GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

> search

Make / Model Search

Search results for: "toyota" Page 323 of 340

First Oz drive: Toyota launches green machineOct 2001

First Oz drive: Toyota launches green machi...

Toyota promises Prius will deliver reduced fuel consumption and polluting emissions

10 Series PriusOct 2001

10 Series Prius

THE world’s first production hybrid vehicle was the 10 Series Prius, a small four-door sedan with a petrol/electric combination powerplant.The original was launched at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1997, to an astonished world.Global exports of a thoroughly facelifted model commenced from 2000, with Australia following America with the Prius in October 2001."Hybrid" means the Prius combines petrol and electric power for motivation, producing a significant cut in both fuel consumption and pollutants compared to a traditional petrol engine.Interestingly, the Toyota was actually the second hybrid to go on sale in Australia, following Honda's Insight coupe that appeared here in very small numbers from April 2001 to June 2004.The Prius differs in the design of its hybrid system because the petrol engine doesn't run at light throttle openings, while the Insight uses a small electric engine to supplement the power of its 1.0-litre petrol engine.But while the Honda sold less than 40 of the two-seater Insights in this country, the Toyota had a huge advantage because it was a full five-seat sedan of basically the same dimensions as a Corolla.At the heart of the Prius is the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) driveline that consists of a purpose-developed 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) which also functions as a power-split device, a generator, an electric motor and reduction gears to the front axle.The 33kW electric motor handles light-throttle driving, with the 53kW variable valve timing (VVT-i) engine chiming in as speeds rise. The electric motor churns out a massive 350 Newton-metres from 0 to 400rpm, while the petrol engine contributes its maximum 115Nm at 4200rpm.This translates into leisurely acceleration, with a 0-100km/h figure of 13.4 seconds claimed, but the fuel consumption figures are much more impressive: 4.6 litres per 100km on the city cycle and a miserly 4.2 L/100km on the highway cycle.Toyota claims that in city driving emissions of carbon dioxide - which is the primary greenhouse gas emitted from vehicles - are approximately half those of a similarly-sized vehicle, while emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide are cut by 80 per cent.Cleverly, energy that is not required to propel Prius is converted to electricity and stored in a sealed 274 Volt battery for later use, and kinetic energy generated by the braking system is also converted into electricity and stored.No less than 12 computers make Prius work, controlling the drive system including transmission, battery, inverters, cooling systems, steering, ABS brakes and dual airbags.All cars include climate control air-conditioning, remote central locking, power windows and mirrors, six-disc CD audio system, alloy wheels, ABS with electronic brake-force distribution, driver and front passenger airbags and lap-sash seatbelts all-round.The only option is DVD-based satellite navigation.

UZZ40R SC 430Oct 2001

UZZ40R SC 430

LEXUS’ reply to the Mercedes-Benz CL was certainly distinctive.Said to be inspired by fast luxury boats, the SC 430 opened a new market for the brand in Australia, although its SC 400 predecessor – based on the Japanese-market Toyota Soarer – arrived here in reasonable numbers as unofficial ‘grey’ imports.The SC 430’s party trick was not the electric folding metal roof that turned it from a 2+2 seater coupe (and the rear seats are barely capable of carrying a baby) into an extremely pleasant and refined convertible.Nor was it the utterly buttery 210kW/419Nm 4.3-litre quad-cam 32-valve V8 powerplant mated to an equally smooth five-speed automatic gearbox, or stratospheric levels of gizmos and gadgets.No, the SC 430’s appeal lay in its brash bug-eyed styling that brazenly screamed “Key West” or “Beverly Hills” and looked like no other car on the market.And, like the Lexus RX 330, although the dynamics were a little on the vague and roly poly side, there was still much hedonistic pleasure to gain from the slick salubriousness that was the SC 430.In October ’04 Lexus wrought a surprisingly subtle yet effective facelift that added a little sharpness to the SC’s styling.

