Toyota Prius (2009) hybrid CAR review

The Toyota Prius is arguably the most important car launch of the year. It was the Prius that introduced hybrid motoring to early adopters back in 1997, and now, with its third generation, Toyota is aiming to make it a more appealing mainstream proposition without diluting any of the stuff that made the car so special in the first place. So, it should be less of a compromise, while still offering the feelgood factor of cutting edge, planet-saving tech. That’s the idea, anyway.

How does the new Toyota Prius appeal to a more mainstream audience?

Toyota has tried to make the Prius more refined, more spacious, more dynamically engaging and, perhaps more importantly with all those Bluemotion and Efficient Dynamics cars snapping at its heels, more fuel efficient and less polluting too. So power and torque lifts from the second-gen’s 112bhp to 134bhp thanks to a new 1.8-litre engine (up from 1.5-litres), fuel economy increases to 72.4mpg (from 55.4mpg) and C02 falls from 120g/km to a get-into-London-for-free 89g/km compared with the model it replaces.

Dimensions remain similar, but there’s more rear legroom because of carefully sculpted seat backs, and a little more headroom because the highest point of that trademark sloping roof is now slightly further back. The boot is also a little larger thanks to a smaller, better-integrated battery under the boot floor.

First impressions?

The re-style is spot on – unmistakeably Prius to keep those loyal fans happy, but more visually exciting too with its creased shoulder line and rakish headlights. Thank Toyota’s European design studio for that.

Inside, it’s a nice place to be. The interior manages to balance the futuristic concept car feel you’d expect from a technologically advanced car with a large helping of real-world usability. The seats are comfy, the dash simple and easy to use, the colours light and airy, visibility excellent. It’s also incredibly spacious in here for both front and rear seat passengers, and a sense of relaxation pervades.

How does it feel on the road?

It’s good. With a full battery charge (if you’ve been on the open road and are just heading into town, for instance), you can press the EV button and the Prius will operate on its electric battery alone at speeds of up to 50kph (31mph) for as long as 2km. And that’s no marketing spin – we wafted silently around Stockholm and cruised through 50kph-limited built-up areas in the countryside on electric power alone.

That’s a key advantage the Prius (a series/parallel hybrid, meaning it can both combine its power sources and use them independently) holds over the less expensive Honda Insight – a parallel hybrid (i.e. battery and petrol power always operate in tandem) that can never run emissions-free unless it’s at a complete standstill.

Sure, if you spend a lot of time in town you’ll rarely have enough charge to run in EV mode alone, but we found the regular mode did a good job of shutting down the petrol engine at a standstill, under deceleration and at very low speeds.

How about out of town?

Clearly you’ll use petrol power a lot of the time, but at speeds of up to 70kph (44mph) it is possible to be regularly running on electric power. Think of a busy British A-road and it’s easy to see how often that could come into play. And when the power sources do switch, it’s actually quite hard to spot the difference between the engine turning on and off, just a very light kick from beneath you giving the game away.

What about these dynamic improvements, then?

Don’t go getting too excited about that. The Prius is best described as fine rather than fun. It’s inoffensive to drive and doesn’t feel out of its depth beyond the city limits. The CVT transmission does make that trademark thrash when you demand extra mph on a motorway slip road, but it’s more subdued than it is in the Honda Insight because of improved noise insulation and because the engine’s more capable and thus needs working less hard than it does in the 1.3-litre Insight.

Verdict

While we need to spend longer with the Prius to see if it really does drink so little fuel, it does seem that Toyota has hit the nail on the head. The Prius isn’t a compromise suitable only for early adopters, and it doesn’t just make sense in town. It’s a good all-round car that just happens to be packed with cutting-edge tech.

Source: Car magazine

Honda's new Insight gets mixed reviews

How are auto writers receiving Honda's Insight hybrid? Here are some snippets from early reviews.

"The Honda's petrol engine is a much-shaved, built-for-economy, low-friction 1.3 that, at full chat, makes a noise worse than someone else's crying baby on an airliner. ... To get an idea of how awful it is, you'd have to sit a dog on a ham slicer."

-- Jeremy Clarkson, Timesonline.co.uk

"The Insight has two significant warts: Its backseat is considerably tighter than the Toyota's family-sedan-grade rear quarters, and there's plenty of Honda's trademark road noise at higher speeds. On the flip side, though, it has sensible gauges and a superior driving position. Given its impressive talents and attractive price, it's hard to fault the 2010 Honda Insight."

