Well also presumably every time they get bigger, they get more expensive and more profitable. It's an easy way to upsell loyal customers into a higher model.

Yea Totota is getting some serious HP out of those v-6's.

I test drove a RAV 4 V-6. It had 276HP and was 0-60 in 7.1 1/4 in 15.2 with a 5 speed automatic.
My wife might buy it cause it gets 27 mpg also.

This goes back nearly to the beginning of automobile styling. Harley Earl's motto was "longer, lower, wider" when redesigning a car.

However, I'd say the Japanese are more guilty of this right now than the domestics are - they just have smaller models already in production elsewhere to bring in to fill the void.

Delta is not significantly bigger than the J-Bodies. Cobalt is less than an inch longer than a Cavalier and has a shorter wheelbase.

Understand.
While some of you try to discredit Toyota for making a car with horrible gas mileage (before you even know the numbers), somewhere else 10x as many people are giving them credit for making (even though, according to what we know, it isn't real car) a fast car.

Will it sell is what you need to ask.
What it will do for the brand is what you need to ask.
You need to look at the XRS.
I'll save you some time, they stopped making it.
Understand though...
The S-runner didn't sell. This was because it wasn't marketed (neither was the XRS).
The X-runner is the nicest Toyota truck, and the nicest modern truck available. It was marketed and this helped it sell.

I'm not trying to discredit Toyota for making a car with horrible gas mileage. I don't think that it will be that horrible. If they did make this car it could probably get low to mid 20s combined. Camry and RAV-4 both get good mileage with the V6.

I think the point everyone is trying to make is that Toyota is making their cars bigger and less fuel efficient on one hand while playing the "green" card with the other and the public only sees the green card.

I think if they made this car it would definitely sell. The XRS had the 2ZZGE, which is a really peaky engine that was available with a 6 speed manual only. Toyota has discontinued use of that engine in ANY car in North America. I believe there's a much larger market here for a torquey V6 and an availabe auto. People seem to identify Honda with the high RPM screamers more than Toyota in the U.S. market for some reason. Must be the VTEC, yo. More name recognition than VVT-i, I guess.

Hondas have serious aftermarket support, and when modded right, they scream. Toyota VVT's... meh..

That reinforces the point I was trying to make - Toyota doesn't really have a reputation as an enthusiast brand the way Honda does.

How are they playing the green card? I haven't noticed anything green in any of their commercials...However, I got an ethanol shirt from GM, can't get much greener than that. I really don't see either of them playing a green card though. :shrug:

Original Toyota buyers are making more money...They're the same people who won't shut up about how their 80's Corolla would run forever without a single problem. Toyota's capitalizing on the nameplate to generate more profit.

I will QFTx2

I think it's ridiculous. The people who buy a Tundra from Toyota couldn't care less about the people buying a Prius, and visa-versa.

You mean the dead one? And the RWD Celica (dead also) and the MR2 (dead twice now). Are you seeing a trend?

Toyota making more "American" cars, and gm making more "japanize" type cars. hmmmmm :confused:

As for being an R32 competion, I drove the first R32 in the charlotte area, and I was NOT impressed. The interior was not much different that a regular GTI, the slightly larger offset inline 6 didn't really have that much more power. The all wheel drive was cool, but I think a WRX or an EVO would crush it in a rally event. The only real plus in book is that it is made in Germany rather than Brazil like the Jetta, Beetle, and regular GTI's (The Brazilian VW's have far lower quality). Now the REAL R32's that are in Europe I'd probably give my left nut for.

You quoteded the wrong person.

VR6 == Vee Reihe 6, I think, which would be a Vee Inline 6. So it's an inline 6 and a V6 :D :D

Seriously, it's something like 10.6 degrees between cylinders. There's a single head. It's a weird layout!