Having gotten the attention of the average buyer with the hybrid Prius in 2000, Toyota now has a new goal: to move hybrid technology into the mainstream.  The Japanese manufacturer says it’s time to “convince customers that the Prius is a real car [instead of a] science project,” and backs this up with the 2004 Prius.

That’s not to say that the Prius isn’t a nerdy engineer’s dream ride, of course, because it still is.  If it wasn’t, Toyota wouldn’t be able to call the hyper-efficient gasoline engine/electric motor combination the …

The guy at the transmission shop rushed out to get a look at the Toyota Matrix.  “What is it?” he asked.  “It’s pretty cool.  Is it a four or a V6?”  A grizzled diesel mechanic had a similar reaction when he saw our dark blue test car on his lot.  “Is it a four-by-four?” he asked.

Not bad curb draw for a vehicle that’s basically a glorified Corolla wagon, eh?
Oh, right, we know, it’s called a “crossover” and all sorts of other hip-sounding things, but the fact of the matter is, …

You have to understand that the all-new 2004 Toyota Sienna is a left-brain vehicle.  The Sienna already had a lot to make your pragmatic, practical side happy, and the much-welcomed redesign takes the very concept of what a minivan can be to a new level.  With more power, more space, better fuel economy and so many ergonomic innovations you’d need a van just to carry them all, the Sienna is a sizeable leap forward in the minivan’s evolution.  Great news.  In the meantime, we’ll understand if your right brain is …

“That thang ain’t hardly worth bein’ a pickup truck, is it?” the woman at the insurance sales office said when she saw the 2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner’s four-door cab and stubby bed.  “You cain’t haul any lumber back there.”

She had a point.  The Tacoma Double Cab’s bed is 61.5 inches long, a full foot shorter than that of other Tacoma models and far too short to carry lumber.  No longer bed is offered, but the Tacoma isn’t about grunt work.  It’s been said that Toyota builds great “town trucks,” and …

I don’t mean this as uncharitably as it will no doubt sound, but the Toyota Echo is kind of the golf cart of the automotive world.  That position has been filled in the past by such stalwarts as the Ford Festiva, Geo Metro and Hyundai Accent, and for 2003 the Echo is it.  It’s not popular as a young first-time buyer’s car, as Toyota intended it to be, but its diminutive size, frugal nature and low price have made it a favorite among folks looking for a small auxiliary car.  …

Amid the recent fanfare of new trucks from Ford and Nissan, it’s been easy to overlook another all-new player coming into the segment; the 2004 Toyota Tundra Double Cab.  It may look like the familiar old Tundra, but significant improvements under the skin set the new Toyota apart.

It’s no secret that the Tundra has been regarded as the “small” full-size pickup.  With the competition getting tougher and bigger every year, it was time to field a response to the Tundra’s detractors.  To this end, the new crew-cab version isn’t just …

You can’t accuse Toyota of timid marketing:  in a time where cars have percentages of American built components on the window sticker, they’ve targeted one of the most predominantly American markets in the US auto industry, and the one which probably attracts the largest percentage of “Buy American-”sympathetic buyers.  The Toyota Tundra has surprised many skeptics by entering the full-size pickup market against Ford, Chevy and Dodge…and surviving.  For 2003, Toyota’s big workhorse gains an attractive StepSide model and a slightly updated design.

In its first incarnation as the T100, Toyota’s …

We decided to test the new Toyota Sequoia in a way that no one’s tested it before–so we took it to Wayne, Michigan, straight into the heart of full-size SUV country.  Wayne is our hometown and that of Ford’s Michigan Truck Plant, sole producer of the Sequoia’s main competitor, the Ford Expedition.  Within thirty miles are no less than four other Ford plants.  Southeastern Michigan is the heart of Ford Country.  What would the proud Blue Oval folks think of the new kid playing on their block?  We headed north, …

With arrival of a redesigned Corolla, Toyota’s compact car line has officially “gone tall.”  It had to happen sooner or later; with all of the sport-utes and pickup trucks clogging the roads, compact cars are forced to stand up taller just so that their drivers will be able to see.  The average seat height has gone up in the Ford Focus, Suzuki Aerio, Toyota Echo and Saturn ION, and the Corolla is the latest to step up to a slightly higher vantage point.

That’s not a bad thing, of course.  The …

The Toyota 4Runner is one of the original sport-utes.  This off-road station wagon has been around since 1985, and old 4Runners are a common sight on the trails, sharing mud space with Jeep Cherokees and even older Toyota Land Cruisers.  In the face of much-improved competition from all corners of the globe, the 4Runner has been redone from the ground up for 2003.  It’s bigger, more powerful and more comfortable, for starters.  Don’t worry, though, it hasn’t lost its off-roading spirit.

With the Camry-based Highlander available to woo buyers who never …