Have you kept up with new Queensland road rules?

When you have been driving a car for a long time, you probably think you know all of the common road rules. However, some road rules may have changed since you went for your license. It would be unfortunate to be booked for a road rule you didn't know had changed or even worse, teach your teenager the wrong rules. Luckily, our friends from Right Turn Driving School gave us the low down on the new Queensland road rule changes.

Left turns on a single lane road ie. Two lanes - each travelling in opposite direction.

This rule has changed so that you no longer need to wait until the broken line to turn left. As per Queensland road rules:

You can cross a continuous white edge line and travel for up to 100m when you are:

• entering or leaving a single lane road
• turning at an intersection from a single lane road
• stopping at the side of a road—unless signs or markings say not to.
• If you are on a multi-lane road you should not cross any edge line before turning.

Stop signs                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Previously, a vehicle had to stop and wait for 3 seconds before progressing at a Stop sign. The road rule for Stop signs is now:

• At a stop sign, you must come to a complete stop and obey the give way rules.

Yellow light                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Most drivers assume the Yellow light rule is to slow down and prepare to stop. The rule is:

• At a yellow light, you must stop unless it is unsafe to do so.

If you have a teenager who about to start learning how to drive, it is definitely worth booking them in for driving lessons to ensure they are taught up to date Qld road rules. Ray and his instructors from Right Turn Driving School are passionate about helping adolescents become lifelong safe drivers. Visit the website for more information and bookings. 

Road rules are developed and enforced to ensure yours as well as other road users safety. If you're ever unsure of the rules, visit the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads website.

Why the Yaris is the ultimate downsizer on the Sunshine Coast

If you are reading this it must mean that the time has come to give up that big bulky car sitting in the driveway and downsize to a smaller more practical car. That car has served you well and it probably has a lot of great memories attached it but for your current needs, it’s just silly to be driving around something that big. Just imagine how much money you’d save on fuel, rego, insurance, servicing, tyres, and repairs. You would be able to go on that cruise to Fiji you’ve always wanted to go on and maybe even afford to take the whole family too.

So, if you’re looking for a smaller car, that’s affordable and cheap to run, the Yaris is the car for you.

The Yaris is built for convenience

If you no longer need to commute long distances to work every day, then owning a large car becomes more of an inconvenience than anything. Trying to drive around and park a large car at Sunshine Plaza or Kawana Shopping world is an absolute nightmare. The Yaris is the perfect size for zipping around the Sunshine Coast with ease. It is fitted with a reverse camera so you’ll be able to get into tight parking spots and avoid any hard to see objects behind you.  

The Yaris might be small, but it’s big on features

Just because you’re downsizing doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the latest features that will make you forget it’s a small car. It’s spacious enough inside to take your grandkids on day trips on the school holidays and comes with Satellite Navigation so you won’t get lost. While you have the grandkids in there, you can get them to pair your phone to the Bluetooth system so you can take calls hands-free and listen to your favourite music while driving.

Bang for your buck with the Toyota Yaris

The Toyota Yaris is one of the best value small cars on the market. It might be small but it’s packed with features that will have you zipping all around the Sunshine Coast with a smile on your face. Especially when you realise how cheap it is on fuel!

Toyota Yaris at Sunshine Toyota

Sunshine Toyota currently has great deals on Yaris. So if you’re looking great car to downsize to then you can’t go past the Toyota Yaris.  Come in to chat with one of our team about becoming a Yaris owner or simply book a test-drive today. If you would like to check out Sunshine Toyota’s current Yaris deals click here.

A guide to buying your teenagers first car on the Sunshine Coast

When you first got your license, your parents probably handed you they keys $500 piece of scrap metal and said, “If you break it, you won’t get another one”. Back then the Sunshine Coast roads were far less crowded and drivers were far less distracted meaning the roads were a lot safer. Your parents also probably knew Caloundra’s local mechanic quite well and repairs wouldn’t have cost too much either.

A lot has changed since then and you would probably think twice on buying your teenager the cheapest running car you could find on Carsales or Gumtree as it might break down and cost you more than what it’s worth. Not to mention the safety of your young driver could be jeopardised, as most cheap and older cars aren’t fittest with the best safety technology. We've put together a couple of rules we think are important when buying your teenager their first car.

