2013 Toyota Avalon

            The all-new Toyota Avalon was designed to help bridge the gap between Toyota and their luxury brand, Lexus.  The Avalon received the best score from Car and Driver in a comparison test between the 2014 Chevy Impala, 2013 Chrysler 300S, 2013 Dodge Charger, 2013 Hyundai Azera and the 2014 Kia Cadenza. 

            The Avalon is offered with the 3.5L V-6 or the 2.5L gas/electric hybrid.  The V-6 makes 268hp at 6200RPM and 248 ft-lbs or torque at 4700RPM.  The 2.5L hybrid makes 200 hybrid system net hp.  Both engines come with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

            The base Avalon XLE comes standard with leather heated front seats, push button start and ten airbags.  An upgrade to the XLE premium provides the same leather seats, but also a backup camera and a tilt/slide power moonroof.  The top of the line Limited edition has heated and cooled front seats, power moonroof, blindspot monitors, rear heated seats and rear climate control.

            At Handy Toyota, the Toyota Avalon starts at $36,000 with the XLE Touring edition.  Prices also go up to $41,000 with the Avalon Limited.  Come take a test drive today and see why Car and Driver liked it so much.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

2013 Toyota Highlander Limited

     The 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited is one of Toyota’s higher end crossover SUVs that are currently offered. The Highlander was first unveiled at the 2000 New York Auto Show and began showing up on showroom floors later that year.  The car has gone through a couple model year changes, the first being in 2004, and then a new generation in 2007 with an update in 2010.  The 3^rd generation Highlander will reach dealerships in 2014, which will be slightly longer and wider than the current generation.

            The Highlander Limited comes with a 270hp 3.5L V6 engine with variable valve timing.  With that engine package and a 5 speed automatic transmission gives a competitive fuel economy of 22mpg highway. 

            One of the added luxuries for the Highlander Limited is a rear seat DVD player comes as an option.  It is a single screen unit that folds down from the roofline of the car.  The rear of the car also has an independently operating air conditioning dials, so the people in the back can have the fan blow a faster speed or colder temperature if they want to.  There is also a fold-down 3^rd row in the rear of the car.  The Highlander Limited also comes with leather seats and heated seats in the front. 

           

            Other options featured in the Highlander are two wireless headphones, mudguards, wheel locks and a roof rack with cross bars.  Come take a test drive in the 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited and be impressed with the car’s handling and features today at Handy Toyota.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Toyota Designs Robot heading for the International Space Station

                Contrary to popular belief, but the Toyota Corporation is much more than just an automaker. The Toyota Company invests itself into many research pursuits, as well as motor vehicles. One of which, will be place in the international space station soon. Meet Kirobo, the space robot:

                The idea behind this radical project was to make a robot capable of human to robot conversation. The robot will have conversations with a commander Wakata in space.  The robot will leave this August, and will meet up with the commander at the International Space Station. The two are scheduled to meet by December. Commander Wakata will return to Earth the following summer, leaving the robot to remain at the international space station. 

A clone of Kirobo called Mirata was made to leave with ground control. The question will remain though, what is next for Toyota and their robot research? Well if their research in robotics has been as innovative as their research in the Auto Industry, then we will have much to look forward too. 

Tyler Barnier

Handy Toyota

2014 Toyota Highlander

                As we roll out the remaining 2013 Toyota Highlanders, we prepare to make way for the next model generation, the 2014 Highlander. The Highlander has been a game changer since 2000 when it comes to how we know the crossover. While the previous short lived generation introduced the Highlander to a standard of style for crossovers, the 2014 has design to rival even the range rover, for a fraction of the price!

                The next generation Highlander will offer two engine classes as well as a hybrid variant: a 2.7L i-4 engine or the 3.5L V6, each with the 6 speed automatic transmission. The hybrid variant will contain the 3.5L V6, except coupled with Toyota’s Signature CVT transmission. The 2014 Highlander will be 3 inches longer and half an inch wider, and as you can see will features molded plastic for the wheel arches.

                The interior of the all new Highlander has been re-vamped as well. The 2014 Toyota Highlander will be able to comfortably seat eight passengers. Toyota has also worked to improve the ambiance inside the Highlander, by adding lights around the dash and the doors. The material has also been up-graded to be softer to the touch.  The 2014 Highlander will also feature new standard safety features such as blind spot monitor, lane-departing warning and a rear cross traffic alert.

                You can expect the 2014 Toyota Highlander is planned to be launched this fall. Be sure to periodically check in at HandyToyota.com to see when the 2014 Highlander is added to our inventory. 

