Toyota Is On A Roll: Vibe Check
Welcome to the second edition of Vibe Check! This will be the weekly roundup to corral all of latest buzz pertaining to four wheels. The question concerning WAC going forward is consistency and just how much material I can crank out on a weekly basis. Life happens, sometimes to the greater benefit of others.
That is Toyota, who had a good week. Let’s break down the things that occurred surrounding the company.
1st Shift: Hybrids Reach The Normcore
The world changes and there’s a new Camry to reflect that. For 2025, every Camry is a hybrid going forward midst of an industrial transition to battery electric vehicles. EVs are the future, Toyota is in the now.
That means the least expensive new Camry is slated to have at least 225 horsepower, which is more than the most powerful Camry available in 2006. That number bumps to 232 horsepower if you decide you need all wheel drive. Toyota achieves this by putting two electric motors in the front to support the 2.5-liter engine in driving the front wheels and putting a third motor close to the rear axle to move the back wheels, if you so wish.
Otherwise, the rest of the car receives a mundane visual makeover. Here is the 2024 Camry you’ve seen on roads since it went on sale in 2017. The new model doesn’t shy away from the overall silhouette, instead tinkering on the details to give it a more appealing stance. The biggest difference lies inside:
Far gone are the white plastics that used to contribute to the bland reputation Toyota used to be known for. Now the cabin adapted resembles something closer on par to a modern Lexus. Surely, that’s no accident.
The truth is much closer than you think. In Japan, the Toyota Crown is hailed similarly to how us Americans perceive Lexus as a luxury brand. There is an entire lineup of Crown models to serve various needs globally, with just one model reaching us. Look inside of the Crown we get and there are similarities that show up in the new Camry.
I’ve had a opportunity recently to wrap my hands on that meaty-looking steering wheel and think buyers will be pleased. The mild changes made to where it matters most should prove to make the 2025 Camry a hit.
2nd Shift: The Beautifully Etched Prius Gets Its Biggest Accolade Yet
Owning a Prius used to reflect on you as the buyer. Telling people you’ve got a Prius would lead them to think you made not just a boring choice, but the boring choice as if it were a summation of your personality that wore tan pants to dinner parties and never engaged in conversations beyond small talk.
Toyota recognized this and for a while, tried to embrace it by styling it to be as weird as possible because it settled on the customer perception. Dwindling sales caused designers to change course and evolve with society’s embrace of hybrids as they went mainstream in conjunction with the rising popularity of electric cars. The result is arguably the prettiest car able to sip gas with a straw.
Further proof of this is MotorTrend naming the all-new Prius the 2024 Car Of The Year. In the industry, that’s considered a BFG. The magazine had been giving out this accolade since 1949, making it one of the most prestigious to earn.
Of course, this means the Prius couldn’t win on looks alone. It received other noteworthy improvements that include a more powerful engine, a more powerful electric motor and a larger battery pack to assist both without losing fuel economy. You have the choice of choosing a Prius with or without the option to plug it in. Opting to charge it yourself (Prius Prime) get you an even larger battery good enough to get you 45 miles of range without a drop of fuel.
To keep it simple, the new Prius proves you can have beautiful form without losing function. A serene interior cabin, that beautiful exterior, plus gas mileage in the 50s means you can have your cake and eat it too.
3rd Shift: Cadillac Is Expanding The EV Fray
Toyota’s embark into the electrical landscape is far from alone. In fact, it’s hard to believe that it only has one model to offer that doesn’t require the use of fossil fuels. Cadillac is ahead of them on that mark.
The GMC Hummer EV threw the first spear thanks the use of General Motors’ Ultium battery platform. Cadillac came shortly after with the company’s first electric that is the Lyriq. Relying on the ‘IQ’ nomenclature to indicate its electrified lineup, it has just rolled out the Optiq.
This is slated to become the most accessible EV with a Cadillac badge. However, there are no details of what it will consist of mechanically. Neither of what it looks like inside, leaving room for speculation.
The biggest question I have is, will the Cadillac Optiq try to match the price of the remarkably cheap Volvo EX30? A $36,000 price tag or something close to that figure would be all the more attractive in today’s still-expensive market as inflation continues to cool. It’s easier to make something costly than it is to make something budget minded. That’s why we’re getting an Escalade IQ first.
In the meantime, all we can do is gawk at the vibrant orange paint and outlandish wheels.
Your Weekend Task: Drive A Car You’re Curious About
How I ended up in a Crown was I was curious about the new Prius after it won the MotorTrend trophy. The nearby Toyota dealership I visited just a few streets away had one listed online for sale — with pictures and all — but it had already sold. My salesperson offered an alternative model for me to drive to get some vibe of the Prius. This turned out to be a 2023 Crown Limited painted in Heavy Metal gray.
It wasn’t a long test drive but it offered enough of an impression to keep me interested in checking out the Prius when inventory picks up. Everyone has that one car they like but never got behind the wheel of one. Before the snow picks up and temperatures drop, look through the classifieds and drive the car of your dreams for the heck of it.
Photo Credits: Toyota, Cadillac, MotorTrend