How Do You Feel About Toyota?

[charliefinnigan]

Hello!

I work at Toyota's advertising agency and I'm constantly amazed by the Toyota brand and its models.

It would be really interesting for me to understand how everyone else out there feels about Toyota and its cars, so if you can spare the time have a look at the questions below. Any responses would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

[Fidgits]

feelings about Toyota?

Well it doesnt exactly bring out the 14-year old like TVR's do, but they are safe, reliable, albeit dull (Im meaning current cars BTW) with a nice heritage.

They used to make some very fast cars like the Supra and MR2 Turbo, yet they seem to have conceeded to Honda and Nissan on that front, and instead are competiting with the likes of Ford.

It's a real shame, because Toyota has the engines, the technology, the money and the ability to make some fantastic cars, but instead they choose to make everyday, average cars, which is fine for the mass production - but Toyota could have made some pulse-racing cars as well, and chose not to.

[knowlson]

I love my toyota but I had to make it into the car I love. It's the kind of car toyota should have built if they had some balls, well if they had some balls they would have put a 3sgte in it with 4wd ;)

I hate the fact all the new toyota's are not forced induction :ffs: the person who had the idea to get rid of turbo's and superchargers I hope gets taken out back and given the kicking they deserve.

I hate the fact the "hot hatch" market it ruled by :censor: end's in honda civic type R's. And the Corolla is seen as a Grandad car.... (which it is )

I hate the Fact that in america they get the SCION models the only cars toyota have made in the last years that have made me want one and they are not even badged toyota

Toyota should get back into rally

The only thing I would miss about toyota if it was not around is........Lexus??

If I had to sum up my feelings to a friend about toyota I would say " they used to make some great cars..... now honda and nissan do"

[ae111sr]

Ditto what Knowlson said about making the car he wanted.

The biggest problem with Toyota is the main dealers. Mostly just do not want to care about the cars once they are sold and out of warranty. And as for servicing costs - exhorbitant. As for Full Toyota Service History - I was told by a main dealer when I wanted to part-ex my previous Corolla that it made absolutely no difference to the price he was willing to give me - so where i the point of paying the high prices carged for dealer servicing.

Apart from that, my (now much modified) Corolla has been great.

[scionic]

Hello!

I work at Toyota's advertising agency and I'm constantly amazed by the Toyota brand and its models.

It would be really interesting for me to understand how everyone else out there feels about Toyota and its cars, so if you can spare the time have a look at the questions below. Any responses would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

←

1. Well, I love my current car (Scion xB/Toyota bB). I think it's a fine example of what Toyota does very well. It's solidly built, relentlessly practical, exceptionally reliable and still manages to be fun to drive and economical.

2. Love their reliability and commitment to the environment. Hate that they are extremely conservative, they lose the horsepower wars consistantly and seem to be taking less and less of an interest in making sporting cars. What happened to little turbo hatchbacks? Toyota has more money and resources then God, there is no excuse for the Accord to be so much of a better drive than the Camry year after year. I wish they'd realize they can take handling and performance more seriously without alienating their boring old fuddy-duddy customers.

3. I would miss having a choice I can make without reservation. Toyota is the only brand which I will choose with total confidence that I will get a reliable, well-built car. I've always felt just a bit uneasy about any other brand, only Toyota leaves me completely assured. I've had 4 of them and Toyota has earned my life-long trust.

4. Oh... tough one. I'd say Toyota is like a dear, old friend, other cars are like sexy women or wild nutty friends that are fun, but get you into trouble, Toyota is the one you can count on who will always be wise and fair and there when you need 'em most!

[gordypix]

Servicing costs is a major issue at all dealers. Come on - up to £70 an hour - it is not F1 you know and we all have other expenses in life to cater for daily.......... :ffs:

The Toyota designers have lost their edge thesedays. What the heck is missing from the sexy Celica Gen 7 = POWER.........The sports Toyotas used to be amazing like the Supra and GT4's but thesedays the designers seem to have forgotton to put the oooooooooooommmmmmmmppppppphhhhhhhh into the engine..........shame on you.

And change the rotton cloth standard seats for something more appealing to people who can SEE . Mine has tasty leather in it - put that FREE option into them all for sanity sake.

Reliability is without a doubt - SUPERB. That's why I have bought another Celica after my Gen 5 model. GREAT

Hello!

I work at Toyota's advertising agency and I'm constantly amazed by the Toyota brand and its models.

It would be really interesting for me to understand how everyone else out there feels about Toyota and its cars, so if you can spare the time have a look at the questions below. Any responses would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

←

[Boro Sera]

I liked the advert with the guy cleaning the windows !

