Hooniverse Asks: What’s the car that you never thought you’d want?

Kamil Kaluski
18

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Once upon time, circa 2006, the RAV4 was available with a 3.5-liter V6. That engine made 270-horsepower and was available with AWD. Surprisingly, as the Japanese company was going through some kind of a recession at the time, this V6 power made the RAV4 the fastest of all new Toyotas. I have to admit that I wanted this sleeper as a daily D even if it was an otherwise boring appliance.

Now the history seems to repeat itself. Kind of, not really. For one, Toyota’s business side is doing great. Their vehicular offerings include models, in both the Lexus and Toyota brands, for the enthusiasts. There’s a even a damn Camry TRD. And now, a new kind of RAV4… but it does not have a V6 engine.

The 2021 RAV4 Prime is a plug-in hybrid that makes 302-horsepower. That’s enough to be the fastest Toyota-made vehicle, excluding the BMW Supra. The current RAV4 itself is a very nice vehicle, not the boring beige appliance it once was. The interior is as nice as it is functional. So I ask, what’s not to like about a quick, functional, affordable, and fuel efficient cross-over for daily driving duties? It sure as hell isn’t something I thought I’d want to get, but…

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Kamil Kaluski

Kamil Kaluski

East Coast Editor. Races crappy cars and has an unhealthy obsession with Eastern Bloc cars. Current fleet: 4Runner, Integra, Regal, Lada

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18 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What’s the car that you never thought you’d want?”

  1. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    My guess is that it will be edged-out by the lighter Camry TRD for fastest Toyota, but it’s an admirable effort on the powertrain. Toyota makes good cars, but I wish they weren’t so damned ugly.

    Reply
  2. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    The Toyota Century is large, inefficient, certainly not a driver’s car. But I imagine it being a serene commut-o-pliance:
    https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0aOpS3rrZOc/WePR_nfljkI/AAAAAAAAOws/tKYtItE9qcI_oC139SXxQmppGDK9A6EdACLcBGAs/s1600/Toyota-Century-2018-hd.jpg
    I want it with a sacrilegal trailer hitch. Maybe some rally lights?

    And then there’s a way more affordable vehicle and my default answer to seemingly every question:
    https://i.ibb.co/g7DjQCK/0003-buchanka.jpg

    Reply
  3. Zentropy Avatar
    Zentropy

    My guess is that it will be edged-out by the lighter Camry TRD for fastest Toyota, but it’s an admirable effort on the powertrain. Toyota makes good cars, but I wish they weren’t so damned ugly.

    Reply
  4. Wayne Moyer Avatar
    Wayne Moyer

    As a happy owner of a Kia Soul there is a part of me that wants a stick shift Kia Forte GT as a daily. This car is the loosest definition of a sports car. I guess it’s the old Spitfire owner. A car that you can drive at 9/10th’s is more fun than one that you are stuck driving at 1/10th. This car makes no sense for a Pennsylvanian. It would be miserable in the snow. Who cares? It looks like a blast to drive. In all honesty the Soul has been as well. Of course I went to the Soul out of a Dodge Grand Caravan. So that might be tinting how I view little cars.

    https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/2020-kia-forte-gt-104-1540917931.jpg

    Reply
    1. Kamil K Avatar
      Kamil K

      I like the Soul a lot, very underrated.

      Reply
      1. Wayne Moyer Avatar
        Wayne Moyer

        I think it’s proof that Americans want an under $20,000 box. Which we lost with the death of the Element and ScionB.
        My 2015 has the 1.6 liter and it’s only felt underpowered one time. Which was on a hot day running down the turnpike with the air conditioner running. It’s a non-issue now since that engine isn’t offered in the US anymore.
        So I’m going to be curious how well the new Trailblazer does for GM. Since it’s another sub $20k, to start, econobox that’s going to be for sale. It looks like it will only have two engine options. A 1.3 liter normally aspirated and a 1.3 liter turbo.

        Reply
  5. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    The Toyota Century is large, inefficient, certainly not a driver’s car. But I imagine it being a serene commut-o-pliance:
    https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0aOpS3rrZOc/WePR_nfljkI/AAAAAAAAOws/tKYtItE9qcI_oC139SXxQmppGDK9A6EdACLcBGAs/s1600/Toyota-Century-2018-hd.jpg
    I want it with a sacrilegal trailer hitch. Maybe some rally lights?

