Motoring: Full steam ahead for Toyota

Despite being the number one-selling brand for the month of September and with three cars in the top five selling list - Corolla second, Yaris third and the Rav4 fifth - Toyota Ireland seems intent on remaining Ireland’s favourite automotive brand.

With the new Yaris Cross having just recently gone on sale, the company has also announced that a new all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid flagship version of the Rav4 will arrive before the end of this year while an updated Camry hybrid will be in Toyota showrooms in the first quarter of 2022.

The Yaris, European Car of the Year for 2021, is scaling new heights with the arrival of the new Cross SUV self-charging hybrid. Available in four grades from €27,260 and boasting a higher driving position and increased ground clearance than the latest Yaris, Toyota claims the new model has been designed to be the world’s safest compact car.

Featuring a first-in-class centre airbag which protects passengers from bumping into each other in the event of a side impact, other key safety features include pedestrian detection that works in both daylight and night-time conditions and cyclist detection that works in daylight.

It’s a car seen as offering adventure beyond urban streets because of its rugged looks and taller stance. In fact, the Yaris Cross is the only compact hybrid SUV to offer an intelligent all-wheel-drive system (AWD-i) which automatically switches from front-wheel-drive to all-wheel-drive depending on road conditions.

NEW RAV4 FLAGSHIP

Shortly, Ireland’s best-selling hybrid SUV, the Toyota Rav4, will be joined by a flagship long-range all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid version.

Boasting a claimed best-in-class driving range of up to 75km in zero emissions EV mode on a full battery charge, the AWD Rav4 will be offered in two grades - Sol and Sport - with prices starting from €48,275.

With a 2.5 litre petrol engine under its bonnet, the new plug-in hybrid is the most powerful Rav4 yet, with 306hp/225kW of power on tap. It’s also said to outperform all its rivals in terms of low emissions and fuel economy.

The new model shares the same external dimensions as the Rav4 Hybrid. Externally, only a few small details distinguish the plug-in version from its hybrid sibling. It has a metal-look finish to the lower front moulding and rear garnish above the licence plate, dark chrome detailing in the headlight units and a dark plating finish for the front grille.

The rear skid plate is painted black while the charging point is concealed beneath a flap on the rear right wing.

The spacious cabin is fitted with sports seats, complemented by a striking two-tone red and dark grey combination of fabric and synthetic leather as standard.

All versions of the new plug-in model benefit from the latest generation Toyota Safety Sense active safety and driver assistance systems. Designed to reduce the risk of some of the most common accidents, they alert the driver to hazards and, if necessary, provide braking and steering support to help avoid an impact, or reduce the severity if a collision is unavoidable.

In addition to detecting vehicles on the road ahead, the pre-collision system (PCS) can also recognise pedestrians in both day and night-time driving, and cyclists during daylight. The dynamic radar cruise control (DRCC) is also more sophisticated in its operation, working with the road sign assist (RSA) programme to automatically reset vehicle speed in line with changes in the speed limit.

UPDATE FOR CAMRY

Following a 14-year hiatus, the world’s best-selling saloon car, the iconic Toyota Camry, returned to Irish shores in 2019. Now, just a few short years later, Toyota has announced that an updated Camry Hybrid Platinum will be launched in Ireland in Q1 2022.

Available in two grades (Sol and Platinum), prices will start from €41,730. The enhanced features on the latest updated model include new design 18” alloy wheels, 9” display audio panoramic view monitor, reverse tilt mirrors with memory, ventilated front seats and driver seat memory.

There’s also paddle shift transmission, power steering column with memory, heated steering wheel, dark wood effect insert on centre console box, Toyota Safety Sense 2, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, EV % time monitor and tyre pressure monitor with auto location.