As more and more information is released, our staff is getting so excited to see the new 2019 Toyota Avalon. The all-new redesigned vehicle will be premiering in March, and is packed with features to excite car enthusiasts and drivers alike.

The 2019 Avalon will be lower and wider than previous models, transforming it into an eye-catching shape. The Avalon is already known for its spacious interior, but the 2019 model will bring that to a whole new level. Rear-seat legroom and shoulder room have grown, and the interior now has available Yamaha-sourced wood trim and aluminum accents.

The Entune 3.0 infotainment system features a 9.0-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity, and integration with smartwatches and Amazon Alexa to enable exciting features like remote starting, door locking and unlocking, and checking the fuel level. A color head-up display is standard on the two upper trim levels, and all models come with wireless device charging and a total of five USB ports, three in front and two in the back. Great news for those with apple devices, this vehicle will come standard with Apple Car-Play. You can count on quality sound when the vehicle comes standard with 14 speakers throughout.

We know that Toyota drivers value safety as a top priority. Toyota did not forget this during the 2019 Avalon remodel, standard features include pedestrian detection, radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high-beams, 10 airbags, stability control, traction control, ABS with brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution, and a standard backup camera.

We will be taking orders for the 2019 Toyota Avalon. Don’t forget to stop by the 2018 Chicago Auto Show (Feb. 10-19) at McCormick Place to get a closer look and this game-changing vehicle!

Last Friday January 5th, we had the Girl Scouts Troop #51-856 stop by our dealership to earn their Energy Badge by learning about a hybrid vehicle: the Toyota Prius!

Our Sales Consultant, Nick Guerrero, talked to them about all the features of the Toyota Prius as well as the importance of driving an environmentally friendly vehicle. After that, we were able to present them with the Certificate of Achievement for this learning workshop, as well as gave them some snacks to enjoy!

It was a pleasure hosting the Girl Scouts and teaching them about the Toyota Prius. We are so happy that they can now take this knowledge and share it with all their friends so we can raise awareness of how important it is to take care of the environment!

On Thursday, November 16th, we had the honor of presenting the 12 car seats we will be giving away to expecting moms through our partnership with Community Nurse.
Although we have been a proud sponsor of Community Nurse for decades, this is the first year of the Car Seat Partnership Program, where our goal is to assist low-income expecting mothers with car seats to ensure their baby is safe. Community Nurse works with these expecting mothers by providing them with all the necessary care during and after the pregnancy. While we were chatting with them, they told us they have about 50 births every year, and they care for each of those mothers by ensuring they attend all necessary appointments and are ready for what is to come.
We are very happy to contribute to our community’s wellbeing by donating these car seats. While safety is of utmost importance, Officer April from the Countryside Police Department will be assisting these moms by showing them how to securely place the car seat in their vehicle.
We look forward to helping both mom and baby stay safe and secure during their car rides!

The SEMA show in Las Vegas is always full of amazing cars that we can only dream about! The Toyota booth this year is featuring a modified C-HR with a lot more power! The production Toyota C-HR became available for sale earlier this year as the perfect compact car for those looking for the qualities of a SUV in a car that can fit practically everywhere!

The production C-HR is offered with 144 horsepower, front-wheel drive, and a continuously variable transmission, which doesn’t exactly equal a speedy combination. This year for SEMA, Toyota partnered with DG Spec to produce a very quick crossover. The 2.4-liter massively turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivers 600 horsepower, enough for the C-HR to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 2.9 seconds. This revamped C-HR also includes a five-speed manual transmission to get the power down to the front wheels and in terms of suspension, it’s got triple adjustable shocks and a three-way adjustable rear sway bar.

If all of this doesn’t make sense, just know that this C-HR turned in quicker lap times at the 2.5-mile "Big Track" at Willow Springs than a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, GT-R and McLaren 650S Spyder. Now that’s impressive!

It’s October, and although it doesn’t feel quite like fall yet, you might want to consider spending some time at a pumpkin patch. They’re fun, family-friendly, and have amazing food! Plus, they’re only open until the end of the month so you definitely want to go before it’s too late!

