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Byron Mathioudakis
Contributing Journalist
26 Mar 2023
4 min read

When is the best time to buy a Toyota?

With so many different models launched at varying times, figuring out the optimum time to make a move is important if you want to maximise your investment. Nobody wants something that's soon going to be old and outdated. Especially as that can really impact resale values. It also gives buyers a stronger position to haggle prices down.

Here, then, is a brief summary of every Toyota ute and passenger car available in Australia, and what's in store for each.

Most have waiting times of up to a year or more, with some – like the GR Yaris, Supra and Granvia – currently so in demand that they're pretty much unavailable for the foreseeable future. Check with your Toyota dealer first.

There's also a link above outlining Toyota SUVs, as there are too many of them to have in just one article!

 

2023 Toyota Yaris
2023 Toyota Yaris

Toyota Yaris

Launched: 2020, 4th-gen, all-new.

Pluses: Big jump in safety, refinement and style; now with unique hybrid option.

Minuses: Rocketing prices to match, long waiting list, especially for popular hybrids.

Updated due… A minor facelift expected sometime later this year or in 2024.

Verdict: Pricey but enjoyable supermini that's taken Europe by storm. A smart choice.

Our advice: BUY NOW

 

2023 Toyota GR Yaris
2023 Toyota GR Yaris

Toyota GR Yaris

Launched: 2020, 1st-gen (but based on 4th-gen Yaris), all-new.

Pluses: A thrilling firecracker turbo AWD manual hot-hatch with a unique three-door body.

Minuses: Currently unavailable due to demand, no auto option, prices have certainly jumped .

Updated due… Maybe sometime in 2024?

Verdict: Nothing like it on the planet – a true old-school hot-hatch experience and living legend.

Our advice: BUY NOW - when Toyota re-opens the order books

 

Toyota Corolla

Launched: 2018, 12th-gen, all-new.

Pluses: Advancements in safety, refinement, style and fun; expanded hybrid availability.

Minuses: Tiny boot in pretty hatch, prices creeping up, big wait lists for hybrids.

Updated due… A minor facelift came in 2021; a redesign expected next year.

Verdict: Best Corolla in decades if you can overlook hatchback's laughably small boot.

Our advice: BUY – but redesign not too far away

 

2023 Toyota Camry
2023 Toyota Camry

Toyota Camry

Launched: 2017, 8th-gen, all-new.

Pluses: Affordable, spacious, reliable, dependable, with hybrid option – and drives well too!

Minuses: Old-fashioned concept but it's a Camry so you know that, right?  

Updated due… Tiny updates in 2020 but the redesign is expected next year.

Verdict: Easily the best-value old-school family sedan on the market – you cannot go wrong.

Our advice: BUY – but redesign not too far away

 

2023 Toyota GR86
2023 Toyota GR86

Toyota GR86

Launched: 2022, 2nd-gen, redesign.

Pluses: One of the few true affordable sports cars left, alongside Subaru BRZ and Mazda MX-5.

Minuses: Not as cheap as it used to be, some spec shortfalls in base version.

Updated due… 2030 maybe? Who knows; probably the last of its kind with petrol power.

Verdict: Still such unbridled joy.

BUY NOW

 

2023 Toyota GR Supra
2023 Toyota GR Supra

Toyota GR Supra

Launched: 2019, 5th-gen, all-new.

Pluses: Toyota-designed coupe version of BMW Z4, co-developed by both brands.

Minuses: A wonderful grand tourer/sports car but expensive and too BMW-like in feel.

Updated due… Later in the decade, but at least the manual's finally here (from late 2022).

Verdict: A likeable Ford Mustang and Nissan Z alternative; wild yet sophisticated.

BUY NOW

 

2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue
2023 Toyota HiLux Rogue

Toyota HiLux

Launched: 2015, 8th-gen, rebody of 2004 version.

Pluses: An original, great reputation for toughness, strong resale value.

Minuses: Diesel particulate filter issues tarnishing image, dated, jittery ride, tight cabin, expensive.

Updated due… All-new next-gen HiLux due in 2024, can't come soon enough.

Verdict: DPF fallout notwithstanding, a sound choice for resale, but far from class-best.

Our advice: WAIT

 

2023 Toyota Granvia
2023 Toyota Granvia

Toyota Granvia

Launched: 2019, 1st-gen (in Australia), all-new.

Pluses: So big, so roomy, easy to drive and see out of, based on HiAce van.

Minuses: Expensive, short service intervals, feels/sounds/drive like a van, DPF concerns (see HiLux).  

Updated due… Not likely before the end of this decade.

Verdict: Nothing like a Tarago, sadly, but a big, solid and dependable business-like 6/8-seater van.

BUY NOW

 

2023 Toyota HiAce
2023 Toyota HiAce

Toyota HiAce

Launched: 2019, 6th-gen, all-new.

Pluses: So much better than before in every way – spacious, practical, safe, pleasant, easy.

Minuses: Boxy styling, short service intervals, limited towing capacity, DPF concerns (see HiLux).

Updated due… Who knows… the tired old HiAce lasted decades.

Verdict: The go-to van for serious work, and probably the best for long-term ownership.

BUY NOW

Byron Mathioudakis
Contributing Journalist
Byron started his motoring journalism career when he joined John Mellor in 1997 before becoming a freelance motoring writer two years later. He wrote for several motoring publications and was ABC Youth radio Triple J's "all things automotive" correspondent from 2001 to 2003. He rejoined John Mellor in early 2003 and has been with GoAutoMedia as a senior product and industry journalist ever since. With an eye for detail and a vast knowledge base of both new and used cars Byron lives and breathes motoring. His encyclopedic knowledge of cars was acquired from childhood by reading just about every issue of every car magazine ever to hit a newsstand in Australia. The child Byron was the consummate car spotter, devoured and collected anything written about cars that he could lay his hands on and by nine had driven more imaginary miles at the wheel of the family Ford Falcon in the driveway at home than many people drive in a lifetime. The teenage Byron filled in the agonising years leading up to getting his driver's license by reading the words of the leading motoring editors of the country and learning what they look for in a car and how to write it. In short, Byron loves cars and knows pretty much all there is to know about every vehicle released during his lifetime as well as most of the ones that were around before then.
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