The Toyota 4Runner two door SUV was introduced for the 1984 model year and was based upon the Toyota Truck platform. As more and more manufacturers produced sport utility vehicles, Toyota joined the ranks with their 4Runner, with all models equipped with a 2.4 liter engine and available with four wheel drive. The first few generations of 4Runner were definitely more ‘truck like’ than ‘car like’ in both design and utility, unlike the luxury SUVs of today
Exportation of the Toyota Corolla from Japan to the United States began in March of 1968, selling for about $1700. At the time, this compact car was available as a two door coupe, a four door sedan or a two door wagon. The 1.1 liter 4 cylinder engine with 4 speed manual transmission provided the power, at the time, to the smallest car Toyota had ever introduced to the American marketplace. Since then, the original simple design and reliable mechanical engineering of the Corolla have served as the foundation for many future generations of this car which went on to become the most popular car line in automotive history. With the exception of the Land Cruiser, the Corolla is the oldest Toyota model still manufactured and produced as of the 2007 model year.
The best selling car in America for several years running has been the Toyota Camry, which debuted for the 1983 model year. At that time, the Camry was a compact, four door sedan and was also available as a hatchback wagon. The small and relatively inexpensive car was subtly attractive and equipped with either a 1.8 liter or 2.0 liter fuel efficient engine. Throughout the many years since its introduction, consistent and dedicated improvement has established the Camry as a highly reliable and practical vehicle.
The Honda Ridgeline made its debut in 2006 as a standard sized crossover vehicle, which is built on a single body structure. The suspension is an independent four wheel one, which enables the manufacturer to build cargo storage are under the body of the truck. The Ridgeline derives its power from a 3.5 liter V6 engine and is available in three versions RT, RTS and RTL. All versions of the Ridgeline can seat 5 passengers and are available with a wheel drive. The truck has bucket seats for the Driver and the front passenger with a big center console in front of the driver. The rear seats are split and can be folded.
The first generation Honda S2000 made its debut as a roadster in 2000. The vehicle was launched with one version only that was powered by a 240 horsepower 2.0Liter engine. The vehicle seats 2, but there is no space in it to store luggage. The instrument panel in front of the driver is dominated by one instrument, a tachometer, with the other gauges that show fuel left in the car and coolant, less conspicuous. The back window is made of plastic as Honda wanted to keep the weight of the vehicle low. The S2000 comes equipped with seats made of leather, air conditioning, a music system that can play AM/FM and CDs. All the windows and mirrors can be operated by the touch of a button and one can enter the roadster with the help of a remote. In 2002, the rear window got glass windows, new rear lights, and a better music system. In the year 2004, the roadster got 17 inch tires, better shock absorbers, and a new 2.2 Liter engine was added to its line up. The company continued to make changes to the Honda S2000 in 2006 and 2007, when it added more speakers to the cars music system, and more padding for the headrests.
The Honda Pilot made its debut as a sports utility vehicle in 2003. It was the company’s second sports utility vehicle after the Passport, whose body was like a truck. The Pilot has the same engine as that of the Acura MDX, and it has come to fill the gap that the Honda Company’s other Sports Utility Vehicle could not meet. The vehicle derives its power from a 3.5-liter VTEC V-6 engine, and is a four wheel drive vehicle. The vehicle comes in two versions, EX, EX-L and LX. The vehicle can seat eight people, with the last row of seats seating three. The last row of seats can be folded which allows the vehicle to carry extra luggage. In 2005, the engine was upgraded and a system to monitor tire pressure was added. In 2006, the Pilot got a new look, airbags at the side and an all wheel drive system was added.
The Odyssey minivan debuted in 1995. The first generation Odyssey was powered by a four-cylinder engine. It also was the first in its class of vehicles whose doors could be swung open like a car. It first came in the LX and EX versions. The LX version sat seven passengers, with independent front seats, a bench seat in the middle that seats three and a rear seat that also seats three. In 1998, the engine was redesigned to a 2.3 Liter VTEC engine. Despite the engine change, the market and most customers felt that its engine was not very powerful and as a result its sales suffered. The Odyssey was bought and used by the ISUZU Company for its collection of vehicles and renamed the OASIS.
The Honda Fit was a vehicle that hit the global roads in a slow regulated manner. The Fit made its debut in Japan in 2001, and was released in Europe and Australia in 2002, South America and Asia in 2003, China in 2004 and Mexico in 2005. The vehicle made its debut in America in 2006 at the North America International Auto Show. The vehicle comes in five versions, with each version having a distinct number of its own to identify itself. Some of these versions are available only in particular geographical areas. The car derives its power from 1.2 liter, 1.3 liter and 1.4 liter DSI engines or a 1.5 liter VTEC engine. The engine available in each vehicle depends upon which country it is acquired in. The same rule applies to the gear configuration, which is available in three styles, a four speed manual system, an automatic system or a continuous variable gear system, which is not available in the United States. The vehicle is built on the Honda Small Car body chassis. One distinct characteristic of the Fit is the location of its gas tank, which is located under the front seat. This placement of the fuel seat allows for lots of space in the back. The Fit can seat five passengers.
The Honda Element made its debut as a small crossover sports utility vehicle in 2003. Though the vehicle shared a number of its characteristics with the CR-V, the Element was a foot shorter and was slightly less flabby then the CR-V. It derived its power from a 2.4 L K24A i-VTEC engine that had four cylinders. It was available in all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive versions. The first generation Honda Element came in two versions, the DX and the EX. In 2004, a new version of the LX was launched and the Element now had better front seats and an arm rest for the front passenger. In 2005, the DX version was removed from the lineup and side air bags were made optional. The EX model got a stereo system that could play MP3’s and a satellite radio. In 2006, an EX-P version was added to the lineup.
The Honda CR-V was Honda’s first self designed sports utility vehicle. It was first brought to the public limelight at the 1996 Chicago Auto Show and came to the United States market in 1997. In the beginning it came in only one version which was the LX which derived its power from a 2.0 Liter engine. It had a single body design and there was space to store a table when going out for a picnic. In 1997 an EX version was added to the lineup. The EX was equipped with 15 inch tires and anti-lock brakes that the LX model did not have. Both models could be bought with front wheel or 4 wheel drive. In 1998, the engine got more power in the form of extra horsepower. 1999 saw the CR-V getting a new front and rear bumper. In the year 2000, a special edition version was added to the line up. It was equipped with seats made of leather, a music system that could play CD/s and cassettes, passengers in the rear had glass that would protect them from people peeping inside the vehicle.