-- Edmunds.com

"It's hard to call 40 mpg disappointing, but in this case it is. The smaller, lighter Insight, using a smaller-displacement gasoline engine, seems to be an underachiever. Honda says that's partly because Insight's tuned for a little more punch, to make driving more fun, at the expense of fuel economy."

-- James R. Healey, USA Today

"Honda's goal in designing the 2010 Insight was to find the value sweet spot, and it looks like they've hit it. The Insight marks the best intersection yet of the plots for price, efficiency and practicality.

"Engineers accomplished this by designing a hybrid system with a priority on cost rather than maximum efficiency, scoring more bang for the buck than glittering technology showcases that no one can afford. They wrapped it in a five-door hatchback body that packs maximum cabin space into minimal physical size."

-- Dan Carney, MSNBC.com

Source: Automotive News via Car Tech

You can read also my impressions from the new Insight here

Jeremy Clarkson's Honda Insight review

Much has been written about the Insight, Honda’s new low-priced hybrid. We’ve been told how much carbon dioxide it produces, how its dashboard encourages frugal driving by glowing green when you’re easy on the throttle and how it is the dawn of all things. The beginning of days.

So far, though, you have not been told what it’s like as a car; as a tool for moving you, your friends and your things from place to place.

So here goes. It’s terrible. Biblically terrible. Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It’s the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn’t have to drive it any more.

The biggest problem, and it’s taken me a while to work this out, because all the other problems are so vast and so cancerous, is the gearbox. For reasons known only to itself, Honda has fitted the Insight with something called constantly variable transmission (CVT).

It doesn’t work. Put your foot down in a normal car and the revs climb in tandem with the speed. In a CVT car, the revs spool up quickly and then the speed rises to match them. It feels like the clutch is slipping. It feels horrid.

And the sound is worse. The Honda’s petrol engine is a much-shaved, built-for-economy, low-friction 1.3 that, at full chat, makes a noise worse than someone else’s crying baby on an airliner. It’s worse than the sound of your parachute failing to open. Really, to get an idea of how awful it is, you’d have to sit a dog on a ham slicer.

So you’re sitting there with the engine screaming its head off, and your ears bleeding, and you’re doing only 23mph because that’s about the top speed, and you’re thinking things can’t get any worse, and then they do because you run over a small piece of grit.

Because the Honda has two motors, one that runs on petrol and one that runs on batteries, it is more expensive to make than a car that has one. But since the whole point of this car is that it could be sold for less than Toyota’s Smugmobile, the engineers have plainly peeled the suspension components to the bone. The result is a ride that beggars belief.

There’s more. Normally, Hondas feel as though they have been screwed together by eye surgeons. This one, however, feels as if it’s been made from steel so thin, you could read through it. And the seats, finished in pleblon, are designed specifically, it seems, to ruin your skeleton. This is hairy-shirted eco-ism at its very worst.

However, as a result of all this, prices start at £15,490 — that’s £3,000 or so less than the cost of the Prius. But at least with the Toyota there is no indication that you’re driving a car with two motors. In the Insight you are constantly reminded, not only by the idiotic dashboard, which shows leaves growing on a tree when you ease off the throttle (pass the sick bucket), but by the noise and the ride and the seats. And also by the hybrid system Honda has fitted.

In a Prius the electric motor can, though almost never does, power the car on its own. In the Honda the electric motor is designed to “assist” the petrol engine, providing more get-up-and-go when the need arises. The net result is this: in a Prius the transformation from electricity to petrol is subtle. In the Honda there are all sorts of jerks and clunks.

And for what? For sure, you could get 60 or more mpg if you were careful. And that’s not bad for a spacious five-door hatchback. But for the same money you could have a Golf diesel, which

will be even more economical. And hasn’t been built out of rice paper to keep costs down.

Of course, I am well aware that there are a great many people in the world who believe that the burning of fossil fuels will one day kill all the Dutch and that something must be done.

They will see the poor ride, the woeful performance, the awful noise and the spine-bending seats as a price worth paying. But what about the eco-cost of building the car in the first place?

Honda has produced a graph that seems to suggest that making the Insight is only marginally more energy-hungry than making a normal car. And that the slight difference is more than negated by the resultant fuel savings.