Tyler Barnier

Handy Toyota

Toyota Hits Sales Milestones with Prius and Camry

            In recent weeks, Toyota has hit several sales milestones with two of their vehicles, the Camry and the Prius. In the Camry’s 30^th year of production, Toyota sold their 10 millionth Camry in the United States.  The first year the Camry was introduced to the United States was in 1983.  That year, they only sold 52,651 Camry’s in the US.  Since then, it has gone on to become the best-selling car in the United States for 11 years.

            Toyota says that there are still nearly 800 first generation Camry’s from 1983 still in operation today.  The first Camry production factory opened in Kentucky in 1988, which was Toyota’s first factory in North America.

            Toyota states that “virtually all Camrys sold in the US are produced in the US.” They also go on to say that nearly 75% of the car is domestically sourced within the United States.

            First introduced in 1997, the Toyota Prius hit the market as the world’s first mass produced hybrid car.  The 2^nd generation Prius hit auto markets in 2003 and the 3^rd generation followed in 2009.  In less than 20 years, Toyota has sold over 3,000,000 Prius’ worldwide.  With this kind of success, the Prius is starting to become what Coke is to soda as the car is to hybrid technology.

            How many more years will it take before Toyota sells another 10,000,000 Camry’s and 3,000,000 Priuses? It might take only half the time, especially with the constantly improving hybrid and electric 

technology, with Toyota at the forefront of it.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

Toyota Prius Technology

            Many people know that the Toyota Prius has set the gold standard for hybrid technology all over the world.  The name is so common now that it is starting to become what Coke is to soda.  Not many people know just the amount of technology that goes into today’s Prius and what makes them as efficient as they are today.

           The secret to today’s Toyota Prius hybrid is the Hybrid Synergy Drive.  The system uses a blend of gasoline or electric motor to provide optimum efficiency for how the driver is using the car.  Sometimes it will use only the electric motor for something such as city driving during stop and go traffic.  Once you begin picking up speed the car will begin transferring use to the gasoline engine to provide extra power and give a longer range.

            The Prius also has three drive modes.  There is EV, ECO, and POWER.  The EV mode will run on battery power alone, but only for up to one mile.  ECO mode improves fuel economy by the car adjusting throttle and climate control for

getting optimum economy while still staying comfortable in the car.  The reason why climate control is adjusted is because if the air conditioner is in use, the compressor puts out drag, which reduces engine efficiency and performance, which reduces fuel economy.  The POWER driving mode has the car go all out and provide the best, most exciting driving experience the Prius can provide.

            Another great piece of technology in the Toyota Prius that not many other cars possess is the solar roof.  The solar roof provides power to a fan that circulates air throughout the interior of the car.  This cools the interior so when you go to get back in the car, you won’t need to turn the air conditioner on, which reduces engine drag and then increases your fuel economy.  You can also turn on the air conditioner within three minutes of you entering your Prius.  The compressor will run on the hybrid battery power system so you can enter into a nice and refreshing temperature.

            With industry leading technology such as the solar roof, and the forerunner of hybrid technology, the Prius will continue to be a leader of the pack for hybrid technology and fuel economy.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Real Life Drivers Test

            Yesterday, I was asked if I would like to drive to Syracuse to pick up a car and bring it back to Handy Toyota.  I said without hesitation, “sure I would be glad to.”  After 12 hours of driving through pouring rain, two different cars, I finally made it back to the dealership in one piece (and the car as well).

            The day started with me driving a Toyota Rav4 to Romano Toyota.  The route would take me across the top of the state on Route 11, and then interstate 81 down to Syracuse.  I figured I would get a good opportunity to talk about these two Toyota’s like how they would be driven by a typical driver rather than magazines such as Car and Driver taking it out onto the track and measuring the center of gravity, ¼ mile distance and all the “stuff” that doesn’t particularly matter to the everyday driver.

            The Rav4 I drove to Syracuse was a green XLE model.  The steering and braking was much quicker

than what I was used to since I had been driving a 10 year old car for the past year.  One feature I thought was pretty cool was when driving, a green light will show up on the dash that say, “eco” to show if you are driving economically or not.  That light was on during the entire trip so I was driving economically and making the most of the gas mileage.  Since it was raining, I made good use of the windshield wipers, which worked perfectly as I would expect of a new car.

            One thing I noticed about the Rav4 was after three of four hours of driving; my back wasn’t getting stiff like it has on other long car rides.  I think a lot of that had to do with the seat and the way it was designed. The seat resembled a bit of a racing style being so you were nestled right in the middle.  It was very comfortable too.

