If you were to build a dream garage and had an unlimited amount of money to spend, would any car you choose be a Toyota? We doubt it, but the brand has made some excellent cars in the past. Building a dream garage using nothing but Toyotas sounded challenging, so we thought we'd give it a go. Our garage is only filled with new models, so we won't pick cars from the discontinued Scion brand and you won't see the Lexus LFA on this list because it's no longer in production. That being said, the Supra might make the list...
On our dream garage segments we like to focus on new models from a given brand, although we do take some liberties by including some future vehicles as well. Toyota showed off the FT1 Concept (pictured here) a few years back. It was meant as a preview of sorts for the new Supra. The revived sports car is being co-developed with BMW and will also spawn a new Z model. Rumors indicate that power could come from a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 that is currently being developed by Lexus. The new engine could produce around 400 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. If this new car is even half as good as the original Supra it deserves to be in our dream garage.
The new Lexus LC500 is a luxury sports coupe with a 467-horsepower 5.0-liter V8. This engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic which will create incredible smoothness. The LC500 will do battle with models like the BMW 6 Series and the Mercedes SL. There will also be a 354-horsepower hybrid model with a 3.5-liter V6. Like other Lexus hybrid models, the LC500h will also use a CVT transmission, which we don't understand in such an expensive car. We wish that there was a more powerful version with at least 500 horsepower, but this car is meant to be a comfortable cruiser, not a sports car. Still, 467 horses and incredible looks are enough to land this car in our dream garage.
The Toyota TRD Pro lineup is made for people who love to get dirty. The range includes the Tacoma, 4Runner and Tundra, which are all modified to handle off-road use. We chose the Tundra TRD for our dream garage, mostly for its larger size and V8 engine. The Tundra TRD comes with a two-inch front lift, a twin exhaust and 18-inch black wheels. It also has unique seat upholstery with red stitching. If you want the toughest truck in the Toyota range, the Tundra TRD is that model.
The GS is arguably the best model in the Lexus range, and the GS F is the top dog of the GS line. It comes with a 5.0-liter V8 with 467 hp and 389 lb-ft of torque. It isn't really close to the power that you get from the BMW M5 or the Audi RS7, but the GS-F is a different kind of car. You get an excellent exhaust note from that throaty V8, and the GS has an excellent chassis that you can take advantage of. Sure, the M5 would be faster around the track, but how many people ever take their big, heavy sedan to the track? Lexus knows that its customer aren't really interested in track days and has focused on building a great all-around sedan with fantastic driving characteristics.
The Lexus LFA may be out of production, but we did pick the car that is currently being built in the LFA's former facility. Even though it is built in the same place, the Toyota Mirai shares almost nothing in common with the LFA. If you have never heard of the Mirai, let us fill you in. It's powered by hydrogen, which means that the only "exhaust" it emits is water. The car produces 151 electric horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque, so it is more potent than the Prius. It may be subjective, but we like the looks of the Mirai more than the Prius, although neither are stunning. Still, not polluting whatsoever is pretty cool.