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Search results for: "toyota" Page 335 of 340

SW CougarOct 1999

SW Cougar

FORD never really found a way to successfully replace its classic 1970s Capri coupe, and the Cougar – though a worthy effort – was no exception.Like all its predecessors, the Cougar was spun off an existing Ford family car. In this case it was the first-generation Mondeo, built from 1993 to 2000.It was a good starting point too, since the front-wheel drive Mondeo was a dynamic yardstick throughout its lifetime.But the Cougar was built in North America, and was styled inside and out to appeal to Americans.And in the face of wild competition like the 1999 Honda Integra Type S or the excellent last Toyota Celica, the Ford fell short.For starters it was set-up as a fine-handling grand tourer, but was laden with lots of weight-adding gear. And so the smooth and willing but not very punchy 125kW/220Nm 2.5-litre DOHC 24-valve V6 had its work cut out for it.Yet equipment levels were high – and included anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, traction control, dual front and front-side airbags, power steering, climate control air-conditioning, power windows, remote central locking, alloy wheels and sports seats.Sales never took off, despite good reviews, as the old Celica market was instead going for compact 4WD wagons.

NCP10R /NCP12R EchoOct 1999

NCP10R /NCP12R Echo

Toyota’s replacement for the competent but dull Starlet couldn’t have been bolder. Or better at the time.The Echo (Yaris in Europe, Vitz in Japan) was designed to conquer Europe and its legion of light car “superminis” headed by the VW Polo, Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa/Holden Barina and Peugeot 206.To that end Toyota Europe engineered a strong and versatile three and five-door hatchback, while Japan devised the shockingly dowdy and tippy-toed four-door Echo Sedan that was meant to appeal to American and Asian markets. It bombed in both.Made in Japan rather than in France, Aussie-bound Echo hatchbacks were powered by an eager 63kW/122Nm 1.3-litre DOHC 16V Variable Valve Timing (VVT) four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox.It quickly shot to the top of its class, aided by a spacious and versatile interior, agreeable dynamics, a comfy ride and space-age (albeit divisive) digital instrumentation.But base models hatchbacks were spartan, with only a driver’s airbag and cassette player included.The much-needed power steering wasn’t made standard until October ’02, while safety gear like a passenger airbag and anti-lock brakes were only available via a costly Safety Pack.From March ’01 the Echo Sedan’s 80kW/142Nm 1.5-litre DOHC 16V VVT engine was slightly reworked, along with the suspension, steering, cabin trim and wheels, for the manual-only Echo Sportivo hatchback.Despite these additions though it wasn’t a very convincing baby hot-hatch.

90 Series LandCruiser Prado 95R Series IIAug 1999

90 Series LandCruiser Prado 95R Series II

Improved frontal occupant safety, better refinement and more standard features defined the 95 Series’ ’99 facelift.Improved middle-row seating and rear access, new instrumentation, upgraded audio and redesigned fabrics and trim sum up the cabin changes, while on the outside there were alterations to the grille, bumpers, tail-lights and colour palette.A new VX model was introduced below the Grande.In March 2000 Toyota introduced a 96kW/343Nm 3.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine to the Prado in RV, GXL, Grande (from October 2000) and exclusive-to-turbo-diesel TX guises.Like the V6s, all featured eight seats and a 159-litre fuel tank.Toyota continued the added-value Prado specials in the form of August 2000’s GXL V6-based Kimberley and May 2001’s 50th Anniversary edition.There was also the Prado V6 and turbo-diesel Advantage of May 2002.The Prado continued until the significantly larger and more refined 120 Series model replaced it in early 2003.

Hallowed hybrid halves emissionsJun 1999

Hallowed hybrid halves emissions

Toyota's industry-leading hybrid Prius sedan is expected on sale in Australia next July

