"I just want to say what a wonderful experience I had buying a vehicle from L & S toyota. The salesman we had was Shawn Schuyler. He was great. I spent alot of time at other dealerships and most of the salesmen didn't know what cars they had on the lot or anything about them. Shawn knew alot about the vehicle we were interested in and he could answer any of our questions. When he showed us a vehicle and we weren't really interested he didn't try to make us buy it, he just found us what we were looking for. Also Angela Morgan was great . She helped us with all our paperwork and we felt confident that she knew what she was doing. Of course I wish I could have gotten a better price on the vehicle I bought but Shawn was really great. So far I'm loving my Rav4. It drives great and it just feels right."
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Toyota Prius Family of Vehicles Receive GreenCarReports' '2012 Best Green Car to Buy' Award
GreenCarReports editors choose the most significant new “green” car available to shoppers during the 2012 model year, taking into account new technologies, their practicality, and their impact on the environment. The GreenCarReports’ “Best Green Car to Buy” award recognizes mass-market, environmentally sensitive vehicles that are available below $60,000. Utilizing the TheCarConnection’s ratings as a starting point for their evaluation, the GreenCarReports editorial team applies their criteria to select the winner that will carry the “Best Green Car to Buy 2012” environmental message.
“The Prius is more than just one car this year,” said Green Car Reports Editor John Voelcker. “With a new Prius v and the Prius Plug-In Hybrid, it’s now a family of vehicles with some of the highest gas mileage on the market today, and the Prius name is likely to help encourage buyers to take the plunge into plug-in vehicles."
The Prius vehicles that won the GreenCarReports’ “Best Green Car to Buy 2012” award were chosen from a competitive field of environmentally sensitive cars that also included the Fiat 500, Honda Civic Hybrid, Infiniti M35h, Mitsubishi i, and Volkswagen Passat TDi.
The Prius Liftback is in its third generation and earned an EPA-estimated 50 mpg combined (51 city mpg/ 48 highway mpg) rating. The Prius v, which went on sale in October, will be an unmatched combination of versatility and fuel efficiency in a midsize. With 58-percent more cargo space than the Liftback, the Prius v has more cargo space than 80-percent of the small SUVs on the road today, while still accomplishing an EPA-estimated 44-mpg city.
The Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which offers seating for five, is expected to achieve a manufacturer-estimated 87 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) in combined driving and 49 MPG in hybrid mode. With expected class-leading fuel economy better than 50 mpg in the city, which is the highest city mpg of any non-plug-in vehicle, the Prius c will be an entry into the Prius Family appealing to youthful shoppers seeking fuel efficiency, technology, and spirited driving dynamics in the subcompact segment. Both the Prius c and Prius Plug-in will go on sale in the spring of 2012.
The Prius vehicles rely on Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, which benefits from 14 years of global market development, and pairs a highly efficient gasoline internal combustion engine with two high-output motor/generators, a large rechargeable battery, and an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission to help the vehicles attain class-leading fuel economy in their respective segments. The development of the systems that govern the operation, integration and regenerative capabilities of the Hybrid Synergy Drive system represent considerable engineering effort, and help enhance the efficiency and performance of succeeding generations of Hybrid Synergy Drive equipped vehicles.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Toyota Announces Pricing for 2012 Avalon
The MSRP for the 2012 Avalon does not include the delivery, processing, and handling (DPH) fee of $ 760. The DPH fee for vehicles distributed by Southeast Toyota (SET) and Gulf States Toyota (GST) may vary.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser is retro with a modern edge
The other comparisons that one might consider are the Jeep Grand Cherokee or the Nissan Pathfinder, but I am still reticent to consider them the same either.
The thing that really stands out about the Toyota FJ Cruiser is that it’s all about “retro.” The category is a midsize SUV, but the Cruiser will also take you down memory lane making you recall the earlier days of the Toyota Land Cruisers. That was back in the 1960s to early 1980s and it was the FJ40 – do you remember that down and dirty, dependable four-wheel drive?
Today the Toyota FJ Cruiser is another off-roader that has the ability to mean what it says. Take for instance the truck-based ladder-frame chassis and its tougher than thou suspension with a hardware reminiscent of the 4Runner SUV with the same Toyota moniker.
In comparison to the 4Runner, however, the FJ Cruiser is a bit smaller and not quite as expensive.
The FJ Cruiser is a four-door vehicle with a bit of a twist. The front doors open as usual, but the two back doors are reverse-opening and that took a moment to get used to, but my back seat passengers gave the design big kudos for easier entry.
The standard features on the FJ Cruiser are the normal AC, a stereo with CD, power windows and locks, iPod connectivity and XM satellite radio and a USB port, Bluetooth audio streaming, and a Bluetooth hands-free system with steering-wheel controls. In addition, there's the JBL premium audio option.
There are also additional packages that come with more to choose from overall. The Trail Teams Special Edition comes in Army Green paint and has water-resistant seats and floors for off roading. It can take the road in up to 27-inches of water and still keep up.
The FJ Cruiser’s off road savvy also now comes with an A-TRAC active-traction system, a multi-information display with inclinometer, compass, temperature, BF Goodrich Rugged Trail tires, Bilstein shock absorbers, a Cyclone air precleaner, and 115V/400V power outlets. Under the hood is a 4.0-liter V6 engine with 259 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque.
There are two four-wheel-drive (4WD) options to choose from with two transmissions. There is a four-wheel-drive model that offers a five-speed automatic transmission and that can be changed easily from a 2-Hi, 4-Hi or 4-Lo and there is the Cruiser with the six-speed manual transmission. This latter one is more of the “take it off the road” choice in my opinion. Not sure why you’d opt for this next one, but there is a two-wheel-drive FJ Cruiser, if you must, but you can only get it with a five-speed automatic.
For safety, they all have the usual stability control and antilock disc brakes and airbags.
Looking at the exterior: the grille is a standout with round headlights, black bumpers, a grille-mounted Toyota emblem versus the most recent one seen on other Toyota’s and there are also the wrap-around rear windows and an exposed spare tire (we like the fact that it is actually full size). Inside, the dashboard means serious business, right to the point, and again can we say a bit retro.
The FJ Cruiser is fun to drive, but the real fun will come in taking it through its paces off-road. It was designed to play with the big boys and is as tough as any one of ‘em, thanks to the tough box frame and an excellent suspension, including a rear axle that’s a solid sale on this one.
Still not sold? Well, who can pass up the retro look after all?