The Toyota Highlander has been around since 2000, and is currently in its second generation.  It is credited with being the first car-based midsize crossover SUV.  Make no mistake: the Highlander is definitely car-based.  As a matter of fact, it’s a bigger, taller Camry with a suspension that is tweaked to handle the extra weight.  If you like the Camry and want a crossover SUV, you will love the Highlander.

The 2010 Toyota Highlander Sport is the second of four trim levels, and the first with the bigger engine.  If you want better mileage, you might want the Base trim, but we prefer a little more oomph.  The Highlander Sport has a 3.5 liter V6 engine that produces 270 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque.  It has 19-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shift override.  It is rated at 18 mpg in the city, and 24 mpg on the highway, and can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

The Highlander Sport comes with a leather-covered, simulated alloy, tilt-telescope steering wheel, an 8-way adjustable driver’s seat with height adjustment, split-folding, reclining second row of seats, manual folding third row, cloth upholstery, full power accessories, cruise control, standard air conditioning, 12-volt outlets in the front and rear, simulated alloy trim on the dash, console, and doors, a rear spoiler, a rear wiper, a rear defogger, a roof rack, a rear liftgate door, foglights, and a trip computer.  The audio system has AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.

The Highlander also comes with antilock brakes with brake assist, side front airbags, side curtain airbags all the way to the rear, stability control, traction control, active front head restraints, and driver’s knee airbags.  In crash tests, the Highlander received perfect scores of 5 stars from the government for all side impacts, and front impact driver protection, and 4 stars for front impact passenger protection.  It received perfect scores of “good” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for front and side impacts.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is one of the best in its class.  The design is attractive and straightforward, while the materials are top-notch.  There is plenty of cabin space, especially in the first two rows.  The first two rows have plenty of head, leg, and shoulder room, while the third row is for kids only.  There are only 10.3 cubic feet of storage space behind the seats, but a total of 95.4 cubic feet if you fold down the second and third rows.

The drive and ride are typical Toyota.  The Sport trim is tweaked a bit for sporty performance, with fairly tight steering and suspension.  This makes for great handling and minimal body roll.  Somehow, it doesn’t detract from ride quality, which is very smooth and compliant.  The engine is powerful enough to provide very good acceleration and smooth operation at highway speeds.

All in all, this is a great crossover SUV.  The only negative is the third row seat being too cramped and small for adults.

The verdict: unless you need to transport eight adults, highly recommended.

The Toyota RAV4 can say something that no other vehicle can say: it was the first compact crossover SUV.  Toyota introduced it in Europe and Japan in 1994, and brought it to the US two years later.  Since then, they have sold a lot of RAV4′s.  The RAV4 is currently on its third generation, as it was in 2010.  It has off-road chops, but is used more often for “urban off-roading.”

The 2010 Toyota RAV4 Sport is now officially a midsize crossover SUV, is the second of three trim levels, and seats five.  It has a 2.5 liter inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 179 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 4-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 22 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, and can tow a handy 1,500 pounds.

The RAV4 Sport comes with a tilt-telescope steering wheel, front bucket seats with height adjustment for the driver, a split-folding and reclining rear seat, full power accessories, air conditioning, cruise control, front and rear 12-volt outlets, a rear defogger, a rear wiper, and foglights.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.  Upgrades that are available include a third row seat for three kids, 4-wheel drive, and a V6 engine.

The RAV4 also has stability control, traction control, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, antilock brakes, and active front head restraints.  In government tests, the RAV4 received perfect scores of 5 stars on side impact and front impact rear passenger, while it got 4 stars for front impact front passenger.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it their best scores of “good” on all front and side impact tests, and its second-best score of “acceptable” for roof strength.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

Because the RAV4 is built more to the SUV side of crossover SUV, it’s interior is simpler than most of the Toyota line.  It is not as sparse as a Jeep, but it does use harder, more durable interior materials for those who actually use it off-road.  The design is unpretentious, and the controls are practical.  There is plenty of cabin space, especially for five.  Both the front and rear seats are spacious, adjustable, and comfortable.  If you want to turn it into a small cargo vehicle, all you do is flip a lever to turn down the rear seat, and you get 73 cubic feet of storage space.

The RAV4 is built for off-road, and does a really great job, but it doesn’t detract from the ride quality on the street.  The suspension is tuned tightly for sporty off-road performance, and the steering is very responsive,.  The ride, though, is smoother than one might expect on the road.  There is a bit of road feel and road noise, but they are both kept to a minimum.  The engine is just enough for decent acceleration, good off-road performance, and smooth cruising, but an upgrade to the V6 is necessary for those who want a little more punch.

