Heading
Close X
Menu
21 Apr 2023
What is the first thing you look at when you buy any car? Specs? Features?
A feature is defined as a distinctive attribute or aspect of something. In the automotive industry, a feature is an attribute in a vehicle that makes it interesting, fun and attractive. Car manufacturers aim to give you the best experiences possible by adding the most convenient and interesting features to their vehicles.
Features in vehicles differ depending on the type. Off-roaders will have mud flaps, SUVs can have removable seats and sedans can have extra cup holders. Features also depend on the specific car brand. Some brands aim to bring more luxurious features to the table, while others focus on practical features.
Toyota is one of the most popular vehicle manufacturers that aims to add more handy and accessible features to their cars. While other brands focus more on interior luxury or sleek the sleek profiles of their vehicles, Toyota gives you features that are meant to make your life as easy as possible. Just sit back and enjoy the drive!
What is a Toyota without an emphasis on safety features? Toyota as a brand aims to keep you as safe as possible as you enjoy your everyday life. With all the newest and innovative safety and driver support systems, you don’t have to worry about a thing as you cruise your Toyota along the road.
If you would like more information on Toyota’s wide range of accessories, please visit the CFAO Motors Toyota website. Note that you will find the various Toyota features in the spec sheets on the different models.
This section will detail the top 10 features of Toyota from the top down. Important to note: There are a lot of interesting Toyota features that exist. The following list is our favourite features. You can have your own favoured features depending on your preference and experiences.
Electronic Brake-Force Distribution sounds long and complicated. It is actually a very easy concept to understand. But what exactly is it?
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) works on the concept that not every wheel of a vehicle needs the same amount of braking force. In other words, when a vehicle brakes, its weight shifts across the four wheels, and each wheel doesn’t always support the same amount of weight, thus the force applied to each wheel must be different.
EBD ensures that the right amount of force is applied to every wheel irrespective of traction or weight, in order to bring your vehicle to a complete halt in a safe manner.
Sounds like boring technical talk? Technically it is, but it also keeps you safe on the road.
Why is EBD important?
It keeps you in control of your vehicle when you need to brake suddenly to avoid obstacles on the road. Without EBD, one of your wheels can slip and you can lose control of your vehicle.
Is this really the number one feature, you must be asking? Yes. Why? Because it is one of the various safety features that Toyota prides itself on and is interesting in concept with a variety of technologies forming the one EBD system.
For you, this might seem like just another long technical term that you will forget the moment you exit this page. All you have to remember the next time you have to brake in your Toyota suddenly is that it is thanks to EBD that your car did not skid and you safely came to a stop.
EBD is available on all Toyota vehicles including Toyota’s most popular cars: Agya, RAV4, Fortuner, Urban Cruiser, Prado and the Rumion.
Most people have struggled to park at least once in their life. Especially with alley-dockings and parallel parking. Would it not be convenient to be helped by your car as you try to park in a tight parking spot?
This is why Park Distance Control and reverse cameras were created to make you slip into any parking space without any problems.
Why specifically are these systems helpful?
Your car is full of sensors that detect objects near you, how far they are and if your car will fit into a certain area. Park Distance Control uses sonar sound waves and the above-mentioned sensors to guide you into a parking spot. Beeping sounds will warn you of any objects, living or inanimate in your way.
The reverse camera technology takes the above method even further. At the back of your vehicle will be a small camera that will only activate when you put your car in reverse. To save some battery power of course! All the footage of the camera will be displayed on your vehicle’s built-in display screen.
Only seeing what’s behind you isn’t enough for safe parking. The reverse camera most commonly uses the classic robot colour system of green, yellow and red to show you how close you are to the object behind you. Hopefully, you will not ignore the red light! No fines will be given to you, but you will scratch or dent your car.
Park distance control and the reverse camera is second on our list because it is a feature that eliminates all the frustrations when it comes to parking.
