As Toyota's expansion idea drawn from the mid-size Camry, the full-size Avalon sedan provides more of every asset inherent in a Camry -- more room, more comforts, and more security. With seats for as many as six riders inside and a big back seat with plenty of legroom, the Kentucky-built sedan expands the structure of Camry and shares some components, including a V6 engine.

Toyota's compact sedan comes together in California and at Toyota's Canadian factory in Ontario. Exterior styling appears shapely and contemporary but also athletic, as issues of 2005 display a new front fascia with redesigned bumper and grille, headlamps and fog lamps. For action, a 1.8-liter in-line-four engine hits 130 hp for Corolla's primary trims of the entry-level CE, sporty S and deluxe LE. Transmissions include the standard five-speed manual stick or optional automatic three-speed for the Corolla CE and a four-speed automatic on S and LE.

Then check out the sporty new XRS flashing a spoiler, body-colored grille, blacked-out headlight extensions and 16-inch alloy wheels. It rides low on a sport-tuned suspension slammed down by half an inch; while in the cabin there are sport seats, silver-colored instrument plates with Optitron meters and a leather shifter knob. The Corolla XRS packs more power too, due to a 1.8-liter four-cylinder with Toyota's valve wizardry, labeled VVTL-i for variable valve timing and lift with intelligence. The plant produces 170 hp with a six-speed manual stick.

Read our Review: Toyota Corolla XRS

Toyota pitches this five-door hatchback as a crossover utility vehicle that blends the sleek lines and nimble manners of a sports car with the practicality of a boxy sport-utility wagon and the budget-minded affordability of a subcompact sedan. It looks wild and feels fun to drive but also offers lots of room in a cabin that adapts to active lifestyles. A wagon-style layout contains two rows of seats for five, plus the bay in back for cargo. That bay, accessible from the hatchback-style rear door, has a flat floor and, with both rear seatbacks folded down, provides up to 53 cubic feet of storage space.

A track system in the floor adapts to various accessory kits to mount sports paraphernalia such as mountain bikes, snowboards or water skis. The price-leading Standard edition of Matrix and XR grade comes with either front-wheel-drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) traction and a thrifty four-cylinder engine. The front-drive Matrix XRS gets the high-performance 1.8-liter version that's good for 180 hp with a six-speed manual shifter. Curtain-style side air bags show up on the list of options as a new safety feature for all trims, with VSC now available on Matrix Standard and XR.

Styled at Toyota's California design studio, Toyota's compact coupe in a daring design features a cab-forward format with distinctive angular character lines and curt overhangs that convey a muscular tone. An optional Action Package gets more gear, like front aero bumpers, side rocker panels and a rear wing.
Inside, Celica's 2+2 cockpit stocks sporty front bucket seats supported by bold side bolsters. Faces of gauges in the instrument panel are dark, while the LE trim has new Optitron meters. Toyota's dual-cam four-in-line engine whips the GT-S edition to 180 hp and links to a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic. Another four-pack plant rated at 140 hp, with five-speed manual or the automatic, works with other trims.

Toyota's two-seat roadster with mid-engine placement frames the excitement of a sports car in the context of masterful Japanese mechanical technology. It's simple in design, direct in function -- and fun to drive. Spyder's four-cylinder engine, displacing 1.8 liters and fitted with dual overhead cams, runs to 138 hp. A manual five-speed stick is the standard, but a sequential manual transmission is optional with shift buttons on the steering wheel. Black leather seats are available and tie to a black top, as tan leather seats go with a tan top and the optional body color called Absolutely Red.

Toyota's smallest car comes as a two-door coupe or four-door sedan. Each carves out surprising space for riders in a five-seat cabin, accommodates a load of luggage in back, then delivers a kick from a juicy little aluminum engine and somehow still manages to rack up high fuel economy figures -- more than 40 miles down the road for every gallon of the regular-grade fuel consumed. Echo dresses in a design that looks progressive, even daring.

Rather than the typical long, low and slinky shape of a conventional car, it stands tall in the aerodynamic format of a vertical bubble on wheels that seems to tip forward due to a high tail and low nose united by an arched roofline inset with a boldly raked windshield. Inside, the cabin floor droops low so you can step aboard easily, and the ceiling bows high to fit tall chair-like seats. Passengers in the two front buckets sit upright, with their heads positioned higher than normal for better visibility though the wrap of windows.