            The Toyota Highlander that I was taking back from Romano Toyota drove very much like the Rav4. This one had leather seats and an eight-way adjustable seat, so it was a little more luxurious than the Rav4.  The Highlander didn’t have the “eco” light that the Rav4 did, but other than those little differences, and the Highlander being a little bit bigger, there was essentially no difference in driving either car.  I would be happy owning either one of them.

            After almost 12 hours of driving, I finally made it back to Handy Toyota, and drove myself back home to eat dinner and get ready for another work day.  This was a good tune-up for another 12 hour drive I’ll be embarking on this Sunday.  The drive will put my grandfather and I in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania for one of the biggest model airplane contests in the country.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Real Life Simpsons Theme Park

            Ever dreamed of eating a whatchamacarass sandwich and washing it down with a Krusty-partially-gelatinized-non-dairy-gum-based-beverage?  Well now you can thanks to Universal Studios opening up the

Simpsons theme park, you will have your chance to eat that same meal. All of the Springfield establishments from the Krusty Burger, Moe’s Tavern, the Frying Dutchman, and Android’s Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop will be present in “mini-Springfield.”  Universal says that many Simpsons characters will be able to interact with guests of Springfield.

            The animated TV series began in 1989 and was an instant hit.  Since then, the series has won 27 Emmy awards, and has shattered TV records for being the longest running scripted television show on the planet.  In 2007, the Simpsons movie was released into theaters.  The premier was held in none other than Springfield, Vermont.  Currently in it’s astounding 25^th season, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie are just as popular today as they were when the series’ first began.

            The Springfield expansion began construction in November of 2012.  Construction continued through the beginning of 2013 and officially opened up for Simpsons fan on June 1^st. It’s now the perfect time of year to take a vacation down to Florida and checking out Fast Food Blvd for a Krusty Burger.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, VT

Spy photos of the Gen IV Prius

            Recently spotted in the streets of Los Angeles was a covered up model of the next generation model Toyota Prius.  Judging by the shape of the car, it looks to be almost exactly the same as the current generation Prius. Under all the covering might be different styled headlights, grille, and tires.  Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be much of a departure of the “standard” Prius shape.  There’s no need to change the shape of the car since it has been synonymous with what a Prius is.  And despite its facing growing competition from the rest of the auto industry, the Prius is still very much the car that everyone compares other hybrids to.  The Prius may become what a Coke or a Kleenex is to soda and tissues, it is that popular a car.  The interior of the Prius looks like it will be not much of a departure from the current one, although the pictures indicate that it is an incomplete interior.

            Toyota seems to be going with the old adage, if it’s not broken don’t fix it with the Prius.  Tell us what you would like to see in the next generation Prius.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

St. Albans, Vermont

Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals

            It all boils down to this, Game 7.  In a year where they won 27 straight games, the Miami Heat dominated throughout the regular season.  However, they have been struggling against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, leading to a decisive, winner take all trip to the NBA finals game seven.

            Why have the Heat not taken care of the Pacers like they have against the other teams they faced in

the finals?  The series has gone back and forth with each team winning every other game.  Lebron James gave the Heat the win in game one with a game-winning layup in OT.  Game two went to Indiana.  The Heat went on to crush the Pacers in games three and five, but the Pacers took care of the Heat in games four and six.

            What does the Heat need in order to advance to the NBA finals? They need support from the other two of the Big 3, Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh. D Wade has been struggling through the playoffs with a knee injury and his performance has hindered because of it. In game six, Chris Bosh only had FIVE points, four rebound and zero assists.  That kind of performance won’t put them into the NBA finals. Also Lebron needs to stop acting like a child when he gets a call he doesn't like.  In game six, he was called on a foul when going up for a shot.  He didn't like it and ran across the court in a tirade.  That got him a technical foul.

            Game seven cannot be the Lebron show.  He can’t carry an entire team further into the playoffs.  The rest of the team needs to step it up, play with heart and passion in order to beat the Pacers.  The Birdman, Chris Anderson will be back from his one game suspension, so he’ll bring some energy up off the bench. The Heat need to be the same team than won them 27 straight, not the one man show of Lebron James carrying them all the way through the playoffs.

            It will be tough for the Indiana Pacers because they’re playing in south beach so the Heat will have home court advantage.  If Indiana can hold off the Heat once more, like they have shown they can do, they’ll earn themselves a trip to the NBA finals.  It will definitely be a great game to watch for any NBA fan out there.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

2013 Concorso d’Eleganza Ville d’Este

            Last weekend, one of the most exclusive car shows in the world came to a close, with a 1938

Bugatti 57SC taking the best in show award.  That car is owned by Ralph Lauren, the famous fashion designer.  There were only four of the 57SC’s built in history, but two of them were destroyed over the course of time.  The only other 57SC in existence sold at auction for over $30 million.  The car is powered by a 3.3-liter twincam straight-8 engine producing approximately 200hp. Top speed is said to be 130 mph, but I don’t think anyone is going to test that theory. 

