

In Indonesia, the S-spec model gets a 2-DIN head unit instead of a 1-DIN versions as well as a gated shifter, but a quick glance at the preview specs of the facelifted Avanza posted up on UMW Toyota’s website shows we still get a 1-DIN version. However, all of the automatic models in Malaysia get the gated shifter, not just the S-spec model.

Another change that’s quite obvious from the photo above is a new colour - white. It’s a very basic facelift, minor changes that are done just to extend the lifespan of this model that has been around since 2004 and facelifted once in 2006. If you follow a 5 year model lifespan it should be retiring next year but it looks like the Avanza will be around for quite sometime.

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Toyota has revealed the pricing and specs for the production Toyota iQ in the UK market. The iQ is already available for booking now, with the first cars to be delivered to customers in January 2009.

The cheapest iQ will be the 1.0 VVT-i manual version at £9,495 (RM56,320). Two trim levels are available, the Toyota iQ (£10,495 for the auto) and the Toyota iQ2 (£10,495 for the manual, £11,495 for the CVT). The iQ has 15 inch alloy wheels, manual air conditioning controls, adjustable heated wing mirrors, an LED rear stop lamp, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, a 6-speaker audio system with MP3, WMA, CD and aux input, steering-wheel audio controls, ABS, VSC, and 9 airbags.

The higher spec iQ2 adds automatic headlamps, automatic rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry and start, automatic climate control, high-gloss 15 inch alloys, smoked headlamps, and a chrome trim for the rear light cluster.

In addition, there is a choice of 3 accessory packages - the iStyle, iSports and iUrban. iStyle costs £250 and consists of chrome side sills, a rear chrome garnish and aluminium scuff plates. iSports adds a rear roof spoiler, rear skirting and a chrome tip for the exhaust pipe for £400. The iUrban package adds reverse sensors, a reversible velour/rubber boot liner and carpet mats for £350. Satnav is a £950 option while leather seats will cost you £700. If you add all of these options it can bump up the cost quite abit.

Two transmissions are available - a 5-speed manual and a Multidrive CVT. There is obviously no emphasis on performance as the Toyota press release does not mention how much power the iQ’s 1.0 VVT-i engine produces but they do quote a road tax-free 99g/km CO2 output (110g/km for the CVT) and a 65.7mpg combined cycle fuel economy.

Look after the jump for a video of the Toyota iQ.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota iQ UK prices and specification announced

The new third generation Toyota Avensis made a public debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show and features a few firsts when you’re talking about Toyota in Europe. The new Avensis is available in two bodystyles - sedan and wagon.

The new Avensis has the same 2700mm wheelbase as the outgoing second generation model, but Toyota claims this is a new platform, or perhaps an enhanced old one which they think deserves the term new. Despite being a D-segment sedan this is significantly shorter than the Camry’s 2776mm wheelbase. But then again apparently this is how the Europeans like their D-segment sedans so it’s quite normal for them.

Despite the same wheelbase, tread has been increased by between 30mm to 45mm and width has gone up by 50mm to 1810mm. The sedan is slightly more aerodynamic than the wagon at 0.28 Cd compared to 0.29 Cd. They are both 1480mm tall. The sedan is 4695mm long while the wagon measures at 4765mm.

The engine range consists from something as small as a 1.6 liter petrol unit all the way up to a 2.2 liter D-4D turbodiesel. All the petrol engine feature Toyota’s new Valvematic technology which incorporates continuously variable valve lift together with VVT-i valve timing control. The 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 Valvematic engines produce 132hp with 160Nm of torque, 147hp with 180Nm of torque and 152hp with 196Nm of torque respectively.

The 1.6 petrol unit only comes with a 6-speed manual but for the 1.8 and 2.0 liter models there is the option for the Multidrive S CVT transmission which succeeds the Super CVT-i transmission. This transmission behaves like a conventional CVT normally but when it senses you are driving hard, it automatically changes to a mode which swaps virtual cogs between 7-speed pre-determined ratios for a more sporty feel.

The oil burners range from a 2.0 liter and two 2.2 liter D-4D engines.These engines feature new piezo injectors and increased common rail pressure at 2,000 bar. The base 2.0 liter diesel produces 126hp and 310Nm of torque between 1800 and 2400rpm. The more sedate of the two 2.2 liter engines is the D-4D 150 which produces 150hp and 340Nm of torque between 2200 and 2800rpm.

The most powerful engine is the 2.2 D-4D 180, featuring 177hp and a massive 400Nm of torque between 2000 to 2800rpm. The D-4D 150 also comes with a 6-speed automatic transmission, a first for a Toyota diesel passenger car.

Look after the jump for a photo gallery of the new Avensis.

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In order to pack enough components and space into such a small little thing, Toyota’s new premium small car the Toyota iQ warranted an all-new platform with many newly designed components.