    And then there’s a way more affordable vehicle and my default answer to seemingly every question:
    https://i.ibb.co/g7DjQCK/0003-buchanka.jpg

    Reply
    1. Kamil K Avatar
      Kamil K

      Of all the people, I can’t argue the UAZ fact with you.

      Reply
    2. Wayne Moyer Avatar
      Wayne Moyer

      I never really saw what others saw in these until I learned how they were made. That’s when I started to get it. Not even Rolls Royce in its prime was as nuts as Toyota is with this car.

      Reply
      1. kogashiwa Avatar
        kogashiwa

        It’s like Grand Seiko, if you don’t know, then it’s just, whatever, a Seiko, how can it cost that much? And the more you know about them the more completely blown away you get, and you end up thinking that a $6000 watch is the value proposition of the decade.

        Reply
    3. FastPatrick Avatar
      FastPatrick

      Not quite to the same standard, but the same idea and the same appeal: last-generation Lincoln Town Car.

      Reply
      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Whoa, I wouldn’t even put them in the same category, despite both being chauffeur-intended mastodonts. Could drive one though.

        https://i.ibb.co/P9wJNrY/IMG-20200115-064752.jpg

        Reply
      2. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Whoa, I wouldn’t even put them in the same category, despite both being chauffeur-intended mastodonts. Could drive one though.

        https://i.ibb.co/P9wJNrY/IMG-20200115-064752.jpg

        Reply
    4. dr zero Avatar
      dr zero

      My only issue with the Century is that it lost the V12 in the latest model.

      Reply
  6. I_Borgward Avatar
    I_Borgward

    My friend had spotted a car for sale and called to tell me about it. A 1967 Buick, 4 door, sitting forlorn in a shallow ditch. The sign said $200.

    You’ve got to be kidding, I thought. The quintessential Old Man Car, with four doors, no less. When I was a kid, nothing said “establishment” like a big Buick, nothing got worse gas mileage. My taste at the time ran to two-doors, compacts and sports cars. Why would I want a pig like that?

    Still, for $200, I figured it was worth a look.

    68,000 original miles! Nice clean gold brocade interior. The engine would crank and start, but flooded and wouldn’t stay running. Stuck float or needle valve, more than likely.

    I saw $200 worth of cheap thrills. If it didn’t pan out, I wouldn’t be out very much. I gave the seller ten 20 dollar bills, took the Quadrajet carb off of the engine to do a quick rebuild at home, and told him I’d be back the next day to pick it up.

    I was there the next afternoon and bolted the carb back on. A few cranks later, the big block fired to life. Flush with pride, I let it warm up a bit while I packed up my tools, then drove it out of the ditch.

    I sank my foot into the throttle a bit, and for the first time felt the 430 pour out its torque like a giant wave of honey. I wafted over bumps like they weren’t there and roared down the road in a cloud of dust.

    Instant convert. Oh, hell yes. Love at first drive. No further explanation needed. I never thought I’d own, let alone like a full-size Detroit four door, and yet there I was grinning from ear to ear. The old Wildcat became my daily driver for several years after that.

    The picture isn’t my car, but the same model, in better shape cosmetically. I never could find a set of fender skirts to fit mine.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/34c4b8638619a15ba1dfb4c57b2459cec8a0ea90a67d8e83c1b2d58d9e4f40b8.jpg

    Reply
  7. nanoop Avatar
    nanoop

    In some point of my life I want a first gen. Cayenne. I mean, just look at the boxy blob that handles (for a box/blob)!
    https://porschemania.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/porsche-cayenne_2003_1600x1200_wallpaper_01.jpg

    Reply
  8. nanoop Avatar
    nanoop

    In some point of my life I want a first gen. Cayenne. I mean, just look at the boxy blob that handles (for a box/blob)!
    https://porschemania.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/porsche-cayenne_2003_1600x1200_wallpaper_01.jpg

    Reply
    1. Troggy Avatar
      Troggy

      Same platform, different brand. The VW Touareg is the car I never thought I’d want until I wanted one, and I got one. Just finished a 2500km road trip towing a 1.5t camper and I couldn’t love it more.

      Reply
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