This Will Teach Toyota

[stompe]

Sorry guys! Toyota deserve this, http://www.carsreview.co.uk/car-news/j-d-powers-quality-survey-toyota-tumbles-gm-disappoints.html perhaps now they will start listening to us! Stompe

[Bodgerx]

It is an American survey. It seems most of the reason behind the drop is the dodgy floor mats. Which is a bunch of Americans that don't know how to engage neutral when a poorly designed mat gets in the throttle's way. Not exactly an accurate representation of Toyota quality.

[timberwolf]

Ah, assuming Toyota do learn something and even better if they improve the quality of the car, how long will it last?

[Cyker]

<rant>

Still some witch hunting going on I feel. I mean, here is one sentence that stood out wrt Toyota:

"Consumers complained in the survey about brake and floormat problems, which is what the recalls were mostly about."

Floormat problems?! Can these people not reposition the floormats themselves? Yeesh!

I must admit I don't think much of the recent range of Toyotas, but it's mainly because of the massive lack of choice we have here compared to many other countries (Very limited engine selection, sod-all options and trims etc.. ).

I'm glad they're bringing back some more trims for the Yaris (Seriously, the T2/TR thing was just lame) but they could have tried to differentiate them better; The trims are almost the same apart from one or two things. Not even a sunroof, or even more ridiculous numbers of airbags or any of that ! :(

I swear the dealers are just being told to get TR's, stick T-Spirit badges on and whack in a satnav from currys

And damnit, the crappy T2 spec is the only one with a digital dash!! :( (I like my digital dash!)

And don't get me started on the new one (Bigger, uglier, could be a re-badged vauxhall astra! No centralized digital dash at all and they still called it a Yaris??! )

The fact that you can't get an Auris with a good stonking engine (1.8VVTI-L or 2.0, 2.2 D4D!) is disappointing, but I think it's because they want everyone to buy the HSD. :P

I kinda feel they are phasing out their diesel engines to make way for it, which is a shame because they make really nice diesel engines; I've seen very few diesel engines as high-revving as Toyota's!

Could be worse I guess... VW stuff has got the bloat bug baaad (Polo now bigger than an old Golf, Fox not far off, standard equipment even more non-existent )

Edit: Added rant tag as this totally turned into a rant. Sorry!

[hertsnminds]

I wonder what a survey by car manufacturers about their owners would reveal? How would a Volvo owner compare to a BMW owner?

[Jan&tone]

Could be worse I guess... VW stuff has got the bloat bug baaad (Polo now bigger than an old Golf, Fox not far off, standard equipment even more non-existent )

You're not wrong! Look at the size of the Focus now, it's pretty much the same size as my old mk2 cortina estate of many years ago.... I'm firmly of the belief that each model get's larger.... No Camry in the UK lineup now, the Avensis is pretty much the same size having grown from Carina ii to it's present size.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I must admit I don't think much of the recent range of Toyotas, but it's mainly because of the massive lack of choice we have here compared to many other countries (Very limited engine selection, sod-all options and trims etc.. ).

I agree too. You have 3 super mini's all competing against each other, the Auris, Prius & Avensis. Hardly much of a range but hey they meet the Euro CO2 target (so what!). How about a few of the Jap only models at the right price? How about the Camry - which wouldn't need much tweeking for Euro spec? How about one of their sporty cars? Toyota used to do some great sports models - MR2, Supra, Celica etc yet they've ALL gone!

I fear Toyota are aiming for the fuddy duddy market that Honda were so keen to offload.

[Parts-King]

I fear Toyota are aiming for the fuddy duddy market that Honda were so keen to offload.

Not at all true, everything they have done in recent years is to lower the average buying age which was something like 62

Diesels will be dead in a few years, somebody above mentioned that already, they are too crude and pollute the air, the world has gone CO2 and NOX reduction mad, thats why you have the cars you have now and not some nice Celica, MR2 equivalent with a V8 in it! Hybrid is here to stay for the next 20 years or so, there will be a hybrid in every model by 2020

Kingo

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Not at all true, everything they have done in recent years is to lower the average buying age which was something like 62

lol I hear you. When I'm waiting at the dealers for my car to be serviced it's like waiting in the tv room at an old peoples home (but without the smell of wee)!

[Cyker]

Do the carmakers get some huge tax break/subsidy for producing these current lifeless cars?

Because I know there are people who would jump at a newer Celica/MR2!

It would suck if diesel engines died out - I've been bitten by the diesel bug and couldn't face going back to petrol! - But it's silly; Diesel has many more feedstocks than petrol and emissions/mile are much lower than petrol; I think NOX is the one thing that they're still trying to figure a counter to (Roll on that magic catalyst that will eliminate these EGR Valves!).

Never know, might see weird new engine types like the quasiturbine or IRIS that was on some documentary about engines a few months back.

I do think electric is the way to go tho'. I'd love a full electric Yaris! :D But someone needs to invent a better way of storing electricity (Chemical batteries are still orders of magnitude out on the energy/mass/volume scale compared to fossil fuels) or a faster way of charging them that doesn't also kill them faster too...

(The fact that china is hoarding all the rare elements needed for advanced tech batteries is just going to make that all the more harder! :( )

Heey, they should set up those solar reactors that convert CO2 into diesel in polluted cities

[Parts-King]

Every major manufacturer in Europe has been targeted to reduce CO2 levels, I'm not sure what sort of a tax break they get but it is an EU directive

Whilst there is still oil on the ground, the giant oil companies wont be racing to find mainstream new fuels. Bring on hydrogen :D:

Kingo

[stompe]

Sorry guys! Toyota deserve this, http://www.carsreview.co.uk/car-news/j-d-powers-quality-survey-toyota-tumbles-gm-disappoints.html perhaps now they will start listening to us! Stompe

We are Slipping compared to last year! http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/lexus-dominates-jd-power-2010/250150 Toyota get your finger out