There's no need to explain the Toyota Land Cruiser, one of Toyota's earliest successful products. The 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition celebrates some 60 years of popularity of a vehicle that has survived the segment's "mall wagon" phase and the rise of crossovers. Its already-sterling reputation has received an additional recent push from the rise of overlanding — an outdoor pastime that has always existed but only recently got a press agent.

By comparison, the Lexus LX is a more recent development. Debuting in 1996, the LX 470 was little more than an 80-series Land Cruiser with cladding, a Lexus badge and a higher price. The amount of styling differentiation and luxury specialization has increased over the years to the point that the newest LX 570 actually seems like a completely different vehicle.

In June last year, two Toyota Supras ended up on dynos courtesy of a Motor Trend run in Southern California and a Car and Driver tilt in Michigan. Both Supras put down more power at the wheels than Toyota rated them at the crank. This took no one by surprise since BMW's 3.0-liter B58 inline-six cylinder powers the Toyota, and BMW is known to suffer excessive modesty when quoting power figures for its engines. Car and Driver recently took possession of 2021 Supra, so naturally the proper course of action was to put it on the dyno in Michigan, along with another 2020 Supra in the mag's long-term fleet as a control unit. The runs would not only be a test of a regular production 2020 Supra, but also a measure of the 47 additional horsepower promised for the current model year. Supra buyers will be happy to know BMW still plays coy with outputs, both cars registering more horsepower and torque at the wheels than they're rated for at the crank.

The 2020 Supra's spec sheet notes 335 horsepower and 356 pound-feet of torque. On the Dynojet dyno at Livernois Motorsports and Engineering in Dearborn, Michigan, the coupe notched 346 horsepower and 409 pound-feet of torque at the wheels. Last year, C/D's tester Supra clocked 339 hp and 427 lb-ft. The mag notes that last year it ran the Supra on an all-wheel-drive dyno because the car's programming didn't like high revs while the front wheels weren't moving. This year, C/D learned how to say 'open sesame' to put the Supra into dyno mode, so testing occurred on the proper equipment. The tests were run in sixth gear, which has a 1.00:1 ratio assuming full torque converter lockup, peak rpm coming about 500 revs short of redline, within the Supra's peak power band. 

The 2021 Toyota Venza marks the return of a crossover nameplate that dates back to 2009. That original model shared underpinnings with the Toyota Camry, and it was designed specifically for, and built in, North America, though it was later exported to Russia and Ukraine. This new Venza, however, is actually the descendant of a different crossover, one from the Japanese market called the Toyota Harrier, which has a history going back to 1997.

As it so happens, we got those early Harriers here in the United States, but they were rebranded as the RX 300 and offered here until 2003. The second-generation RX and Harrier were also same vehicle, and launched for 2004. In 2009, The Lexus RX became its own unique vehicle, leaving the Harrier to continue with the old design until it got a new model in 2013. That crossover had unique engines and interior and exterior styling distinguishing it from the Lexus. With the models diverging, the U.S. didn't get the Harrier either as a Toyota or a Lexus for a full generation. You can see the previous generations of Harrier in the gallery below.

Toyota just revealed the 2021 Toyota Sienna and 2021 Toyota Venza, both of which are hybrids. At a virtual press conference for the media, several Toyota designers went into greater detail about the new Sienna's design. As it stands, minivans don't sell that well compared to their crossover and SUV rivals. Toyota thinks it has an answer to this problem with the redesigned Sienna.

"It's combining the best aspects of a minivan with an SUV," says Bob Carter, Executive VP of Sales for Toyota.

The revived 2021 Toyota Venza is merely the latest in a steady flow of newcomers to the growing midsize crossover segment. Toyota's entry into this crowded — but somewhat narrowly defined — midsize two-row class comes out of left field, for better or worse.

It may seem like we're slicing this segment a bit thin, but identifying size classes in the crossover space can be nigh impossible, as manufacturers don't seem to agree at all on how large (or small) these things really ought to be.

The Toyota Venza is back, but it's not the same Venture Monza vehicle it was when Toyota discontinued the car-like crossover after the 2015 model year. Instead, the 2021 Toyota Venza is much more SUV-like, and it's only going to be sold in hybrid form. Measuring in at 186.6 inches in total length, the new Venza aligns itself with mid-size two-row crossovers like the Ford Edge, Honda Passport and Chevy Blazer. Though, it is on the shorter side (by about half of a foot) when compared to all of its future competitors.

