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Comments
DrFill
If the car buying publics are calling for a luxury Land Cruiser, leather-seated 4Runner and a niche FJ Cruiser that's what Toyota is going to give them.
Also, Just because you had high hopes for the FJ and it doesn't meet your expectation doesn't mean it's a "loser" (okay, maybe in your book, but even that is exaggerating). You are like those guys who think Lexus should build a 3-series with the new IS and found out that Lexus has other ideas then start calling the IS as a POS. One should not rate a car base on expectations but solely on the car's capability against its competitors.
EDIT: The Land Cruiser is a halo product for the Toyota brand and was never meant to be a volume seller. By the way, since the new LC is coming very soon I am not surprised at all to see the current LC dipping in sales.
I guess it would not make any difference, except they build vehicles for the rest of the world that I would be more than happy to own. They just bring the foo foo crap SUVs & PU trucks to the USA. The Tacoma and 4Runner possible exceptions.
All the rovers will run fine on regular except for the Supercharged ones.
RR: The traction control disabled with the rear diff lock. I have five different traction control and throttle response settings on some of the Rovers and traction control works no matter what the two locking diffs do.
I, personally, have seen plenty of interest in the FJ. The FJ is fine, and will be fine. It is not here to be a volume model for Toyota. If Toyota sold 3k a month, they'd be just fine with that.
Jeep NEEDS Wrangler to sell. Chrysler need any sales they can get! Toyota doesn't really care if FJ moves big or not. The FJ is not a "loser", but a success. They make money on every truck, no incentives, the chassis and engine are shared everywhere. Toyota is very happy with the FJ. Very Happy!
Why? It actually brings people to the dealership. Not a couple of people, here or there. It has a base. I've seen it myself. Case closed.
DrFill
Here in NA, it's another story of course.
Toyota didn't aim the FJ at Europe and some other countries because the Land Cruiser rules that niche there.
Sometimes being on the offense means going to a different formation in another stadium.
Looks pretty sweet, eh? Bet it's even a diesel.
At Lexus showrooms, sales consultants lean five to 10 degrees forward and assume a warrior's "waiting position" when a customer is looking at a car. When serving customers coffee or tea, employees must kneel on the floor with both feet together and both knees on the ground. The coffee cup must never make a noise when it is placed on the table.
I guess this shows the Japanese are better at fooling Americans than their fellow countrymen.
Toyota controls nearly 45% of Japan's passenger-car market, but it is overshadowed by European brands when it comes to luxury cars. Japan's two market leaders, BMW and DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes Benz, together sold nearly four times the number of cars as Lexus did in Japan last year,
What does that mean? It means that the Lexus sales number in Japan has no where to go but UP.
Gary, I guess we'll skip the Lada and go find you a Pinzgauer. I see a nice one cruising around Boise now and then.
They sold in Brazil for a while, with a total low-ball price. It caught on for a while, until people realized how poor reliability and quality was. They started to fall apart, and so did sales.
They are about 20-30 years behind in terms of techlogy, trust me, they couldn't even compete with an 80s Cherokee or Explorer or Jimmy, much less with modern SUVs today.
Also, LADA = Life And Death Association, i.e. they are also extremely unsafe.
1963 FJ45 Short Bed Pickup Fixed Cab.
THIS 63/45 WAS FOUND IN THE NORTHWEST BY A FRIEND IN GRANTS PASS. DESPITE ITS APPEARANCE IT HAD A GREAT BODY UNDER SIX COATS OF HOUSE PAINTAND WAS EASY TO RESTORE, RELATIVE TO THE 65/40 WE HAD JUST FINISHED. WE RESTORED THIS FIXED CAB SHORT BED FOR A CUSTOMER IN TEXAS.
FJ45 PU
DrFill
I also think the current model Highlander is simple and refined.
The Taco looks the best of any of the trucks on the road from the outside. The F150 has the best interiors.
I actually like the looks of the Buick over the Avalon but the Avy's not far behind. The interior on the Avy is worlds better though. The Navigation interface is the worst of any vehicle I've ever seen though.
So far no one seems to really excited about anything Toyota builds.
Also keep in mind that Japan as a country has great respect for German Engineering, so it is not just cars (80% of imports are German), in other areas also some German brands dominate imports (e.g. kitchen knives). So the made in Germany halo effect helps the German brands.
US brands, on the other hand, are completely missing - including the high end.
Actually here in the midwest it is rare to find a Toyota dealer in rural counties (always GM though). In my area people have to drive out of county to get Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans and Mazdas, yet there are quite a few of them on our roads. If it was merely the convenience of location, you wouldn't see those cars here.