[Kerby]

well on a whole i loves toyotas, i love there reliability and there indeviduality if u know wot i mean. altho my yaris is the first toyota i have owned my parents have been buying them for the past 25 years and had no problems but i have to agree with fidgets (theres something i never thought i would say :P) they need to bring out some more faster jaw dropping cars to drool over like a new supra or something

[Demonic Angel]

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

I'll tell you a story - gather round boys and girls (although most of you will have heard this one before.....) once upon a time there was a girl called Em (thats me!) who owned a beautiful Yaris called Karis. She loved her car and her car loved her. One evening, Em was driving to Nuneaton to visit a friend, she drove through an industrial estate and was coming up to a roundabout - in the distance she saw a car speeding round the corner on the wrong side of the road "He's going way too fast" she thought. And then, like a flash of lightning, the naughty car hit her head on!

Em was alright - surprisingly. Her poor Karis wasn't and has since gone to the big Toyota workshop in the sky. Em was so pleased and proud of the way her little Yaris coped with such a collision that she went out and purchased another Yaris (her second in 10 months!) called Kaori who Em loves and the car loves her back. At least Em knows that if anything like that happens again, her car will protect her. Therefore Em has good reason to "love her Yaris too much"

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

Love the reliablity & safety and to a certain extent the build quality. I know my car will be reliable and trust Japanese cars above all others nowadays. Love the idea of the Prius and think that hybrid engines should be an option on all models! Also love your centre in Leicester, Farmer & Carlisle (much better than Listers Coventry!)- they were brilliant when I bought my 2nd Yaris, especially Suzanne - she is fab and deserves a promotion (if you can do that! lol)

Hate the bland advertising - I didnt buy my Yaris because of the ads - I bought it because I read good mag reviews! Catch ads like Hondas one for its new diesel engine really catch my eye - because its bright and colourful and has an annoying song! Also would like to see more sporty cars in the range (and a Yaris Turbo thank-you please!) Would also like to see much higher spec in the small car range - a Luxury Yaris perhaps (sorry Ford! lol) with heated leather seats, climate control, 6-disc cd, automatic windscreen wipers, sat nav etc etc all as standard!

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

The Yaris!

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

Superb company, excellent reliability and safety who seem the be genuinely commited to making driving more pleasurable! Oh and their automotive expertise saved my life!

[Bibbs]

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

←

1. I love my MR2 Turbo. The car that was never brought to this country, the car that Toyota wanna charge me £110 an hour to look at, the car that I've had to spend several thousand on to get it to the spec/look I want.

2. I love The fact toyota used to have the MR2 Turbo, Supra, GT4 etc .. A full range of cars that had awesome performance and racing heritage. Cars that could roast the Skyline, RX7, GTO, Scooby etc.

I hate that Toyota now has a line up of bland, sub 200bhp, nothing cars.

3. Currently? Nothing.

4. Dissapointment at the current range.

[mark_n]

I do think Toyota could do with a small hot hatch. Say offer a turbo version of the Yaris T-Sport. Make the Yaris more competitive against say the Skoda Fabia vRS, Mini Cooper and cars along a similer line. But I don't know if the car would be financially viable to build and sell.

I have to admit I like the Corolla T-Sport probably more than the Civic Type R. But I think the Civic is seen as more of an out and out hot hatch. And the Corolla T-Sport more of a Civic Type S rival. I guess it would come down to advertising. Possible a agressive advertising campain.

The Celica. The Gen 7 does look very good. But again possibley the top end model could do with more power. But I don't know if the car would be financially viable to build and sell.

But what I do like about Toyota's is the build quality. That is what attracted me to the Yaris, along with the good spec list of the car. The Toyota dealers I have went to have been great. Really helpful and not pushy (that puts me off).

As for an everyday car, where the ability to set the road on fire is not that important I think the Yaris is very good. Compaired to others I had looked at the Yaris, at least for me, offered the best all round package. A nice interia, well build, good spec level.

[mark_n]

I have to agree with this. A friend of mine had a Yaris and she was involved in a very bad accident. She walked away from it, albeit with whiplash. Her car was a write off. But the car protected her very well. And like Demonic Angel she bought another one.

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

I'll tell you a story - gather round boys and girls (although most of you will have heard this one before.....) once upon a time there was a girl called Em (thats me!) who owned a beautiful Yaris called Karis. She loved her car and her car loved her. One evening, Em was driving to Nuneaton to visit a friend, she drove through an industrial estate and was coming up to a roundabout - in the distance she saw a car speeding round the corner on the wrong side of the road "He's going way too fast" she thought. And then, like a flash of lightning, the naughty car hit her head on!