T30 X-TrailOct 2001

T30 X-Trail

NISSAN’S first entrant in the burgeoning compact SUV 4WD wagon market took Australia by storm on its low-key 2001 release.Developed from the front-wheel Nissan Primera mid-sized sedan not available in Australia, Nissan fashioned a conservative yet highly appealing two-box four-door station wagon that promised slightly more practicality than, say, the stubbier Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester.Clever male-orientated marketing, showing the X-Trail used and abused with trail bikes and other ‘blokey’ outdoor pursuits, was another factor behind the Nissan SUV’s startling success.The T30 X-Trail’s 4WD system is a simple part-time device.Pushing the 2WD button locks the Nissan as a front-driver to save a little bit of fuel during normal road conditions.Hitting the "auto" 4WD button next to it when the surface becomes loose or wet and drive will be sent to the rear wheels via an electronically controlled coupling if the sensors detect a need for traction.And push the "lock" button when crawling through the bush at speeds up to 30km/h and 4WD becomes permanent with a 57:43 front-rear split - above that speed, the system reverts to the auto mode.The system is a variation of the serious four-wheel drive system underneath Pathfinder (but with a push-button not rotary dial), except that in two-wheel drive the X-Trail drives its front wheels and there's no low range.The baseline ST runs to remote locking, air-conditioning, a four-speaker single-CD stereo, electric windows, twin airbags and a strong-performing quartet of disc brakes backed with ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist.The top-spec Ti model adds climate and cruise control, an in-dash six-CD stereo with six speakers, 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, variable intermittent wipers, rear roof spoiler, different interior trims and some leather trim.Both models use a 2.5-litre inline four producing 132kW at 6000rpm and a big 245Nm of torque at 4000rpm, offered with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox.From December 2003 the Series II facelift arrived.Car spotters will have difficulty identifying it.The bumpers have been very subtly redesigned, as have the foglights on Ti and Ti-L versions, plus there are slightly wider "spars" bordering the Nissan badge in the grille. The interior has had more of a rework, retaining the central instrument cluster but swapping tacho and fuel and temperature gauge positions, moving the drink cooler/holder apertures to the outboard edges of the dash, relocating the air vents that formerly ran across the centre console section of the dash to two separate vents either side of the radio, and giving the driver an adjustable face-level vent directly above the steering wheel.The controller for the All-Mode 4WD system is now a Pathfinder-style rotating knob to the left of the (also redesigned) four-spoke steering wheel.The Ti was joined by the more luxury-orientated Ti-L, while the base ST model remains.In early 2006, to meet Euro III stage emissions requirements, the X-Trail’s 2.5-litre engine’s power and torque outputs dropped slightly, to 123kW and 230Nm.

LianaOct 2001

Liana

Some critics cite Suzuki’s 1990s light/small car contender, the Baleno, as its most boring car ever.So, stung by this criticism, Suzuki went decidedly leftfield with its replacement, the Life In A New Age – or Liana for short.A tall, almost monobox five-door hatchback body sure wasn’t everybody’s stylistic cup of tea but it did offer plenty of space inside, while the offbeat digital dash also stood out.Underneath the Liana was utterly conventional, from its front-wheel drive to the coil spring suspension layout.Power came courtesy of a lively 76kW/144Nm 1.6-litre DOHC 16V four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox.But Liana sales weren’t quite as strong as Suzuki had hoped, since its 1.6 engine and slightly narrower feel meant that the Suzuki suffered a power and image handicap against small car stalwarts like the Mazda 323 and Toyota Corolla.So the Liana four-door sedan arrived from September ’02, along with a surprisingly effective GS model featuring a body kit, sportier cabin and extra features for both body variants.Anti-lock brakes were added from August ’03 to an already well-equipped package (that included dual airbags, power steering/windows/mirrors, central locking, and CD audio, while the non-GS Liana hatch temporarily vanished.Sales improved, kicked along by keen pricing.

Search results pages:

GoAuto Search Words

Search will attempt to find all articles within the system that contain any or all words you are looking for.

You can include words like "and" + "or" for boolean style searching. Some search examples as follows:

  • "Ford v8" - Results will contain the text as it appears in the search "Ford v8".
  • "Ford and v8" - Results will have both "Ford" and "v8" within its contents but may not be sequential as per previous example.
  • "Ford or Holden and v8" - Results found will contain "v8" and also contain either "Ford" or "Holden".

You may also use wildcards represented by an asterisks. For example:

  • "Turbo*" - will find all documents that contain words like "Turbocharged", "Turbo-Diesel".
  • "Ford and v*" - Results will have both "Ford" and any word that has "V", so you may find documents about Volvo that mention Ford.

Please note: Due to the number of articles, searches may take a few moments to respond.

Research cars by brand

Catch up on all of the latest industry news with this week's edition of GoAutoNews
Click here