Stop the presses!  Toyota is offering interest-free loans on 11 of their best-selling vehicles: Camry, Corolla, Tundra, Matrix, RAV4, Highlander, FJ Cruiser, 4Runner, Sequoia, Sienna and Tacoma.  That’s a deal for the ages, and will save you loads of cash since you’re not paying interest on the loan to purchase the vehicle.  We could go on for hours about how well-made and reliable Toyota vehicles are, but we’d rather give you more time to research and decide exactly which Toyota model you want to buy.  You could go with the Corolla, a car that has enough space for five adults and is fuel-efficient enough to get 27 MPG in the city and an whopping 35 MPG on the highway.  Or, you can get the mighty Tundra, which has space to haul cargo and passengers, as well as the occasional stack of plywood or ATV.  Then we have the Sienna , a minivan that sports a 3.5-liter 266-horsepower V6 under the hood.  Our choice?  All of them.  But if we only had one, we’d opt for the Camry, because it does everything, and does it well.  Ok, and maybe the trendy FJ Cruiser, too (we just can’t choose one…it’s too hard).  But the deals aren’t going to last.  The final day is November 3rd, 2008.  So you have a little less than a month to get the financing deal every Toyota shopper has been waiting for. 

In a move widely anticpated by the guru(s) at CarsDirect, Toyota has decided to offer buyers a 4-cylinder variant of the 2009 model Highlander, which now brings three engine options to the table for the popular crossover:

*3.5L V6 270hp with EPA fuel economy of 18/24 mpg
*3.3L V6 209hp with EPA fuel economy of 27/25 mpg [Hybrid Model]
*2.7L I4 187hp with EPA fuel economy of ?/? mpg

It’s interesting to note that Toyota has not released fuel economy figures just yet. Our prediction? 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. We base this on the fact that Toyota will be coupling that beefy 2.7L Inline Four with a 6-speed transmission with optimized gear ratios and a taller final drive ratio. Its smaller brother, the RAV4 (2.4L) achieves 21/27 mpg. Granted the Highlander will weigh more and have .01 higher coefficient of drag, but the 6-speed transmission will negate those minor disadvantages.

The 4-cylinder Highlander will be offered strictly in 2WD to lower parastitic drag and reduce curb weight. The towing capacity of the 4-cylinder Highlander will be rated at a respectable 3,500 pounds. If you want to tow more, you’ll have to opt for the 3.5L six. Hey, you have to pay to play.

For more information on the 2008 Toyota Highlander click to http://www.carsdirect.com/2008/toyota/highlander