Toyota Stout Reviews

After having lived with the Toyota GR Yaris GTS for the past week and watched it eat its weight in petrol, strain my neighbours patience with its loud noises and grumble at me for trying to make it accelerate when it wasn’t ready, I’ve made up my mind — cars with combustion engines will always be more fun to drive than electric vehicles.For all their smooth driving, fast accelerating and zero tailpipe emissions, electric cars aren’t engaging to pilot and that’s because almost all the technology disconnects us so much from what’s actually happening.Don’t get me wrong, I think electric vehicles make great sedans that can ferry people around effortlessly and serenely. And EVs are superb small cars doing daily commutes in traffic, and for little delivery trucks and vans. Basically EVs are great for any kind of driving where those onboard would rather be anywhere else than driving.And so the GR Yaris is exactly the wrong car for these kinds of people, because it's the type of vehicle that’s constantly letting you know you’re driving, but it’s shouting it an inch away from you face, “YOU’RE DRIVING A CAR!”.The GR Yaris is basically a homologation car for Toyota to compete in the World Rally Championship and is vastly different from a regular Yaris with a 221kW/400Nm 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive.Made using forged carbon and aluminium the GR Yaris weighs only 1300kg and can launch itself from 0-100km.h in 5.1 seconds.And yes I know a Tesla Model 3 Performance has 343kW and can get from 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds. But have you driven a Tesla?  Yes, it has strong acceleration but so does a tram. And so the experience feels nothing more than commuting, even if it's rapid.The GR Yaris is not as quick, but the experience of getting to 100km/h is filled with so much noise and feeling. The car breathes in air, mixes it with petrol in tiny rooms and sets fire to it causing an explosion powerful enough to eventually turn the wheels, all the while breathing out the used air and gases.So, combustion cars are alive, in a way. They have personality. And I think that’s part of our strong connection to them. Sports cars even more so, because these are designed to optimise handling and agility, often with manual gear boxes, which make the driver even more central to the driving.But EV’s acceleration is great, right? And it's exhilarating isn't it? Yes the acceleration is good and we’re seeing outrageous power outputs of up to 850kW in family cars. But the novelty of accelerating quickly wears off.Most EVs have impressive acceleration because motors produce high power and torque and send it directly to the wheels, and it’s done instantly from zero revs. It’s brilliantly simple, with hardly any parts and it makes sense that cars should be electric.But it’s not very fun and that’s the point of this. And I find hybrids much the same in their mundanity, but to a lesser degree.Combustion engines are complicated, dirty, noisy, inefficient and have lots of parts. They made sense a hundred years ago, but if somebody only invented the combustion engine in 2026 there’s no way it would be approved for use.Still this past week I’ve had two test cars in my driveway — the GR Yaris and a Chery Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid. Which do you think I picked every time I needed to go anywhere, even somewhere five minutes away like the supermarket and to do the school run? The GR Yaris of course.It’s harder to drive than the petrol-electric Tiggo 8, but every journey in it is fun and engaging.I’ve even felt sorry for the Tiggo 8. When it detects its key coming within range in my handbag it unlocks its doors and switches its headlights on, but I walk right past it to the GR Yaris and leave in that.Sometimes I look back at the Tiggo 8 as I pull out of the driveway and see it shutting back down again, switching off its lights and locking its doors when it realises it's not needed this time.Today I needed to return the GR Yaris — the test was over. And I’ll be in the Tiggo 8 again.I can see a need to switch the cars that most of us drive to electric, and I used to worry that combustion cars would disappear quickly. But I don't think that’s going to happen. Sports cars will I think be offered in combustion form for decades more because the makers and buyers know the fun to be had. If anything EVs will make us appreciate combustion cars even more.

With the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV potentially replacing the existing Highlander/Toyota Kluger in America, the doors open up as to which big Toyota Australia receives from the USA, including the big Grand Highlander Hybrid.

The already angry looking Toyota GR Yaris GTS race car for the road has been given an Aero Performance package that not only makes it more dynamic but it now looks downright furious.