We like the RAV4 because it has very good off-road chops but doubles as a very nice family vehicle.

The verdict:  highly recommended.

The Toyota Prius has been around since 1997.  It is and always has been a dedicated hybrid model.  Prius means “before” in Latin.  According to Toyota, they  chose the name because they were producing a hybrid before they became mainstream.  In other words, they were guessing that it would be a precursor of a hybrid era.  The era hasn’t happened yet, but the Prius is a very nice hybrid at a very reasonable price.

The 2010 Toyota Prius III is a full-electric, midsize hatchback hybrid, and is the third of five trim levels.  It was fully redesigned for 2010.  It combines a 1.8 liter 4-cylinder engine with two electric motors: one to help the engine, and one to run the electrical system.  It has 15-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and an automatic, continuously variable transmission.  It is rated at a whopping 51 mpg in the city, and 48 mpg on the highway.  For those unfamiliar with hybrids, the higher city figure is because the electric engine drives the car at slower speeds such as those in the city.

The Prius III comes with a tilt-telescope steering wheel, front bucket seats with driver height adjustment, a split-folding rear seat, cloth upholstery, cruise control, full power accessories, automatic climate control, a rear defogger, a rear wiper, and a trip computer.  The JBL premium audio system has 8 speakers, AM/FM/satellite radio, a 6-CD/MP3 changer, an audio jack, and Bluetooth.

The Prius also comes with side front airbags, side curtain airbags, driver’s knee airbag, antilock brakes, stability control, and traction control.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is a mixed bag.  For the most part, it is very high-quality, but some of the parts are a bit cheaper than in past years and other models.  The dash is very attractive, and the controls are mostly easy to reach and understand.  There is plenty of cabin space here for a hatchback.  The front seats are especially spacious, with ample headroom and legroom, while the back seats are very comfortable for average-sized adults.  There are 21.6 cubic feet of space behind the seats, and you can get a total of 39.6 by folding the rear seats down.

The Prius has four modes that allow you to decide how much power your engine uses: normal, power, eco, and EV.  You can get maximum fuel efficiency with the eco mode, or you can get maximum acceleration with the power mode.  You can even disable the engine with the EV mode, but it goes a golf cart-like 25 mph maximum.

The steering is accurate and responsive, and gets an electronic assist to make it even better.  The suspension is a bit tight, but doesn’t detract from the ride.  The Prius, like most hybrids, is eerily quiet, and the ride is very comfortable and smooth.

This is our favorite hybrid.  It gives the most mileage for the least money while retaining all of what makes a Toyota a Toyota.

The verdict: very highly recommended.

The most popular passenger car in the US isn’t an American car.  Think of what that means. In this era, Americans really like to buy American cars as a show of patriotism.  For a Japanese car to be the most popular, it can’t just be a little bit better than its competition.  It has to be a lot better.  Let’s take a look at what Toyota is doing to make the Camry America’s number one car.

The 2010 Toyota Camry SE is a midsize sedan and the third of seven trim levels.  It has a 2.5 liter, inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 179 horsepower.  It has 17-inch alloy wheels, front-wheel drive, and a 6-speed manual transmission.  It is rated at 22 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.

The Camry SE comes with a leather-wrapped, tilt-telescope steering wheel that has audio and cruise controls, an 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar and height adjustments, a split-folding rear seat, full power accessories, air conditioning, simulated alloy trim on the dash, doors, and center console, a rear defogger, foglights, automatic headlights, and a rear defogger.   The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.

The Camry also comes with a driver’s knee airbag, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, antilock brakes with brake-assist, stability control, and traction control.  The Camry not only aced all government tests for side and front impact with perfect scores, but did the same on all front and side tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is a bit above average for the market segment.  Like most Toyotas, the Camry SE has all of the controls in the right places for the easiest use.  The design, while not garish, is very attractive.  The simulated alloy trim gives an almost-luxury look at times, and the materials are mostly high-quality.  The dash has electric blue backlighting at night, which you will either love or hate.

The cabin is almost spacious.  There is plenty of both headroom and legroom all around.  To make it even better, the seats are comfortable and supportive.  Even the rear seats will comfortably seat adults on long trips.  The trunk has a capacity of 15 cubic feet.

In all of its existence, the Camry has never pretended to be a sport car.  It is always tweaked for passenger comfort, and old-time Camry customers won’t be disappointed.  The Camry handles like a luxury car.  There is steering lag and body roll.  The upside is a ride that is not only the best in its class, but better than that of a few luxury cars.

The engine is enough for adequate acceleration, but its strength is cruising down the highway in a straight line, quietly and without the slightest hint of effort.

