Why Your Kids Will Want a 2014 Toyota Highlander

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Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Absorbent and yellow...with a new Highlander key?

One of the announcements that came from the New York Auto Show was that the 2014 Toyota Highlander SUV is being built with customer feedback in mind. Specifically, one with Spongebob Squarepants to help better showcase the Highlander as the perfect family vehicle! Toyota group vice president Bill Fay made the statement, saying that a marketing deal will be announced later this year.

While we don't know much yet about how the beloved Nickelodeon character will be involved (a commercial with the Highlander cruising underwater in a bubble? Spongebob jamming out to some "Best Day Ever" and showing kids the Entune entertainment system?) we do know that Toyota is going for a "bigger is better" theme with their new SUV. They've upped the cargo space behind the third row of seating by 34%, added three extra inches to the overall length of the vehicle, and increased seating in the vehicle from seven passengers to eight, thanks to additional seat space in the third row. The automaker also announced that the rear-quarter windows were slightly increased in size, which should help to improve visibility.

The 2014 Highlander will be powered by either a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine or a 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine. Those who opt for the V6 will get an upgrade from the old five-speed transmission (seen in the 2013 model) to a new six-speed, that is said to improve acceleration and overall fuel economy.

One of the things that most customers might not know about this new car, which I personally think is a great selling point, is the fact that it's now being built exclusively here in the United States, over in Indiana. Those who might have previously overlooked the car for fear of "not buying American" can finally put that argument to rest.

Are you excited for the 2014 Highlander? What do you think a commercial with Spongebob will be like?

What are the Safest Family Vehicles?

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Every parent out there knows that you need a certain kind of car to accommodate for your little ones, especially if you haven't changed your ride since college. Raising children is like that pivotal moment in your life where having a two door coupe suddenly seems more of a liability than it does being cool. Let's be honest- trying to cram baby seats into the back of a sports car isn't very fun. When your car vocabulary starts changing from words like "powerful" to "practical" and you get a sudden interest in the number of air bags the vehicle comes equipped with, you know you're ready for a family car.

To better prepare for this stage of our lives, U.S. News and World Report comes out with an annual list of the best family vehicles, highlighting the best cars, vans, and SUV's for shoppers. The vehicles are rated based on overall quality, safety, and family friendly features. This year, they put the spotlight on both the Toyota Prius and Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which were awarded "Best Hatchback" and "Best Hybrid SUV"!

According to the report, the Prius was chosen because "it has the best combination of quality, size and family-friendly features in its class."

What does this mean? Since the vehicle is a hatchback, it will easily seat a family of four or five, with plenty of cargo space for storing all those blankets, books, toys, and diapers you've got. The Prius has a whopping 21.6 cubic feet of cargo space, whereas most other hybrid vehicles only have 10-15! It's also a top safety pick, with some of the highest scores in front, side, rear, and roof impact/crash/strength test results. Last but not least, the Prius gets amazing gas mileage, making it able to travel hundreds of more miles on a single tank than a non-hybrid vehicle. At 50 miles per gallon, the family road trip can actually be an affordable option despite the price of gas being higher than ever.

The Highlander Hybrid, on the other hand, was picked because it delivers great power in the form of a 3.5-liter V6 engine, outputting a total of 280 horsepower split between two electric motors. It has a driving experience that is both comfortable and controlled, which are exactly the kind of words a new parent wants to hear when transporting small children! One of the reviews from which U.S. News and World report garnered their data on the Highlander Hybrid was from Kelley Blue Book, who noted that it "attains best-in-class fuel economy without sacrificing power or interior space" by seating seven and getting a combined 28 miles per gallon. For a vehicle of its size, 28 is on the very high spectrum of fuel efficiency.

What features do you think are most important for a family vehicle? Leave a comment below with your top choice! 

Caffeine and iQ: the Perfect Combo

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Who is Jason Bowes? A crafty entrepreneur out of the United Kingdom who's taking the idea of mobile business to a new level! Now, we're all familiar with food trucks, those delicious meals on wheels that have been getting more and more popular the past few years. The variety of food trucks that have popped up are astounding. You can get everything from Korean tacos to specialty cupcakes these days, and just about every city across the country has been seeing an increase in trucks, even in my hometown of St. Louis!
But what about a nice hot espresso? Can there be such a thing as a beverage vehicle? Jason saw this opportunity and decided to build his own coffee company...using a Scion iQ!

How'd he end up choosing the iQ, which is known as the Toyota iQ overseas? In an interview with the Toyota.co.uk blog, he said: "What’s great about the iQ is that even though it’s small, it easily carries everything I need. I carry a table and sign on the roof rails, and the coffee beans, cups, the chiller for the milk, the sugar, hot chocolate, cutlery and till all fit around the coffee machine or on the passenger seat."

