Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Outstanding pre-owned vehicles are here at L&S Toyota of Beckley
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Toyota to Debut a Stunning U.S.-Designed Sedan at the 2012 New York International Auto Show
The sedan’s exciting new design features an elegant yet athletic look.
Media and the public will have the opportunity to participate in a live-streaming video chat with the designers of the new sedan by submitting questions via Twitter and Facebook with the #ToyotaDesign hashtag. The Toyota Design Live chat is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT on April 5, 2012 and hosted on http://www.facebook.com/toyota.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Visit L&S Toyota of Beckley and drive away today in the 2011 Toyota Venza
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Experience the 2012 Toyota Sienna at L&S Toyota of Beckley
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Camry wasn’t broke, but Toyota made it better
With the Camry being one of the best-selling vehicles in the North American market in recent years, you might be tempted not to mess with a winning formula.
But that is not what Toyota did, giving the sedan a total overhaul for the 2012 model year. Instead of standing pat, the Japanese carmaker redesigned just about everything on the Camry.
And the results of all that work are positive, with the Camry’s exterior design becoming more appealing in my opinion, and the interior more cozy and quiet.
Another reason the Camry is a popular seller is its price, with an LE model starting at $23,700. The top-of-the-line XLE V6 trip is a full $10,000 more at $33,700.
There’s also a hybrid version of the Camry with a price of $26,990.
For the week of testing, we drove the Camry SE V6, which comes in at $29,700, but is very well equipped for that price. Once you add preparation charges and levies, the price comes to $31,380 before taxes.
On the safety front, the Camry SE V6 comes with four-wheel disc brakes, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist and a full complement of airbags, including curtain airbags, knee airbags and rear side curtain ones.
Standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, satellite radio, navigation system, Bluetooth, USB audio input, 6.1-inch display, LED brake lights, steering-wheel-mounted controls and a sport-tuned suspension.
Design:
Just about everything is different on the 2012 Camry when compared to the previous model.
Its new look is more angular, less rounded. The most dramatic example of that is the front end, with redesigned headlights, grille, air intakes and a flared contour at the bottom.
A slight rise in the beltline gives the Camry a forward-leaning appearance, a sporty look that matches the sport-tuned suspension in the tester.
At the back, the flared look continues on the rear bumper, sharing attention with the nicely-shaped rear tail lights and a subtle spoiler on the trunk lid on the SE tester.
Even the design of the 18-inch alloy wheels is rather attractive, capping off some good work by the exterior designers.
On the inside, I was impressed by the Camry’s new passenger cabin. There’s a nicely laid out and logical centre stack and plenty of controls on the steering wheel, which felt excellent between my hands.
The dashboard might be an issue for some because of the hard plastic, which is accented by faux stitching that doesn’t quite give the desired effect. What does work nicely, however, is the keyless entry and push-button start, meaning the key fob never has to leave your pocket.
Performance:
With the tester being a Camry SE V6, power is delivered by a smooth 3.5-litre V6. I found nothing to complain about as power is readily available and the engine doesn’t complain when pushed a little hard.
It has 268 horsepower and 248 foot-pounds of torque at the command for the driver, and there’s no hesitation when they are all called upon.
The other available engine in the Camry line is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder. It is rated at 178 horsepower and 170 foot-pounds of torque.
Both engines are paired to a six-speed automatic super electronically controlled transmission (Super ECT) with overdrive and sequential shift mode. The SE trims offered with either engine also add paddle shifters.
While the smaller engine probably produces enough power to make the Camry a good everyday vehicle, the V6 kicks things up a notch. With the sport-tuned suspension and 18-inch wheels, the V6 Camry is very fun to drive and responds well to your throttle and steering inputs.
Driving/utility:
This five-seat family sedan proved to me why it is one of the best-selling vehicles on the market.
With a new look that will likely further enhance its appeal, the Camry is also a winner thanks to the quality of its drive.
With plenty of power from the V6 and the sport-tuned suspension, the Camry felt fairly nimble for a family sedan.
Surprisingly, even with that powerful engine under the hood, very little noise was heard in the passenger cabin. Only when pressed really hard during a fast acceleration does the engine noise become very noticeable. And at highway speeds, there isn’t much of an intrusion by wind and road.
I also found the seats, with a nice patterned material, to be very comfortable and offered plenty of lateral support for when you decided to take the Camry through some quick turns.
There’s also a good-sized trunk at 15.4 cubic feet, giving you plenty of room to pack for family outings, or simply fill it with golf bags for a weekend of fun.
With improved looks, a comfortable ride, lots of storage and an affordable price tag, it’s easy to see why the Camry has been so popular, and will likely remain as one of the top sellers in its new form.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Experience the 2012 Toyota Prius V at L&S Toyota of Beckley
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Toyota Giving 100 Cars to 100 Nonprofits in 100 Days
Application materials and complete information on the program are available at www.100carsforgood.com.