Check out our Top 3 Pumpkin Patches. If you visit any of them, let us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Goebbert’s Farm & Garden Center:

35 miles from Chicago you can celebrate with Goebbert’s Fall Festival, which runs until October 31st! Your whole family can enjoy the exotic petting zoo (including the giraffe!), watch a pig race, see their famous Pumpkin Eating Dinosaur, have some lunch and pick out your favorite pumpkin! Plus, don’t forget to stop by and try out their famous Apple Cider Donuts and Pumpkin Cookies!
Visit their website here.

Address: 40 W Higgins Rd, South Barrington, IL 60010

County Line Orchard:

40 miles from Chicago you can pick your own apples, pumpkins, or sunflowers with their U-Pick game! Plus, you can watch the bee yurts, where hundreds of bees work and live, or you can even get lost in a corn maze! And if that’s not enough, you can book your own campfire and have the kids enjoy their time at the kids farm, featuring Peter the Pumpkin Eating Dino!

Visit their website here.

Address: 200 S County Line Rd, Hobart, IN 46342

Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm:

30 miles from Chicago you can find pumpkins, ponies, and hayrides to make this a perfect fall getaway! Make sure to try their apple cider donuts, award-winning barbecue, and funnel cakes. And keep the kids entertained with kiddie rides, pig races, and petting zoo!

Visit their website here.

Address: 13341 W 151st St, Homer Glen, IL 60491

Alina Czub is the Director of Advertising for the Continental Motors Group. She has been driving the all-new 2018 Toyota Camry for a few weeks and decided to share her experience with us.

For the last seventeen years, I’ve been an SUV girl. I’m a mom of three boys and they play sports. So, room was necessary. Add to that any extras of people or “stuff,” my needs in a vehicle were definitely space and comfort. I drove a lot, 18K-22K miles per year. My boys and I have practically lived in my SUV; we’ve spent so much time between here and there. However, as my kids, three six-foot teenagers have grown, my needs have changed. They are still playing sports, but there are fewer car pools; one has his license, and the second one will be driving on his own in the next several months.

All of this has brought me to think maybe I could drive a sedan. Therein lies my 2018 Toyota Camry LE test drive from Continental Toyota. I’m not going to lie the transition from a larger SUV to a sedan has been an adjustment. However, I welcome the change. Now when I say test drive, I’m fortunate for the opportunity to drive for several weeks and really get a feel for the 2018 Camry.

With all of the miles I put on vehicles, the way a vehicle handles is very important to me. My SUV handled the roads well; it was smooth and had good pick up, and I never felt like it was a truck. Admittedly, I thoroughly enjoy driving this car. Local driving or highway driving, the Camry does not let me down in the way it grabs the road, accelerates, or maneuvers in and out of traffic. Plus, additional safety features like lane departure alert, Toyota Safety Sense pre-collision system with in-vehicle camera and radar, and of course ECO mode to save on gas mileage, all add to the comfort of my driving experience. I’ve switched to the Manual mode when I’ve been on the highway because, well, I started out driving a manual transmission, and it’s fun to go back to without the clutch to worry about.

Since I do still have my boys frequently in the car, their comfort was very important to me. What’s their legroom like? Headroom? And, of course, where are the cup holders positioned because we still end up eating in the car as we rush to our next commitment. The 2018 Camry was perfect! A total thumbs up – in both the back and front seats there is a very open feeling and plenty of room for my growing boys. I’ve rented cars in the past and always felt a little cramped and as though my views were blocked. It was almost as if the curve of the roof impeded the size of the windows, but this is not the case for the 2018 Toyota Camry. As the driver, I feel safe, secure, and can easily adjust the seat to my comfort to drive. The Camry LE comes with a Star Safety System and ten airbags. Not only do I feel safe driving a sedan, Toyota makes certain the vehicle is safe.

Of course, where do I put my coffee? Convenience, while not feeling cramped in a sedan versus an SUV, was a pleasant surprise. This Camry did not disappoint. As I sit to drive, the shifter is comfortably positioned where I can keep my elbow on the armrest and my drink is just to the right. The controls to adjust radio, temperature, and phone, are all right at my fingertips. Overall, this car is very convenient. I’m just waiting for the perfect design to answer; “where do I put my oversized purse?”

Trunk space is equally important when I am carting equipment, groceries, or anything else. Without the convenience of the cargo space and hatchback found in an SUV, I was concerned with transitioning to a sedan. My mom drives a sedan and you can only open the trunk with a remote key, which is not always convenient, but with the 2018 Camry, I get both easy access and great cargo space.