Hmmm. I would not accuse Honda of telling porkies. That would be foolish. But I cannot see how making a car with two motors costs the same in terms of resources as making a car with one.

The nickel for the battery has to come from somewhere. Canada, usually. It has to be shipped to Japan, not on a sailing boat, I presume. And then it must be converted, not in a tree house, into a battery, and then that battery must be transported, not on an ox cart, to the Insight production plant in Suzuka. And then the finished car has to be shipped, not by Thor Heyerdahl, to Britain, where it can be transported, not by wind, to the home of a man with a beard who thinks he’s doing the world a favour.

Why doesn’t he just buy a Range Rover, which is made from local components, just down the road? No, really — weird-beards buy locally produced meat and vegetables for eco-reasons. So why not apply the same logic to cars?

At this point you will probably dismiss what I’m saying as the rantings of a petrolhead, and think that I have my head in the sand.

That’s not true. While I have yet to be convinced that man’s 3% contribution to the planet’s greenhouse gases affects the climate, I do recognise that oil is a finite resource and that as it becomes more scarce, the political ramifications could well be dire. I therefore absolutely accept the urgent need for alternative fuels.

But let me be clear that hybrid cars are designed solely to milk the guilt genes of the smug and the foolish. And that pure electric cars, such as the G-Wiz and the Tesla, don’t work at all because they are just too inconvenient.

Since about 1917 the car industry has not had a technological revolution — unlike, say, the world of communications or film. There has never been a 3G moment at Peugeot nor a need to embrace DVD at Nissan. There has been no VHS/Betamax battle between Fiat and Renault.

Car makers, then, have had nearly a century to develop and hone the principles of suck, squeeze, bang, blow. And they have become very good at it.

But now comes the need to throw away the heart of the beast, the internal combustion engine, and start again. And, critically, the first of the new cars with their new power systems must be better than the last of the old ones. Or no one will buy them. That’s a tall order. That’s like dragging Didier Drogba onto a cricket pitch and expecting him to be better than Ian Botham.

And here’s the kicker. That’s exactly what Honda has done with its other eco-car, the Clarity. Instead of using a petrol engine to charge up the electric motor’s batteries, as happens on the Insight, the Clarity uses hydrogen: the most abundant gas in the universe.

The only waste product is water. The car feels like a car. And, best of all, the power it produces is so enormous, it can be used by day to get you to 120mph and by night to run all the electrical appliances in your house. This is not science fiction. There is a fleet of Claritys running around California right now.

There are problems to be overcome. Making hydrogen is a fuel-hungry process, and there is no infrastructure. But Alexander Fleming didn’t look at his mould and think, “Oh dear, no one will put that in their mouth”, and give up.

I would have hoped, therefore, that Honda had diverted every penny it had into making hydrogen work rather than stopping off on the way to make a half-arsed halfway house for fools and madmen.

The only hope I have is that there are enough fools and madmen out there who will buy an Insight to look sanctimonious outside the school gates. And that the cash this generates can be used to develop something a bit more constructive.

Source: Times Online

Lexus RX450h (2009) CAR review

The new Lexus RX450h boasts some figures so staggering that even if you’re a diehard opponent of hybrids, crossovers, and particularly cars like this that combine the two, you’re going to have to take notice. Compared to the car it replaces, power is up 10% to 295bhp, but fuel economy improves by 23% to 44.8mpg and CO2 emissions fall from 198g/km to 148g/km. That’s Focus RS power, with better economy and emissions than a Focus 1.4. Is the Lexus RX450h too good to be true?

How does the new Lexus RX450h do it?

The 3.5-litre V6 makes 246bhp on its own and two electric motors add the rest. One is solely responsible for powering the rear axle, and together they can propel the RX silently and unaided for up to two miles with the batteries fully charged by the regenerative brakes.

You might not believe that hybrids can replicate their test figures in real use, but it’s inarguable that Lexus has cut consumption and emissions by a quarter on the same test. Adopting the Atkinson cycle is the main reason, but some other clever engine-management tricks to allow the RX to slip into full EV mode earlier.

Is the RX450h like a Focus RS to drive?

No. The integration of petrol and electric drive is utterly seamless, as you’d expect. Acceleration is impressive at 7.8sec for the 62mph dash, particularly when you learn of the RX450h's chubby 2205kg kerb weight, and there’s a sonorous if muted exhaust note. But there’s just no pleasure to be had from driving this car quickly.

