Road Trip Report: 2012 Toyota Camry

The midsize-sedan class is one of the most competitive segments in the automotive marketplace, with Toyota's Camry and Honda's Accord fighting for the title of market leader. A new Camry for 2012 and an impending Accord for 2013 heat things up even further. Ford's new-for-2013 Fusion looks competitive, too.

Camry, though, has a little explaining to do. A 2010 refresh left critics complaining about cost-cutting measures like interior squeaks and rattles and a cabin draped in budget-grade plastics. For 2012, it was redesigned with fresh styling, new features and what appears to be a return to the level of quality that's kept it a midsize benchmark for years. After renting a 2011 Camry LE over New Year's, I was anxious to compare them, so I put a few hundred miles on our 2012 Camry test car to gauge its improvement.

Consumer Reports Study: Perception Gap Narrows Between Car Brands

Consumer perceptions between the best and worst car brands are narrowing, says a new study from Consumer Reports. The magazine's 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey found top brands like Chevrolet, Ford, Honda and Toyota kept their lead but fell closer to other automakers' scores.

The telephone survey — CR's fifth — took place last December and included more than 2,000 adults with at least one vehicle in their household. Surveyors gauged brand perceptions across seven automotive categories: safety, quality, value, performance, environmental friendliness, design and technology/innovation. It's important to note that overall scores reflect perceptions among respondents who could name a given brand, deputy editor Jeff Bartlett told Cars.com.

"We've made awareness a non-factor, so we've equalized it across the brands," Bartlett said. "So everyone knows Toyota, [but] a few people know Fiat. The question is, of those brands that you're aware of, which stand as exemplary in each of the seven categories that we're looking at?"

2013 Toyota Prius c Video

Toyota continues to expand its Prius lineup, this time adding a smaller, less expensive model called the Prius c. It's about 20 inches shorter than a regular Prius, but there still seems to be workable room inside, according to Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder, who says the car's conventional-looking exterior also makes it the best-looking Prius to date.

Toyota NS4 Plug-In-Hybrid Concept: Photo Gallery

Toyota's styling has started to look stale against some of its competitors, including Chevrolet, Mazda and Ford.

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The brand wants to change that by infusing its next-generation cars with a new, sportier look. The Toyota NS4 concept represents one possible future design direction.

2013 Toyota Prius c: Photo Gallery

This new itty-bitty Toyota Prius — dubbed the Prius c — is part of a comprehensive strategy to make the nameplate the bestselling for the brand in the U.S. by 2020, usurping the Camry moniker.

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This city-fouced Prius has the best gas milage, at 53 mpg in the city, and will have a starting price below $19,000, rivaling the affordability of the Honda Insight.

2013 Toyota Prius c: Up Close

In the proverbial flesh, the 2013 Toyota Prius c looks quite good. It's the least awkward design of the Prius family, in my opinion — and much less dorky than the Nissan Leaf.

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The Prius c looks broad and low-slung. The taillights recall those on the Volvo C30 and Leaf, flanking the liftgate and climbing far up the D-pillars. The design is no doubt effective for a low-riding car, but the clear lenses are a fad that should have been retired long ago.

Toyota NS4 Plug-In-Hybrid Concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

• Looks like: An Alpha Romeo
• Defining characteristics: Swan-wing doors, dearth of buttons, ambitious goals
• Ridiculous features: Attempts to solve everything but world peace
• Chance of being mass-produced: Something here might appear by 2015

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Toyota's NS4 plug-in hybrid concept is amazingly efficient — not simply fuel efficient, it attempts to solve a bunch of challenges in one package. Toyota says the concept investigates:

• A new styling direction for the brand
• The next-generation of Hybrid Synergy Drive
• A new way of integrating entertainment and connectivity
• A new era of active safety systems

2013 Toyota Prius c at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Honda Insight, Hyundai Accent, Volkswagen Golf TDI
• Looks like: A city car to beat all city cars
• Drivetrain: 73-horsepower, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and 60-hp electric motor; 144-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery; continuously variable automatic transmission; front-wheel drive.
• Hits dealerships: March

At the 2013 Toyota Prius c hybrid's first North American showing, the company announced a starting price below $19,000 and estimated gas mileage of 53/46 mpg city/highway and 50 mpg combined. Those figures alone make it a major splash in the market.

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The "c" stands for city, which plays up the four-door hatchback's small size and record-setting fuel economy for a conventional hybrid in city driving. (It also draws attention away from its highway figure, which is 2 mpg lower than the regular Prius' highway rating, and its combined rating of 50 mpg, which is an even match.)

The mileage parity with the larger Prius isn't a big surprise.

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser: First Look

• Competes with: Audi Q7, Infiniti QX56 and Land Rover Range Rover
• Looks like: Same old Land Cruiser, albeit slightly more polished-looking
• Drivetrain: 381-horsepower, 5.7-liter V-8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission
• Hits dealerships: early February

After skipping model-year 2012, Toyota is updating one of its largest, most expensive and least popular vehicles with fresh styling, new standard features and more off-road capability for 2013. Its Lexus sibling, the LX, is getting similar treatment — the 2013 LX will be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday.

2012 Chevrolet Sonic, Volkswagen Passat Earn Five-Star NHTSA Ratings

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released another batch of 2012 model-year crash-test ratings today. Under the stricter guidelines, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic compact and the new 2012 Volkswagen Passat sedan earned five-star composite scores.

NHTSA’s composite scores are composed of five-star ratings for frontal, rollover and a combined side pole and barrier tests. The side pole test, which is new, simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.