All in all, the new 2018 Toyota Camry LE has been a positive driving experience. It looks great, has sensible conveniences, performs well on the roads, and provides plenty of room for my family. Camry has been a Best Selling vehicle in America for years, and the new 2018 Toyota Camry continues to excel on the roads. Continental Toyota in Hodgkins has been selling Toyotas for more than fifty years, and is a quality choice on where to buy your perfect Toyota Camry in the Chicagoland area.

All photo credit goes to MotorTrend.

What Makes Toyota Reliable?

It's no surprise that Toyota vehicles have earned a reputation over decades as one the highest quality vehicle makers in the world. In fact, it's fair to say that Toyota established Japan as the nexus of advanced manufacturing techniques that emphasize quality. The destruction wrought by World War II meant the Toyota had a chance to restart with a clean sheet, and it used the opportunity to optimize quality rather than quantity. This meant, for example, using a single press for each car part – a slower process but one that results in fewer flaws.
The approach evolved into the Toyota Production System (TPS), which was and still is the guiding philosophy for creating reliable vehicles. It consists of two tenets:

1. Jidoku: This loosely translates as "automation with a human touch." In other words, the human eye is the ultimate judge of quality. It's standard procedure in a Toyota plant to stop a manufacturing line if an engineer perceives a problem, and restart only after the cause has been resolved.
2. Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing: The technique is to order and make only what is needed, which saves money by eliminating waste and conserving resources.

While originally a Japanese manufacturer, Toyota now makes vehicles for local markets all around the world. That's why Toyota manufactures most of its American-market cars in America. The TPS is easily adapted to the prevailing practices employed in each country and region.

In addition, Toyota practices lifetime employment to the extent possible. This gives workers the opportunity to really master their skills, another facet of product quality. This approach also works for management and engineering. Low turnover allows Toyota to institutionalize the most efficient ways to build high-quality vehicles. And keep in mind – Toyota parts are built to exacting specifications, and we use only Toyota parts to maintain your Toyota car.
Toyota engineers often grab vehicles off the line and strip them down to check for any manufacturing problems. They also disassemble competitor models to stay on top of the latest innovations.

Dealerships like ours employ top service technicians who receive Toyota factory training and industry certification, ensuring that the quality built into a new Toyota vehicle is maintained over its entire service life. We invite you to visit our Toyota dealership today to experience the legendary reliability built into every Toyota vehicle we sell.

Now until Labor Day, Continental Motors Group is running a Treat Yourself Sales Event! We believe in ‘ME’ days and taking the time to make your mind and body feel happy and at peace. As a part of the Continental family, Continental Toyota is giving you the opportunity to treat yourself to a new or used car! Our friendly staff is here to assist you with all your needs and make sure you drive off in the car of your dreams.

PLUS, not only can you drive off in an amazing car, you can also drive off with a $250 Spa Day gift certificate! We are currently running a Facebook contest to give one lucky winner a spa day at Mario Tricoci!

A car and a spa day? We think that’s a great way to treat yourself!

Check out our inventory and start thinking about that dream car!

It seems like summer break just started and all of a sudden it’s August and we’re all gearing up for back to school season! To make this busy time as smooth and easy as possible, we’ve decided to give you some tips to get your car ready for school!

1. Keep Up with Basic Maintenance:Make sure to complete simple maintenance tasks like oil changes and tire rotations. Check all the fluid levels and top them off if necessary including brake fluid, transmission fluid and coolant. If you can’t remember the last time you changed your wiper blades, you might want to invest in some now before rain’s fall takes its toll. While these are simple, minimal maintenance items, they will extend the life of your vehicle and keep it functioning properly. To schedule a service appointment, click here.

2. Check the Owner’s Manual:Familiarize yourself with the recommended maintenance schedule. If it is time for a 30,000 mile service, take the time to have the vehicle serviced. Most major repairs can be prevented by following manufacturer recommendations. If you are wondering which services you might be due for, call our service advisors at 708-589-7653 and they can assist you!

3. Check Your Dash Board:Have you grown accustomed to a warning light? Don’t ignore it! Have it checked out sooner rather than later; catching a problem early will prevent costly repairs in the future. For a better understanding of your dashboard indicator lights, read our guide here.

4. Be Prepared:Make sure the vehicle has basic safety equipment including jumper cables, a pair of gloves, flashlight with extra batteries, washer fluid and other items. A pre-packaged auto safety kit is also a great choice. They are compact and provide everything you need. Some other good ideas include compact winter shovels, ice scrapers, blankets and bottled water.

5. Know Your Car:Pay attention to your car and familiarize the drivers in your family with the car as well. Make sure they know where they can find the safety equipment, spare tire and owner’s manual. Familiarize yourselves with the particular noises of your car so you are more aware of anything unfamiliar and different.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our Service Department for assistance.

Continental Toyota is very happy to announce that we are now partnering with the Hinsdale Humane Society to feature a ‘Pet of the Month’ in the hopes that we can raise awareness about adopting loving pets. These loving animals have arrived to the shelter from different locations and all under different circumstances, but what is certain, is that they are full of love and ready to find a forever home!

Our first official pet of the month was Porkchop, a friendly Pitbull/Catahoula Leopard Dog, but he’s not the only one hoping to find a home!

If you’re interested in submitting an application for any of these loving pets, click here, or if you’d like to check out their Facebook page for more information, click here.

This month we partnered with Plant with Purpose to plant a tree in the developing world for every vehicle and tire sold in May. Plant with Purpose educates communities and shows them that caring for the environment builds resilience, increases crop yields, and revitalizes their community for a long term future. The implementation of sustainable agriculture techniques has lead to more productive crops, and these family farms have flourished.

Savings groups are established so farmers do not depend solely on outside donations, but on the savings from their agricultural sales. These efforts to employ the farmer’s talents and be active participants in change help contribute to discovering they can grow out of poverty.

In order to help spread the word, we gave our employees desk plants so they can feed them and watch them grow, and tell our customers how their purchases are changing the world one plant at a time.

We would like to thank all of the customers that have taken part in this partnership and contributed to making this world a better place.

If you’d like to join Plant with Purpose’s mission to end deforestation and extreme poverty, you can donate here: https://www.plantwithpurpose.org/purpose-partner/

In observance of the holiday, we wanted to let you know that our hours will be changing for Monday, May 29^th.

Our Sales Department will be open 9AM – 5PM

Our Parts and Service Departments will be open 7AM – 3PM

We remember those who have bravely served our country.

Toyota is the official vehicle of the Chicago Cubs, and now the second baseman, Javy Baez, is showcasing his beautiful new Toyota 4Runner!

Below you can see him next to his fancy new ride, getting ready to start the new baseball season! Follow him on twitter to stay updated on Javy's new SUV!

Do you ever feel like your car is talking to you but you just don’t know what it’s saying? A light you’d never seen before lights up on your dashboard and suddenly you’re scrambling through everything to find that manual that describes what it means.

At Continental Toyota, we want you to know that our customer’s experience is our number one priority, even when you are not present at the dealership. That is why we have created a page that explains all the lights on your dashboard, in case you’re away from us when your car starts giving you a warning sign. You can find the page under our Service tab, or simply click here. Just click on each light indicator to learn what it means. And don’t worry, this page is mobile-friendly too for those times when you’re away from home and don’t have access to a computer!

When the weather starts warming up, we usually enjoy planting some flowers, cleaning our closets, and vacuuming our whole place to welcome spring. It’s very refreshing and some even say it ‘cleans the soul’ when you say bye to the old and welcome the new with the changing season. Well, at Continental Toyota, we would like you to know that your spring cleaning efforts are not ignored, and we would even like to help you take it one step further and give your car the spring cleaning treatment it deserves!

Our Continental Toyota Detail Center helps bring back that new car glow you fell in love with when you purchased your vehicle. Here at Continental Toyota we detail all makes and models so we can handle all your detailing needs. From quality full service washes to deluxe exterior waxes, our attention to detail guarantees that your vehicle will not just be turning corners - but turning heads.

For the specific details of our cleaning packages, click here. You can also call us at 708-589-7653 at any time if you have any questions or need to schedule a service!

Looking for a new car, but unsure about what is the best choice between buying or leasing? This decision will ultimately depend on your needs, not only financially, but also in terms of the purpose of the car. Keep reading to learn more about advantages of each, in order to help you determine what will work best for you!