Em was alright - surprisingly. Her poor Karis wasn't and has since gone to the big Toyota workshop in the sky. Em was so pleased and proud of the way her little Yaris coped with such a collision that she went out and purchased another Yaris (her second in 10 months!) called Kaori who Em loves and the car loves her back. At least Em knows that if anything like that happens again, her car will protect her. Therefore Em has good reason to "love her Yaris too much"

←

[jaxx]

i own a 2 turbo, one of the best cars ive ever driven and its 12 years old! im glad theyll charge bibbs 110 quid at his garage mine wont even look at the car cos its an import, pathetic in my own mind.... why didnt we get this car in the first place. theres a mass market for them TODAY let along 10 years ago!

saying that i also own a yaris t-sport which is a fantastic little car but the handling is absolutely terrible! why??...... its supposed to be the 'GTi' version of the car!

handles like a pram! first things first the OE suspension went in the skip!

on a good thing its nicely equipped and the engines pokey but what it aint is a YARIS TURBO! why do we not get that??? sell that here for normal t-sport price and drop a grand or so from the normal TS as it is HIDEOUSLY overpriced, yes i think that even though i bought one! i just think its a great car!! and the yaris turbo would sell thousands!

and to agree with bibbs, yesteryear we had GT4s, MR2 Turbos, Supra Twin Turbos, AE86 corollas, Supercharged MR2s, and a wealth of other 'i want one' cars

now we have the corolla and celica TS as 'flagship' models, now before anyone shoots me i do think they are nice motors, but concidering the past toyotas its a pretty poor and pathetic effort!

personal i wouldnt notice toyota dissapear either, unless they bring the Yaris Turbo and things like the, Will and Caldina GT4 across, i asked my own dealer about that car and got a blank face with a wots that then???

to sum it up i think Toyota these days make average cars and have a very limited sense on any of their past efforts and are seriously getting kicked down by their rivals in terms of 'pinup' vehicles

rant over :ffs:

[Puls]

1. Hmmm....really don't have one. I guess I could tell you about the time my aunt rolled her '82 Celica and both her and the car came out pretty well unscathed. They seemed to be very well built, even back in the day when they were making cars with a hint of cool (the RWD days).

2. Love most: The reliability.

Hate most: The fact that today they have to be the most soulless company making cars today. They're beige appliance cars and nothing more.

3. I don't know what I'd miss...their current line-up does little for me. Even my '96 Camry is nothing more than something I bought because its comfy, reliable, efficient, and pretty easy to work on. The Toyota of the '70s, '80s, and early 90s is the Toyota whose passing I'd mourn.

4. I can sum em up in 3 words. Solid, stable, and secure.

[alanbradley]

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

←

First off - welcome to the club! Its good of you to think to ask us...

1. When I was looking for my first car I was seriously considering importing a Smart from France (before the were sold "properly" here) and I was just humouring my parents when I made a,ist of cars within my budget and whittled it down to - basically - the Yaris and the Smart. I'm a bit of a car nerd (well, okay, a bit of a nerd in general ;) ) so I though I knew what to expect... Well, I took the courtesey Yaris from my preferred Mr T out of a spin and was thorooughly impressed. The 1.0 was really nippy, the seats were really comfy and - and this is what sold it to me - the car has character. That was what I really wasn't ready for. From the digital instrument pod to the sliding rear seat and the "biohazard" wheeltrims I was thoroughly impressed with the Yaris. The Smart was a gonner!

I'm on my 3rd now (the second was short lived - 8 months, 16,000 miles - after an "interesting" manoeuver by a Honda Civic driver <_< )and I still love it. Every time I get in and start the carand see the Pod light up, every time someone gets in for the first time and says "where are the instruments", every time I park it and turn round just to look at it... I think "I'm proud of my car".

2. Toyota as a company? It like their attitiude to the environment. I like that way that they design interesting cars. I like that fact that for some reason I trust them.

I dislike the fact that we don't get the interesting cars I dislike the fact that some dealers are excellent and some are crap and that sometimes it can be potluck what the dealer's going to be like on a given day... I detest the Total Loss department of Toyota Insurance for being a total loss <_<

3. Assuming that all of the cars Toyota has made continued to exist then I would miss TOC... The numbers would dwindle, there wouldn't be new people joining. The "atmosphere" wouldn't be the same. The cars, the dealers - there's nothing in the current range I really aspire to.

4. They're more interesting than you think.

Hope that helps,

Alan

[stevetubbyturbo]

Got my first Toyota 4 years ago MR2 Mk2 N/A and loved it then found out they did a MR2 turbo so i sold the N/A and got a Turbo which i have really tuned up.

Last year we got a Hilux Surf as well which is another fantastic car Toyota used to make.

Love my older Toyotas but hate the fact they have stoped making really fast cars like the MR2 turbo and if you want a really fast car now theres no point looking at Toyota.

I wouldnt really miss toyota as they dont really make cars that turn heads anymore.

