2011 * Dbl Cab * V6 * Automatic * 4wd on 2040-cars

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2022 Lexus LX 600 First Drive | A substantial, stylish soft-roader

The Toyota Land Cruiser is dead. Long live the Toyota Land Cruiser 2022 Lexus LX 600 — the flagship SUV brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century with a much-needed overhaul. Back with a new powertrain, new shell and new possibilities, the LX is aimed at the top of the luxury SUV segment, taking the fight back to the likes of the Cadillac Escalade and Mercedes-Benz GLS. The Land Cruiser isn't truly dead, mind you; we just don't get it here in the U.S. — at least not yet. Fortunately, much of that new SUVÂ’s engineering lurks beneath the LXÂ’s skin. The new twin-turbo V6, for example, provides 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque and serves here as a baseline V8 replacement; it's paired to Toyota's new 10-speed automatic. The hybrid engine offered in the new Toyota Tundra and Sequoia is rumored to be on the way to the LX in the coming model years.  But while the Land Cruiser is traditionally known for its off-road prowess, the LX we tested was most definitely not. In place of a robust 4x4 system with locking front and rear axles intended to conquer unexplored terrain, we got a Torsen limited-slip differential, an F Sport suspension with performance dampers, and massive 22-inch wheels. Sure, the center differential lock and LSD will get you just about anywhere you could possibly need to go, even on dirt, but that's not the F Sport's intended use case. ThatÂ’s not to say the LX 600 canÂ’t hang when it comes to typical SUV duties. ItÂ’s nearly 17 feet long and equipped with a fold-flat third row, but it's also essentially a foot shorter than a standard Escalade. That partly explains why that third row is basically utility seating as opposed to consistent family transport. It also offers reasonable headroom at the expense of cargo space – just about all of it, in fact. If you really need to use the third row and bring some stuff along, you can always rent a trailer; itÂ’ll tow 8,000 pounds. Fortunately, the standard full-time 4WD and limited-slip differential donÂ’t need to be paired to the LXÂ’s off-road Crawl Mode to be worthwhile. Though our loanerÂ’s huge 22-inch wheels were wrapped in all-season rubber, the LX handled typical Michigan winter garbage with aplomb. Fresh snowfall was limited during the week we had the truck, but there was plenty of leftover, inches-deep crust and slush in the suburbs north of Detroit where we took the LX out to play. Competent though it may be over the rough stuff, comfortable it is not.

2014 Toyota Prius crash test rating drops to four stars

If nothing has changed, then how come something changed? That's the question behind the recent drop from five to four stars in the crash test rating for the Toyota Prius. As you can see on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website, the 2014 Prius gets four stars overall while the 2013 got five. The two cars are basically identical, so what gives? Toyota says it is not sure why NHTSA rated the Prius a four this time. Starting with the 2011 model year, NHTSA updated its rating system and says in a FAQ that vehicles that had four- or five-star ratings could get lower ratings "even if no changes have been made to the vehicle." Green Car Reports says that the issue is a new set of frontal barrier tests that were conducted on the 2014 Prius last month and that resulted in the first new bits of crash test data for the car in years. The 2012 and 2013 Prius models were rated based on tests done in February 2011 on a 2011 Prius. All of these are variants of the third-generation model. The next-gen Prius is expected in 2015. Jana Hartline, environmental communication manager at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, told AutoblogGreen that the company doesn't quite know what's going on with the drop in crash test scores: There have been no changes in the test standards and no changes in the car, other than minor reinforcement for small overlap crash test which we believe did not compromise integrity. We are not sure why it rated a 4 this time. We are looking at the test results and we are confident the new generation will move back to 5 stars. 2014 Prius still has a five-star rating for the side crash test and four in the rollover test. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Toyota projecting record profits, thanks in part to weak yen

Toyota retained its global sales crown in 2014 by selling 10.23 million cars in the calendar year. As the positive number might suggest, the Japanese automaker is doing extremely well financially, too. Although, some tougher times might be on the horizon. Toyota recently released its financial figures for the three fiscal quarters running from April 1 through the end of December 2014. Net profit jumped an impressive 13.2 percent to 1.727 trillion yen ($14.7 billion) for that period. It could be the Japanese automaker's most profitable time ever when the fiscal year ends in March, if things keep going this way, according to The New York Times. Toyota's own profit forecast for the 12-month period is also up by 130 billion yen ($1.1 billion) to 2.13 trillion yen ($18.1 billion). One key to the company's success is the low value of the Japanese yen, because it allows Toyota to make more money on each vehicle the company sells abroad. The currency is now worth relatively less than any time since the early '70s, according to The New York Times. Despite the rosy financial numbers, actual sales have started to fall, albeit a very slight amount. Through the three fiscal quarters, the company sold 6.73 million cars, a drop of just 45,365 vehicles. Toyota also reduced its forecast for the fiscal year to 9 million units, rather than the original estimate of 9.05 million. According to The New York Times, the shrinking Japanese auto market and difficulty in China might mean losing the global sales lead next year. For the US, sales jumped 145,411 units from April through December to a total 2.1 million vehicles. Operating income reached $4.27 billion, nearly 50 percent more than last year, according to The New York Times. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Announces April – December 2014 Financial Results February 04, 2015 Toyota's global net income jumped 13.2 percent during the nine-month period (April 1– December 31, 2014) of the 2015 fiscal year. Global Financial Highlights: Global sales decreased by 45,365 vehicles to 6.73 million, with strong sales in North America and gains in Europe, offsetting decreases in Japan and other regions.