The electric steering lacks any feel, the RX rolls heavily (that active rear anti-roll bar is an option) and you can feel the stability control working to contain the RX’s natural tendency to heavy understeer. Better to drive it as virtually all owners will; at a pace that won’t spill the Starbucks. Then it’s fine: great isolation from poor surfaces, but the usual Lexus tendency to stumble more over bigger intrusions.

Does the RX450h sport the usual luxurious Lexus cabin?

Yes – it’s magnificently made, if crazily arrayed. The big news is the arrival of the Remote Touch mouse-like controller for the main display screen, which fits your hand beautifully but works less impressively when you’re wobbling over bad surfaces.

Just about everything else is top of the class though; the sat-nav, the Mark Levinson audio, the storage provided and the materials used. And there’s an endless kit list, most of it standard, including a nearside camera, a head-up display and LED headlamps.

Not great to drive, some doubt the figures – should I buy a new RX?

If you’re a company car driver the figures – accurate or not – put the RX450h in the 14% tax bracket and will save you thousands each year in benefit-in-kind deductions over equivalent diesel SUVs. It will also be cheaper to tax and is congestion charge exempt, for now.

Whether you believe Lexus’s claims on the fuel saving all drivers will get – £3870 compared to a Merc ML320CDi over three years, they say – depends on your view on those figures. But for most buyers, the fact that the RX450h puts the usual Lexus qualities into an SUV-lite package with the immunity from public hatred that comes with that hybrid badge will be enough.

Source: Car magazine

【インサイト エコランチャレンジ】高速走行で好燃費を出すコツ

◆速度を落としすぎない

メディア対抗の「インサイト エコランチャレンジ」で東京・鈴鹿間27km/リットルという平均燃費を出したレスポンスチーム。エンジンに負担をかける高速走行はハイブリッドカーに不利というのが定説だが、走り方次第ではかなりの燃費が期待できることが分かった。

注意したいのは、「速度を落としすぎない」ということ。燃費を意識すると、アンビエントメーターの表示はエコ運転を示すグリーンで保ちたいのがドライバーの心理。だが、グリーン表示を維持しようとするあまり、上り坂にさしかかった際にスピードが思いのほか落ちてしまう。

人間の脳とは不思議なモノで、アンビエントメーター中にデジタルの速度表示があるにもかかわらず、それがほとんど目に入らず、メーターの表示色ばかり注意 が向いてしまうのだ。バックミラーの後続車がどんどん近づいてくるのに気づいて、元の速度に戻すためにあわててアクセルを踏むと、これが燃費に悪影響をお よぼしてしまう。また高速道路での過度な減速は流れを妨げ、後続車から追突される危険も生じる。

こうならないコツは、時にはバッテリーのアシストも積極的に活用することだ。上り坂にさしかかったら、アンビエントメーターが青になるのを覚悟で、ゆっくりとアクセルを踏み込む。


◆バッテリーのアシストも活用

インサイトの開発責任者（LPL）、関康成氏は「エンジンの効率が一番いいのはスロットル全開の一歩手前の領域」と説明するが、ここでいう「スロットル全開」とは、「アクセルベタ踏み」とは意味が異なる。

走行状況に応じてコンピュータが最適なスロットル開度を制御するドライブ・バイ・ワイヤ（DBW）を採用しているインサイトでは、上り坂にさしかかった時 にじわじわとアクセルを踏み込むことでエンジンの効率のいい領域を積極的に使おうとしてくれるからだ。ベタ踏みしてしまうと、クルマは急加速を必要として いると判断して、効率よりも加速のためにエンジン回転数を必要以上に上げてしまう。

開発陣によると、数ヶ月にわたってヨーロッパでインサイトの足回りを鍛えたという。じっさい今回、オドメーター8000km前後を示していたインサイトの 「L」グレードで東京 - 鈴鹿間を走った限りでは、70 - 80km/hでは足の固さが若干感じられたが、90km/h以上になるとよりフラットな乗り味に変化した。エコ性能だけでなく、元気のいい走りのポテン シャルもインサイトは秘めている。

ソース: Response

【ホンダ インサイト 試乗】ゲーム感覚で省燃費運転…津々見友彦

新型ホンダ『インサイト』の最大の驚きは価格。『フィット』のコンポーネンツ利用で格安！　エクステリアデザインやインテリアデザインも良い。上下2段の メーターはスピードメーターは僅かな視線移動で見やすい。もっともステアリングの高さをしっかりと決める必要はあるのだが。