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
That true to some extent, but it really doesn't matter. Exciting doesn't pay the bills. Selling reliable basic transportation does. And nobody does that better than Toyota.
As for exciting products?
RAV4 V6 at least has the most HP in its class. I wish they went to a lift gate and it's not exactly thrilling to drive, but it gets the job done. Honda offers 100 fewer HP, so don't even tell me it's more exciting.
Tacoma offers a 6 speed manual with a V6. Pretty cool powertrain combination, rare in any class. You can even get RWD, V6, 6 speed manual transmission. How many vehicles offer that?
Sienna is the most powerful van, both quickest and tied for most efficient. It's not exciting to drive, but the kids won't be late for soccer practice.
If I had to pick a hybrid, it would be a Prius. If I had to pick a hybrid SUV, I'd take a Highlander over an Escape.
4Runner and FJ are fun in their own way. FJ has plenty of character, too, if anything it has a little TOO much character.
Toyota is often a target of criticism because they are the biggest, and their mainstream sedans (Corolla and Camry) are indeed very vanilla. But vanilla is the best selling flavor, and it doesn't mean the rest of the lineup doesn't offer some Rocky Road once in a while.
Leaving out the fact that there are 3X as many GM dealerships as Toyota.
Been to America, Gagrice? You should see it. It's a great place.
DrFill
I have seen a bit of it. Liked most of what I have seen. There are more GM dealers because GM sells more vehicles in America than any other brand. They must be the best according to your posts.
Toyota is the hunter. GM is the hunted.
DrFill
Gagrice, you have your different generation of Camry's messed up: it goes like this for the Na market:
1st Generation(Camry): 1983-1986(model years)
2nd generation: 1987-1991
3rd generation: 1992-1996
4th generation: 1997-2001
5th generation: 2002-2006
6th generation: current 07 model.
As far as the Camry looks its probably the second best or maybe tied for 1st for different generation of Camry's that I liked: I kinda like 1997-2001 Camry's.
Ok yeah the Camry might be a little vanilla but compared to the last generation in terms of looks its a huge upgrade. In addition, I don;t think the Camry in the SE trim is that vanilla looking. I'm not saying the Camry looks sporty in the SE trim but its not that vanilla.
It's like parking a IS250 next to an ES250. :sick:
Or Eva Longoria next to Felicity Huffman.
DrFill
I'll would take the Oddessy over the Sienna myself.
I'll take Eva over Felicity Huffmann anytime because I love my brunettes.
Why would you even compare a RAV4 to a Porsche or Ferrari their just totally uncomparable unless you want to comapre the Porsche Cahayanne SUV to a Toyota/Lexus product.
"Does anyone here really like the looks of anything that Toyota builds anymore?"
The Camry is like the only thing when it comes to looks that I would take a look at in Toyota's line-up right now. The RX SUV isn;t that bad looking but its a Lexus and its not sold at Toyota dealers but I don;t know if it would buy it though actually or take a look at it but its a funcational car-like SUV I feel like.
DrFill
Bored With The Toyota Board!
Comment there, post here or get your own $%#$%#$ car blog. Free. :shades:
Not me. The Ody did handle better, but ride was noisier and harsher, it was slower, and it had less equipment for $1635 more (EX vs. LE w/pack 3).
The Sienna also has a better 8 seat configuration. I gave up auto-climate control that the Ody EX offers, but I got a lot of extras that the EX doesn't:
* trip computer
* power 3rd row windows (Ody doesn't even open)
* 3rd row seat that can face back for tailgaters
* puddle lamps
* tow-ready (oil coolers)
* cross bars on the roof rack
* more HP and torque
You sacrifice quite a bit to get better handling on the Honda.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee9c95e/10
DrFill
Someone to build us a car, or fill our children's heads with a lot of worthless nonsense? If anything the professors are over paid for what they actually do. Our colleges & universities are a joke compared to many other countries.
Public school teachers are another subject. Most states they are under paid. They put up with a lot of crap for mediocre paychecks.
DrFill
That must be why the best and brightest from around the world come to study at our universities. When I was in college everyone I worked with on campus was from either India, Pakistan, China(Hong Kong mostly but some from the mainland) Philippines, Thailand or Taiwan.
Their majors ran from business, Computer Science, Engineering, Chemistry, and so on and so forth. They were all grateful to get the chance to go to school in the US.
If you want to go to med school in this country and it is between you and a foreign student. Guess who gets the slot?
I repeat with an additional comment. Our college and university system is a joke when it comes to our US citizens.
It is not the best and brightest from abroad. It is the rich and richest that get those slots.
(and some of y'all really need to think about moving if you're that unhappy with your local government :P ).