Akio Toyoda, president of his great-grandfather's loom-manufacturing company -- now a bit more involved with automobiles than with weaving machines -- went on record a while back as being determined to inject some pizzazz into his firm's products, although he didn't use that precise term. For a very long time, most Toyota cars have been real snoozers, albeit paragons of practicality, reliability, and longevity. Apparently, this Detroit show car is what Akio-san had in mind as "more exciting" design for a mainstream money-spinner.

When we drive an all-new version of an existing car, it's sometimes difficult to discern any profound differences between the old car and the new car. This is most definitely not the case with the 2013 Toyota Avalon, which is a wholesale departure from previous generations of the Avalon. The last time I drove an Avalon, in the summer of 2011, I wrote: "From the moment you slide behind the steering wheel of the Avalon, it's obvious that this is a traditional car chasing traditional-sedan buyers. You know, the people who usually buy Buicks. The big Toyota is definitely geared toward older people, and there's nothing wrong with that, since there's a huge population of aging baby boomers and for many of them the Avalon is the ideal car."

The Toyota Highlander is all new for 2014 with a more angular look that better matches what competitors are doing.

Welcome to Automobile Magazine's Midsize Madness, our comparison test of the kind of car you see on American roads every day, the midsize sedan.

Mainstream sedans--millions of them. Get out there on the road and you'll find them. Not too big and not too small, all built for the way we drive in this country--even if the carmakers labels seem to come from elsewhere. These are midsize cars built to suit American roads and American drivers, so we really should call them American sedans.

Seven years is a long time in the automotive industry -- and, it now seems, the full-size truck market. We've watched Ford introduce twin-turbocharged engines, Ram roll out rear coil springs and active aerodynamic touches, and GM recently completely overhauled both the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Toyota, however, has done virtually nothing to amend its Tundra since it debuted in 2005 -- but that changes with the 2014 Tundra.

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The Corolla may be one of the most important cars in Toyota's lineup, with 291,000 sold in the U.S. last year and a total of nine million sold here since 1968, but it's hardly the stuff of car enthusiasts' dreams. It owes its sales success to a continued image of sensible, practical, and economical driving. Imagine our surprise, then, to see that the Corolla Furia concept shown at the Detroit auto show wears 19-inch wheels, carbon fiber accent pieces, and a flashy orange paint job.

Never mind the outskirts of Phoenix, where the saguaro cactus are everywhere. The 2013 Toyota RAV4 might look like a sport-utility meant for the open spaces of America, but it only begins to make sense to us when its cross-traffic alert system goes off while we're backing out of a space in the parking lot at Target.

Toyota revealed the all-new 2013 RAV4 at the Los Angeles Auto Show this morning. The 2013 RAV4 will go on sale at the beginning of next year.

Since its introduction in 1995, the Toyota Avalon has always brought to mind Walter Mitty, the fictional character created by James Thurber. Like Walter Mitty, the Avalon meekly floated through life, taking a few insults here and there while dreaming it might become fun to drive and genuinely luxurious -- anything besides being the grim ticket for large-appliance buyers.

The Prius c might just be the most sensible and desirable model in the Prius lineup, which now consists of the small Prius c; the conventional Prius; and the biggest model, the Prius v. After all, hybrids make the most efficient use of their powertrains in urban settings, and the Prius c is an ideal city car. It's small, it's nimble, it's easy to get in and out of, it has great outward visibility, and it has strong off-the-line acceleration for dashing around town. I'm not bothered by the thin carpeting and other cheap interior trim bits; the overall interior aesthetics are just fine, the radio works well, the gauges are clear and bright. As for the Habanero color of our test car, all I can say is, "wow." I know that Prius owners generally like to telegraph the fact that they're driving earth-friendly vehicles, but this color is garish and gross.

We just spent a year with a Honda Odyssey, a minivan that the Automobile Magazine staff holds in high regard. The Honda is a two-time All-Star winner. That fact might lead you to believe that the Toyota Sienna is merely playing for second place, but I personally think the Sienna has a handful of qualities that trump the Odyssey's attributes.

On a rational level, the Toyota Venza is a solid choice for a five-seat crossover. It has lots of interior room and is reasonably stylish. The only downside, then, is that the driving experience is utterly forgettable. The throttle and transmission are programmed to be incredibly soft and lethargic, which makes the Venza feel slow and hesitant. As is the case with cars like the Toyota Camry, the Venza seems designed for the type of person who simply wants reliable and comfortable transportation from one place to another. That's fine, but someone who actually enjoys driving cars will find the Venza terrifically dull.