Toyota, the usually unstoppable Japanese giant that has dominated Australia’s new-car market for eons, has shown a rare vulnerability, with sales falling across January as its new and hyped products fail to fire.It feels weird to write that, given how dominant a force Toyota is here. But January was a rare hard month for the brand — especially given it followed the launch of one of its most important models, the new HiLux — with sales plummeting more than 20 per cent.Toyota insists the results are a blip, exacerbated by the runout of the current RAV4 ahead of the new version's arrival next month and the new HiLux's incomplete range. Toyota said it has strong orders for both models on the books.But the question really has to be asked if the fact the two “all-new” models, which really aren’t all that all new, especially in the case of the HiLux, are playing a part, given the hyper competitiveness of Australia’s new-car market.Toyota’s iron grip on the number one position on the ute sales chart has already been relinquished, with the Ford Ranger now locked into that spot. But the Japanese giant’s ace up its sleeve was the RAV4 Hybrid, which rocketed up the charts even as the HiLux was falling.But January saw the RAV4 tumble, finishing the month in lowly 10th position, behind familiar faces like the Mazda CX-5, and relative newcomers like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Haval Jolion.The new Toyota HiLux, which shares its platform, engine, transmission, tray and much of its body with the vehicle it replaces, is unlikely to scale the sales mountain again, with ute sales generally struggling and more and more entrants entering the fray.The LandCruiser Prado was down in January. The much-hyped Tundra is doing almost nothing. Conversely, the bZ4X is booming, and Camry, Corolla Cross and Yaris Cross are up, too.Still, the pressure is on the shoulders of the new RAV4, due in Australia in March. That means the brand could be in for another lean month in February before we get a clear picture of where the brand is in March.It’s never wise to bet against Toyota in Australia. From the early introduction to hybrids to its sometimes criticised “multi-pathway strategy” — in which the brand insisted diesel, petrol, hybrid and PHEV would be every bit as important as BEVs in Australia — Toyota’s crystal ball is clearer than most. But it’s also rare to see Toyota tumble, so the next eight weeks will be curious indeed.

The new Toyota LandCruiser FJ mini 4WD is the car Australia wants and needs but is denied… however, that could all change soon, according to new reports.Toyota’s little LandCruiser made its public debut at the 2025 Tokyo motor show, with rugged looks, built-in toughness and right-hand-drive production locked in.Toyota Australia’s then Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley told CarsGuide at the time it would not be available to Australia because the 2.7-litre petrol engine only adheres to Euro 5 emissions regulations.“The LandCruiser name in Australia would be very appealing, but the hardcore reality is we are facing in our country… variable regulations, new criteria, new vehicle efficiency standards,” said Hanley.“It’s not about NVES, it’s just about regulations.“We’re moving to Euro 6 emissions standards. That’s the reality,” he said. Now reports out of Japan point to the FJ LandCruiser scoring a diesel option before the end of the decade, which could make it viable for Australia.The overseas report point to it using the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with mild hybrid assistance as the current Toyota HiLux ute and Prado 4WD.That means it could gain 150kW and 500Nm of grunt, which is heaps for an off-roader similar in size to a RAV4. It is also a sizeable jump over the current version's 120kW and 246Nm 2.7-litre petrol motor.We won’t know the fate of the diesel FJ LandCruiser for sometime, as it's reportedly not being added to the line-up until 2029.At the Tokyo motor show last year Hanley said if the LandCruiser FJ’s engine was rated to Euro 6 standards, he would consider it for an Australian launch.“If it was Euro 6, I would reconsider it,” said Hanley.“If it does turn out to be a Euro 6 engine, and if it does turn out to be that way, which it could… then that’s something we could re-examine.”The emissions goal posts will have changed by the end of the decade, so there is still a chance that engine will not be available

The rise and rise of Chinese car brands in Australia is testing the legacy brands like never before.Relative newbies like BYD, Chery, GWM and MG are eating away at sales of carmakers with long histories in Australia.What will 2026 bring for those historic brands in Australia? For some it will be a make or break year. The Federal Government’s emissions reduction scheme is also expected to start having more of an impact this year.We make some predictions about what sort of year the non-Chinese brands in Australia’s top 10 will have in 2026.Toyota may have stumbled in the January sales figures, down 22.3 per cent year on year, but the company put that down to stock irregularities with the changeover to new HiLux and low stock of outgoing RAV4.Don’t expect too many more stumbles in 2026 from Brand T. A new RAV4 is just around the corner and from what we’ve heard, there’s quite the order bank for the family-friendly hybrid SUV for the coming months.There’s not a lot of new product coming in 2026, but the hybrid LandCruiser 300 Series might give the off-roader a boost. Either way, expect Toyota to remain number one by a comfy margin come the end of the year.Mazda is in an interesting position. The Japanese carmaker has had mixed sales success with its range of large rear- and all-wheel drive SUVs. The BT-50 ute remains a steady seller, and ageing models like the Mazda3, CX-3 and CX-30 continue to enjoy strong interest, despite a raft of new challengers, largely from China.It will finally launch a couple of proper EVs in 2026, the Mazda6e sedan and CX-6e SUV, which are built in China through its local partner Changan. They’re not expected to add significant volume to Mazda’s tally. A new-gen CX-5 should give Mazda a leg up in 2026, but the much-needed hybrid won‘t arrive until 2027, which will likely blunt sales in the coming 12 months.Ford will continue to rely almost exclusively on its Ranger and Everest twins for sales volume this year. The Ranger was Australia’s top-selling vehicle in 2025 (56,555 units) and the Everest was the most popular large SUV (26,161).Beyond solid sales for the Transit Custom van and Mustang sports car, it’s unclear if Ford will be able to draw volume from anywhere else. As reported, the Blue Oval is expected to offer a China-sourced Bronco ‘New Energy’ medium SUV as a rugged looking alternative to the BYD Sealion 6. But we can’t see Ford increasing its sales by much in 2026.The two Korean giants, Hyundai and Kia, will continue to battle each other this year. In 2025 Kia just edged its sister brand by 5000 sales and it managed third place in January this year. A continued EV push with the EV4 and updated EV6 will add incremental volume, but the new-gen Seltos small SUV won’t land until later this year.There’s still life in the Sportage and Sorento, with new versions not expected until 2027. Both models continue to be strong sellers so expect Kia to either tread water or do a little better than last year.Hyundai has a solid model range, including CarsGuide’s overall 2026 Car of the Year, the Santa Fe and the best Medium SUV under $130K, the Ioniq 5. In terms of new metal, the biggest addition will be the Elexio EV. A mid-size SUV, it will be priced keenly and take on the related Kia EV5, as well as the BYD Sealion 7.New-gen versions of the popular Tucson medium SUV and i30 sedan are not due until next year, but we could see a facelift to the Santa Fe soon. But Hyundai should remain steady overall in 2026.The other non-Chinese top 10 brand is Mitsubishi. The Japanese carmaker is in a period of flux, having just launched the more expensive new-gen ASX, but losing the Pajero Sport and Eclipse Cross.The big news is the return of Pajero (or Pajero Sport), which has already been spied testing in Australia, by none other than CarsGuide’s own Production Editor, Jack Quick.Timing for this is unclear and it might not land until next year, leaving Mitsubishi to battle the Chinese giants for another challenging year.