スピードメーターのバックグラウンドのカラーが変わり、省燃費運転状態を知らせてくれるのはグッドアイディア。更に、アクセル、ブレーキの踏み方も指導し てくれ省燃費運転が身に付く。「ECONスイッチ」を押すとストレスなしで、燃費が向上し確実には5 - 10％向上した。

動力性能はフルスロットルでゼロヨン加速を17秒台で、現行トヨタ『プリウス』並みの快速。特徴的なのはスポーティなハンドリング。予想以上にスポーティ だ。「LS」は185/55R16サイズタイヤを履くのでスポーティだが、多少固め感の乗り心地なのは否めないが、175/65R15サイズの、「L」、 「G」の乗り心地は快適。

燃費は市街地では軽く20km/リットルを上回り、その気になると25km/リットル以上を周囲の流れに乗りながら出せ、インターネットでも順位が掲載され、ゲーム感覚で省燃費運転を楽しめる。

■5つ星評価
パッケージング：★★★★★
インテリア/居住性：★★★★
パワーソース：★★★★★
フットワーク：★★★★★
オススメ度：★★★★★

ソース: Response

Comparison test: 2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius

At the launch of the 2010 Toyota Prius, Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., tells us, "We'll face two challenges when the Prius goes on sale: the economy and the 2010 Honda Insight.

"The good news for consumers is that the market has plenty of room for both the Prius and Insight in their respective segments," Carter adds. "Based on our 2010 projections, the Prius can achieve a theoretical 7 percent share of the industry's largest segment — midsize sedans. In the second-ranked compact class, the Insight could achieve a 5 percent market share."

So it'll be a nice, peaceful coexistence for these two hybrid cars that just happen to look almost exactly like each other. Don't believe that? Neither do we.

As the U.S. economy continues its topsy-turvy performance, nobody's market share is safe. So it actually matters which hybrid car is better — the 2010 Honda Insight, which goes on sale April 22, or the 2010 Toyota Prius, which hits dealers in late May.

The Insight has already proven itself against the 2009 Prius. But now that the 2010 Toyota Prius has appeared with its bigger engine, all-new chassis and 50-mpg EPA-combined fuel economy rating, it is a much tougher hybrid cookie (bursting with high-fiber organic oats and fair-trade chocolate chips!).

Let's Get Our Priorities Straight
We'd like to think the winner of this test will be the hybrid car that we truly enjoy driving — the one that makes us forget about the heavy cache of nickel-metal hydride batteries stuffed under its cargo floor. But instead let's consider the real reasons people buy cars like the 2010 Honda Insight and 2010 Toyota Prius.

Fuel economy is the big factor here, so just like in the earlier Mk II Insight-versus-Mk II Prius battle, we're weighting it 25 percent in the final scoring of our comparison, using the EPA rating for combined mpg, which has become a reliable indicator of real-world fuel economy since the EPA recalibrated the test.

Pricing counts just as much, especially since the Insight's mission is to deliver hybrid technology on the cheap, while the Prius (for all its pomp and mpg) has always been a relative bargain among midsize cars. Feature content and test-track performance are secondary considerations here, so we're weighting them just 15 percent apiece.

We've halved the number of ratings-worthy top features in this test, because these particular models of 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Honda Insight cars are light on feature content. Our Insight is an LX, the leanest version of Honda's inexpensive hybrid that we've seen thus far. It still has power accessories, air-conditioning (an automatic system at that) and a CD-equipped stereo with an auxiliary jack, but it lacks staples like cruise control and stability control, and wears steel wheels. You can't knock its $20,470 price tag, though.

Our 2010 Toyota Prius is a base model, meaning it has 15-inch cast-aluminum wheels (instead of the 17s on the Touring model), halogen headlamps (instead of LEDs) and cloth interior upholstery. It also has the equivalent of the 2009 model's Package #3, which provides upgraded JBL audio and Bluetooth, but none of the other new-for-2010 Prius options like the solar panel in the roof or the self-parking system. Nevertheless, this Prius is better equipped than the Insight, though, since cruise, stability control and a keyless ignition system are standard on every 2010 Prius.