Basically, the Camry is designed to be driven from point A to point B in a conservative manner, and it will get you there in the height of comfort over and over and over for as long as you decide to keep the car.

The verdict: very highly recommended.  Once again, the public got it right.

When it comes to a combination of price, reliability, off-road ability, and civilized performance for the ninety percent of people who never take their SUV off-road, there is no way to sugarcoat it: Toyota is kicking everyone’s butts.  There are SUV’s that are slightly better off-road, some with better rides, some with more power, and some that are a bit cheaper, but nobody is close to putting together the total package that Toyota provides right now.

The 2010 Toyota 4Runner Trail is a 5-seat midsize SUV, the second of three trim levels, but the first with the larger engine.  It has a 4.0 liter V6 engine that produces 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque.  It has 17-inch alloy wheels, part-time 4-wheel drive, and a 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting.  It is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway, and can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

The 4Runner Trail has a tilt-telescope alloy steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, an 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar and height-adjustment, a 4-way passenger seat, a split-folding rear seat, full power accessories, standard air conditioning, a roof rack, a sunroof, a rear defogger, foglights, and a trip computer.  The audio system has 8 speakers, AM/FM/satellite radio, a CD/MP3 player, an audio jack, a USB/iPod input, and Bluetooth.

The 4Runner also comes equipped with active front head restraints, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, stability control, traction control, and antilock brakes with brake-assist.  In addition, the 4Runner has a brake hill holder and descent control.  No ratings are available, but this is one of the safest SUV’s on the road.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The interior is a good combination of rugged and functional while sustaining a high visual quality.  There are plenty of nooks, crannies, and conveniences to keep one occupied during on-road “adventures.”  If you want, you can even watch the ECO meter that tells you whether you are using fuel in an efficient manner or not.  There is plenty of room for five people here, with headroom and legroom to spare in both the front and rear seats.  The optional third row seat is pretty much for kids only, though.  We recommend keeping the 4Runner a 5Seater.

We chose the second trim level here because we greatly prefer the V6 engine over the 4-cylinder engine in the lower trim level.  The V6 on the Trail model has enough power for moderate towing, decent acceleration, and smooth operation when it goes on the highway.  It also has enough low-end torque for effective off-road performance.

The 4Runner Trail has some very nice suspension tweaks.  It has a rear locking differential and independent suspensions for the front and rear.  It also has front and rear stabilizer bars.  There is an optional feature called Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System.  This disconnects the front and rear stabilizer bars when you are going under 40 mph, and allows the wheels a lot more versatility in their angles of contact with the surface.  In plain English, it provides better off-road traction.

The 4Runner is a great off-road vehicle with 9.6 inches of clearance from the road.  It handles well off-road, and gives a very civilized on-road ride as long as you don’t try to turn it into a sport wagon.  Even though the 4Runner performs well off-road, it doesn’t sacrifice ride quality on the road.  The ride on the highway is smooth enough that you almost forget about its off-road chops.

All in all, this is the most versatile of the off-road SUV’s.  If you actually use the 4Runner off-road as well as on the road, you can’t find a better combo.  If you don’t, you may like it anyway.

The verdict: you can’t go wrong with the 4Runner.

MSRP:$18,610

The 2010 Toyota Matrix Hatchback S is the middle of three trim levels, and the first with the more powerful engine.  It gives a nice, sporty, “kick” to the ultimate tweener car.  It is a compact 4-door hatchback that is a little of everything.  It’s fast, but not too fast.  It’s sporty, but not too sporty.  It’s conservative with a little bit of attitude.  You get the idea.

The Matrix S has a 2.4 liter, 4-cylinder engine that produces 132 horsepower.  It has front wheel drive, 16-inch steel wheels, and a 5-speed manual transmission.  It is rated at 21 mpg in the city, and 28 mpg on the highway.

The Matrix S comes with keyless entry, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, standard air conditioning, a tilt-telescope steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, a front passenger seat that folds flat for hauling longer objects from the trunk to the dash, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat, 12V and 115V power outlets, and a rear window wiper.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.

The Matrix S has traction control, stability control, side front airbags, full length side curtain airbags, and anti-lock brakes.  It got perfect scores of “good” on tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The Matrix is made to be like a Corolla with an edge.  It is somewhere in between the conservative Corolla and the very edgy Scion line that is made for younger drivers.  The dash is modern, and the design is, for the lack of a better description, fun.

The seats are very comfortable and roomy for a compact, with ample headroom and legroom in both the front and rear.  The seats adjust a lot of different ways and take more advantage of the space they have.  There is 19.8 cubic feet of cargo space, which expands to 48.9 with the rear seats and front passenger seat folded.

