2015 Toyota Prius V * Roomy Car for the Family * Sweet Ride 2015

Toyota did it again this year with my favorite Prius V- 2015. I didn't think it was possible but they added even a little bit more to make it even better.

I took the 2015 Prius V on a road trip to St. George, Utah to get a good feel of the space of the vehicle for a long road trip.

As you can see in the back seat there is plenty of legroom. The back seat also slide and recline for extra comfort. The dual sunroofs give the feel of even more room.

The Prius has been know for get fuel efficiency. The Hybrid Systems Indicator helps you learn to drive to get even better gas mileage. You can drive a long way on one tank of gas at 42 miles to the gallon! The Prius v is also rated as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle.

The 2015 Prius V is packed full of the latest technology from the Entune Premium JBL Audio with Navigation and App Suite, navigation,backup camera display, single LED projector headlights to my favorite feature the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Prius v automatically adjusts its speed to help maintain a preset following distance between you and the car traveling directly in front of you.

This means you turn on the cruise control, set a speed and if you come up on a car that is slowing down the car slows down for you then speeds up again when the car in front of you does. It is super cool!

If you haven't driven a vehicle with the dynamic radar cruise control go out and test drive the 2015 Prius V now!! Take it on the freeway and test out this amazing cruise control. It is the ultimate road trip comfort tool.

The color selection is super nice this year. My favorites are the clear sky metallic and the blue ribbon metallic. 

It lives up to the Toyota Prius V space savvy family friend motto. It's my favorite all around 2015 vehicle so far.

2015 Toyota Prius V
$26,675
starting msrp

2014 Toyota Highlander XLE * Sweet Ride 2014

The 2014 Toyota Highlander XLE Muppets campaign has been everywhere. I'm sure you have seen it at least once. We wanted to try out the new Highlander to see for ourselves if it works for our family and if we wanted to "go places" in this new Toyota Highland XLE that has "no room for boring."

Interior details that we loved include the center console with room for all the little things you need when on the road from wipes to gum to an extra stick of deodorant. If you have teen boys you know why we carry deodorant in our vehicles.
Drink holders are perfectly places throughout the vehicle with water bottle holders in the door.
The navigation system will help you out when you forgot the directions to the kids playdate or your girls getaway trip which may or may not happen more than we would like to admit.
The new in dash shelf is perfect to hold a cellphone or an iPad. You will love this new feature. It came in handy more than I thought it would.

We really like the seating for 8. If you have a big family or if your kids and their friends need rides there will be room for everyone. Do you see those drink holders in the back and the way way back! Yep, I love those too.
The power liftgate that adjusts to your height- yes please.

Over all favorite feature is the Driver Easy Speak which is standard on the XLE allows the driver to be heard by those who are in the third row. This means no getting away with craziness for the kids in the way back and they can hear you when you need them to.

It's definitely on our will buy it list of family vehicles for 2014.

Sweet Ride 2014 * King of the Mountain * 2014 Toyota 4Runner Trail Premium

Rugged, strong and capable describe the 2014 Toyota 4Runner Trail Premium. Staying true to it's heritage, the Trail Premium edition boasts the true SUV body on frame construction while including the premium trim and upgrades. Comfortable enough to drive the family around in but still a strong vehicle to take off road and camping on the weekends. 
What does that mean to the family who likes to go off road? This Toyota 4runner uses a separate High/Low range transfer case with gearing of 1.0/2.566, hill start assist control integrated for move over difficult terrain, 17" wheels with P265/70 mud and snow radial tires and ground clearance of 9.6".
What to take some toys along with you? The maximum towing capacity is 4,700 pounds which is great for a small boat, fourwheeler-ATV or a tent trailer.

The Premium features on the Toyota Trail Premium include power tilt/slide moon roof with sunshade and side mirrors with turn signals and puddle lamps, heated front driver and passenger seats, four way power adjustable front passenger seat, the Entune Premium Audio with Navigation system, and eight speakers for full stereo experience.
Bonus: One of our favorites which is hard to find these days is the rear hatch power window that you can control from an interior switch or at the back door using the key.

Pack up the 4runner and head out into the woods for some rough and rugged fun. After all summer is just around the corner- Let's Go Places!

Sweet Ride 2014 * Rugged 2014 Toyota 4Runner Limited

The Toyota 4Runner has a long heritage of performance and rugged endurance. According to Polk 90% of 4 Runners sold in the last ten years are still on the road which is not hard to believe. If you look around any parking lot your likely to see at least one Toyota 4 Runner. My bother, uncle, cousin and a couple of my friends all own one. Ask any well respected off-roading enthusiast and they might to own one too and they will know a thing or two about that time they drove one on the slick rocks at Canyonlands or during mud season in New England.

The 4Runner is a still a body-on-frame SUV. One of the last made this way, it is the reason the Toyota 4Runner can handle the rough weather and off road conditions. It a genuine off-roading SUV. Moab here we come!

The Limited edition of the Toyota 4 Runner adds some details and luxury to your SUV while staying true to the tough heritage of the vehicle. 

 The upscale Limited trim is high quality leather and wood with durable plastic. It leaves you feeling like your riding in an upgraded SUV while keeping the tough and rugged masculine feel a 4Runner enthusiast likes. The control buttons on the touch screen are large and easy to use as well as the large knobs which is nice for the guys with large hands. 

