What are you excited about upcoming 2020 hybrids?
I am eagerly waiting for the CR-V. Both Honda and Ford are expected with mechanical AWD, not the Toyota. Additionally, Toyota still lagging in Android support – a deal killer.
Although, the fact is Toyota is selling RAV4 crazy and they cannot keep up with the demand, Android support or not. So, I think, they don’t care as much.
Am I excited about upcoming Hybrids ? Nope . The new Corvette , Yes .
Have been reading about the new Corvette, but my friend just lemoned a 2019. So might not be the best buy.
The new Supra raised my hopes, but comes only in automatic.
Hybrid crossovers, probably the Toyota is going to be the more reliable although boring one.
The new ICE RAV4 has had some transmission and engine noise issues.
I liked the Prius V but now they want you to buy the RAV4 hybrid.
Can you please explain why that would be a deal killer?
why do you feel they “don’t care as much” . . . ?
Selecting Honda over Toyota, it was not a deal killer, but quite an important factor for me on why not to get Toyota.
Toyota has a huge screen in the center console, and the most lame take on how to use it.
Their smartphone integration is pathetic at best.
At least in Honda, I have a choice with the navigation, podcasts and music.
I wouldn’t buy a car without built-in Android Auto. That is my primary communication/navigation tool – my phone.
Toyota isn’t in any hurry. That’s what I mean. Providing feature costs money and they can’t supply current demand.
I agree on Toyota infotainment lagging. Apple car play and android auto are helpful when you are driving. You don’t navigation any more. I had a 2018 RAV4 briefly, bought it as a family car but we hated it. One of the issues was the radio. The screen quality was dismal, and the entune system was buggy. And we have Hyundai’s, so its not like we were comparing it to some luxury brand.
An LCD screen is around $8 for the manufacturer, Toyota also does not want to pay google for having Android auto. Pinching pennies.
Toyota and Lexus vehicles are available with Apple Carplay, seems they chose Apple over Android.
fair enough
thanks for clarifying
Phones are indeed very crucial tools for many people nowadays
I actually prefer android myself . . .
Suprisingly the lack of Android Auto in the RAV4 was one of the reason’s my dad decided against it. But then he already had a 2007 CRV so the 2019 CRV Touring he bought wasn’t that big of a change but also had all the features he wanted without a steep learning curve. If Honda had the hybrid CRV on the market last spring he would have been interested.
Maybe he’ll trade up in a year or two if the city mileage ends up being anywhere near what some articles are projecting.
The current RAV4 Hybrid is a great choice as well just not the one for my dad. The owner’s of both generations i know are very happy with their Rav Hybrid’s.
I must be old school . . .
Being able to integrate the phone and the car audio system just isn’t that important to me
But I DO understand that others have different opinions
I have never trusted the Ford Escape and won’t until they have a better reliability record. The Honda and Toyota are great vehicles.
I would also recommend you look at the Mazda CX-5, a highly rated vehicle and the most fun to drive.
There are loads of work-arounds with respect to phone connectivity.
Lets say your radio only has a Aux input with a phono jack. Plug the Android phones speaker output into the radio. Use a streaming service or your music files on the phone for music, run the nav app with audio on and Voila… music and the nav app will silence the music every time there is a nav command OR if the phone rings.
Ok, Bluetooth phone hands-free. Same set-up, just without the cord. Music off the phone, nav off the phone and hands-free phone service.
Even if your car doesn’t embrace your data eco-system, it can still function as desired with a little bit of thought.
FYI, I hate small or mid-size SUV’s. They are ugly, functionally and dynamically inferior to a sedan in every way. The market disagrees, but that just makes sedans and coupes cheaper for ME.
So it’s either a Suburban or a Camry . . . ?
No in-between?
I agree they are ugly, as are most SUVs. However, older empty nest seniors like the smaller size and the roomy inside so they can carry large items. I for one am tired of lifting stuff on roof racks.
My niece is an empty nester and their newest vehicle is a Mazda CX 5 which is perfect for them since they have a large dog that travels with them.
I had some nice large cars, a 1980 Olds Delta 88, a 1984 Chevy Impala, and a 1988 Chevy Caprice. They were great for towing our camper and all had HD suspension.
Looking at old photographs now They look ungainly long, but with good styling lines.
As the French say: " Chacun pour soi", to each his own.
In my humble opinion: if I’m buying a new car, for the comparable price point I want not workarounds, I want working solutions. Toyota failed to deliver, period.
My main distraction with older vehicles was juggling navigation on the phone (small screen, my eyes are not getting younger!), charger port and finding something not ugly to mount phone so I can drive with minimal distraction. Magnetic base mounts was what I used, marginally acceptable solution overall.
AUX cord? That’s not addressing this use case at all, besides most cars under 5-6 years allow to connect over bluetooth for that.
Android Auto (and Apple’s take) allow to dump phone somewhere in a storage bin, connect it to change cord and forget about it, all the interactions are on the big and conveniently located screen.
I think this type of technology will make car-embedded navigation systems obsolete quite fast, same as it happens to the dedicated navigation add-on units.
The only situation I still want to go non-Google navigation is when I go to WV mountains, where cellular signal is non-existent. For that I have a $10 application with full-featured offline navigation (with lifetime map updates), once again on my cell phone. I’m still waiting for them to make a version compatible with Android Auto although.
My uncle got a Lexus RX300 then lamented that the interior was smaller than the Nissan quest that they traded. My wife thought an SUV would look great and it took many trips to the dealership to convince her that climbing into the third row seat to buckle in the twins wasn’t a great idea and we went with the minivan
We don’t go rock climbing and mud slinging in our family car. An SUV, with its large, interior intruding offroad tires, just isn’t a good fit for us
Yep, Suburban or a Camry! My wife likes Camry sized 4 doors sedans. She’s not very tall and doesn’t want to hop into an SUV. She’d rather sit in a sedan.
My Avalanche is a Suburban sized 4 door SUV with a truck bed. Very useful vehicle no longer made. Hauls 6 people, a load of luggage and can tow 8500 lbs. More than I need but it is paid for and still runs well.
The Mustang is essentially a sports car since the rear seat is useless.
I’d buy a Camry sized station wagon before a mid size SUV.
I’d say it is already there!
Agreed . . . the 3rd row in many suvs is quite difficult to acess