Toyota Officially Snapped

"Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn)
10/10/2019 at 18:15 • Filed to: None

Toyota just unveiled the updated Mirai with striking, Lexus-esque body work and hydrogen fuel cell promises. Lying beneath all of this is, by my calculations, the first rear-wheel drive, non-performance car in Toyota’s U.S. lineup since the 1992 Cressida. So, let it be known, October 10 th , 2019 marks the day Toyota snapped.

This can only be the result of years of pure resentment building up after being pelted with “boring”, “beige”, and, more recently, “ugly” from auto journalists. So, Toyota has just dropped this blue bomb with middle fingers up.

The new “premium” platform allowed for much better proportions, packaging, and a truly Lexus rivaling car. This is no longer a technology piece. Toyota took driving dynamics and the overall ownership experience into consideration with the main goal of creating a car that people want to buy.

“We have pursued making a car that customers feel like driving all the time, a car that has emotional and attractive design appeal, as well as dynamic and responsive driving performance that can bring a smile to the faces of drivers,” said Yoshikazu Tanaka, Chief Engineer of the Mirai. “I want customers to say, ‘I chose the Mirai not because it’s an FCEV, but because I really wanted this car, and it just happened to be an FCEV.’”

This car also paves the way for future full electric vehicles, since it’s conceivable that this platform can be easily adapted to become fully electric. While Toyota has been basically at the forefront of hybrid vehicles, they have been lacking in the full-electric realm.

And Toyota chooses a RWD platform to break this ground. While the Mirai is definitely a premium minded sedan, it is still commendable that Toyota used rear-wheel drive in this application.

It does seem like RWD is making a bit of a comeback; the new Ford Explorer rides on a RWD based platform, but, keep in mind, Ford didn’t even give their flagship Lincoln Continental RWD. But here comes Toyota with RWD in a car that could have easily gotten away with being FWD like its predecessor . It’ll be interesting to see where this switch leads, if anywhere. For now, we know that Toyota is sick of everyone’s shit.

DISCUSSION (54)

MrSnrub > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:22

That is 1000% better looking, though the front is still somewhat unpleasant. That said, hydrogen cars are dumb, Toyota make this an EV please

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:22

God bless that’s so much better than the pile of dog shit that currently holds the Mirai name

404 - User No Longer Available > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:23

non-performance car in Toyota’s lineup since the 1992 Cressida

Mark X? And its ugly cousin Verossa?

Michael Woyahn > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute
10/10/2019 at 18:25

It’s amazing how different and better it is, and I love them for it.

Michael Woyahn > 404 - User No Longer Available
10/10/2019 at 18:26

Good catch! Forgot to mention in the U.S. market.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:27

from, behind it looks pretty good

from up front it has a bad case of paper bag syndrome

anyhoo... toyota is in the dog house as i still havent forgiven them for not making this rear wheel drive

Kinja'd!!!

i think wrong wheel drive was the major flaw in this design

just like mitsus this one

Kinja'd!!!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:27

Damn that ass and interior is amazing. The front's rather odd but the rest of it has real presence.

Michael Woyahn > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
10/10/2019 at 18:33

I’m hoping the front looks better in person , if I ever see one ! I initially did not like the front of the new Camry at all and it’s grown on me a lot, so hopefully the same thing happens here.

Spanfeller is a twat > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:40

Why would they torture a Kia stinger so much

Nibby > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:41

the front looks like a great white shark

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:44

If the C8 has a driver focused cockpit, this looks like a passenger focused one.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > MrSnrub
10/10/2019 at 18:46

Counter-point: 1500 pounds of dead weight batteries might also be “dumb”.

Time will tell, but I wouldn’t bet against Toyota. They are playing the Long Game.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
10/10/2019 at 18:48

The first-gen looked better in person (we have a hydrogen station nearby so have seen the various FCVs here in SB stopping to fuel up) than it did in photos.

But, this is a gorgeous car.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:48

Because. Crown.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:52

I still don’t like the front end on the LE/XLE Camry but the SE/XSE looks really good.

dogisbadob > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:53

I like it! It looks good!

Just too bad they u sed a lame-ass trunk and not a hatchback. I mean COME ON, it’s already shaped like one! WTF?

All-electric isn’ t great due to range anxiety and lack of charging options. A Rex EV like the i3 and Volt would be awesome tho

punkgoose17 > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:53

RWD is great for regenerative braking. Also, moving weight off of the front means you need less assist in the steering.

This is why I am excited the new Mirai is RWD!

Maxima Speed > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:56

And I know what I’m saving my pennies for now. Honestly this is t he car that I’ve been hoping and praying that Toyota makes and if I’m in the financial situation to do so would probably preorder when the production variant is revealed.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:56

I like it one 1 condition. That rear window better lift. If it’s a fixed glass fastback sedan it’s junk and I hate it, if it’s a liftback then I love it.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast
10/10/2019 at 18:59

It looks like it was designed to be right hand drive. It looks odd but maybe the appearance of a lean towards facing the passenger is just an illusion.

For Sweden > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 18:59

All I want to do is make hydrogen burnouts...

AestheticsInMotion > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 19:00

Wait. Is this real? Not just a concept? Because... This looks great. I didn't know Toyota was still capable of that

Michael Woyahn > AestheticsInMotion
10/10/2019 at 19:09

T hey are still calling it a concept, but it’s coming out for the next model year and they even have details like blind spot monitoring lights in the mirrors, so I think it’s pretty much production ready!

Michael Woyahn > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/10/2019 at 19:11

The added practicality of a fastback would be killer. It’d basically be a discounted A7 at that point!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 19:12

My Dream for the future is that all couples and sedans will be replaced by liftbacks. Like the 80s.

Michael Woyahn > punkgoose17
10/10/2019 at 19:14

I didn’t think about those benefits! That’s actually really interesting, thanks for the info!

Michael Woyahn > dogisbadob
10/10/2019 at 19:14

I totally agree! The added practicality of a lift back would be killer, and you could call it an A7 with Toyota reliability!

AestheticsInMotion > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 19:14

You've just killed my enthusiasm. I've heard that line before, and I don't think it's ever turned out well. But hey, fingers crossed! Lexus managed to pull it off with the LC500 so we'll see!

Michael Woyahn > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
10/10/2019 at 19:17

I do agree with that. I walk past a Camry SE almost everyday, so I forget other versions exist haha!

Michael Woyahn > AestheticsInMotion
10/10/2019 at 19:19

Entirely fair. It looks production ready to me, and like you said, the LC500 pulled it off so I have faith!

Michael Woyahn > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/10/2019 at 19:19

I fully support this.

Wacko > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 19:29

My only problem with it is the front. That nose, and that grill.

The rest is perfect

Michael Woyahn > Wacko
10/10/2019 at 19:31

I agree! I’m hoping it looks better in person like the new Camry SE/XSE, but that entirely depends on if I see one in person, which does not seem likely!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Wacko
10/10/2019 at 20:23

I’m hoping that as it comes out of the concept stages the front end will be improved.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > MrSnrub
10/10/2019 at 20:45

I’m now hoping that it will be like the Honda Clarity which has a FCV version and a traditional hybrid version.

fhrblig > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 20:48

I guess an odd front end is an improvement over a fugly one...

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 20:57

I like it.

CRider > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 21:18

I’m not sure if I’m ready to apply the “Toyota Reliabil ity” merit badge to the Mirai. Do we know how reliable these H cars are?

wafflesnfalafel > Wacko
10/10/2019 at 21:18

Kinja'd!!!

CRider > 404 - User No Longer Available
10/10/2019 at 21:21

GT86?

I'll leave.

404 - User No Longer Available > CRider
10/10/2019 at 21:31

I see what you did there, lol.

Wacko > wafflesnfalafel
10/10/2019 at 21:33

Cant unsee

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 21:54

It looks great, I'd definitely buy one

Michael Woyahn > CRider
10/10/2019 at 22:06

That’s fair! I haven’t heard any horror stories, but I also haven’t really looked into their reliability extensively . Not sure people have put many miles on them yet, either.

CRider > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 22:49

I do see these things driving around regularly so I don't think they're that bad, but iirc getting fuel is a problem for owners. H stations frequently break down, run out of fuel, or don't open when promised. Plus the fuel is expensive.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Michael Woyahn
10/10/2019 at 23:26

I kinda like it, especially DAT BLUE.

Michael Woyahn > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
10/10/2019 at 23:45

Yes! I am such a sucker for a nice blue.

MrSnrub > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/11/2019 at 00:50

The problem with fuel cells are the efficiency costs that come from producing the hydrogen and moving it around. Hydrogen is only an energy carrier like electricity, not an energy source like gasoline, and it does not exist in pure form on Earth. Why use electricity to generate hydrogen via electrolysis or whatever, then compress the hydrogen into tanks and ship it somewhere, when you can transmit that electricity directly over the grid to a charging station? The energy losses in that case are much smaller. The losses involved in charging a battery and sending the battery power through an inverter to an electric motor also tend to be smaller than those involved in converting stored hydrogen to electricity via a fuel cell. There is the cost of manufacturing the battery to consider, but I don’t think that can overcome the efficiency advantages EVs have everywhere else.

Hydrogen’s main advantage is the refuel time, but EVs will probably be able to fast charge quickly enough to neutralize that advantage at some point in the medium term. I just don’t know what Toyota’s game plan is here, unless they’ve figured out a way to break the laws of thermodynamics.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Michael Woyahn
10/11/2019 at 00:56

Oh that's nice

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Michael Woyahn
10/11/2019 at 09:20

I like this. A lot. Toyota on point lately. Thinking my next car will be a Corolla hatch in blue.

Milky > Michael Woyahn
10/11/2019 at 09:26

Until someone tells me otherwise I am going to believe this is the first time were getting the Crown.

Kinja'd!!!

*with a weird drivetrain

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > MrSnrub
10/11/2019 at 09:57

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

There is also the ridiculously-high effective carbon content of the battery to consider.

MrSnrub > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/11/2019 at 11:08

Not sure what you mean there. The carbon emissions involved in manufacturing the battery? It’s a factor, but it’s also worth noting that most hydrogen currently comes from natural gas, which isn’t exactly ideal either . I also think it’s likely battery recycling will cut down on that factor over time.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > MrSnrub
10/11/2019 at 11:20

I mean, EVERY Independent Research Agency that has looked into how much energy (and carbon emissions) is consumed to simply fabricate a battery pack has concluded there’s at least 20 million grams of CO2 emitted to make a single Tesla battery pack... even before the car rolls off the truck.

On a 100K mile normalized lifetime, that’s over 200 grams per mile. The battery alone has MORE carbon than a Prius will emit in its complete lifetime. NOBODY seriously concerned about carbon emissions would sign off on a solution that emits more CO2 than readily available products in the market. (Modern Prius designs are under 150 grams per mile, all in)

And, it gets worse.

The battery fab carbon emissions (due to all the energy consumed in lithium mining and paste processing) are directly linear with how “dirty” the grid is.... and the vast preponderance of battery production is going into China and India—- basically the DIRTIEST grids on the planet.

The carbon math on the “Heavy BEV, Heavy Battery” model is a global disaster.

Hydrogen cycle avoids all that ugliness.