The Matrix S strikes a perfect balance between sporty performance and passenger comfort, and manages to provide both.  The steering is very responsive, as is the suspension, but the ride is very smooth, soaking up most bumps with ease.  Because it has slightly more room and a more powerful engine, the Matrix S doesn’t get the mileage that the Corolla does, but people who buy this car feel the performance is worth the trade in mileage.

The verdict:  this is a very fun car, and you may be able to get a few thousand dollars knocked off of the price if anybody still has any new ones laying around the dealership.  It would also be a very nice used car if you do your due diligence.

MSRP $32,695

The 2011 Toyota Highlander SE is a midsize crossover SUV that seats seven.  It is a bit of a “tweener” in that many of the vehicles in its class have more space and seat eight, but get less mileage and a little less “zing” in the accelerator.  It’s just a touch more like a car than other midsize crossovers, too.  Also, it has dropped its sport trim, and is tweaked more toward passenger comfort.

The Highlander SE is the second of three trim levels.  It has a 3.5 liter V6 engine that produces 270 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque.  It has 17-inch cast aluminum wheels, all-wheel drive, and a 5-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 22 mpg in the city, and can go from zero to sixty in 7.5 seconds, making it a very fast crossover.

The Highlander SE comes with an 8-way power driver seat, a tilt-telescope steering wheel, heated front seats, leather upholstery, 2-zone automatic climate control, a 40/20/40 split folding, reclining, sliding second row seat, a 50/50 split folding third row seat, a power tailgate, back-up camera, foglights, automatic headlights, roof rails, and a sunroof.  The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and an audio jack.

The roster of safety features is among the most impressive of any vehicle.  The SE has side front airbags, side curtain airbags for all passengers, a driver’s knee airbag, active front head restraints, stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, hill start assist, and hill descent control.  In government tests, the Highlander received perfect scores of 5 stars in all tests except driver front impact protection, for which it got 4 stars.  It got perfect scores of “good” in every test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

The Highlander SE’s cabin is typical Toyota: high-quality materials and an attractive but functional design.  There is plenty of both headroom and legroom in the first two rows, but the third row is better off used for storage or very small children.  If you deecide to fold both the second and third row seats down, you can get 95.4 cubic feet of cargo space.

The SE handles well, but is definitely in “family sedan” territory.  It feels a lot like a larger car, with accurate and semi-responsive steering combined with a bit of body roll when cornering.  The ride is very comfortable, and definitely won’t remind anyone of its truck-like competitors.

The engine is great for acceleration and smooth cruising at highway speeds, but still gets decent mileage for its genre.

There is really no negative feedback other than trade-offs here.

The verdict:  if you want a car-based crossover, this is one of the best.

A little bit of clarification might be in order here.  A standard hybrid engine is an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) that supplies all of the power, hooked up to a battery that saves power that it would normally waste, and an electric motor that helps drive the vehicle.  The electric motor can run alone, but usually only at low speeds, and not for a long time.

The electric motor serves as a large generator that not only takes power from the axle driven by the ICE, but also captures power from braking that would normally be released as heat.  In addition, it turns the ICE off when it isn’t needed, such as when you stop, and turns it back on smoothly when it is needed.  This combination makes the ICE up to 40 percent more efficient.

The Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PHEV), on the other hand, has a bigger battery and a larger, more powerful electric motor that is capable of running the car by itself.  In the Prius, the electric motor can reportedly go up to 62 mph by itself, and the range of the lithium-ion battery is around 12 miles.

So, if you drive less than 6 miles to work every day, and don’t go faster than 62 mph, you can drive the Prius PHEV as an electric vehicle and never use a drop of gas.  Then, you drive the Prius PHEV as a standard hybrid.  There is talk of increasing the range the car can be driven without gasoline, but that means a larger battery.  This produces less cargo space and more curb weight.  The higher weight affects handling and fuel consumption.

The price may be a problem, but the math might work out for a lot of people.  The price is rumored to be around $48,000.  They will probably figure out a way to make it not cost as much without sacrificing quality by the time it goes into production, though.

It could still save money, for example, for a person who drives 6 miles to work and back every day.  They would spend almost no money for gas.  Then, the miles they did drive would be somewhere around the 50 to even 60 mpg mark.

We don’t really know how any of this will turn out yet.  Toyota is already building a pre-order database on the internet, though, so it’s certain that the car will go on sale by next year.  They have an interview with someone who test-drove it and got 70 mpg in combined driving.  We are guessing that’s where the number eventually ends up.