“At Toyota, we appreciate what a big difference a new car or truck can make for organizations that are doing so much to improve lives and strengthen communities across America,” said Jim Lentz, President and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota Motor Sales. “Over the past 20 years, Toyota has contributed more than half a billion dollars to nonprofits throughout the U.S. 100 Cars for Good allows us to build on that commitment in new ways, putting the public in the ‘driver’s seat’ as we work to help community organizations broaden their impact in neighborhoods nationwide.”
Applying for the 2012 100 Cars for Good Program
- Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and non-profit Native American or Alaskan tribes with sovereignty can apply online at www.100carsforgood.com beginning on Monday, March 12. This address will link to the 100 Cars for Good Facebook page.
- 100 Cars for Good applications will be open for two weeks (until Monday, March 26 at 11:59 am PST]), or until 5,000 applications are received. From this group, 500 finalists will be selected and certified by an independent panel of experts. Finalists will be notified in April.
- Each finalist will then submit a short video and explanation on how a new vehicle would help further its work. Both will be featured on the 100 Cars for Good site.
- Public voting on the finalists will begin on Monday, May 14 at www.100carsforgood.com with five organizations up for consideration each day for 100 consecutive days.
- The four runners up each day will each receive a $1,000 grant from Toyota.
- Finalists will be eligible for one of six Toyota models, including the Camry Hybrid, Highlander SUV, Prius v hybrid, Sienna minivan, Sienna Mobility or Tundra full-sized pickup.
- A six-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty will also be provided for each vehicle, compliments of Toyota Financial Services.
Making a Lasting Impact in Communities Nationwide
This is the second consecutive year for Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program. 100 Cars for Good is the first Toyota initiative to engage the public in determining how its corporate philanthropic donations will be awarded. Vehicles from the first year of the program – which were awarded to nonprofits in 31 states and the District of Columbia – are making a significant difference across the country, including for:
- The Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown, NJ, which can now pick up donations of food that used to be turned away due to a lack of transportation, allowing it to provide meals and food to even more people in need;
- Camp Casey, a program near Detroit that provides horseback riding visits for kids with cancer that is now able to expand its reach to families in other parts of the state; and
- Washington, DC’s Aleethia Foundation, whose new minivan enables it to transport wounded veterans recovering at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to much needed social nights away from the hospital.
Teresa Connolly, Executive Director of New Jersey’s Community Soup Kitchen, which was awarded a Toyota Sienna in last year’s program, commented, “Toyota’s donation was a game changer for us, making it possible to significantly expand our food programs at a time of extraordinary need. This ability to serve more people and to bring greater awareness to our mission simply wouldn’t have happened without Toyota.”
More than Just Cars – Nonprofit Finalists Build Digital Marketing and Social Media Skills
As part of the 100 Cars for Good program, Toyota will provide every finalist with a digital video camera, training toolkit and free online advertising credits to help them create or expand their presence in social media and other digital platforms. The nonprofit finalists can use these resources for their 100 Cars campaign and can continue to build on them after the program.
Molly Reeser, Executive Director of Detroit’s Camp Casey, one of the 2011 100 Cars recipients, noted, “In addition to a new truck, Toyota gave us the training and resources we needed to get more sophisticated about social media marketing for the long-term. This has had a real impact, with our ‘likes’ on Facebook jumping five-fold in very short order.”
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Low-cost Yaris more alluring as gas prices climb
As gas prices creep into the $4 range, the redesigned 2012 Toyota Yaris has become even more appealing than in the past. Admittedly, the three- or five-door lift back won't fulfill the needs of all drivers and their families as far as space is concerned. But if you are looking to eke out more than 30 mpg in city/highway driving, this subcompact is well worth a test drive.
A sole 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine develops just 106 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 103 pounds-feet of torque at 4200 rpm for a pleasant and comfortable drive. Available as a five-speed manual or a four-speed auto transmission, the wheelbase of Toyota's entry-level car has been stretched by 2 inches and the length by 3 inches overall, though the height has been reduced by 0.6 inches.
Unlike its predecessor, the revamped cabin now boasts a robust and flat-bottomed three-spoke steering wheel. And the previously centered multi-instrument panel is in front of the driver for convenience.
Offered as the basic L, LE and the sporty SE, the Yaris starts at $14,115 and peaks at $17,200, depending on transmission choice. Toyota claims EPA figures of 30/38 mpg for manual and 30/35 mpg for automatic with its 11.1-gallon fuel tank. We earned about 32 mpg in a week's driving on city roads and highway.
Kudos to the carmaker for packing the affordable vehicle with standard safety features such as dual front and side airbags, side curtain airbag, driver knee airbag, stability and traction control, antilock brakes, side-impact door beams and tire pressure monitoring system.
The agile, roomy and practical Yaris gets the job done reasonably well. And it assures you of tremendous savings at the pump. What more can one ask for in a ride as fuel prices spiral out of control?
Monday, March 5, 2012
Check out great vehicle incentives at L&S Toyota of Beckley
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