Rule #1 Don’t listen to your kids

As a parent, you want to choose a safe and reliable car for your teenager that will get them from A to B and that won’t blow your budget either. As a p-plater, most of the driving they would do is locally and occasionally on the highway. Despite what they think, they probably don’t need a big four-wheel drive or a sports car.

Rule #2 Consider a car with the best safety features

Like I mentioned before, older cars don’t always have the best safety features if any at all. This can be quite concerning as we know how inexperienced our teenagers are in driving. The Yaris is packed with safety features to keep those new drivers safe on the road and help prevent any bingles. Here are some of the safety features that come with the Yaris Ascent:

Reversing camera – Helps to navigate into tight parking spots and avoid hard to see objects

7 SRS airbags  - To your teenager and their friends safe in the case of a collision

Advanced braking - Every Yaris features Anti-lock Braking, Electronic Brake force Distribution, Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability and Traction Control for an ever safer drive

Rule #3 Look for best value for money

The Toyota Yaris is one of the best value small cars on the market. It might be small but it’s packed with features that will have your teenager zipping all around the Sunshine Coast with a smile on their face like Bluetooth connectivity so they can take calls hands-free and stream their favourite music. Not to mention when they realise how cheap it is on fuel!

Toyota Yaris at Sunshine Toyota

Sunshine Toyota currently has great deals on Yaris. So if you’re looking for a safe, reliable and affordable first car for your teenager then come in to chat to one of our team about becoming a Yaris owner simply or follow this link to test-drive today. If you would like to check out Sunshine Toyota’s current Yaris deals click here.

Why the Toyota Rav4 is one of the safest compact SUV’s on the market

When you have a family, you want nothing more but to keep them safe when you’re behind the wheel. We all know how busy Sunshine Coast roads are these days and how easily distracted other drivers can be especially around peak hour. So, when it comes to buying a new family car, looking into what safety features the vehicle has, becomes a high priority. The Toyota Rav4 GX is the perfect family SUV as it is spacious, stylish and is fitted with latest Toyota’s Safety Sense features making it one of the safest cars on the road today.

What is Toyota Safety Sense?

Toyota Safety Sense is a range of active safety technologies that were designed to prevent or mitigate collisions at a wide range of speeds and different traffic situations. These include a pre-collision system, autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure alert, active cruise control and automatic high beam. Toyota Safety Sense is designed to help protect drivers, passengers, people in other vehicles on the road and pedestrians from harm. These features come standard across the Rav4 range at no additional cost.

Pre-Collision System

The pre-collision used a camera to detect the risk of a collision. It uses audible and visual warnings to prompt you to brake. If you do not respond to the alerts, the system will automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision or reduce the force of impact. This autonomous emergency braking technology can reduce vehicle speed and potentially bring the car to a complete stop.

Active Cruise Control

The risk of a nose to tail accident is lower with the active cruise control system.  Much like a standard cruise control, the active cruise control system helps the vehicle travel at a consistent speed set by the driver. But also has a vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode which assists the driver by adjusting vehicle speed (within a set range) to help maintain a pre-set distance to a preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle is traveling at a lower speed.

Lane-departure alert

We’ve all experienced the shock of seeing a near miss from a vehicle travelling at 100km on the highway and suddenly veer into the next lane while another car is right there. The lane-departure alert system can detect the lines on the road and will alert you if your car unintentionally deviates from your lane. This can help prevent accidents and head-on collisions.

Automatic High Beam

Automatic high beam switches between high and low beams to avoid blinding other drivers as you come around those corners. As high beam is used more frequently, the system will detect obstacles quicker.

These active safety technologies across the RAV4 range have reduced nose-to-tail accidents by 50 percent compared with vehicles not equipped with these features.

Toyota Rav4 at Sunshine Toyota

The Toyota Rav4 GX is a safe and great value compact SUV. Making it a no-brainer in which car to choose for safety! If you would like to chat to one of our team about becoming a RAV4 owner simply book a test-drive today. If you would like to check out Sunshine Toyota’s current RAV4 deals click here.

Why the new 2019 Corolla is breaking the mould in the small car market

The Toyota Corolla has been one of the best selling cars since it’s birth in the 60s. Did you know? That there is a Corolla sold approximately every 15 seconds worldwide. Still, to this day, it’s the most popular passenger car on the road. For years, the Corolla was purchased because of its reputation for being a reliable small car more so than for its style or features, but all of that is about to change.

