Tag Archives: Toyota

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Toyota’s Mystery Three-Row EV Is Almost Here

Toyota’s slow-burn teaser campaign just took a sharp turn toward the real world. The company has finally dropped its first official photo and video of its upcoming SUV—and confirmed that the full reveal lands February 10. After months of speculation, patent sleuthing, and corporate breadcrumbs, we now have something resembling a shape. And that shape is unmistakably large.

Everything we’re seeing points to a three-row electric SUV, a long-promised piece of Toyota’s EV puzzle that now appears to be ready for primetime. The interior shots give the game away: a second row with captain’s chairs suggests either a six- or seven-seat layout, and the sheer amount of glass—thanks to a panoramic sunroof—makes this thing feel more family road-trip than futuristic pod.

Toyota’s designers haven’t been asleep at the wheel, either. A full digital gauge cluster sits ahead of the driver, while a big tablet-style infotainment screen dominates the center stack. USB ports tucked into the bases of the C-pillars hint at a vehicle that expects rear-seat passengers to be as plugged in as the powertrain. In other words, this is a modern, tech-forward hauler designed for people who actually use the third row.

But the real story is what this SUV is, not just what it looks like.

Back in 2021, Toyota showed off the bZ Large SUV concept—then called the bZ5X—a three-row EV that was supposed to be part of a massive 15-vehicle electric blitz. Since then, Toyota has quietly stepped back from the awkward “bZ” branding while reshuffling its EV strategy, but one thing has remained consistent: a big, U.S.-built, three-row electric SUV was always coming.

And this sure looks like it.

Patent images we uncovered earlier, especially of the concept’s rear end, line up eerily well with what Toyota just teased. The proportions, the body creases, and that wide rear light bar all match. Even the window shape—with its distinctive triangular base at the front—lines up with the filings. If this isn’t the production version of the bZ Large SUV, then Toyota has pulled off one of the most convincing misdirects in recent memory.

What Toyota hasn’t told us yet is the name—and that’s where things get spicy.

While industry insiders have been calling this thing the bZ5X for years, Toyota’s growing discomfort with the “bZ” label suggests something more familiar might be in the works. Enter Highlander.

Toyota already builds a wildly successful three-row crossover in the Grand Highlander, which absolutely crushed its shorter sibling last year. The standard Highlander’s sales fell more than 37 percent to just over 56,000 units, while the Grand Highlander surged nearly 91 percent to almost 137,000. That kind of split practically begs for a rethink—and electrifying the regular Highlander would be one way to do it.

An electric Highlander—or even something like a “bZ Highlander”—would make a lot of sense. Ford proved with the Mustang Mach-E that familiar nameplates can smooth the transition to electric, even when the vehicle underneath is something entirely new. Customers trust the Highlander name, and Toyota would be wise to lean on that goodwill as it tries to get conservative buyers comfortable with plugging in.

We already know this SUV will be built in Kentucky with batteries sourced from Toyota’s North Carolina facility, and production is expected to begin in the first half of 2026. The reveal next week in California should finally lock in the name, the specs, and just how serious Toyota is about re-entering the EV race it once helped invent—and then strangely abandoned.

So call it the bZ5X, the Grand Crown, or the Electric Highlander. What matters is that Toyota’s long-teased three-row EV is real, it’s coming, and it’s about to become one of the most important vehicles the company has launched in a decade.

And in a market where big electric family haulers are still thin on the ground, Toyota just showed up to the fight with something that actually looks ready to sell.

Source: Toyota

NEW CARS

Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Hybrid Brings Big Power—and Bigger Teasing—to Europe

Toyota has finally decided to let a few more people taste the forbidden fruit. The full-strength Land Cruiser 300 Hybrid—previously a Middle East exclusive—is heading to select Eastern European markets starting January 2026. Emphasis on select, because if you’re in Western Europe or North America, you’re still locked out of Toyota’s most serious SUV. Over here, the company insists you’ll be just fine with a Lexus LX or the smaller Land Cruiser 250. Thanks, Toyota.

Still, for those lucky markets getting the real deal, this isn’t just another compliance hybrid. The Land Cruiser 300 Hybrid is now the most powerful production Land Cruiser ever, and it wears that crown unapologetically.

Under the hood sits a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 paired with a single electric motor sandwiched between the engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission. The numbers tell the story: 457 horsepower and a meaty 790 Nm (583 lb-ft) of torque sent to all four wheels. Toyota says acceleration is up to 40 percent stronger than the non-hybrid 300 Series with the twin-turbo 3.3-liter diesel, and the electric motor fills in torque gaps while sharpening throttle response.

Yes, it can even creep around in electric-only mode—up to 30 km/h (19 mph), to be precise—powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery. No, this is not Toyota’s attempt at turning the Land Cruiser into a silent city cruiser. This is about control, response, and brute force applied more intelligently.

Crucially, Toyota didn’t sacrifice the Land Cruiser’s off-road credentials in the name of electrification. The battery is sealed in a waterproof housing, preserving the full 700 mm (27.6 inches) wading depth. According to Toyota, the hybrid system has been flogged across some of the harshest environments on the planet, and the company sounds confident it hasn’t dulled the SUV’s edge.

Electric power steering is now standard, promising better precision across mixed terrain, while all the familiar off-road hardware carries over: Multi-Terrain Select, Crawl Control, Downhill Assist Control, and the Multi-Terrain Monitor are all present and accounted for.