All of the top Toyota vehicles feature Park Distance Control as well as a reverse camera. This includes the Toyota RAV4, Fortuner and Prado.
The next feature on our list strays away from the technical safety side of things.
Comfort is the epitome of why we do or do not do a lot of things in life. You can say that we as human beings live to be as comfortable as possible. Some of us earn money so that we can buy the most comfortable and convenient cars, houses and clothes.
What is more comfortable than having heated seats in the cold winters? Yes, heated seats do exist! When you have to drive to work on freezing winter mornings, you can turn up the heat of your seat and feel nice and cosy when you arrive at your job.
The driver is not the only one with heated seat privileges! You can set the heat of the front passenger seat separately from the driver seat!
How does it work? There is a heating coil under the seat covers of the two front seats, when turned on will let electricity flow from the car battery into the coil to warm the seating cushion up. Everything needs a limit, right? Some heated seats have a thermostat built into them to prevent the seats from overheating.
The opposite of heated seats is also available in some Toyota vehicles such as specific models of the models on the Toyota RAV4. Ventilated Seats! South Africa has scorching hot summers where even the aircon is not enough to keep you from being hot. This is why ventilated seats were created to direct airflow to your seat keeping your body cool and refreshed.
If you would like to see which selected Toyota models have heated or ventilated seats, please visit CFAO Mobility Toyota.
While we are on the topic of heat, let us have a look at heated side mirrors.
Have you ever driven in the fog, rain, or snow and not been able to see anything behind you because of blurry side mirrors? Of course, you have!
This is why heated side mirrors were invented to help drivers see more clearly in tough winter and rain conditions. The bonus? Fewer accidents because of limited sight!
You know Toyota hopped on this treat without skipping a beat. Safety and comfort! Nothing embodies the Toyota brand more than this.
Heated side mirrors achieved the 4th spot on the list because it is a very useful and innovative feature that most cars should have.
What Toyota models can you find this on? The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Toyota RAV4 and Toyota C-HR are a few models that feature heated side mirrors. Some other Toyota models have this feature, but because it is an innovative and relatively modern feature, not all models have heated side mirrors.
Innovation comes in different forms. Sometimes it affects side mirrors, other times it can affect even the most trivial yet important aspect of any car. Turning signals or indicators!
How in the world can this age-old feature be revamped or reimagined?
Let us go back to the roots of the turning signal. It was created to let people behind or in front of your vehicle know which way you will be turning or switching lanes. Normally it flashes on and off in a pattern when you switch the indicator on.
Sequential turning signals come to change that! Looking like it was taken straight out of the future, sequential turning signals build on the concept of the indicator light moving towards the direction you are turning. No more flashing! We are sliding towards the future with the sequential turning signals indicating our way.
This feature made our list because it looks more stylish, makes much more sense and is more visible than normal flashing signals.
Toyota’s with this futuristic feature includes the innovative Toyota Fortuner.
When you buy a vehicle, what is the first thing you look at visually? The Colour!
What makes the colour of your car so important? It is all about customisation. A person who prefers a simplistic life will not go for a bright orange car but rather a black, grey or white one. People love to have things in their preference and feel at peace with vehicles in the colour they want. We are all unique and our vehicle should reflect that. This is also why not all cars are released with the same amount and types of colours. Personalisation is key!
Car brands saw this preference and created different types and colour paint finishes. Solid, Metallic and pearlescent are three of the most common paint types. Every colour has a unique name which differs from other car brands. Every colour has its own code as well. For example, Toyota’s Y13 is known as Electric Yellow (solid) which is the main colour of the Toyota Agya.
Are you a simplistic person? Then the following Toyota colours are for you: Tusk White, Graphite Grey Metallic, Meteor Silver Metallic, Mystic Peral White, Attitude Black and Glacier White. Who knew that there were so many types of white and silver paint finishes? This is not even all of them!