GXE10R (Mk1) IS 200Mar 1999

GXE10R (Mk1) IS 200

THERE is little doubt that the first-generation IS 200 was Toyota’s reply to the 1991-1998 BMW E36 320i.Both were three-box four-door sedans with a 2.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels with particular attention focussed to a near 50:50 weight distribution.As a result, at its introduction some described the IS as a four-door Mazda MX-5/Miata sedan, so positive was the reaction to what became the first youth-orientated Lexus.But, like the derided ES 300, the IS 200 wasn’t actually a ‘true’ Lexus in that it was developed as a compact Toyota for the Japanese home-market (known as the Altezza), until Lexus got into the act and ‘Lexus-fied’ it.At least the IS was as driver-orientated as the ES was just plain bloated. The company honed the car’s dynamics at Germany’s famed Nürburgring racetrack, and fitted double wishbone all-independent suspension and a quick rack-and-pinion steering rack.Its 114kW 1988cc six-cylinder engine produced 195Nm, and relied on plenty of revs to reach that top. Luckily then it was a smooth and fuss-free spinner.The manual gearbox was a lovely metallic-feeling close-ratio six-speed manual, although a less-satisfying four-speed automatic was also made available.Two equipment grades were introduced – the base and Sport Luxury.Besides having the former’s dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, climate control air-conditioning, alarm, alloy wheels, body kit, cruise control, fog lights and powered steering/windows and mirrors, the Sport Luxury added side-front airbags, a limited-slip differential on manual cars, larger alloys, sportier trim, velour-like fabric and sports and heated front seats.Critics cheered and sales soared as the IS 200 showed up the BMW 3 Series/Mercedes C-class and Audi A4 triumvirate up as poor value for money.About the only criticism levelled at the littlest Lexus was its cabin, which seemed to lack the high levels of quality-feel fittings that higher-echelon models enjoyed.And it’s no coincidence either that – although the IS was so obviously a Japan copy of a brilliant BMW – the others soon learned from the Lexus by offering palpably better base-model engines and more standard kit.In August ’01 Lexus released a revised IS line-up, with minor visual changes and more standard equipment, including side-front airbags.Body rigidity improved, as did the suspension and brakes. New colours, higher-quality trim and better noise and dust sealing were implemented.The Sports Luxury became the IS 200 Luxury Option, while a 157kW/288Nm 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine model – the IS 300 – also joined the range. The latter only came in a five-speed automatic guise.The IS 200 became increasingly dated as all rivals switched to newer-generation models in the course of its life, resulting in a gradual sales drop.But Lexus didn’t rest on its laurels, beginning with a clean sheet of paper and developing a non-Toyota-based IS Mk2 range for release, initially in IS 250 only guise, in November 2005.

MX FronteraMar 1999

MX Frontera

The second-generation Frontera was a significant step forwards, although it was essentially a reworking of the previous M7 Frontera platform.An attractive and functional four-door station wagon was added in three models – base, S and SE.Meanwhile a redesigned two-door MX Frontera was also included, and was now known as the Frontera Sport.In late 2001 an upgrade arrived, bringing a redesigned grille, new head and tail-lights and revised bumpers, plus a change to the SE model's ABS calibration aimed at improving dirt road performance.The four-door V6 Frontera wagon was aimed at the Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota LandCruiser Prado.Its 4WD system enabled the driver to select high range 4WD at speeds of up to 100km/h via a button mounted on the dash. The vehicle needed to be stationary for shifts between high and low range.Suspension was by trailing links, panhard rod and coil springs with a stabiliser bar at the rear and double wishbones with torsion bars at the front.Like the rest of the MX Frontera range, the alloy 3.2-litre, quad camshaft, 24-valve, V6 was sourced from Isuzu in Japan and developed 151kW at 5400rpm with 290Nm at 3000rpm.Holden discontinued the Frontera Sport in June ’02, while the four-door wagon soldiered on unnoticed until its mid-’04 demise.

HR-VJan 1999

HR-V

HONDA had hoped to replicate the success of its CR-V in the light-SUV segment with its HR-V mini-4WD wagon.But Australians seemed to shun such cars – with exception to the inexpensive Daihatsu Terios – as the Mitsubishi Pajero iO also proved.The HR-V was based on the light car that preceded the popular Jazz that Australians never saw – the Toyota Starlet-like Logo – and so was deceptively compact in its dimensions.Initially a two-door wagon arrived, in base and Sport guises, powered by a 77kW/138Nm 1.6-litre SOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine.Interestingly the automatic was of the constant velocity CVT type – giving smoothness and efficiency a regular torque-converter automatic cannot quite match – while a conventional five-speed manual was the other gearbox choice.The HR-V was essentially a front-wheel drive hatchback, until slippage detected in the front wheels activated a version of Honda’s tried and true Real Time part-time 4WD system.All models included dual airbags, power steering, central locking, power windows and cloth trim, while the racier Sport added anti-lock brakes, remote central locking, alloy wheels, roof racks and a rear spoiler.The latter was discontinued in May 2000, two months after the four-door HR-V wagon arrived.A limited edition ‘Indy’ special was based on the base three-door model, and was available in late ’99.

