Month: March 2015

2015 Toyota Highlander Limited AWD Crossover

On By stuwright47In *CROSSOVERS, ToyotaLeave a comment

SAM_3838Toyota, the first company in the world to build ten million vehicles, came out with the Camry-based Highlander in 2001, having announced its anticipated arrival at the New York Auto Show in April of 2000.  It has been a sales success, racking up in excess of 1.5 million units sold to date.

For 2015, Toyota’s Highlander carries forward its renewed styling that was rolled out in 2014, and  is currently in its third generation iteration.  It is a car-based mid-sized SUV with seven-passenger, three row seating.  Sales of the Highlander (146,127 in 2014 – a record) places its revenue right in the middle of the Toyota SUV lineup.  The Toyota RAV-4 is the only model that produces more sales for the company than the Highlander.SAM_3842

This past week I was able to test a Highlander, a Limited top-of-the-line unit that carried an M.S.R.P. of $47,812.00, including freight.  The Limited’s base price was $41,300.00, and had as options a BluRay rear entertainment system ($1,810.00), driver technology package ($1,400.00), tow hitch/wiring harness ($699.00), side running boards ($599.00), remote engine start ($499.00), floor/cargo mat package ($225.00), and paint protection film on the front end ($395.00).  The Limited Highlander included a safety technology package, a moonroof, and perforated leather second-row captain’s chairs.  The extra technology equipment included radar adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam headlamps, blind spot monitor, lane departure alert, and pre-collision warning.

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Additional Limited model items on my test car included power liftgate with glass hatch, 19” five-spoke alloy wheels, anodized roof rails, three zone climate control, JBL/Entune/navigation with 8” screen (the rear screen was 9″), perforated black leather seats, pushbutton starter, proximity keyless entry, tilt/telescope, heated and air conditioned front bucket seats, backup camera, and nice Optitron instrumentation.

Styling, with the 2014/2015 revision, was great.  So was the opulent-looking Predawn Mica gray paint, “Limited” badging, and polished Chromtec finish on the wheels.  The tires mounted on the alloys were 245/55R19 Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422  mud and snow radials.  The running boards on my tester added in both the utility and the styling departments.

Power for the Highlander is supplied by a 3.5 liter V-6 with 270 horsepower and 248 lb. ft. of torque.  The transmission is a six-speed automatic with snow mode and full-time four-wheel drive.  A unitized body is employed and four-wheel independent suspension and disc brakes are, as well.  EPA fuel economy ratings are 18-city and 24-highway, with a combined rating of 20.  For the week that I drove the Toyota, my observation was of 24.1 mpg.  Weight is 4,508 lbs., towing capacity is 6,000 lbs. and the fuel tank holds 19.2 gallons.  Overall length is 191.1”, 3” longer than the second generation Highlander, and cargo volume behind the third-row seat is 13.8 cubic feet.  With it folded down, that number increases to 42.3, and with the second- and third-row seats folded flat, total cargo capacity is 83.7 cubic feet.

I enjoyed the styling, interior comfort, visibility, road noise (lack of), and guidance of the Highlander.  The ride was satisfactory, and I feel that this year’s Highlander makes a nice family hauler and/or travel vehicle.  The U.S. public agrees with me, and great sales numbers are the result for Toyota.

2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited Sedan

On By stuwright47In *HYBRIDS/ELECTRICS, ToyotaLeave a comment


SAM_0579The 2015 Toyota Avalon, currently available in hybrid and non-hybrid configurations, is now in its fourth-generation iteration.  I recently was loaned one of them by Rocky Mountain Redline, and the car delivered was painted Celestial Silver metallic and featured premium black leather seating.  With all Avalon production taking place in Georgetown, Kentucky, the first unit rolled off of that assembly line eleven years ago as a 1995 model.  They are full-size, front-wheel drive sedans and represent Toyota’s biggest such offering.

At my age (the Beatles hit U. S. shores while I was in high school), the Avalon represented a nice car to be seen in, and drive around in, for the period of my evaluation.  The ride on its 111″ wheelbase is superb do to the MacPherson strut front suspension with offset coil springs and stabilizer bar and dual-link independent MacPherson strut rear suspension with offset coil springs and another stabilizer bar.  The room inside is ample for big, American motorists with 0ver 42″ of legroom is up front and over 39″ in the back seat area.  The same holds true for shoulder room in the car at nearly five feet of it, front and rear.  Overall length is 195.3″, six inches shorter than a Chevrolet Impala and 4.8″ longer than a Mazda 6.  The Avalon weighs 3,638 lbs., the same as the Chevy despite the fact it has a big hybrid battery on board.

The efficient power supply for the Avalon consisted of a 2.5 liter, 4 cylinder hybrid gas/electric engine with 200 hybrid system net horsepower (149 kW) and an electronically-controlled continuously variable (CVT) transmission.  The EPA estimates for the Avalon is 40 mpg – combined and city.  Highway mileage rating is 39 mpg – my experience for the week driving the car was 38.9 mpg.  The fuel tank holds 17 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline.  SAM_3763It’s impossible for the Avalon styling to offend anyone, young or old.  There exists up front the Toyota-specific big chrome mustache grill with black background, high intensity discharge (HID) quadrabeam headlights with auto on/off feature, and LED daytime running lights (DRL) with on/off feature.  The fifteen-spoke painted aluminum alloy wheels are fitted with P215/55R17 Bridgestone Turanza EL400 mud and snow radials.  No tailpipes are visible at the rear of the car (hybrid-style), but ample chrome is and a spoiler is almost molded into the trunk lid where underneath there is 14 cubic feet of cargo space available to the five passengers.

As you might expect, the inside the Avalon Hybrid Limited is sumptuous with its premium perforated leather-trimmed multi-stage heated and ventilated front seats, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with power lumbar support and power cushion extension, and 8-way power-adjustable front passenger seat.  On hand are premium JBL stereo, navigation system, 7″ touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, power rear window sunshade, ten airbags, tilt/telescope, pushbutton starter, backup camera, smoked chrome accents, and power mirrors/windows/locks.

M.S.R.P. of the Avalon tester came in at $44,475.00, including $825.00 for freight and $1,950.00 for the technology package which included radar cruise control, automatic high beam, pre-collision safety system, and wireless charging platform for smartphones.  It’s a considerable investment, but a sound one given the comfort, beauty, and economy that the buyer gets in the bargain.