For bright people who want to convey their brightness to the world, there are various vibrant Toyota colours. They include Sunrise Orange, Flame Red, Cobalt Blue Metallic, Cinnabar Red, Tidal Blue and Crimson Metallic.
If any of the above colours sparks your interest, have a look at CFAO Toyota’s new vehicles page.
Are you strong enough to turn your whole vehicle by yourself?
You might think so. Unfortunately, that is not the case. In the past, people had to work hard to keep their vehicle in a straight line or turn it, especially at low speeds.
Thankfully we have power steering today! What is it? Power steering is a system that reduces the extra effort necessary to turn the front wheels of your vehicle. This assistance helps the driver manoeuvre easily at lower speeds and parallel parking.
Why did such an obvious feature make this list? Because without it we would not be able to operate our cars at slow speeds. Thus, without power steering, there would be a higher risk of accidents.
All Toyota vehicles come equipped with some type of power steering.
Nature is vast and has various types of terrains which makes it difficult to go to the beautiful places of the world. Off-roader vehicles do help, but some terrains can still be a challenge for most 4x4s.
This is where Toyota Multi-Terrain Select comes in handy. Multi-Terrain Select regulates wheelspin by automatically adjusting the engine throttle and brakes, helping improve traction. There are 5 different modes to choose from 1. Mud & Sand. 2. Loose Rock. 3. Mogul. 4. Rock & Dirt. 5. Rock.
Along with Multi-Terrain Select, comes Crawl Control. This system automatically modifies the throttle and brakes on different low-speed settings so you can steer through any difficult terrain.
Why is this feature important? It is simple. So that you don’t get stuck in the middle of nowhere and not question your sanity and choice in 4x4 vehicle.
Most Toyota 4x4 vehicles have these systems installed. One to be noted is the versatile Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. For more information, have a look at its brochure.
Shopping is a task that a lot of us do on a weekly basis. The only problem is that we buy way more than we can physically carry and can’t open the boot door with the bags in our hands.
Sometimes we are able to fish out the remote that opens the car. A-ha! An idea was formed. Instead of simply unlocking only the car, the boot door can be unlocked and automatically be opened with an easy push of a button. You can do this via the car remote or a button inside the car itself.
This accessibility feature is equipped in SUVs CUVs and vans to make loading your vehicle easier.
Why is this feature on our list? Because it is helpful, uncomplicated and enhances convenience. All of these are attributes of Toyota as well.
For more information on our SUV range, please visit CFAO Mobility Toyota.
One of the worst feelings in the world is not knowing what is going on when you sit in your car. Vehicle manufacturers realized this and created a display not for entertainment but for information.
Not just any old information is displayed on the Multi-Information Display. Important information such as driving data, audio details, warning messages, safety information navigation systems and driving assist settings.
This screen is located between your two gauges in front of the driver. The information displayed is entirely customisable based on your preference. If you want your fuel usage to be displayed primarily then you can set the Multi-Information Display to show it.
Information is sometimes better than entertainment. This is the reason why the Multi-Information Display is mentioned and not the infotainment system. Although a very innovative and interesting feature, the Multi-Iformation Display is just more important and helpful.
Most Toyota vehicles are designed with this very important feature in some form or other.
Most people like Toyota because it is grounded in family values and focuses a lot on the driver’s safety.
“Happiness for All” is the main mission statement of Toyota.
Toyota’s best attributes are that it is family-focused, mostly affordable and convenient.
Toyota’s pillars are: “Continuous Improvement” and Respect for People”.
Toyota aims to create vehicles with features that make life easier for you. All of the above features are only the tip of the iceberg of Toyota’s innovative features. Every Toyota vehicle has its own flair with its own features.
To experience the above features you can book a test drive by locating your nearest approved CFAO Mobility Toyota dealership.
For more information on the more than 10 features that Toyota’s vehicles offer, please visit CFAO Mobility Toyota. Alternatively, feel free to contact us via email below: