Brand of the Week: Toyota RunX
by Fred on 07/03/06 at 12:48 am
7 comments
Living the life of a high-flying marketing guy (read ‘small business owner’ on the move), this weekend I was driving around South Africa in a rented car. Having spent last week in a branding seminar in the idyllic coastal town of Wilderness, I was now tired and keen to get home. The drive is around 5 hrs, but you can make it in three and a half if you know where the traps are.
The drive would have been boring if it weren’t for my first experience in a brand new car:courtesy of Avis. A cherry-red, fuel-injected, Toyota Run-X. You must understand, I drive a rusty ole Mazda, so this baby is like a shine-in-the-dark digital watch to a five-year old. Getting in and driving this thing was like a new lease on life.
The drive went well until, about half way to Cape Town, a troupe of 5 VW ‘Touarans’ suddenly appear in my rear view, growing bigger and bigger at an alarming rate. They came right up behind me at an unspeakable speed and, without pausing, the leader overtook me in a flash of white metal. I’m not sure what a line of 5 identical ‘people-movers’ were doing driving in such a hurry. Maybe a used-car dealership transporting cars, or perhaps a Caravelle Club of some sorts, as scary as that may be?
So, there I am, stuck in between a pack of Tuetonic thugs, all flashing and beeping and trying to push me around. What’s a man to do? I figured I got two choices:
1. Meekly veer to the side and let them through, or…
2. Let loose the bad-ass Japanese monster under the bonnet.and smoke these bastards.
Without a second thought, I pulled the gear into 4th, letting out a war-cry that would make my Viking forebears proud. For the next 10 minutes I slipped and shimmied, veered and thrusted, pulling heartily back and forth on the brand new stickshift until, mightily, I overtook every one of them.
I realised, as we gradually slowed back down to a respectable 140km/hr, that a good car is not just for A-B. A car like the Toyota RunX gives you sense of power and control that is pretty heartwarming stuff.
This week’s brand of the week goes to Toyota and it’s RunX for putting steam in a man’s strides.
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. He runs a web marketing company called World Wide Creative and loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. View more articles by Fred.
Devin
Mar 7th, 2006
sweet stroy bru. yeah I want one of thoose!
steve
Mar 8th, 2006
I’ve never driven a runX, but i must say they look pretty pedestrian from the outside. Toyota are a very conservative brand, but they make good engines. If you ever want to change your perception on cars, go for a spin in a honda s2000.
Shane
Mar 8th, 2006
I think the engine quality would be the only reason why I would go for a Toyota. The big downer for me is that Toyota is one of the most popular cars to steal/hijack, so unless you’re wielding a baseball bat, you’re running on risk.
Fred
Mar 8th, 2006
ya but with this car you can sneak off like a ninja (at 200km/hr) so no worries!
def
Mar 11th, 2006
ah….
sounds sooo good
dam! i want one too.
mmm… at $1 a day on adsense… it will only take 46 years
nah, give me 2 years
Toyota rules…
the almost 30 year old Toyota Corolla I use == is going like a boeing!
All 1100 CC’s of it
yeah, feel the power you 1 year old Touareg baby tanks!
Richard
Jun 7th, 2006
These cars are just ggrreeaatt, a friend of mine has one and believe you me , damm it , i got to get me one of those beauties. One of the best cars out of the Toyota stables . Its Cariffic!!!!!!!
def
May 13th, 2009
Oh my word, I just read this comment again, (was tracking it cocomment).
And Exactly two years (March 2008) after my above statement, I got a Toyota Runx! (2005 model)
Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed putting a statement out there would make it come to life so perfectly.