Archive for Toyota

The facelifted Toyota Fortuner has made an appearance on UMW Toyota’s website. The 7-seater SUV based on the Toyota Hilux IMV platform now features a “frowny” grille – that is it curves outwards downwards – and new headlamps with a different shape to fit the new grille.

The front bumper looks somewhat similiar to the pre-facelift (shown left), but new is the option for a TRD bodykit which we’ve not yet had a chance to see yet, but it could end up looking like bodykitted Fortuner facelift offered in Thailand (pics after jump), though I hope it is a different one as the Thai kit seems abit garish. Something based on the TRD Hilux would be nice. The headlamps also now seem to feature a projector lense, an upgrade from the reflectors of the prefacelift Fortuner.

As with the Hilux, the 2.5 liter turbodiesel in the facelifted Fortuner remains the same, producing 102 PS at 3,600rpm and 260Nm of torque between 1,600 to 2,400rpm. The petrol-powered 2.7V uses a 2.7 liter inline-4 engine putting out 160 PS at 5,200rpm and 241Nm of torque at 3,800rpm. Both engines use a 4-speed Super ECT automatic. When the Fortuner was first introduced, the diesel was only available with a 5-speed manual.

Lastly, unlike the Hilux which uses a part-time 4WD system with an LSD at the rear, the Fortuner uses a full-time 4WD system with a Torsen LSD.

The following are the estimated prices for individual registration in Peninsular Malaysia:

For all other prices, head on to the facelifted Fortuner preview page at UMW Toyota. Look after the jump for more photos of the facelifted Fortuner from Toyota’s Thailand site.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Fortuner facelift initial details revealed!

Toyota has quietly put a mysterious 2.5 liter inline-4 Dual VVT-i engine into its updated 2009 Toyota RAV4 for the US market. The new 2.5 liter engine replaces the old 2.4 liter inline-4 VVT-i and has variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust.

The new engine is more powerful, producing 179hp at 6,000rpm and 233Nm of torque at 4,000rpm versus the 2.4 liter’s 166hp and 224Nm figures. Toyota says the 4-speed transmission mated to this engine is a new unit that is more compact, lightweight and efficient compared to the outgoing model.

No matter what, it’s still a 4-speed unit Toyota! Even compact budget Volkswagens are now available with 6-speed or 7-speed DSG boxes. Even Honda is putting at least a 5-speed in all of their cars now, except for the compact JDM K-cars. Anyway, expect this new 2.5 liter Dual VVT-i inline-4 to replace the 2.4 liter 2AZ-FE in some if not all markets.

The higher end 3.5 liter V6 unit remains unchanged, putting out 269hp at 6,200rpm and 333Nm of torque at 4,700rpm. The rest of the changes with the 2009 model RAV4 include different styling on the front and rear and various other different bits and pieces.

Look after the jump for a hi-res gallery.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota RAV4 gets new 2.5 liter Dual VVT-i engine

Most car companies in Malaysia ignore their online presence or simply let it wither, but for car companies that really invest in their websites like Honda and Toyota, sometimes the latest on their brands can be found on their websites first instead of anywhere else, just like how the Nissan Sylphy’s specs were posted on ETCM’s website before anyone else.

Toyota’s entire IMV range is being facelifted right now, and we’ve already seen a disguised facelifted Innova plowing Indonesian roads earlier. As for the Hilux, UMW Toyota Motor has revealed the facelifted version of the Toyota Hilux on their website.

On the exterior you get new wing mirrors with signal indicators, a new front bumper, a new front grille and new alloy wheels. According to the released specs there is no change in the power output level of the 2.5 liter D4-D engine. It remains at 102 PS at 3,600rpm and 260Nm of torque between 1,600rpm to 2,400rpm. The following are estimated prices:

All prices are an estimation only and are for Peninsular Malaysia, individual registration except the single cab which is the price for company private registration. Go to the Hilux microsite for the rest of the prices for different registration and regions.The Fortuner facelift could follow the Hilux facelift’s design cues.

A facelifted version of the Toyota Innova is due soon in face of “attacks” by other upcoming MPVs such as the Proton MPV. In these times of high fuel prices, UMW Toyota should put a turbodiesel into the Malaysian Toyota Innova. Its Toyota Unser predecessor had a diesel option in Malaysia. In overseas markets a diesel Innova is available with the 102 PS 2KD-FTV D4-D turbodiesel. Despite diesel fuel being so expensive now since the last fuel hike, it still gives more km per liter compared to petrol engines.

These photos show the facelifted Innova on test in Indonesia. It has minor styling changes as usual on the front and rear. I have put a photo of the current Innova side by side for comparison purposes. You can see a front bumper with a slightly larger grille opening and a new front grille.

Look after the jump for a shot of the rear.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Innova Facelift on test in Indonesia

Toyota has added an “active noise control” system to the Toyota Crown Hybrid which works similiar to the way noise canceling headphones work.

Toyota says during slow city drives of between 20 to 40km/h where engine RPM is between 1,000 to 3,000rpm, muffled noise of between 50 to 150Hz can typically be transmitted to the car, impairing the car’s interior comfort.

Three microphones in the car’s interior picks up this noise and sends it to the active noise control system. The system then generates an antiphase sound signal from a set of speakers to counter the noise. Three speakers are used located on the left front door, right front door and one rear woofer. Distance between the mics that pickup the noise and the head of a passenger as well as the shape of the car’s interior has to be taken into account. Toyota says this can reduce noise levels by between 5 to 8dB.

Although there are similiaries between the Crown Hybrid and the Lexus GS450h’s hybrid drive system, the active noise control is not necessary in the Lexus GS as the engine RPM in the GS is higher at the same speeds. This is because the Crown Hybrid’s ratios are tuned for better mileage.

Toyota GB is introducing a new sports-themed version of the third generation Toyota RAV4 called the Toyota RAV4 SR180. The 180 badge seems to indicate 180 PS… well, nearly. Its 2.2 liter D-4D turbodiesel engine produces 175 PS and a massive 400Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.

The RAV4 SR180 goes from 0 to 100km/h in 9.3 seconds which is reasonably swift though it won’t kick you back into your seats every time you put the pedal to metal, and gets a mileage of 40.4mpg on the combined cycle.

Bits of sporty equipment included in the SR180 package include extended wheel arches, 18 inch alloy wheels, runflattyres, dark-tinted headlamps, Integrated Active Drive (VSC, Traction Control and Hill Start Assist), Bluetooth connectivity, dark tinted rear privacy glass, fog lamps, a six speaker audio system with a 6-CD changer, cruise control, and electric sunroof.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota RAV4 SR180 2.2 D-4D SUV

Readers of this blog have already known this since last week, but now UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has officially announced the Vios J to the media so we have high resolution photos of the interior to look at, available after the jump.

According to UMW Toyota Motor MD Kuah Kock Heng, the Vios current holds 50% of the 1.4 to 1.5 liter market share in Malaysia, effectively this means foreign makes with a small engine capacity as Proton offerings are 1.3 and 1.6 and the more price-savvy Peroduas are all 1.3 and below. The second generation Vios available in E, G, S and now J form have collectively been selling about 2,500 units a month. They are targetting 700 sales a month from the new Vios J.

With the new Vios J UMW Toyota has finally executed their intention to offer a Vios model for under RM70k (see 4th April 2007 story), although quite a fair bit has been removed from the equipment list. The model under RM70k costs RM69,800 and is only available with a manual transmission. There no airbags, foglamps or alloy wheels but you do get an MP3 CD player albeit not integrated, and other safety features such as ABS remain, which is used more in day to day driving. Adding a 4-speed Super ECT automatic transmission pushes the price up to RM73,500.

Look after the jump for photos of the interiors of both the manual transmission and automatic transmission models.

Click here to read the rest of New Toyota Vios 1.5 J Official Photos

Click to enlarge

Never before has a concept car been so aptly named. The Toyota Aygo Crazy concept will be displayed at the 2008 British International Motor Show this month.

The Toyota Aygo Crazy has been converted from a front engined front wheel drive configuration to a rear engine rear wheel drive setup. The car’s body has been modified to accomodate its 17 inch wheels. Installed in the rear is a 1.8 liter VVT-i engine from the Toyota MR-S together with the rear suspension from the MR-S. Tein dampers have been fitted all-around.

The engine has been turbocharged with a Toyota Motorsport turbo kit resulting in 200 PS at 6,700rpm and 240Nm of torque at 3,400rpm in the 1,050kg car, giving it a 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 5.7 seconds. A huge aluminium radiator can be found installed up front.

It cost £100k to build, so unless you’re crazy you’ll be better off getting something else to match the Aygo Crazy’s performance. More images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Toyota Aygo Crazy Concept

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd has added the new Toyota Vios 1.5J to their model range for the 2008 and 2009 model years. The new Toyota Vios 1.5J comes with both a manual and automatic transmission and costs RM69,800.00 or RM73,500.00 respectively, OTR with insurance.

Mechanically, the Vios J spec is similiar to its higher spec brethren, featuring the same 109 PS 1.5 liter VVT-i engine mated to a 4-speed Super ECT gearbox. As for equipment levels, it comes with 14 inch steel wheels wrapped with 175/65R14 tyres, manual wing mirrors, a bumper with no foglamps, dark grey fabric seats, a 1-DIN CD player, 4 speakers, and power windows for all four doors.

There are no SRS airbags in this car, but the anti-lock brakes and EBD remain, with ventilated disc brake at the front and drum brakes at the rear. For those who are interested, the 5-speed manual gearbox’s ratios are: 1st: 3.525, 2nd: 1.904, 3rd: 1.310, 4th: 0.969, 5th: 0.815, reverse: 3.250.

UMW Toyota Motor is also currently running a Merdeka Meriah promo for the Vios from the 1st of July until the 31st of August 2008 where buyers will get a downpayment rebate or a petrol card.

Toyota Vios 1.5J (Manual) – RM69,800.00
Toyota Vios 1.5J (Auto) – RM73,500.00

For photos of the car snapped back in late May 2008, view the related posts below:

Related Posts:
Toyota Vios J with manual transmission spotted!

Click here to read the rest of New 2009 Toyota Vios J Spec Manual and Auto

Toyota is set to launch its first lithium ion battery-powered hybrids in 2009, but it is already undergoing R&D for the next generation of batteries in search for battery technology with capabilities beyond what lithium ion battery technology can offer.

One of the technologies being researched are metal-air batteries. Typical metals used in metal-air batteries include zinc or aluminium, with zinc being the most popular one by far, a popular choice to power hearing aids.

Metal-air batteries have often been compared to fuel cells in terms of operation. The anode is pure metal, and the cathode is a supply of air, which is pretty much considered inexhaustible. Water is used as a catalyst. There are also lithium air batteries and carbon air batteries being researched.

Please refer to the links below for more information on metal-air batteries.

Related Links:
Wikipedia: Zinc-air battery
ESA: Meta-Air Battery
Batteries Digest: Metal Air Batteries, Half a Fuel Cell?