What would you change?

[Bper]

Hi All,

A neighbour was having his VW Golf lifted away on the back of a breakdown lorry, I couldn't resist and told him that he should have bought a Toyota. He asked what was so special about them. I replied 'My car isn't on the back of that lorry for a start'!.

We got talking and he said he heard that Toyota's are reliable but if he could change one thing on his VW Golf it would be the problems he has had with his suspension.

He asked if there was anything I would change and I thought maybe the ride could be smoother. 

So, interested to know is there anything other members would change on their Toyota models if they could to make it better?

 

 

 

[Hybrid21]

Road noise and build quality.

When I say build quality I mean better materials and put together better 👍

[Cyker]

The usual one that comes up is the build quality - The reliability of the drivetrain and important parts is unrivaled in the industry right now since the german companies started dropping the ball.

However, they have instead doubled-down on the fit and finish; You never get the panel gaps and slight misalignments with german cars that you get with Toyotas, and the interiors are much higher quality.

They also pay more attention to driving dynamics, NVH and comfort, although Toyota have made some inroads into that lately if my Mk4 is anything to go by (Not so much comfort or NVH, which is still... Yarisy, but the driving dynamics in the new Yaris are superb)

 

This is why people that drive german cars often have trouble changing to Toyotas - By comparison they just feel a bit disappointing if you're used to that german quality, esp. if you just bought it new.

That's why they tend to attract different types of customer and why I often criticise Toyota UK for trying to spec and market their cars to the wrong audience at the expense of their existing customer base - People like me don't really care about the size of the rims or what plastic is used on the dashboard, or the peak HP figure or even panel gaps as long as they're not ridiculous (Like some of the Mk2's were...!) - I just care about the reliability, ease of maintenance and having all the tech that makes my life easier but not stuff that makes it harder or distracting.

 

[Bper]

Do you think they build better finish Toyotas in Japan .

[Cyker]

It's hard to say as I don't have that many cars to compare, but certainly the jappy-built Mk1 Yaris was noticeably better than the french one; Not just how accurately things were put together, but even the parts - It was a bit bizarre as they were almost different cars! So many different components! Brakes, mirrors, power steering (japanese was hydraulic, french was electric!!) were all different and not interchangeable!

And it does seem to me that the T-Sports and D4Ds (Both exclusively made in japan) have lasted better than the french ones, but that also might just be because they're so rare their owners take better care of them than then normal petrol ones

[Bper]

Do you know if all Toyota engines are built in Japan but then shipped to the UK and USA etc., for assembly with the car bodies built in their respective countries?