The next-generation Toyota Highlander — known as Kluger here — three-row SUV has been revealed in the United States as an electric-only model.A spokesperson for Toyota Australia said there are no current plans to add the Highlander to the range Down Under. That does not definitively rule out the new-generation Highlander as an option for Australia in the future.The new model will ditch hybrid power, so its unsure if Australia's US-sourced Klugers will continue.An electric Kluger would offer Toyota a three-row SUV EV rival to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Kia EV9 and Volvo EX90 in Australia. The top-spec all-wheel drive model has two electric motors, producing 252kW and 438Nm.There are two battery choices on the Highlander, which are a 77kWh with 462km of driving range and a 96kWh battery with a range of 515km. It is also available in a single motor, front-wheel drive layout.The 2027 Highlander is built on the TNGA-K platform, rather than Toyota's electric car platform that has spawned other models such as the bZ4X.The incoming RAV4 plug-in hybrid launching in Australia this year is also built on the TNGA-K platform, which opens the door to a future EV version.It has similar design elements to the new-generation RAV4 and Prado SUVs, with a boxy look and sharp creases in the bodywork, riding on 19-inch wheels. Overall, the car is bigger than its predecessor, but it sits slightly lower than the outgoing Highlander/Kluger. On the inside, it comes as standard with a 14.0-inch central touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital driver display.The seats are covered in a synthetic leather, with the front seats heated as well as the steering wheel. The car is expected to officially launch in the US towards the end of 2026 and the start of 2027. 

Toyota’s small ute plans appear to have been put on hold in the United States, according to reports.The small Toyota ute was seen as a potential future rival to the popular Ford Maverick in the US.It was thought there were strong prospects for a small ute from Toyota in the middle of last year. Toyota's Chief Operating Officer in the United States Mark Templin said the brand was “looking at it”. A senior vice president in charge of planning and strategy at Toyota Motor North America Cooper Ericksen echoed the COO's words."We could really do well in that segment, so we’re trying to do it," Ericksen said in a separate interview with The Japan Times. "It’s a matter of timing."Like the Maverick, it was speculated that a Toyota compact ute would be built on an SUV monocoque platform, potentially the RAV4's. This would differ from the HiLux and other major ute players underpinned by a ladder-frame chassis.Plans for the ute seemed to be at an advanced stage, with Toyota even going as far as to reveal a concept in 2023, which was said to be hybrid powered.It now looks like those plans are on hold with Templin pouring cold water on the immediate prospects of a compact ute, emphasising patience. “It’s a really intriguing segment for us, but the whole segment right now is 160,000 to 170,000,” Templin recently told Auto News.“When the market’s right, we may have something.”It looks like continuing US tariff trouble is behind Toyota’s hesitation.The future of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement may be up in the air after recent comments from the US administration on the topic. A trade deal collapse could spell the end of any small ute plans for Toyota, with manufacturing costs in the US and consequent steep pricing making production difficult to justify.

Toyota’s ultra luxury brand Century will build its new Century Coupe with a Rolls-Royce and Bentley chasing twin-turbo V12 hybrid engine in 2027, according to reports.Late last year Toyota announced its lavish Century brand would become a standalone entity, highlighted by the debut of the Coupe x Chauffeur-driven concept at the Japan Mobility Show in December. Now reports suggest the Century Coupe is headed for production and will arrive within 12 months boasting massive horsepower.Japan’s Mag X publication is reporting that Toyota’s plans to use a V8 in the Century Coupe have been pushed aside in favour of a 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 petrol electric plug-in hybrid system with 600kW.How that V12 will be sourced is uncertain. Toyota doesn’t have that engine in its line-up. Some outlets speculate Toyota may achieve 12-cylinder power using two inline BMW six-cylinder engines thanks to the joint venture between the companies, but that’s almost certainly not going to happen.Toyota’s Century brand is a source of national pride, and the super luxurious vehicles have been used by Japan’s royalty and prime ministers since 1967. Given this, it’s entirely likely Toyota will build its own V12 rather than source it through a third party. The last time Toyota built a V12 was for Century in the 1990s, and given the resurgence of the brand it seems fitting that it'll do this again.Expect a few tweaks before the Century Coupe concept becomes a reality. While it's sleek and stylish, the vehicle’s three-seater chauffeur set-up might not be so practical. The split opening sliding door, while impressive, may also be swapped for traditional hinged doors for production.Pricing for the Century Coupe is expected to be close to $400,000, positioning it close to the Bentley Continental GT.The Century line-up also includes a large SUV that rivals Bentley’s Bentayga.

The world’s biggest carmaker was slow to release its first electric car, but it could be about to revolutionise the entire industry.