Some packaging innovations used in the new Toyota iQ includes a relocated differential moved to the front side of the engine to allow the front wheels to be moved further forward, a new steering rack that is mounted high on the firewall, a new wiper motor and mechanism to allow for the new steering rack, a book-thin flat fuel tank located under the rear passenger’s feet, a compact yet powerful climate control unit, ultrathin seatbacks to create more space, and repositioned engine ancillaries around the suspension for a turning radius of 3.9 meters. Because the rear passenger is so close to the rear of the car, there are even rear windshield airbags.

The iQ will have a production volume of only 100,000 units a year which is not enough to recover the R&D costs, so a few more cars based on the Toyota iQ platform is expected to arrive soon. One is a small SUV - likely to be a Cross-iQ, and others would include a compact 7-seater as well as a car to replace the Toyota Yaris.

It seems that the Toyota iQ is actually a challenge to Toyota’s R&D team to rethink how they usually design a vehicle platform, and then use the space-maximizing innovations and platform to create more normal sized cars that offer class-leading interior space. Imagine, perhaps two generations from now we will get an iQ-based Toyota Vios B-segment sedan that offers C-segment interior space.

And it will all be because of the Toyota iQ.

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Toyota UK has released more photos of both sedan and touring versions of the upcoming third generation Toyota Avensis, set to be unveiled to the public at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The new Avensis certainly looks very sharp and muscular, a nice change compared to the rather dated look of the outgoing second generation model.

The new Toyota Avensis was styled at Toyota’s ED2 design studio in the south of France and will be built in the UK at Toyota’s Derbyshire plant. It will feature equipment such as Steering-assist Vehicle Stability Control (VSC+), Adaptive Front Light System (AFS) and Pre-Crash Safety System (PCS).

The interior controls and meter panel illumination follows the goldish theme of modern Toyotas such as the Auris. More detailed specs to be revealed at the motorshow.

View three more images after the jump.

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UMW Toyota Motor has unveiled a front three quarter view of the upcoming Toyota Innova facelift on its website. The IMV vehicle is built on the same chassis as the Toyota Hilux and comes with a single engine - a 2.0 liter longitudinally mounted 1TR-FE driving the rear wheels with 136 PS at 5,600rpm and 182Nm of torque at 4,000rpm.

Three models will be available for the facelift: the 2.0G automatic estimated to cost RM110,000, the 2.0E automatic estimated to be priced at RM102,000 and the 2.0E manual which is estimated to go for RM97,000.

The 2.0G model has chrome trim on the front grile as well as an Optitron meter panel, CD and MP3 player with 6 speakers, dual SRS airbags at the front, and fabric seats (leather optional). For the E models you lose the passenger airbag and the Optitron meter panel.

Times have changed, from barely anything at the RM100k mark in the MPV market a few years ago to a decent selection consisting of the APV, Avanza, Innova and Grand Livina. The local boys will join the race soon with the Proton MPV and Perodua MPV.

The facelifted Toyota Hilux has been unveiled in the UK and it looks like the same one as was unveiled on our UMW Toyota Motor webpage a few weeks ago.

The exterior features minor cosmetic changes such as new bumpers and grille while the interior gets slight design changes with the switchgear for better ergonomics. The only technical change is an updated suspension setup with new double-row roller-type rear axle bearings, new bushes and a better valve structure on the front shocks, and some changes with the 3.0 liter D-4D Double Cab model which we do not get here.

The 3.0 liter unit is now mated to a 5-speed automatic and gets a 17Nm boost in torque up to 360Nm from 1,400rpm to 3,400rpm thanks to a swirl control system to optimize the air-fuel mixture at low engine speeds.

Look after the jump for photos and a video of the facelifted Hilux.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Toyota Hilux facelift unveiled in the UK

Toyota seems to have put out a very minor facelift of the Toyota Belta out in Japan. The Belta was originally launched end-2005 and right now is about the time for its mid-life facelift. The Japanese Belta is also known as the Toyota Vios in other markets such as ours, or the Toyota Yaris Sedan.

It looks like there are no changes at all to the styling on the outside except for a small grille change on the front to a mesh grille?

The 1.0 liter version is powered by the 1KR-FE DOHC engine putting out 71 PS at 6,000rpm and 94Nm of torque at 3,600rpm, while the 1.3 liter 2WD version is powered by the 2SZ-FE DOHC engine producing 87 PS at 6,000rpm and 118Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The 1.3 liter 4WD version uses the 2NZ-FE DOHC engine with 87 PS and 120Nm of torque.

Look for more photos after the jump.

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The Toyota Avensis is a sedan built and sold in the UK since 1998. It is currently in its second generation and this teaser photo here shows a rear three quarter view of the third generation due to be unveiled soon at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

Other Toyota Sedans not found in our market:
Toyota Allion - for the Japanese market
Toyota Premio - for the Japanese market
Toyota Corolla Axio - for the Japanese market

Click for hi-res photo

UMW Toyota Motor has relaunched its Toyota Genuine Motor Oil range of lubricants with a new look and a new formula for the premium SL/CF fully synthetic oil. The new formulation is called the Toyota Genuine Motor Oil SM/CF fully synthetic and has a gold coloured bottle. The rest of the range comes with a grey bottle.

The following are the prices for the relaunched TGMO: