9 things that please and annoy Toyota owners
Legendary reliability, digital clocks from the 80s and maintenance intervals every 10,000 km: we remember the most distinctive features of Toyota cars
Photo: Toyota
Clock from the 1980s
After all, the interior of Toyota is a topic for a separate article or even a set of materials. From generation to generation on Toyota models, designers and ergonomists continued to apply design solutions that at first were a peculiar feature of these cars, but over the years they began to create confusion. For example, one such Toyota interior is a digital clock with a font reminiscent of the electronic calculators of the mid-1980s, which was found in almost every model of the brand for several decades. Recently, the manufacturer began to abandon strange clocks on the most prominent place on the front panel, since the time in the car can be viewed both on the on-board computer screen and on the display of the multimedia system.
Photo: Toyota
Plastic under the “tree”
Wood-veneer-styled plastic is another hallmark of Toyota's interior, which appears on many models of the Japanese brand year after year. In addition, these parts are distinguished not only by not very skillful texture design, which immediately highlights cheap material in them, but also by not very high wear resistance. As a rule, such covers very quickly become covered with small scratches from contact with hard objects, such as coins, keys, and even phones, and lose their expensive “presentation.
Photo: Toyota
Weak “noise”
Of course, this statement is not true for all Toyota models, but most of the Japanese brand cars, unfortunately, do not shine with soundproofing against the background of their rival classmates.
Owners of the cheapest and mass-produced Toyota models mostly complain about poor interior soundproofing, but sometimes owners of expensive Toyota cars also produce additional soundproofing for their cars.”
Photo: Toyota
Thin varnish
Starting around the mid-2000s, the Japanese manufacturer began using less toxic water-based paints for all of its models. From an environmental point of view, the new paintwork proved to be much less harmful to the environment, but it also affected the quality and durability of the paint itself. The paint on the bodies of Toyota cars has become thin and reacts very sensitively to even the slightest mechanical impact, which is why it quickly loses its factory shine. Even from flying small stones and sand, a large number of chips and scratches form on the case. The most vulnerable places are the edge of the hood, mirror housings, the upper part of the wings, which are not protected by mudguards and fender liner.
Photo: Shutterstock
Frequent maintenance
Today, most automakers have moved to an annual service interval or 15,000 km service for almost all of their models. In addition, some premium brands even recommend maintenance every 25,000 km when using long life engine oils. And other models independently recommend that the owner contact the service only when the on-board electronics determine the wear of consumables and a change in the characteristics of the oil in the engine. But with Toyota it's different. The Japanese manufacturer still requires an overhaul of all its models every 10,000 km.
Photo: Toyota
Reliability
The strength and durability of these machines have been myths and legends for many years now very hard to break. Yes, Toyota, like any other car, tends to fail over time, but this happens less often than others. And this is not an unfounded statement: from year to year, Toyota models occupy leading positions in the reliability ratings of various independent agencies.
The Japanese manufacturer is quite conservative and is rarely the first to innovate and introduce innovative technologies in the industry. As a rule, advanced solutions appear on Toyota cars much later than other manufacturers. And the Japanese prefer time-tested solutions. That's why Toyota enthusiasts continue to rejoice in owning some of the most reliable cars in the world.
Photo: Toyota
Unpretentiousness
This feature is inherent in all Toyota vehicles, and is also closely related to the time-tested design solutions of Japanese cars. For example, the industry has long relied on low-power turbocharged engines, pre-selected robotic gearboxes, and sophisticated electronic control systems. And the Japanese continued to install their cars with naturally aspirated engines and classic “automatic” cars for years.
And even the CVTs that Toyota began using in recent years were among the last used by the Japanese until other manufacturers tried them out.
Photo: Toyota
But it is these solutions that provide Toyota cars with unpretentiousness in operation. Filling these cars with 92m gasoline or diesel from a little-known gas station is not scary. And the maintenance of such machines is within the power of even small garage services.
Comfort
Of course, Toyota has built completely different cars over its long history. The brand's range also included legendary sports cars such as the 2000 GT. And a recent example is the rugged and uncompromising GT86 coupe, created in collaboration with Subaru. What's more, Toyota's glorious sporting tradition has always been expressed in the Supra, recently revived by the Japanese brand. However, over the years, most Toyotas have always been built with safety and comfort in mind.
Photo: Toyota
Soft suspension, smooth ride and quiet character are characteristics inherent in the vast majority of Toyota models and highly valued by their owners.
analogy
A range of active and passive electronic safety systems are now used in all modern vehicles, including Toyota. However, it is the Japanese manufacturer that continues to build its cars, as they say, according to the old patterns.
Photo: Toyota
Even on top models, none of Toyota's electronic assistants annoys its owner with importunity or unnecessary flaws. Any electronic system is configured to be the last to intervene in the actions of the driver. And that's exactly what many Toyota owners love about their cars.”
