Mass Effect

MANILA, Philippines – Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation is continuing to deliver on its promise to renew or refresh its vehicle line-up this year by launching the 2012 versions of the Yaris sub-compact hatchback and Land Cruiser 200 luxury sport utility vehicle last week. Although these two vehicles appear to be at the opposite sides of the spectrum, both in size and price, Toyota has made sure that the Yaris and Land Cruiser come with new and re-designed features to make them more appealing and class competitive than ever before.

2012 Toyota Yaris

Bolder looks and an edgier design highlight the changes to the Toyota Yaris for 2012. Up front, the Yaris adds some presence with its redesigned front bumper with tapered and angular front fog lamp openings and a smaller, sleeker front mesh grille. At the back, the rear bumper appears sportier and accommodates new reflex reflectors as well as a cutout for the chrome tail pipe finisher. The headlamp and tail lamp clusters have been modified as well, with the latter benefiting from new LED brake lamps. The exterior changes are capped off by a standard rear spoiler and side mirror integrated turn signals for increased safety.

Inside, the 2012 Yaris gains a much more upscale interior thanks to revised fabrics and materials. For instance, the ventilation controls now have soft-touch plastics and chrome highlights. The steering wheel and shift knob are particularly interesting since they’re now covered in leather and offer controls to the integrated audio system. The audio transmission variant sets itself apart by gaining a flat-bottom steering wheel with red stitching for an even sportier feel.

These modifications along with the Yaris’s 1.5-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine (107 horsepower, 141 Nm of torque) allows for a responsive yet frugal driving experience in city or on the highway. And with an overall length of just 3,800 mm (wheelbase is 3,460 mm), the Yaris is also very nimble and easy to drive.

The 2012 Toyota Yaris comes in both manual transmission (P736,000) and automatic transmission (P771,000) and offers excellent features for the price. Equipment such as dual SRS airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution are all standard as is an auxiliary audio jack as well as optitron meters for easy readability. The 2012 Yaris is available in six trendy colors.

2012 Land Cruiser 200

With its unquestionable heritage, the Toyota Land Cruiser remains the full-sized luxury sport utility vehicle of choice for the elite. And for 2012, Toyota has revamped the Land Cruiser to give it several upgrades to further enhance its status as an icon of power, luxury and prestige. Outside, the 2012 Land Cruiser sports redesigned front and rear bumpers which offer a more “three-dimensional” look by playing on both concave and complex surfaces. The front grille with horizontal chrome slats is bolder and flows much more neatly to the headlamps. Based upon a barreled dual-lamp, the Land Cruiser’s revised headlamp cluster features dual HID headlamps, LED daytime running lamps and concealed headlamp washers. At the back, the new rear combination lamps are illuminated by LEDs ensuring excellent nighttime visibility. And the new 18-inch alloys with 285/60 tires project a stronger image on the road for the Land Cruiser.

Inside, the 2012 Land Cruiser offers a traditionally luxurious yet state-of-the-art atmosphere by combining wood grain ornamentation with silver accents in the cabin and piano black accents on the center console. The steering wheel has been redesigned as well and now incorporates controls for the audio, telephone, voice and display integrated controls. The gauge cluster’s readability has been further enhanced with new optitron color-information display with TFT in a white and turquoise color combination. The changes are capped off by a new four-zone climate control system.

Under the hood, the 2012 Land Cruiser continues on with the 1VD-FTV 4.5-liter V8 diesel engine (232 horsepower, 615 Nm of torque) with a 6-speed automatic transmission for optimal fuel efficiency and smoothness. The Land Cruiser’s go-anywhere, do-anything reputation has been upped thanks to a new high-mounted double wishbone up front (replacing the previous torsion bar type) and the trusty four-link with coil springs at the back. For optimal on- and off-road stability as well as comfort, the Land Cruiser also comes with Toyota’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) and better sound insulation. Other safety features include six airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and front/rear proximity sensors.

The 2012 Land Cruiser is priced at P4,292,000 for the four standard colors while the White Pearl color option bumps the price up to P4,307,000.