Toyota makes cars people like. This feisty Japanese company has been headed towards world domination for a while now.
“The rise of Toyota Motor Corporation to the largest and most profitable automaker in the world has been well documented. With hundreds of millions of durable, reliable workaday cars and trucks produced over a span of almost 80 years.” caranddriver.com
The Lexus, the Camry, the Corolla. Toyota has outsold superstar rivals like Volkswagen for seven of the last eight years. This despite more than one highly publicized safety recall.
Put simply - people keep buying Toyotas. Take the Toyota Harrier, the popular mid-size crossover SUV.
“Ever since the launch of the first generation model in 1998, the Toyota Harrier has been a firm favourite among the crossover-buying crowd, wooing buyers with its good looks, great build quality, and decent practicality. Its biggest draw was perhaps that it was a Lexus RX save for the engine, badges, and price tag.” oneshift.com
There used to be a thin line between a Harrier and a Lexus. But after a dip, when the third generation Lexus RX was launched in 2009, the Harrier is making its comeback. The new generation Harrier has parted ways with Lexus, and is now based on the Toyota RAV4 platform.
Exterior
The Harrier 2.0 is a good looking car, curvy without the heaviness. The right amount of chrome. There are nods to previous models in the signature upward kink of the rear quarter windows and the tapered tailgate.
Interior
It’s the difference between luxury and a cheap date. The interior has no cheap, hard plastics, it’s all soft, lush and leather. Except for the shiny plastic trim on the center console. Electrically operated front seats, dual-zone and touch-sensitive air conditioning controls, a full panoramic roof. Plus lots of controls on the steering wheel. Elegance, comfort and space all round.
Specs
The 2.0-litre four cylinder engine produces 151bhp and 192Nm of torque to move the car’s 1600kg body around.
“The “Super CVT-i” gearbox drones a little, but it is extremely efficient and plays a big part in contributing to the decent fuel consumption figures of 12 to 13km/L. It also has selectable settings, with ”PWR” for sprightlier performance, and “ECO” for smoother and more relaxed drives.” oneshift.com
So the Toyota Harrier is what you’d expect. It’s roomy, comfortable, fuss-free and more than a little luxurious. And that’s why people like Toyotas.