Toyota has chosen to go with a highly stylized and sharp design for the Venza, mirroring the approach of others in this segment. There's some Highlander in there, but the aggression has been turned up a few notches. The Venza shares plenty with other Toyotas, as it rides on the TNGA-K platform that underpins vehicles like the new Highlander and RAV4. We've had excellent experiences with new TNGA vehicles from a driving dynamics perspective, so we're similarly hopeful about the Venza.

There's a new minivan on the block. It's the 2021 Toyota Sienna, and the van is totally new from the ground up. Toyota hasn't given us a fresh new Sienna since the current-generation hit the roads for the 2011 model year, so this one is a long time coming. The big news here is the single hybrid powertrain choice Toyota is introducing to the new Sienna. There will be no gas-only option, and there will be no PHEV "Prime" option either.

We'll get into powertrain specifics in a second, but the Sienna's new design inside and out is another huge change. Toyota describes it as a minivan with SUV styling characteristics. One look at RAV4 sales is all you need to know why Toyota wanted to make the Sienna remind people of SUVs. Still, the traditional minivan shape is still very much intact with the short hood and long boxed-off body. The muscular flair and lines arcing down the side, though … that sculpting gives this minivan a much more crossover-like look and an air of aggression not seen in the minivan market today. As we bend around to the back, those taillights catch our eye immediately. The way the bottom black trim piece droops sharply downward, it reminds us of the Atlanta Falcons logo. That rear hatch is full of curves and things that pop out at you, too. The little tail that juts out above the "Sienna" logo even reminds us of the Supra's tail. Bravo, Toyota.

Not long after the Toyota Yaris Cross was unveiled, reports have surfaced that Lexus will launch a new entry-level crossover of its own using the same underpinnings.

Not even the coronavirus pandemic could stop Toyota from performing the media drive of the updated 2021 GR Supra with the first reviews of the German-bred Japanese sports car having just landed online and it seems as though those who  purchased last year's model may start regretting their decisions.

Toyota introduced a new four-cylinder Supra for the 2021 model year and improved the six-cylinder model, too. You can read about what's new and how the two drive in our First Drive story, but here we're going to talk about how they sound. The video clip mashup is at the top where you can get a taste of what it's like to be on the bumper and inside the respective Supras one after another. 

The Supra 2.0 is the entry-level option now, and the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder produces 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. We know it's going to be cheaper, but we're not sure how much cheaper yet. One big step up from the 2.0 brings us to the 3.0, equipped with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine. Toyota added power for 2021, bringing the output up to 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque — it previously made do with 335 horses and 365 pound-feet of torque. Both engines are pulled directly from BMW and are used in the Supra's platform mate, the BMW Z4.

If you're one of the early 2020 Toyota Supra owners, you probably don't think too highly of the Japanese automaker right now.

Welcome to 2020, where once again, the Toyota Supra is back. We hailed its return last year when we slid behind the wheel of the first new Supra sold here in the 21st century, and Toyota has gone and changed things up just one year later. Now, there are two Supras: a new, less powerful four-cylinder Supra that'll serve as a base model, and a more powerful version of the previous solo entry that showcases the type of incremental improvements Toyota says we should expect every model year. So, although owners of the 2020 Supra might be miffed by this news, there's a good chance 2021 owners will feel the same way in 12 months. 

For now, though, the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six produces 382 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque, increases of 47 and 3, respectively, from the 2020 version. We weren't exactly begging for more power, but aren't going to complain, either. This is the same engine spec that's found in the M40i version of the Supra's sister car, the BMW Z4, which shares a common block and crank as the "lesser" version found in the 2020 Supra. However, it features a totally new head and exhaust manifold design along with new pistons and a reduced compression ratio from 11:1 to 10.2:1 to better handle the boost. Peak horsepower is made at 5,800 rpm now (it was previously 5,000), and carried on to the same 6,500 rpm — redline is 7,000 rpm. The torque band also shifts slightly higher in the rev range, as all 368 pound-feet are available from 1,800-5,000 rpm — in 2020 that range was 1,600-4,500 rpm. Theoretically, this should make the car happier in its mid- and upper-rpm ranges.

If you want a cheap, rock-and-stick-simple, gas-sipping car that can handle mud and snow without flinching, you'd have a tough time surpassing the 1983-1988 Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon. Known as the Sprinter Carib in Japan, these cartoonish-looking little wagons proved quite popular in North America, despite their tippy handling and patience-building double-digit horsepower, and I still find plenty of them in junkyards to this day. Here's a first-model-year example with the luxurious (by early-1980s Tercel standards) SR5 top trim level, found in a Denver yard last winter.

Toyota announced it's expecting an 80 percent profit drop this year, the company's lowest in nine years, after estimating the impact from the coronavirus pandemic in its business.