It’s no secret that our friends at Xplore want you to see the country. The company is dedicated to building rambling rides that will let you venture to our nation’s most scenic parks. The newest creation rolling out of the Xplore garage is a trip-ready Toyota 4Runner that’s packed with the usual assortment of off-road goodies we’ve come to expect.

Like all Xplore vehicles, the 4Runner can be equipped in stages. Three stages are available, and they range from an upgraded interior and a few external bolt ons to the expedition-grade 4Runner shown above. The full monty comes with a slew of ARB items such as a winch and front brush guard, as well as a set of Method aluminum wheels, upgraded suspension components and extra beefy BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain tires.
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Toyota is reportedly working on a refresh for its Tacoma mid-size pickup, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The refreshed Taco will debut in October, as part of the automaker’s plan to debut many all-new or refreshed vehicles this year. In addition to the Tacoma, the Camry and Yaris will also receive substantial overhauls for the new model year. Read More »

Toyota and The Braun Corporation have partnered to provide a unique wedding present to a very special bride. A little over a year ago, Rachelle Friedman was celebrating her bachelorette party when she was pushed into a swimming pool. When she fell, Friedman broke her C6 vertebra and became a quadriplegic in an instant. After 14 months of hospitals, physical therapy and daunting medical bills, Friedman and her fiancé finally tied the knot on July 22.

While the bride and her family were preparing for the wedding, Toyota and Braun, one of the leading manufacturers of wheelchair-accessible van conversions, lent Friedman a vehicle to help out. Before that, her mother had to carry her in and out of the family’s SUV. What Friedman didn’t know was that Toyota was planning to surprise the newlyweds with an accessible Sienna Rampvan of their very own.
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The diehards at Club4AG have been patiently waiting for a new generation of sports car from Toyota. It seems one of the sites founding members got a closer look at what’s in store for the production version of the Toyota FT-86 II/Scion FR-S. User Moto-P got the chance to attend a dinner meeting with chief project engineer Tetsuya Tada, and it sounds like many a bean was spilled.
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When we think of Toyota icons, we tend to think of vehicles like the Prius, Land Cruiser, or perhaps the Corolla, the world’s best-selling nameplate. But entire towns have been built and many wars have been fought on the back of Toyota’s Hilux pickup. Celebrated the world over for its legendary ruggedness and anvil-like reliability, it’s been the workhorse of choice everywhere from Africa to Antarctica for decades. In other words, the debut of a new Hilux qualifies as a genuinely important development in global transportation.

And while this isn’t an all-new model, there are a raft of changes worth noting for the new year. Starting with the obvious, the 2012 Hilux receives a completely new front clip, including new fenders headlights, bumper, hood, and three-bar grille. Additional changes include updated rear fenders, as well as new mirrors and alloy wheel designs.
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After years of uninterrupted success, Toyota finds itself in a peculiar position. The automaker has struggled to regain its stride after the March 11 earthquake that disrupted the supply chain for months and at the same time the automaker is stuck with a quickly aging lineup.
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Toyota is set to pull the sheets back on a new convertible sports hybrid at this year’s Nurburgring 24-Hour endurance race. Co-developed by Gazoo Racing, the GRMN Hybrid Concept II is a slightly updated version of the concept that Toyota displayed at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon.

With its gasoline engine mounted mid-ship and a hybrid all-wheel-drive system, the GRMN should deliver drivers plenty of grip and excellent balance as well. Total combined output sits at 295 horsepower, with 245 ponies coming from the gasoline V6 and another 50 arriving via an electric motor. That motor supplies power to the two front wheels only.
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