2013 Toyota Tacoma, Tundra Get New Equipment, Trim Levels

Toyota has made some minor equipment and trim updates on the 2013 Tacoma and Tundra truck models. The Entune system is added to available equipment for the Tacoma, and Toyota's midsizer also gets a new Limited trim level. For fullsize fans, Toyota adds a TRD Rock Warrior trim to the Tundra, with special 17-inch wheels and BF Goodrich tires to give it a tough, off-road look. If your fullsize tastes trend more toward the luxurious side, Toyota has broken out the Platinum package as its own trim level, bringing Lexus-level luxury to Toyota's big truck. Read on for more detailed descriptions of the trim changes.

2013 Toyota Tacoma Changes
Already the dominant player in the midsize truck segment, Toyota figured not to mess with the Tacoma's fundamental strengths, but made incremental changes to increase its appeal to core buyers. Along those lines, the new Limited package adds SofTex-trimmed heated front seats, a four-way adjustable driver's seat, variable-speed windshield wipers, metallic instrument panel trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror with rear camera display, exterior temperature gauge, and a Homelink universal transceiver.

Double Cab V-6 models carry over the premium Display Audio head unit including HD Radio with iTunes tagging, iPod connectivity, Bluetooth hands-free calling and music streaming, and JBL GreenEdge energy-conserving technology. On Tacomas equipped with the Display Audio unit, the backup camera image is displayed through the head unit. The Display Audio unit also adds Toyota's Entune multimedia and app package.

The T|X and T|X Pro packages introduced in 2012 carry over, as does the X-Runner performance street truck package. A TRD supercharger is available on all V-6 Tacoma models, boosting output to 304 hp and 334 lb-ft of torque. The supercharger carries a warranty of five years or 60,000 miles, or the remainder of the factory powertrain warranty when installed by a Toyota dealer.

2013 Toyota Tundra Changes
Highlighting changes to the Tundra lineup for 2013 is the addition of a Platinum trim, and a TRD Rock Warrior Special Edition package on 4x4 models. The Platinum trim, formerly a package on the Limited model, becomes a stand-alone trim level. The plush trim package includes heated and ventilated front bucket seats, leather seating surfaces, a memory package, which includes two-position driver's seat, exterior mirrors and steering wheel position memory, auto-dimming power-folding outside mirrors with turn signal indicators, navigation, power tilt/slide moonroof and woodgrain interior trim.

For those looking for a more aggressive personality on their trucks, Toyota offers the TRD Rock Warriror package, which features Bilstein shock absorbers, 17-inch forged alloy wheels with LT285/70 R17 BF Goodrich T/A tires, a Rock Warrior exterior graphic, fog lamps, privacy glass, eight-way driver and four-way passenger adjustable black cloth bucket seats, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with backup display and HomeLink. If you want the rough and tumble image without giving up your comforts, the Rock Warrior package is also available on the Limited trim level, which includes all the comfort and convenience features of the premium trim with a more aggressive appearance.

-Courtesy of TruckTrend.com

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Toyota Avlaon Sheds Weight for Fuel Efficiency

Toyota will reduce the weight of its latest model, 2013 Toyota Avalon, in a bid to improve the fuel efficiency.  Randy Stephens, Avalon chief engineer said that the company’s target was to dramatically improve all aspects of dynamic performance. He added that the ‘weightless’ Avalon will be more responsive and with less mass, less tire width is needed to reach competitive grip levels.

The new Avalon designed for 2013, is about 110 lbs lighter than the existing model and this, according to the company sources, will make the car more fuel efficient without compromising on the previous model’s driving characteristics. The automaker said that it managed to decrease the weight from key areas including body, seat structure and wheel design.

Earlier also, the company had reduced weight of its cars to enhance fuel efficiency. In May, the California Air Resources Board commissioned sports car manufacturer Lotus to strip a Toyota Venza down as needed to achieve a similar result. Lotus, one of the most popular and leading experts in developing lightweight cars for improved fuel efficiency, was successful in trimming Toyota Venza’s weight 36 percent that provided around 23 percent better mileage for the vehcile.

-Courtest of Nitrobahn

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U.S. testing "talking" cars to avoid crashes, congestion

Michael Knight in the television series "Knight Rider" had one. Pixar made a movie about them. Now the U.S. government is testing a fleet of so-called "talking" cars that may help American drivers avoid crashes and traffic jams.

Over the next year, U.S. officials and the University of Michigan will fit nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses with wireless devices that track other vehicles' speed and location, alert drivers to congestion or change a traffic light to green.

Granted, these cars will not be as chatty as actor David Hasselhoff's talking car KITT  or the cast of Pixar's animated movie "Cars." But they will warn about potential crashes through loud beeps, flashes or vibrations in the driver's seat.

In fact, "vehicle-to-vehicle" communication might help avoid or reduce the severity of four out of five crashes that occur when the driver is not impaired, U.S. safety regulators said.

"This is a big deal and I think everybody here believes this has a lot of promise," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters on Tuesday at an Ann Arbor, Michigan, event.

"But until we see the data, until the study is complete, we won't know with certainty what promise it really has. A year from now I think we will."

The results of the experiment will help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decide if the technology should be mandatory. A decision on such a rule would not be made until the test ends in August 2013, LaHood added.

The road test underway now is the largest of its kind. The vehicles will be driven in Ann Arbor, a college town of nearly 28 square miles with a population of nearly 115,000.

Eight major automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp, supplied the cars. The test will cost $25 million, with 80 percent of the money coming from the Transportation Department.

'SEEING EVERYBODY'

The vehicles will also be able to communicate with roadside devices in 29 areas in Ann Arbor. If conditions are safe, the vehicles can change the traffic light to green or let the driver know if a light is about to change.

Connected vehicle systems use a technology similar to Wifi called dedicated short range communication, which is unlikely to be vulnerable to interference, U.S. officials said.

The cars can track other cars' location and speed. They can also determine if a driver is braking or turning the wheel. Details such as the license number or VIN number are not shared.

Automakers currently use radars or cameras to spot problems. Ford Motor Co's cross-traffic alert system uses two rear radars to detect passing vehicles within 45 feet when a driver pulls out of a parking spot.

Radar systems that alert drivers to a possible head-on collision have a reach of up to 200 meters, said John Scally, manager of electric safety and driver assist systems for Honda Motor Co Ltd's U.S. development arm.

The wireless system, however, can detect cars up to 300 meters away. This system can also alert drivers if a nearby but unseen car brakes suddenly. Radar systems cannot detect vehicles around a corner and out of view.

"We've done things with cameras and radars to look for vehicles around you and on the side. But those are just using proximity sensors," Scally said. "This will allow us to see everybody around us," he said of the wireless system.

BEEPS AND BUZZING

The road test represents the second phase of the Department of Transportation's connected vehicle safety program. In a study conducted in 2011 and early 2012, the department found that nine out of 10 drivers had a "highly favorable" opinion of vehicle-to-vehicle technology.

Each automaker has found a different way of alerting drivers to potential crashes. Many automakers use loud beeps or sounds or a certain message on the digital instrument cluster. Others use more discreet haptic systems, which vibrate the driver's seat or steering wheel.

Some use all three. Ford uses beeps, red LED lights and a vibrating seat to tell the driver to slow down, said Ford's technical leader for vehicle communications Michael Shulman.

Executives said it is crucial that vehicles' safety alerts are not overly sensitive. Too many warnings would likely annoy drivers who might turn them off or ignore them outright.

"We want people to get warnings when they need warnings," Shulman said. "But we don't want them to get alerts when there's a car in another lane that's not really a threat."

-Courtesy of Yahoo News