European buyers will be offered three trims—VX, ZX, and GR Sport—and every one of them sticks to a five-seat layout. If you were hoping for a third row, keep hoping. Of the trio, only the ZX gets a redesigned bodykit, but none of them feel stripped.

Even the base VX comes loaded, with 18-inch wheels, a power tailgate, full LED lighting, twin 12.3-inch displays, a 14-speaker JBL audio system, four-zone climate control, a heated steering wheel, power front seats, and a 1500-watt AC outlet. That’s a starter trim only by name.

Step up to the ZX and you’ll find Adaptive Variable Suspension, a five-mode drive selector, a head-up display, a kick-activated tailgate, and a rear limited-slip differential. Then there’s the GR Sport, which leans hard into its rugged image with unique bumpers, grille, fenders, and wheels, plus Toyota’s advanced e-KDSS system. It can decouple the anti-roll bars to maximize wheel articulation—exactly the kind of nerdy hardware Land Cruiser loyalists obsess over.

Toyota hasn’t said exactly which Eastern European countries will get the hybrid 300, nor how much it’ll cost there. For reference, pricing in the UAE starts at AED 389,900 (about $106,200), which should give you a rough idea of where expectations should land.

This also isn’t the Land Cruiser 300’s first brush with Europe. Since its 2021 debut, it’s been officially sold in markets like Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Australia is next on the list, with deliveries slated for the first half of 2026, and Japan could follow after mild updates introduced in 2025.

For everyone else, the wait—and the frustration—continues. The Land Cruiser 300 Hybrid proves Toyota knows exactly how to modernize its most iconic off-roader without neutering it. The real question is why so many of us still aren’t allowed to buy one.

Source: Toyota

SOCIAL MEDIA

Is Toyota’s Reliability Finally Overrated? The Wrench-Turners Weigh In

For decades, Toyota’s reputation for bulletproof reliability has been as solid as a cast-iron engine block. Buy one, change the oil, ignore the rest, and it’ll still fire up long after your neighbor’s car has headed to the scrapyard—or so the legend goes. But in an era of increasingly complex powertrains, software-defined vehicles, and the occasional high-profile recall, it’s fair to ask: does Toyota still deserve its untouchable status?

A recent TikTok from Aeschbach Automotive posed that exact question to the people who see cars at their worst—mechanics. The prompt was simple: Is Toyota’s reliability overrated? The answers, while not unanimous, painted a familiar picture.

The first response set the tone. No hesitation, no caveats. Toyota, the mechanic said, remains “the gold standard for quality control across the industry”—if you maintain it properly. Another tech pushed back, suggesting that modern Toyotas may not quite live up to the myth. But that dissent was quickly drowned out by a chorus of agreement: absolutely not overrated, solid for decades, capable of racking up eye-watering mileage with routine care.

@aeschbachauto Asking Mechanics “Is Toyota Reliability Overrated” #toyota #cartok #carcommunity #automotive #classiccar ♬ original sound – Aeschbach Auto

One desk worker summed it up with a story that sounds almost fictional in today’s lease-and-flip culture. She learned to drive on a RAV4 that logged 417,000 miles. Not kilometers. Miles. And she’d still recommend it without hesitation.

That qualifier—maintenance—came up again and again. Toyotas aren’t magical, the mechanics agreed. They have quirks, like every other brand. But keep up with scheduled service and they’ll keep returning the favor. It’s a refreshingly unromantic take that cuts through both the fanboy hype and the influencer outrage.

Because here’s the thing: no car is reliable if you ignore it.

Modern vehicles demand attention. Warning lights aren’t suggestions. A check-engine light, brake fault, fluid leak, or tire-pressure warning isn’t something to “get to later,” unless “later” means a tow truck. Regular checks—fluids, tires, lights—still matter, even in an age of touchscreen dashboards and over-the-air updates. Oil changes, brake inspections, tire rotations, and the occasional deeper dive under the hood remain the price of long-term ownership.

Toyota’s reputation didn’t appear out of thin air, either. Year after year, the brand scores near the top in reliability rankings from Consumer Reports, RepairPal, Kelley Blue Book, and J.D. Power. In the most recent J.D. Power study, Toyota placed fourth overall, while Lexus—its luxury arm—took the top spot. Consumer Reports flipped the script, ranking Toyota first and Lexus third. That’s not exactly a brand in freefall.

Still, the shine has dulled slightly. Recent engine issues with the Tundra, including a recall of more than 127,000 trucks due to potential machining debris left inside engines, have given critics ammunition. Toyota itself acknowledged the risk: knocking, rough running, loss of power—none of which belong in a brand’s reliability highlight reel. Add in a louder online crowd declaring that “old Toyotas were great” and “new ones are trash,” and the narrative starts to wobble.

But step away from the comment section and into a real shop, and the verdict sounds far more measured. One engine issue doesn’t erase decades of engineering discipline. No manufacturer is immune to mistakes, especially as emissions rules tighten and vehicles grow more complex. What separates the leaders from the pack is how often things go wrong—and how well they hold up when owners do their part.

In the end, Toyota’s reliability may not be mythical, but it’s also not imaginary. It’s earned, maintained, and occasionally tested. Call it overrated if you expect invincibility. Call it deserved if you understand that even the most dependable cars still need care.

And judging by the Toyotas still rolling into shops with 300,000 miles—or more—on the odometer, the badge hasn’t lost its meaning just yet.

Source: @aeschbachauto via TikTok