From there, the math is easy.  You simply add up your monthly expenditure for car payment and gas with a conventional car, and do the same for the PHEV.  If the total gas and payment for the PHEV comes out cheaper than the same for a standard vehicle, then it is a bargain.

Get those calculators ready.

So far, though, the problem with “runabout” or sub-subcompact cars is that the mileage gains haven’t really been commensurate with the amount of space and safety that one sacrifices for the mileage.  The Smart Fortwo gets 31 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway.  The MINI Cooper Hatchback gets  29 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway.  The Fiat 500 Hatchback gets 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.

Those mileage numbers are decent, but are they really enough to justify sacrificing safety and comfort?   When compared to conventionally-sized cars such as the upcoming 2012 compact Honda Accent, which gets 30 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway, or the 2012 Hyundai Elantra, slated to get 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway, or even the Ford Fiesta (29, 37) or the Honda Civic(28,36), the numbers of the smaller cars don’t justify their existence.  Toyota’s own Yaris (29,36) gets almost as many mpg as a Fiat 500.

So, we greet the news of Toyota’s entry into the miniature car market with both  anticipation and uncertainty.  The car that has been officially unveiled is the Scion iQ.  Scion, as many know, is Toyota’s division of cars designed for younger drivers.

The iQ has a very unique design that they call a “3 + 1.”  This is basically a variation of the old “2 + 2” sport car design, but with the front passenger seat offset to the front of the driver, leaving room for one adult behind the front passenger and one child behind the driver.  It has been fitted with three engines so far: an inline-3, 1.0 liter standard fuel engine, an inline-4, 1.3 liter standard fuel engine, and a 1.4 liter diesel.

A variation of this chassis is also being used for a Toyota PEV, or Plug-in Electric Vehicle.  They call it an “urban commuter electric vehicle.”  The current target range is 50 miles on an 8-hour recharge.  Toyota is currently working on a lithium-ion battery pack to increase the range while decreasing the price.

Time will tell whether Toyota can make a “runabout” that combines safety with very high mileage, but I wouldn’t bet against them.

In a segment that is rapidly becoming a dinosaur, the full-size SUV, a company has to do a lot of things right to stay on or near the top.  The Toyota Sequoia has been around for ten years now, and continues to perform near the top of its class.  It is made in Princeton, Indiana, and is based on the Toyota Tundra pickup.  While it has some off-road chops, the Sequoia is built more for work or hauling a family than it is for off-road excursions.

The 2011 Toyota Sequoia SR5 FFV is a full size SUV that seats seven, and can be upgraded to eight.  It is the second of 6 trim levels, and the first with the larger engine.  It has a 5.7 liter, V8 flex-fuel engine that produces 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque.  It has 18-inch alloy wheels, 4-wheel drive, and a 6-speed automatic transmission.  It is rated at 12 mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the highway.  It weighs around 6,000 pounds, and can tow up to 7,400 pounds with the right set-up.

The SR5 comes with a tilt-telescope steering wheel, power driver seat, full power accessories, 3-zone climate control, running boards, a sunroof, a roof rack, heated side mirrors, and a 40/20/40 split second row seat.  The audio system has Bluetooth, a CD/MP3 player, satellite radio, an audio jack, and USB/iPod input.

The Sequoia has anti-lock brakes, three-row side curtain airbags, front side airbags, driver’s knee airbags, stability control, and traction control.  No safety testing is available, but Toyota’s internal standards are higher than most testing agencies, and safety is never an issue with Toyota, especially in their larger vehicles.

Conclusions and driver feedback:

As you might imagine in a full-size SUV, there is plenty of room all around.  There is plenty of both headroom and legroom in all seats, and they are all both adjustable and comfortable, too.  The interior is made of high-quality materials, and there are plenty of nooks, crannies, and mini-storage boxes for small personal items.  If you fold both rows of rear seats down, you can get 121 cubic feet of cargo space.

The engine does a great job.  There is plenty of power for acceleration, and plenty of low-end torque for towing.  The steering has a slight lag, as most large vehicles do, but the suspension manages to keep body roll to a more than reasonable level while cornering.

Even though there is plenty of power, the Sequoia is tweaked toward riding comfort.  The ride is very smooth and quiet, and acceleration feels effortless.  The Sequoia is a truck-based SUV, but sometimes the ride can make you forget that.

There really aren’t very many negatives here.  Many industry experts don’t like the dash layout, but consumers don’t seem to mind.  The main negative is that other options, such as crossovers, have shrunk the market for full-size SUV’s.

The verdict: highly recommended if you need a full-sized SUV.