Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Scion FR-S Named Best Sports Car for the Money by U.S. News & World Report!


The 2013 FR-S beat out its competition to earn the Best Sports Car for the Money from respected publication U.S. News & World Report. The annual award recognizes value, quality and critical acclaim across 21 vehicle categories.

To evaluate the FR-S, U.S. News & World Report judges looked at the sports coupe’s safety record, reliability and opinion from industry experts. Additionally, the expected five-year total cost of ownership and average vehicle price at the time of publication contributed to overall scores. The FR-S costs $25,255 MSRP with a six-speed manual transmission or $26,355 MSRP with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and Dynamic Rev Management technology.

“The Best Sports Car for the Money award is a testament to the incredibly fun and accessible sports car experience offered by the Scion FR-S,” said Scion Vice President Doug Murtha. “We are proud the FR-S continues to impress industry enthusiasts and drivers, while also representing the passion behind the Scion brand.”

The FR-S comes standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, a limited-slip differential and 2.0-liter flat boxer engine that produces 200 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. Its distinctive lightweight design and impressive handling have built a following since its introduction last year.

Also winning awards were the Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra, winning “Best Compact Truck for the Money” and “Best Full Size Truck for the Money” awards, respectively. It is the second year of top honors in a row for the Tacoma.


Courtesy of Toyota Newsroom

Friday, February 22, 2013

A thank you goes out to our wonderful customers.

"Toyota of Orangeburg is a great dealership not just because we know some of the salespeople and staff, but also because they are friendly, patient, offer great deals and informative. We have bought three automobiles over the past 12 years from Toyota of Orangeburg and are very well satisfied with the service received."-sboone

Yellowpages

Click here to check out our latest 5-Star Review.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Toyota Motor Corporation Vehicles Continue to Dominate the 2013 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study.

Seven Lexus, Toyota, and Scion models captured segment awards in the 2013 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study, more than any other automaker.

The study also found:
  • Lexus ranks highest in vehicle dependability for the second consecutive year by improving 15 fewer problems/100;
  • The Lexus RX is the first SUV to lead the industry with the fewest reported problems at just 57 problems/100; and
  • Toyota is the highest ranked non-premium nameplate and tied for third place for the second consecutive year
 
2013 Vehicle Dependability Study performers by segment
Segment Ranking Model Problems/100
Sub-Compact Car 1 Scion xD 112
2 Toyota Yaris 122
Compact Car 1 Toyota Prius 95
Entry Premium Car 1 Lexus ES350 58
Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle 1 Scion xB 138
Compact Crossover/SUV 1 Toyota RAV4 84
3 Toyota FJ Cruiser 98
Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV 1 Lexus RX 57
Minivan 1 Toyota Sienna 146
Lexus 1   71
Toyota 3 (tie)   112
Scion 18   135
Industry Average 126

Additional examples of Toyota’s commitment to the highest standards for quality, safety, reliability and retained value include:
 
  • Lexus completes a Grand Slam as the highest ranking nameplate in the 2012 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, Vehicle Dependability Study, Customer Satisfaction Index, and Sales Satisfaction Index;  
  • A leading consumer publication awards Scion, Toyota, and Lexus the top three brands for reliability and six of the top ten “Best Values” for 2012;
  • Kelley Blue Book recognizes 18 Toyota Motor Corporation vehicles with “Best Resale Awards, more than any other automaker in 2012; and
  • 19 Toyota Motor Corporation vehicles were named 2012 “Top Safety Picks” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more than any other automaker, and four 2012 models earned 5 Stars in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car 
Courtesy of Toyota Newsroom

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Jeremy Clarkson: the Toyota GT86 is brilliant


The Toyota GT86 has made its long-awaited television debut with Top Gear – continuing its run of superb reviews.
Jeremy Clarkson described the GT86 as ‘brilliant’ and said it ‘would put a smile on the face of every motoring enthusiast in the world’.