Toyota hasn't released pricing for the 2010 Prius yet, so we've pooled the sharpest data minds at Edmunds.com and come up with an estimate. If Toyota keeps prices at 2009 levels (and that's likely), this car would have a $24,220 base price. Adding the option package ($1,350), our tester should cost about $25,570. (Recent reports suggest that Toyota might drop the price on the 2010 Prius to compete better with the Insight. Even if our number is a little high, however, you'll see that it doesn't hurt the Prius in this test.)

A Hybrid for Commuting
As hybrids go, the 2010 Toyota Prius doesn't have many liabilities. Whereas the second-generation Prius offered merely passable transportation for commuters, this one feels at ease on the freeway whether you're crawling in gridlock or cruising at 75 mph.

The stiff new chassis gives Toyota's hybrid hatchback a stable and refined ride on a par with other midsize cars. Road noise is better controlled, too, at least with the standard P195/65R15 89S Yokohama Avid S33 tires. The electric-assisted power steering still lacks feedback (of any kind), but between a new rigid mounting system and extra steering caster, the wheel seems more secure in our hands, with a heightened on-center feel. The driving position still isn't perfect, but the new seat design and telescoping steering wheel are a big improvement.

Passing maneuvers were taxing in the 2009 Prius, but by dropping an Atkinson-cycle version of its ubiquitous 1.8-liter inline-4 engine into the 2010 Prius, Toyota has mostly solved that problem while raising fuel economy to boot.

Rated at 98 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 105 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, the 1.8-liter has a meatier torque band than the old 1.5-liter, and this means it's now operating at lower rpm most of the time. Only when you hammer on the throttle on a steady uphill grade do you really hear the engine working. Notably, this gasoline engine doesn't use any power-robbing accessory belts (thanks to the use of an electric water pump) and then incorporates typical diesel engine technologies like exhaust gas recirculation and exhaust heat recovery to cut fuel consumption further.

Total system output for the 2010 Toyota Prius is 134 hp once you add the 27-kilowatt (36-hp) battery pack that powers the car's front-wheel-drive electric motor. This motor is part of a complicated transaxle that includes an additional generator motor and the planetary-type continuously variable transmission (CVT) responsible for blending the car's gasoline and electric power sources. The transaxle is 20 percent lighter for 2010, says Toyota, which reduces torque losses.

From the driver seat, we notice the transitions between all-electric and gas-electric motivation are smoother, to the point that we're scarcely aware of them during a numbing freeway commute.

The Driver's Hybrid, if Such a Thing Exists
Compared to the Prius, the 2010 Honda Insight is a lot less complex, at least in the drivetrain department. It has an eight-valve SOHC 1.3-liter inline-4 engine rated at 88 hp and 88 lb-ft of torque. It also has a CVT. Between the engine and the CVT is a small electric motor. It can't motivate the Insight on its own, but when it joins forces with the gas engine, it provides the compact front-wheel-drive hatchback with a respectable 98 hp at 5,800 rpm and 123 lb-ft of torque from 1,000-1,500 rpm.

It's a stretch to call the Insight quick, though. It takes effort and plenty of revs to maintain speed on a mountain pass. To its credit, the engine is not unpleasant to the ear, and the CVT responds quickly to changing throttle demands. The blending of gas and electric power is seamless enough, but the car feels jerky coming out of idle from a stop.

Yet, you want to forgive any accelerative shortcomings when you realize that the 2010 Honda Insight has genuine steering feel — something we'd forgotten could ever exist in a hybrid. In addition, the suspension is tuned so you feel some connection to the car's P175/65R15 84S Dunlop SP31 tires and the asphalt under them.

Of course, if you start making real demands on the Insight on some twisty road, it brushes you back with understeer and body roll. At a sane pace, though, it's an unexpectedly personable hybrid car. An ergonomic driving position, complete with three-spoke wheel, puts you in the mood to befriend it.

The downside to this approach is that an afternoon commute in the 2010 Honda Insight is not entirely relaxed. Like every inexpensive Honda of the last half-century, it rides firmly and has lots of road noise.

Unlikely Track Star
As much as we like the way the Honda Insight drives, it can't fend off the 2010 Toyota Prius at our instrumented testing facility. It earns the higher slalom speed (60.9 mph versus 59.1 mph), but only because the Prius' stability control can't be switched off.

On the skid pad, the Toyota exploits its wider tires to deliver 0.78g of cornering grip to the Insight's 0.75g. The Prius is also 10 feet better than the Insight in braking — 118 feet versus 128 feet — and with four-wheel discs, it's less susceptible to fade.