With help from his dad, they installed the coffee machine by building a frame in place of the rear seats of the vehicle. It took quite some time (nearly a month) but Jason says that the design of the Coffee2Go car has gotten a great response since he launched it, and that he's been booked multiple times for events already. Plus, despite the weight of the machine and all the equipment, he still gets great gas mileage, since the iQ is one of the most efficient non-hybrid vehicles out there, with a EPA rated 37 MPG.

You can see the iQ coffee car in action below-

Would you like to see a portable pick-me-up service like this in your town? Or does a similar one exist? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!

DIY On a Dime: Cleaning the Inside of Your Car

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Let's face it- we tend to forget about the inside of our cars when it comes to cleaning them. Even if you're perfect and take necessary precautions like avoiding fast food while driving, or making sure your friends wipe their feet before getting in, you're still accumulating grime, dust, and dirt over time. And while a freshly washed car looks amazing from the outside, it's a wasted effort if your interior looks like this.

You have two options- if you're short on time and energy, you can have your car professionally detailed at a dealership, where they'll clean everything, including the exterior and hard to reach areas like the door jambs and wheels. Otherwise, with some supplies and an afternoon of free time, you can tackle the challenge yourself!

Here's what you'll need:

-All purpose household cleaner

-Window/glass cleaner 

-Fabric cleaner

-House hold vacuum with hose attachment

-Scrubbing brush

-Towel or cloth

-Car air freshener

-Cotton swabs

Optional:

-Trash bag (if you have a lot of junk)

-Leather conditioner (if you have leather seats)
-De-greaser (for any stubborn stains that won't come out)

Have your materials ready? Follow these steps:

1. First order of business: empty out your car! Get all of your belongings, all the trash, food wrappers, loose coins, and anything else that might be hiding in there. Make sure to check between and under the seats, too.

2. Start cleaning from the top down. If you start with your windows and the dashboard, everything you wipe down is going to fall onto your seat or the floor. It's better to clean these areas first, so that you don't have to go back and clean another layer of fallen dust and dirt later. Wipe the windows down by applying the glass cleaner directly to a cloth (so the windows don't streak) and apply the all purpose household cleaner to the dash area. Use cotton swabs for cleaning around the vents. Be sure to dry everything off right after.

3. Vacuum. Grab a hand-vac, or a regular sized one with a hose attachment, and begin vacuuming the seats, mats, and floors. If you think your car is really dirty, you may want to pound the seats with a baseball bat or another blunt object to get out as much dust as possible beforehand.

4. Remove floor mats. Depending on how dirty your floor mats are, you may want to wash them separately with a hose. Spray down the mats to soften up any dirt, apply the fabric cleaner, and begin scrubbing with a brush. Use the de-greaser if you're working with tough stains. Afterward, wipe the mats with a towel and leave them someplace out in the open to dry.

5. Clean seats and carpeting. Spray the fabric cleaner and begin scrubbing, making sure to spend extra time on any stained areas. Don't overdo it on the cleaner, as too much moisture can take a longer time to dry, and cause a mildew smell in the carpet.

6. Use the air freshener. Something as simple as a bottle of Febreze should do the trick. Spray all around the interior of the car, and leave the windows down so it can ventilate.

Once complete, your car should be looking (and smelling) much nicer! Do you have any extra tips or suggestions for cleaning out the inside of your car? Leave a comment below!

The Toyota Family Tree

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Are you a fan of infographics? Those flashy images you constantly see people share that make learning about statistics, history, or scientific data more interesting? I can't seem to get enough of them, and even made a simple family tree one below showing some of the different vehicles Toyota has released over the years. A lot of this information came from two sources: Google (of course- I'd be lying if I didn't mention them!) but also the fully interactive "75 Years of Toyota" website that was recently launched by Toyota's global site. 

"75 Years of Toyota" is a complete history of nearly every Toyota vehicle ever made. I spent close to two hours browsing through it, reading about first editions of various cars, and still feel like I've only scratched the surface!

Whether you're a Toyota fan, curious about the vehicles that eventually turned into the ones we know today, or simply looking for a distraction, it's definitely worth checking out. If you're feeling overwhelmed, you can also get more of a slideshow view of Toyota's history, without having to browse through tons and tons of vehicle data. Using that link, you can see some of the more quirky stuff Toyota has put time and energy into, such as in 2004, when they developed "partner robots".

Was there anything within the infographic or slideshow history that surprised you? Leave a comment below with your favorite!