Advantages of Buying:

If you’re looking to have a car that you can modify to your taste, then buying might be a better choice for you. When you purchase a vehicle, you are the owner and therefore you can modify it as you wish (within the bounds of the law). You can also drive the vehicle as much as you want, since there are no mileage restrictions. If you have longer commutes, or enjoy going on long road trips, purchasing a car may be the better option for you.

If you take proper care of your car to ensure it has a good, long-lasting life, then buying a car might be more economical in the end. If you buy a car that lasts you for several years, and you are able to drive it for thousands of miles, then you’ve really made the most out of it, and are more likely to end up spending less money in the end.

Advantages of Leasing:

If you are looking for lower monthly payments on your car, then a lease might be the way to go for you. Leasing means lower monthly payments and a lower down payment than purchasing a car. In some cases, there may not even be a down payment at all with a lease!

Since you are making lower monthly payments, leasing a vehicle allows you to drive a higher-end model for a very affordable price. Yes, this means you can get that high-level trim with all the fancy details you’ve always wanted for a great price!

We cannot emphasize the lower cost enough, but if you are the type of driver that only uses the car to go short distances, then a lease is definitely the better option. There is a restriction on the amount of miles you can put in the car, but if you generally commute short distances, then you can get a better car for a much lower price. In addition, a lease is more affordable to service due to the default factory warranty. This means paying less out of pocket for repair services than you would with a purchased car.

With a lease, the trade-in pressure is lifted because you return the vehicle at the end of the lease period (as stated in your contract) and then it’s up to you to either lease another vehicle, purchase a car, or simply go without one. There is no need to worry about trading in the vehicle, or even finding a buyer when it’s time to let go of the car.

Overall, buying or leasing a car is a personal preference. Our Sales Consultants are here to help you and they will gladly walk you through your different options and their advantages to determine what will work best for you. We also encourage you to check our Incentives page to check out our current offers and specials!

Today we wanted to take a moment to let you know we are a pet friendly dealership! We know how important our furry friends are, and we don’t want you to have to leave them home alone when you bring your car in for a service appointment, or even when you’re stopping by to look at your future car!
In order to showcase this, we did a photo shoot and a commercial with Jühas, our pet model! Everyone loved him and he had a great time testing different Toyotas and getting a lot of attention from our customers! So feel free to bring your furry best friend next time you stop by Continental Toyota. We’d love to meet them!

This past Sunday, March 5^th, we had the pleasure of being a part of the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Family Parade in Countryside. We drove a Cubs Toyota Tundra that was fully decorated for the theme, and were surrounded by vehicles from our dealer family, such as Continental Honda and Continental Mitsubishi.

We drove by multiple houses and saw lots of families and children enjoying the parade. Several dogs were being walked in front of us, and the children were very excited about seeing them and petting them. Since we were driving a Cubs vehicle, we played the ‘Go, Cubs, Go’ song, and had many people singing along. We also handed out Toyota tote bags, which came in handy considering all the candy that was being passed out.

Given that it is a St. Patrick’s Day parade, we saw a lot of people dressed up in all-green attire, as well as younger girls wearing a traditional Irish dancer costume. We also saw lots of green Blackhawks jerseys, as well as Southpaw, the White Sox’s mascot.

Overall, we had a great experience at the Parade and enjoyed the time we spent with families and other local businesses celebrating this holiday. To check out the videos of our experience, follow us on Facebook!

The City of Countryside will be hosting its second annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Sunday, March 5^th at 1pm. The Grand Marshal will be James Sweeney, the President-Business Manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, and Continental Motors Group is part of the ‘Pot O’ Gold’ sponsors.

The parade will begin at 1pm on Kensington Avenue at 61^st Street and proceeds one mile – ending at 55^th Place & Edgewood. But that’s not the end of it! There will be an after-party event with FREE bus rides to participating establishments, offering Irish music, dance, and food. The buses will be stopping at each destination every 20 minutes – from 2pm until 6pm.

Some of the after-party locations include Kenny’s Irish Pub, Flagg Creek Golf Course, The Spot on 66, and Time Out.

For more details about the Parade’s route, rules and after-party locations, click here.