Unfortunately this is the pattern in the automotive world. Look at any sucessfull import car that currently exists. When it was first introduced it was a small econo version compared to its current form. Successful brand names such as camry, accord, land cruiser, 4Runner, Rav4, and CRV are all bigger more bloated and more "americanised" than their predecessor.
Its the nature of the business that to some people the name sells.
Jeep is a good example of this. The cherokee was a small cheap suv. They turned it into the grand cherokee. Now how many cheaper versions does Jeep have than the cherokee/grand cherokee: Compass, liberty, patriot, and commander.
If a particular model of car is sucessfull in the american market the company will bloat it out cause bigger and better sells in the US. Then they will release new models to the smaller/budget/economy sector of the market.
Thats just the way the industry works
Edit: To be honest, I like the new looks. Sure I wish they kept it small and lighter.. but the lines of the body are more refined. It has an agressive but not rice rocket look to it. Toyota knows what they are doing. They sell the most cares here in america. They are the only brand I can think of that has 3 tiers of vehicles. Scion, Toyota, and Lexus are all the same company.