Cool and captivating design that will make heads turn

The look of this next-gen Corolla is nothing like we’ve ever seen before. With its sleek European exterior design, it’s no wonder it has been dubbed the most attractive Corolla yet. Gone are the days where a Corolla was thought to be a “grandma’s” car. The interior features soft surfaces and a two-tone colour design that makes you feel like you’re driving a high-end luxury car. This car was made to be shown off!

“Come for a thrill ride in my new Corolla”

That is what you’ll be saying to all your friends. The new Corolla is built to drive and handle better than earlier models. Under the hood, there have been significant improvements like the addition of a 2.0L Dynamic Force Petrol Engine and CVT Transmission to make the Corolla more powerful and fun to drive than ever before. Even with these improvements, the Corolla still has even better fuel efficiency than its predecessors.

Safety features for a perfectly intuitive driving experience

The all-new Corolla hatch is set to make its mark as one of the safest small cars in its class with many of its standard advanced safety technologies usually only found on luxury or higher grade vehicles. The idea of the new and improved Toyota Safety Systems (TSS-P) is if you get distracted, the car will likely intervene to help prevent an accident if necessary. All variants of the new Corolla come standard with the latest Toyota Safety Systems for a perfectly intuitive driving experience!

These features include:

• Pre-Collision System with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist
• Automatic High Beams
• Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Brake Assist

These features make the new Corolla the only vehicle in its segment with these as standard features across all three models (Ascent Sport, SX, ZR).

2019 Corolla at Sunshine Toyota

We are excited to make dreams come true for those who have been patiently waiting for the 2019 Corolla. So if you are looking to become one of the first new Corolla owners click here to register your interest. 

How Toyota Fleet Management Can Save You Time and Money

As a busy small business owner, you might be reading this and thinking that there are a million other things that you should be doing. Like sorting out your fleet admin such as booking in their log book services, which you’ve been putting off for months now. Your desk probably resembles a bombsite with piled up paperwork like rego bills, insurance bills and fuel receipts. Not to mention the ongoing servicing and maintenance you have to continuously organise for your fleet. What if we told you that you could bundle all of these things together into one invoice and a single monthly payment…AND we can manage the rest!

Well, let us introduce you to Toyota Fleet Management! Toyota Fleet Management (TFM) have a range of products and services, specifically developed with small business in mind to help keep your fleet running smoothly so you can spend more time on your business. Some of the benefits of TFM include:

• Fixed monthly cost – this will help you budget and takes away the uncertainty of unexpected charges
• Stress-free management - whether you're leasing or financing one vehicle or 20, each contract invoice is bundled into one monthly invoice
• Flexibility – you choose your own lease or loan term, between 12 and 60 months
• Comprehensive reporting – keep up to date with your vehicle's performance with our range of fleet reports
• More free time - Spend less time on vehicle admin and more time on more important things like maybe a quick 9 holes of golf.

There are two easy fully maintained finance options that will give you some hours back into your working week and also put cash back into your pocket.

1. LEASE

The advantage of the Complete Lease option is that you can drive a vehicle for a specific term at a fixed monthly rental with maintenance and service costs all included. This allows you to lease conveniently bundle all of the costs associated with a vehicle lease covering items like servicing, registration, tyres, and maintenance. All you need to do is set the lease term and kilometre usage then TFM will take care of the rest.

2. BUY

If you prefer to own your vehicle, the Maintained Chattel Mortgage is the best and easiest way to purchase your new company wheels. Designed specifically for small businesses, you can enjoy the convenience of a monthly invoice that covers vehicle maintenance but also gives you a range of tax benefits like claiming back the interest charged on your loan and the depreciation of your vehicle. Simply choose your deposit amount, loan term and kilometre usage and off you go.

Add extras for more convenience

You can also add in extras like roadside assist, TFM fuel cards that provide a discount off purchases at the pump and also TFM’s cost-effective comprehensive motor vehicle insurance into your monthly repayment.

Toyota Fleet Management on the Sunshine Coast

The Fleet team at Sunshine Toyota can confidently tailor a Toyota Fleet Management plan to suit your fleet requirements and are on-hand to advise and assist you every step of the way. If you would like to chat with our fleet specialist, Scott McGuigan click here. To check out our fleet options click here.