If i had to sum toyota in one sentence it would be

Toyota used to make fantastic cars now the make very good cars

[Blue84]

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

←

1) I don't really have a proper story as such, but I, like Alan took a 1.0L Yaris out on a test drive from Toyota and it was love at first "drive"..to me the car has character from all the other cars around, it's also a little bit taller than other small cars which is good for me as I'm 5'8 and like the height. I'm on my 2nd Yaris now, as my previous 1.0L T3 had a too small engine for me, and I wanted more power so the Blue came home. As there really aren't many other Yarii at all here people always stare and admire the Blue too, instead of simply blending into the crowd..so I guess that would be classed as individuality? :D

2) Love Most - Safety. Hate - The attitude of the dealerships during Sales, once they have secured the sale they don't seem to have any urgency at all and really take their time..I used two different dealerships and both were the same, they didn't keep me informed or anything, I had to do the chasing so definately need to improve on that IMO.

3) I'd miss the Yaris, as crazy as that sounds. It's a great car and suitable for lots of people..teenagers, people with families (5 door model and 1.3/1.4D Engine), OAP's etc.

4) Once you try Toyota you won't look back.

Blue

[Twincam.GTi]

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota?

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist?

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say?

Answers:

1. Had my Corolla GTi 12 years ... so must mean something ('cause since then have also bought other toyotas).

2. I love the 1976 Celica RA28 'Fastback'. I hate their new car prices (as all manufacturers).

3. Spare parts availablilty and friendliness of a particular Toyota parts department.

4. Rust buckets bodily but brilliant engines and mechanical reliability.

All in all Toyota is a car you can 'bodge up/mend' with a handful of tools and in the words of the Red ball express: 'keep em rollin'

[gordypix]

Q: How do Toyota stop me from spending my hard earned £50-100,000 fortune on a supercar from one of the Worlds Marques......???????

A: They pull their fingers out and make a "jaw dropping, pant wetting, trouser arousing, nipple hardening" sports car that'll make even the Supra heads wanna sell up and change.....

[Karma Supra]

1. Tell me a story about Toyota/a Toyota model which illustrates how you feel about it - Well, I'm on my 8th toyota, and my 4th mk3 supra......

2. What do you love and hate most about Toyota? I love the older vehicles (up to about mid 90s) the new vehicles are bland, over enviromentally friendly, and slow, the dealerships fall short of being branded "useless"

3. What would you miss about Toyota if it ceased to exist? Nothing, - as long as I can still get parts!

4. If you had to sum your feelings about Toyota up in one sentence for a friend, what would you say? Great cars, but they are going soft, :censor: service and even worse dealerships.

[Karma Supra]

One other minor comment...

"the car infront" was good...

"Tomorrow. Today" is crap.

What has gone wrong with the styling department?

[starletsr]

wow alot of deep thoughts here

[Puls]

Toyota has a showroom problem.

I go to the local Chrysler dealer, and they have an SRT-10 Viper and an SRT-4 Neon. Nissan has the 350Z Track in their shop. Subaru and Mitsubishi have their rally specials. Honda has the S2000 and until recently had the NSX. Chevy has the Z06. Ford has the sexay new Mustang, and posters of the GT up. Mazda has the RX-8 and their Mazdaspeed cars. And, pretty much all of Mazda's cars are stylish and sporty. Pontiac and Saturn will soon have the Solstice and Sky.

Toyota has...a drastically underpowered MR2 Spyder with a sequential gearbox....this is not good. The only companies with lamer stuff in their showroom to draw people's attention are the Koreans and Buick. I miss the days when Supra Turbos and MR2 Turbos were sitting there gleaming in the local Toyota shop. Now, when I go there to get the odd part for my Camry, they have nothing worth stopping and taking a look at.

[Twincam.GTi]

Puls Posted Today, 03:36 AM

  Toyota has a showroom problem. 

My dealers not to bad for display.

I my local showroom theres a customised MR2, a couple of nice Celicas and a T SPORT Corolla.

Plus one wall is full of fancy aftermarket wheels to choose from, accessories and a few Toyota 'branded' model cars you can buy (the models are great). Outside theres a couple of tarted up/jazzed up Mini Trucks (HILUX I think).

[scionic]

Too true.

Maybe since Toyota's sales are always rising and they are #2 in the world they've grown a bit complacent.

They try too hard to appeal to the lowest common denominator most of the time I think. Shoot for general mass appeal rather than building cars that will really stir people.

It's easier to find that fire in the belly when you are struggling to gain the publics attention and grab market share.

Something must have changed in upper management. There was a time not so long ago when they were more passionate about building sporty cars and building some sportiness in to all their cars. Honestly, there are only a handful of Toyota models (not including Lexus) now that I would be able to buy without immediately feeling the need to fit suspension mods on it to tighten up the handling and tearing out the marshmellow soft seats and replacing them with Recaro knockoffs just so I could drive happily enough. My car with it's rigid little stock springs, the MR2 Spyder and the Scion tC.