The Land Rover Defender has come a long way since its founding in 1978 but its history goes all the way back to 1885. The new Land Rover Defender OCTA is by far the most powerful Defender ever built. It features a 4.4-liter twin-turbo with a mild hybrid drivetrain churning out 626 horses and 533 lb-ft of torque. With that power it can dash from 0-60 mph in under 3.8 seconds. Additional features such as active suspension, new drive modes, and its exceptional ability to thread up to three feet deep water makes the new Defender OCTA an impressive off-road addition to Land Rover’s already impressive SUV lineup.
Toyota is recalling nearly 100,000 Tundra pickups and about 3,500 Lexus LX 600 luxury SUVs to fix a problem that could cause their engines to lose power while driving.
In some of these vehicles, debris from the manufacturing process may have been left inside the engine which can lead to knocking, rough running and, in some cases, the engine stalling altogether while driving.
The vehicles involved are 2022 and 2023 model year Tundras and LX 600s. Only regular gasoline-powered versions, not hybrids, are involved in this recall, according to Toyota. (The Tundra is available in both gas-only and “iForce Max” hybrid versions.)
Toyota has not yet determined a fix. Owners of the potentially affected vehicles will be sent a letter by the end of July telling them that Toyota is working to figure out a solution.
Once a repair has been determined, owners will be instructed to take the vehicle to a Toyota dealer for free repairs.
When Toyota’s Avalon was introduced as the carmaker’s largest new sedan back in 2004, it was revered for its luxury, size, and value. After personal experience due to my family owning one, it lasted a memorable 230,000 miles with virtually no issues. After almost two decades, this model was discontinued largely due to the popularity of SUVs, but a Toyota sedan comparable to the Avalon called the Crown has arrived in 2023 with an impressive debut. Owners will appreciate its attractive exterior, amenities, a smooth ride, higher seating platform, and stellar fuel economy thanks to the hybrid powertrain. The Crown comes in three trims—XLE, the reviewed Limited, and high-end Platinum.
Photo courtesy of Toyota
Presented in a prominent “Supersonic Red” premium paint, it complements the sedan’s other sporty physical elements, including the contrasting black grille; large, 21-inch, 10-spoked alloy wheels coming in two tones (19-inch is standard); “quad” LED daytime running lights package; rear LED lights extending fully across the rear; and panoramic roof. Overall, Toyota has made a head turner in the sedan market, for sure.
Photo courtesy of Toyota
The XLE and Limited come with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine teaming with three electric motors and a continuously variable automatic transmission. Although the performance won’t have drivers white knuckling topping out at 236 horsepower, the gas stations will see less visits with a combined 41 miles to the gallon. (For more power, the Platinum boasts a Hybrid Max system, including a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder heart, pushing out 340 horses, which will hopefully be featured in Street Lines soon.)
Photo courtesy of Toyota
Inside, Toyota maintains the luxury feel Avalon boasted back in the day. Passengers are sitting higher up due to the Crown’s raised platform to deliver an SUV feel and better visibility. The cabin is spacious and can fit up to five adults. The front seats are ventilated and come with 8-way adjustments, while both rows are heated, plus dual-climate control; add the ambient lighting, and panoramic roof, and you have a pampering riding experience for everyone. There is a 12.3-inch multimedia display, Apple/Android compatibility, wireless charging, a heated steering wheel, and solid JBL sound system using 11 speakers, an amp, and subwoofer.
Our review model came with the optional Advanced Technology Package, which comes highly recommended. For $2,950, the owner gets the aforementioned 21-inch wheels, panoramic view monitor, and digital key with remote access. Be sure to see the long list of safety features in the generous Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 package, which comes standard, and Wi-Fi compatibility.
Photo courtesy of Toyota
Ultimately, Toyota has maintained its renowned reputation for providing quality, innovation, style, and a plethora of features for a respectable value. This time, it’s a high-sitting sedan named Crown, which justly enters the automotive industry with a regal introduction.
Fuel Economy: 42 city/41 highway/41 combined
Price: The Crown Limited version is $45,550 MSRP; $50,020 including Advanced Technology Package, premium paint ($425), handling, processing and delivery as reviewed.
India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki on Friday said that there’s a shift in customer preference due to which the hatchback segment has been seeing constant degrowth in the last 3-4 years. “While the auto industry will see a growth of a few percentage points above the peak in 2018, the hatchback segment will continue to de-grow even in the next year,” Maruti’s chairman RC Bhargava told reporters at the post-Q2 results press conference.
In 2018, passenger car sales stood at 2.24 million units and this year car sales are expected to cross that figure. “It’s after a long time auto industry will find a growth path but the auto industry has lost four years. There’s been very slow growth in last four years,” he adds.
“In Q2, the hatchback segment has shown a growth but that’s limited to the festive growth which means the ability of the people to buy hatchbacks has eroded.”
He adds that next year, the overall growth of the industry will be 8 per cent. “Small car decline came well before inflation. Around 26 per cent volume has gone down in 3 years. Inflation will only make it worse,” he said.
Maruti Suzuki India on Friday reported 334 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in its standalone net profit for the quarter that ended September FY23 (Q2FY23). Its standalone profit increased to Rs 2,061.5 crore for the quarter, up from Rs 475.3 crore logged in the same period last year. Higher commodity prices and chip shortage concerns had impacted earnings in the year-ago period, the company said. Its standalone revenue from operations surged 46 per cent YoY to Rs 29,931 crore and it sold a total of 5.17 lakh vehicles during the quarter that ended September FY23, the highest ever in any quarter, increasing 36 per cent YoY, which comprises domestic sales of 4.54 lakh units and exports at 63,195 units.
Bhargava said that the company has not given up its challenge of 2 million sales this fiscal. “There’s a constraint of semiconductor from one company that’s affecting four models. If we get the supplies, we’ll be able to achieve it,” he adds.
“You’re seeing some kind of a change in composition of sales because of various price increases accentuated by inflation but the results is going to be composition of vehicles sold in the market will change. Upper-end of the market ill wee more sales,” said the Chairman.
According to Bhargava, India is moving away from the market which was predominantly a small car market. “We recently launch SUVs like Brezza Grand Vitara. There are more developments in the SUV segment. We as a car manufacturer have to follow our customers. It’s not that we’re going out of the small car segment,” he said.
He adds that small cars, which comprised around 75 per cent of the market might drop to 60-65 per cent.