The Limited also comes with keyless ignition and entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, perforated leather upholstery for the heated front seats and ventilation - LOVE this feature- for the driver seat, and a JBL sound system with 15 speakers and HD radio.

Options include cool features such as automatically deploying and retracting running boards, sliding rear cargo floor and roof-rack crossbars.

If you want a capable mid-sized SUV that keeps going on road and off, 30 years of the Toyota 4Runner is the proven and much loved rough and tough winner. 

Let's go places! Is that some mud I see...

Toyota Highlander 2014 * Fun Family Favorite * Sweet Rides 2014

I am in LOVE with the 2014 Toyota Highlander. From the comfortable seats to the ample drink holders to the smooth ride this is the family vehicle for mothers for 2014.

Let's start with the smooth ride. I had the opportunity to drive the new Highlander on some slick icy roads of winter ice storms. The Toyota Highlander handled like a dream. I was able to go up some steep hills in my unplowed and unsalted/sanded neighborhood roads with ease. It was like I was driving on a warm day in June.
The reason for the great control is due to the Dynamic Torque-Control All-Wheel Drive (AWD). It distributes engine power from front to rear and manages the vehicle’s braking system from side to side, giving you better control for bad weather roads to off roading. It makes a HUGE difference when driving in bad weather.

Family, friends and fun all fit into the Toyota Highlander. With seating for 8, multiple seat folding options we are able to move kids, teens and all their gear. The folding seats, with 60/40 split fold-flat third-row seat with sliding headrests and recline function are quick easy and comfortable.



It's the little extras that make all the difference. The Toyota Highland boasts eight cup holders and four bottle holders. Eight! This means everyone has a place for their drink plus space for 4 bottles of water.

How about the dual sun visors with sliding function and illuminated vanity mirrors. The sliding function on a visor at sunset on a sunny day is a big deal. 

Standard three 12V auxiliary power outlets (two front and one second-row) and one 120V auxiliary AC power outlet (second-row). Tech plug-in charging station on the go, check.

This one is for the moms, second-row retractable window sunshades. No more sticky window shade things that come off all the time. Hooray! the baby and kids can ride in comfort out of the sun. 

Another favorite for mom's the conversation mirror so you can see the kids with a quick glance. Plus, there are map lights and sunglasses storage too.

Cold winter loving features- Leather-trimmed heated tilt/telescopic 3-spoke steering wheel, perforated leather-trimmed heated and ventilated front-row seats and perforated leather-trimmed heated second-row captain's chair. These heated features are a dream in single digit temperatures.

The color options for the 2014 Toyota Highlander are gorgeous. Oh, and the gas milage for a full size SUV is 20/25 mpg. Nice.

"Let's go places!" I know I will love to in the new 2014 Toyota Highlander. It's my favorite so far this year. 

Travel * When Style Meets Kick-Butt Toyota Tundra

This kick-butt beauty is from Toyota, the new 2014 Tundra. After living in the backwoods of Vermont this past year I learned how to "drive like a redneck" to make it up the slick icy slushy rock covered dirt roads in winter to the tire deep mud season roads, I now know what to look for in a serious kick butt truck.
I joined Toyota at the massive Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Pennsylvania to test out the newest design and features the 2014 edition of the Tundra has to offer.

The Nemacolin has a fun off-roading course where we were able to test out the Tundra's abilities to handle rough terrain. The day was rainy so we had some extra excitement on the test course.

• Log course
• Muddy Pond
• Rocky Bolder Roads
• Large Deep Ruts
• Deep Muddy Rutted Hill

It was a thrill to challenge the Tundra  to what I think is the most difficult part of the course which is the deep muddy rutty hill. This was a real life situation for those who live in Vermont. Most roads off the main highway in Vermont are not paved so during mud season this is what Vermonters have to drive on. 

It was also funny to watch the other test drivers slip and slide because of lap of experience with this type of terrain. I on the other hand used these road conditions, used the Tundra's power and ability to drive right up the hill no problem. 

Features that allow for easy handling of rough road conditions are the high/low 4-wheel drive and independent coil-spring high-mounted double-wishbone front suspension plus, powerful engine options.

If you are buying a truck most likely you're planning to pull something with it. Great luxury hauling features of the new 2014 Toyota Tundra including the rear camera and hitch plugs located in the light of the license plate light to make them easy to see all times of the day.

Did I lose you yet? For the design savvy let's look at some of the slick design features that make you feel more like you're riding in a luxury automobile rather than a truck. This gorgeous instrument panel looks like a rugged TAG Heuer mens watch. 

Extras such as leather-trimmed tilt/telescopic 4-spoke steering wheel with audio, Bluetooth® hands-free phone controls, voice command controls, and center-console gated shift lever, premium perforated, leather-trimmed, heated and ventilated front bucket seats with grade-identified backrests; 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat with 2-position memory function and power thigh and lumbar support; 4-way power-adjustable front passenger seat with power lumbar support keep the experience comfortable. A super extra is the new fold up back seat feature which allows for more space.

And for the question we all need to know for those latte, Dr Pepper drinking folks yes, there are four front cup holders AND four front bottle holders. Great to know and have! It even had a sweet feature I believe they put in just for a me, a kleenex holder!!!

Bonus: Keeping it local-Toyota Tundra is designed, engineered and assembled in the U.S.A. with 75 percent North American content.
As Toyota says, " Let's Go Places!"


by April A. founder & editor-in-chief