TS AstraSep 1998

TS Astra

What a turn-around! Undoubtedly the most improved car of 1998, the TS Astra is a milestone car for its maker that – along with the BJ Mazda 323 of the same time - brought new levels of value and quality in the hitherto moribund small car market.It was also our top-selling small car for a while before Toyota turned on the heat with the 2002 Corolla.Compared to its dumpy and quality challenged British Vauxhall-developed TR Astra predecessor, the German Opel-engineered, Belgium-built 1998-2004 TS had it all.Its chunky good looks, comfortable, refined and appealing cabin, involving steering, ride and handling properties and a spacious and flexible cabin were real draws.Power came courtesy of a smooth and gutsy 1.8-litre DOHC 16V engine, producing 85kW of power and 165Nm of torque, and married to either a rubbery five-speed manual or slick four-speed auto gearbox.There were high levels of safety and security (including dual airbags as standard and the option of traction control and anti-lock brakes), and a bewildering array of model choices.The base City and CD five-door hatch were the model mainstays, joined by a boxy four-door sedan from April 2000.An engine upgrade from January 2001 brought 5kW of extra power, followed by a base City three-door hatchback 1.8 and TT-series Zafira seven-seater people-mover in June ‘01, the sporty 108kW/203Nm 2.2-litre SRi three-door from October ’01 and the same engined Astra Convertible in December ’01.Turbo variants of the latter two, pumping out 147kW/250Nm, rocked up in May ’03, three months after the three-door City hatch became the sportier SXi 1.8 while the luxurious Astra CDX hatch and sedan lobbed in.From June ’04 Holden severely rationalised the range by discontinuing all models bar the Convertible 2.2 and newly Polish-built TS Astra Classic and CD Classic models, in preparation for the completely rebodied (but bigger and more expensive) AH Astra.The Classic cars continue with the venerable 90kW/165Nm 1.8L motor.Limited edition TS Astra models were rife and included the equipment upgraded Olympic (July ’00) and the evergreen Equipe (April ’01, ’02, '03 and September ’03).

UZJ100R LX 470May 1998

UZJ100R LX 470

LEXUS needed to boost in sales in SUV-crazy America, so came up with the idea of the LX 450 back in the mid-‘90s.This Toyota 80 Series LandCruiser wagon may have had coil spring suspension and a smooth and powerful V8, but it was still a tough go-anywhere vehicle in drag. But tens of thousands were sold Stateside anyway.So the second-generation LX Toyota again donated its LandCruiser hardware, but this time it was the far-more refined 100 Series wagon.Lexus added all sorts of luxury features, including its famous Optitron instrumentation, and then installed a 4.7-litre ‘4CAM’ 32-valve V8 producing 170kW of power and 410Nm of torque.Traction control was added in January ’00, while a raft of running changes heralded the Series II LX 470 in October ’02.These included a five-speed automatic gearbox replacing the old four-speed unit, stability control, self-levelling suspension for a marginally better ride, and a host of other little luxuries.But, compared to the third-generation Range Rover the Lexus competed with, there was no silk purse present in this particular sow’s ear – no matter how good the iconic Toyota LandCruiser is off road.

Grand VitaraApr 1998

Grand Vitara

Suzuki’s Grand Vitara was the replacement for the original Vitara of 1988 – the car that really kicked off the "lifestyle" small 4WD market, despite what Toyota says about its car-based RAV4.Looking like a scaled-down Nissan Patrol, the Grand Vitara is a softer, more lavish and comfortable version of its predecessor but still possessed the separate chassis and part-time low and hi-range 4WD drivetrain for effective off-road use.New too was Suzuki’s ‘Drive Select’ 4x4 system which allowed changes between two and four-wheel-drive (high range) at speeds of up to 100 km/h.Suzuki's designers maintained a toned-down SUV chunkiness inside and out, but improved on-road dynamics for a better steering, handling and riding result.And safety items like ABS brakes and dual airbags were also incorporated, along with stronger bodies (in four and – from May ’99 – two-door wagon guises) and more rigid sub-structures.Power came courtesy of a 94kW/174Nm 2.0-litre DOHC 16V four-cylinder engine or a 106kW/208Nm 2.5-litre DOHC 24V V6. Both come with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox.A 69kW/138Nm 1.6-litre DOHC 16V four-cylinder engine powered the short-lived Grand Vitara Cabriolet from early ’00 to September ’02. Meanwhile from August ’01 the V6 gained 10kW and 5Nm.

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