He also praised its low center of gravity and focus on driving dynamics and handling over horsepower, saying: “The engine is a flat-four boxer unit, and that means it can be mounted low down – and that means a low center of gravity. There’s no turbocharger, so there’s no lag.
“Everything about the GT86 is immediate – and brilliant.”
He added: “It’s obvious the GT86 was not designed to set new lap records at the Nurburgring, and with a 197 horsepower two-liter engine it won’t win many drag races either.
‘What it will do though, is put a smile on the face of every motoring enthusiast in the world.”
And in a break from normal Top Gear service, Clarkson even praised the car’s real-world ownership credentials, saying: “It isn’t even stupid. It comes with easy finance and a five-year warranty. Cruise control and Bluetooth and air conditioning come as standard.”
After Clarkson’s review, Top Gear’s famed test driver, The Stig, took the GT86 around the track, setting a lap time of 1:31.3 – fairly low on the supercar-filled league table, but still a respectable two seconds behind the BMW M5 and another two behind the Porsche 911 GT3.
But as Jeremy noted himself, what matters is not how fast a car is, but how much fun you can have in it.
The segment on the TV show was the third time Top Gear have got their hands on the GT86 – it won the magazine’s Speed Week performance car test last summer (from which these images are taken), and was named the Top Gear Car of the Year in December.

Courtesy of House of Japan

Monday, February 11, 2013

Maintenance Tip Monday: Brakes and brake fluid.

Change-brake-pads-4

Check to ensure that brake fluid levels are within tolerance. How often you need to replace brake pads or other components depends on how you drive and typical driving conditions. Warning signs of a brake problem include noise, vibration or “grabbing” when you apply the brakes. Working on your brakes is a job probably best left to the professionals.

Courtesy of Nationwide

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Toyota wins at Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership awards!

Genevaautoshow2012toyotayarishybrid1-620x350

Toyota has won a major prize for its role in reducing the environmental impact of motoring, taking the title of Car and Van Manufacturer of the Year at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership awards at a ceremony in London last night.

Graham Smith OBE, Managing Director of Toyota Motor Europe London, was also named Outstanding Individual in Promoting Low Carbon Transport. He was the founding chairman of the UK LowCVP from 2003 to 2009 and remains a member of its board of trustees.

Announcing the awards, Andy Eastlake, LowCVP’s Managing Director, said: “In a year of outstanding growth in UK car sales, Toyota, the name synonymous with hybrids, has introduced the technology across the widest range of vehicles on the market. Thirty per cent of its sales are now of vehicles which produce less than 100g/km of CO2.

“With an impressive increase in its sales and market share, together with a UK CO2 average below 120g/km, this really does show Toyota’s strong determination to reduce carbon from cars.”

Graham Smith said: “Low carbon, low emission vehicles are important not just for the environment but also for the economy, for UK manufacturing and in reducing the motoring costs of retail and fleet buyers alike. LowCVP has played a central role in delivering these benefits and Toyota has maintained its support throughout.”

Toyota is committed not only to reduce the CO2 emissions from its vehicles, but from every aspect of its business. A large scale carbon reduction programme has been implemented across the 180-strong Toyota Centre network, which achieved a 15 per cent year-on-year CO2 reduction in 2012.

In the past year Toyota has launched four new hybrids in its strategy to make the low carbon, high efficiency benefits of the technology available to as wide a range of customers as possible. As well as low CO2 performance, these vehicles produce almost no NOx (Nitrous Oxide) and PM (Particulate Matter), emissions which impact on air quality.

The newcomers include the seven-seat Prius+ – which was named Best Green MPV by What Car? in 2012 – and Yaris Hybrid. Each has the distinction of being the first full hybrid in its market segment in Europe.

The year also saw the introduction of the new, British-built Auris Hybrid hatchback, and Prius Plug-in, Toyota’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Hybrids aside Toyota has continued to reduce the emissions and improve the fuel efficiency of its petrol and diesel powertrains across its model range.

Courtesy of House of Japan