            Some of the other prizes at this car show include most sensitive restoration, most elegant Rolls-Royce, best preserved pre-war car, best preserved post-war car, most iconic car, best interior design, most exciting design, and the driven from the farthest away. The iconic brands of the times like Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Bugatti were all present at the event with their owners.  All in all 50 cars were entered into the concorso, along with 35 motorcycles.  Within those 50 cars, six were concept vehicles

           

Words can’t describe the sheer beauty of some of these cars, so I felt the only way to convey it would be through pictures.  Maybe these will inspire someone to brush the dust off of their Mustang or Camaro and take it for a spin.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

Indianapolis 500 Milk Preference

             This past weekend the 97^th Indy 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With

over 68 lead changes, a new record, it is considered to be one of the most competitive Indy 500’s in the colorful history of the race. The victor, Tony Kanaan, continued the tradition of drinking milk choosing 2 percent in his first Indy 500 win of his career. The milk tradition dates all the way back to 1936 when Victor Louis Meyer drank buttermilk after a victory because his mother had told him it was good for hot days. The tradition has been broken 1

time in the race history; in 1993 Emmerson Fitzpaldi chose orange juice over the beloved Indy milk. Every driver is asked a Milk preference before the race, this year 2 percent was the overall favorite among drivers with 16 choosing it as there choice. If you were a driver what would be your celebratory milk choice?

Colt Smelstor

handycars.com

St. Albans, VT 05478

Toyota Entune

           Toyota has introduced a new in-car technology.  It is Toyota’s own infotainment system call Entune. Entune is a collection of popular apps and other services that are now installed in your own car.  Some of the apps that are pre-installed when you receive your new Toyota include Bing, iHeartRadio, Pandora, MovieTickets.com and more!  Entune also comes with data services so you check fuel prices on the way to vacation, check stocks, see how your favorite sports team is doing, traffic and weather.

            All of these services and apps come with a three year trial period where all apps and data services are complimentary from the sale of the car.  After the three years, you will have to pay $5 a month to access Apps. Depending on which version of Entune you have, Display Audio and Display Navigation or Premium HDD Navigation, you will have to pay $5 a month for data services or $8.99 a month.  The $5 per month package is for the display audio and display navigation version of Entune.  The $8.99 package is for the Premium HDD navigation.  Also, XM satellite radio is available with Entune and costs $14.49 per month. However, to access the latest cost for XM, visit their website to see if prices have changed at all.

            Entune has a Bluetooth capability so you can pair it with your smartphone.  You can also download the Entune mobile app on your phone through the App store, Blackberry App World or the Android marketplace.

            Toyota offers some form of Entune in nearly every vehicle.  Check www.toyota.com/entune to see which version of Entune is offered in the car you might currently be looking at.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

The Toyota Tacoma Baja Edition

            In 2012, Toyota Racing Development developed the Baja edition of the popular Tacoma.  Toyota named this special edition the Baja because of Toyota’s success at the Baja 500 and 1000. The Baja 500 and 1000 are off road races in Mexico.  Because of their success at those races, Toyota developed an off road edition to the Tacoma.  It would be only natural to call it the Baja edition.

 

            The Toyota Tacoma Baja edition shows up at the dealership ready for off-roading.  It comes standard with TRD’s off-road package, which includes hill start and downhill assist, traction control and rear locking differential. While this package is available on other Toyota trucks, what sets the Baja edition away from the rest are the other features only this Tacoma possesses. The Baja comes standard with BF Goodrich 16” beadlock-style wheels.  The truck also bolsters 60mm Bilstein race shocks, and a 50mm remote-resevoir in the rear. The suspension of the truck also has TRD coil springs in the front.  The Tacoma was risen nearly two inches, and has a wheel travel has gone up by one inch in the front and 1.5 in the rear. The only performance upgrade that Toyota gave to the Baja is a TRD cat-back exhaust.  The last items that were added to the Tacoma are flat-black graphics placed on the rear of the truck.  These are only to be seen on the Baja series truck. 

            The Baja edition Tacoma will be available with either a six-speed manual, or a five-speed automatic as an Access or Double cab. Under the hood will be the standard 4.0L V-6, which produces 236 horsepower and 266ft/lbs of torque at 4000 RPM.  The interior of the Baja is the standard Toyota interior, which is also equipped with the Entune infotainment system.  

