The nitty gritty winter months are just under way, so what better time to talk about comfort. More specifically, being comfortable in your car with a state-of-the-art heating system that warms up your cabin efficiently this winter and beyond.
Toyota’s team of engineers went to work with this mission in mind when they created COMFORT+ Accessories, a new line of heating accessories designed to make the winter months more bearable and the road ahead that much smoother for both you and your Toyota vehicle.
Think of it as a heating ecosystem for the modern Canadian driver. First things first, the system works with a regular gas powered vehicle and hybrid vehicle.
So what’s it all about? The system is comprised of three main components
Block Heater
The first component of COMFORT+ is the Block Heater. Simply put, it works by plugging your vehicle into a power source to let the engine and the motor oil pre-heat before you start your car. On top of that, it creates less overall friction and better lubrication for the engine. You know that disjointed battering sound your engine can make when you first turn it on in the dog days of winter? That’s the sound we’re trying to avoid! The smoother the car starts, the less wear and tear occurs – the reduced fuel guzzle-up doesn’t hurt either.
How it works:
The heater’s power socket is discretely hidden in the grille*1 . This connects to a space saving home power cable. Gone is the unsightly hanging cord from traditional block heater systems. You’ll find a heater cartridge that plugs into the engine block, a fully sealed cable connection preventing any damage to the cable systems – don’t worry, the Dealer will install this for you. All you need to do is connect your vehicle’s bumper socket to the home power cable and voila, a game changer when it comes to cold-weather vehicle start-ups.
Cabin Warmer:
The second component of the COMFORT+ heating system is this compact interior heater. As you might have guessed, this piece is made to target that pesky window ice and fog while preheating your vehicles interior to a comfortable temperature before your commute begins.
How it works:
Mounted inside the vehicle cabin, the intuitive tech lowers the cabin warmer's energy output as the car gets warmer, saving unnecessary overuse of electricity. This bad boy tackles the ice and snow that builds up on your car windows during those ‘dead of winter’ days by warming up the interior of your car first. The warm air buildup inside the cabin works its way to the windows and helps combat that ice and snow that builds up on your glass. This all happens without having to actually turn your car on – no burning fuel!
Trickle Charger
The third, and dare we say, most interesting component of the COMFORT+ heating system is the on-board trickle charger. Designed to maintain an optimal charge level and extend the life of modern 12V vehicle batteries. It dynamically synchronizes and adjusts to the ideal charge for the given situation, including the most unpredictable of frigid situations.
How it works:
The trickle charger is equipped with a temperature sensor and built-in logic to automatically set the necessary temperature parameters during cold conditions. This is especially handy when the vehicle is not used while being parked outside in cold conditions. Easily plug in that home power cable into the socket, and power up to a healthy charge state.
BONUS GOODNESS: The Toyota COMFORT+ App
The trickle charger unit is pared with a Bluetooth hub, allowing you more control through the Toyota COMFORT + App. This gives you the convenience of programing ‘pickup’ times for when you’d like your car to be pre-heated, or set a duration of the pre-heating.
The App also gives you insight to the outdoor temperature, the charging status, voltage and power supply status for a full 360 degree view of how your battery is optimized.
The trickle charger and Bluetooth hub work together to control the aforementioned block heater and cabin warmer as well. The name of the game is ‘reduced electricity consumption’ by turning these devices ON and OFF with the trickle charger’s programming schedule.
The name of the other game? ‘Pure convenience and comfort,’ a game Toyota hopes you easily win!
*1 the socket is located on the front bumper on some models