            For those who may have never heard of bilstein equipment, here’s a brief rundown on what they have accomplished recently.  At the 24 hour race at the challenging Nurburgring racetrack, a Mercedes SLS equipped with a Bilstein race suspension took first place.  In fact, five of the top 10 cars in the race featured Bilstein suspensions.

            Here at Handy Toyota, we are one of the only dealerships in the area that has three Baja edition Tacomas for sale.  Come take one for a test drive today and come see what you think.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

Tesla: The Wave of the Future?

            Let’s face it, gas prices are getting more and more expensive by the day. Eventually, we will also be running out of oil, which is the key ingredient for gasoline.  Many automakers today are beginning to install electric motors in their cars in addition to the normal internal combustion engines. Even Ferrari, the top of the line supercar maker is beginning to install electric motors in their cars.  Their newest car from the skunkworks at Maranello, the LaFerrari, has, in addition to an 800hp internal combustion engine, a 163hp electric motor.  This system, according to Ferrari reduces the CO2 footprint from the Enzo to LaFerrari 50%.

            The problem is, LaFerrari is still consuming gasoline and emitting CO2 when it’s rounding tight corners at Leguna Seca and accelerating out of them.  To get rid of all CO2 emissions would mean either going back to the horse and buggy days or relying on electric power.  The problem with the electric cars of today is their range.  For example, the Nissan Leaf has a range of only 73 miles on one tank of electrons.  Tesla motors have now developed their own design model S.  The model S is completely powered by electricity and has a range of 265 miles. That is over three times the distance covered by the Leaf on a battery charge. Also, the Model S is a full size car with the option to seat five adults and two small children. How has Tesla gone above and beyond and developed a car that is this far ahead of the competition?

            Tesla got their start in 2003 by a group of engineers looking to prove electric vehicles could be made and could be “awesome.” In 2008, their first car, the Roadster hit the streets. Now Tesla has two cars in production, the model S and Model X. The size of the battery in the model S is astronomical! To put it into perspective, the Tesla battery is over 7000 cells. The Nissan Leaf has only 192.  The battery in the Tesla measures roughly, five feet wide, eight feet long, four inches thick, and weighs over 1300 pounds.  This size battery along with an 85 kW motor gives the model S a range of 265 miles.  It is also a fairly sporty car with 0-60mph coming in under five seconds. The electric motor provides 416 horsepower and 443 ft/lbs of torque. The starting price is still a little steep for most buyers at $62,400. However, Tesla has hinted at an under $40,000 car in the near future.

            Stock in Tesla has soared in recent months from approximately $27 per share all the way up to $92.73 following favorable reviews from Consumer Reports and Car and Driver.  Stocks also went up after Tesla paid back its entire loan to the government, three years ahead of schedule.

            Now that Tesla has proven the electric car is feasible, will Nissan and other car companies start developing better electric cars filling the needs of the everyday driver? Or will they continue to develop hybrid cars letting Tesla continue to lead the way in electric car development.

Matthew Colan

Handy Toyota

January 2013 Employee Spotlight - Casey Toof, Photographer and PR Manager

Though not all Toyota dealers in Vermont play by the same rules, we are all playing the same game. This being the case, it's the job of the Handy Toyota dealership staff to find new and intriguing ways to get you to do business here; why buy cars at Handy Toyota versus a Burlington, VT Toyota dealer when we all have Camry L sedans, Tundra Grade trucks, Venza Limited CUVs, and so forth? Beyond our sterling reputation, one thing that has always set us apart is photos.

While you may be scratching your head wondering what's the big deal, keep in mind that to the untrained buyer a Camry is a Camry is a Camry. What better way to show you, the prospective buyer, why a Camry L is $23,000 and a Camry XLE is $30,000 than with a slew of pictures: Entune infotainment systems and touchscreen monitors, backup cameras, V6 versus 4-cylinder engines, and even AWD tags are so easily conveyed via photos that it makes both our job of selling the car and your job of researching the purchase so much easier, but without the right character behind the camera a Toyota dealer like us can, instead of helping you find your car, scare you, ending with you running away from our lot and instead buying a (*gasp!*) Ford!

Well no more, thanks to this month's employee spotlight focal point: photographer and public relations manager Casey Toof, Handy Toyota of St. Albans, VT's newest employee. Click Read More to learn a bit about what makes Casey not only tick but an
excellentintegral part of the handycars.com family and team in Handy Toyota's January 2013 Employee Spotlight segment.

eTeam
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT  05478