There's also a big gap between the 0-60-mph times of these hybrid hatchbacks, as the Prius gets to 60 mph from a standstill in 10.1 seconds (or 9.7 seconds with 1 foot of rollout as on a drag strip), while the Insight needs 10.9 seconds (or 10.5 seconds with 1 foot of rollout).

As evidence of the Honda's fighting spirit, though, it narrows the gap by the quarter-mile mark. The Prius goes through in 17.3 seconds at 79.7 mph, while the Insight is there in 17.9 seconds at 78.2 mph.

The MPG Gap Shrinks
More interesting is what happens when we take the hybrids on a 115-mile test of fuel economy. Circumstances kept us from using our customary suburban loop in Southern California, so instead we improvised a route that's approximately 60 percent highway.

This approach tends to favor the 2010 Honda Insight, which sees its best mileage on the highway, based on the EPA rating of 40 mpg city/43 mpg highway/41 mpg combined that Honda predicts for it. In contrast, the 2010 Toyota Prius sees its best mileage in low-speed city driving, where it can scoot along in all-electric mode. Its EPA rating predicted by Toyota is 51 mpg city/48 mpg highway/50 mpg combined.

Even so, we expect the Toyota Prius to have a major advantage, since by the numbers, it's the more fuel-efficient car. During our drive, we call a moratorium on wide-open throttle, sync up use of the automatic climate control and the "Eco" modes of these CVTs, and charge one editor with a steady hand to take on the task of refueling.

Final score? Insight: 51.2 mpg. Prius: 52.2 mpg.

Different Kinds of Bargains
So the 2010 Honda Insight LX is nearly as fuel-efficient as the 2010 Toyota Prius, at least in our unofficial real-world test. It also costs $5,100 less. And we like how it drives, so much so that it's the unanimous personal pick of everyone involved in this test.

Yet the 2010 Toyota Prius wins this comparison by 7.6 points, because it's the better of these two hybrids. It's quicker, it stops shorter and, with its smoother ride quality and quieter cabin, it's the one you want to be in when you're commuting. In the right hypermiling hands, it will probably return better fuel mileage, too. The Prius is also a bigger car with a backseat that fits real adults, plus a hatch that will let you load a Labrador.

A hard look at the true costs of hybrid car ownership will likely lead you to conclude that the 2010 Honda Insight is the more sensible choice, simply because you can buy a lot of gas with the money you save. (By our math, you'd have to put more than 580,000 miles on a 2010 Prius to make up the difference.) Although this argument might appeal to your inner economist, it doesn't get at the day-to-day reality of living with these hybrids.

Sure, the 2010 Honda Insight might be cheaper and a little more fun, but for 95 percent of your motoring existence, the more practical 2010 Toyota Prius awaits, ready to serve your every commuting need. It also happens to be the more iconic of these two cars, and regardless of what anyone tells you, image matters when you're living with a hybrid.

Source: edmunds Inside Line

Toyota Crown Hybrid, for those allergic to diesel

Early 2008, Toyota Japan announced with pride the13th generation of its high-end sedan, the Crown, but this time with a little touch of “Green” thanks to a newly design V6 Hybrid engine.

Unfortunately pretty unknown overseas, the Toyota Crown is however an iconic and well respected car in Japan. Decade before Toyota finally launched its Lexus brand in Japan, the Corwn was the only luxury vehicle available on their catalog.

Design:
With sharper lines and curves with as well as a nice “sport” touch, or latest Crown really mark a change in Toyota’s designing direction. More commonly owned by a 40+ years old category, Toyota tried however to mix elegance and fluidity, something that many of actual Japanese baby boomers are searching for in German cars and that was cruelly missing in Toyota core line-up. Closer to the actual Lexus Line-Up, the Crown, Hybrid or not, reflect Toyota’s will to change its style and we have to admit that these new crowns are way more elegant than before.

Interior:
Already extremely well equipped and comfortable, our New Crown is here again at the top, with high-quality plastics, leather there as well as the overall seat and dashboard design, there are almost not difference in terms of quality compared for example to a Lexus IS, and if you make the test you will see that many ones around you may not even see the difference between the High-End Toyota and your average Lexus.

While all Crowns are quite similar once seated behind, the steering wheel, the Hybrid version brings however a load of new functionality and tweaks only available on this version. The first impressive of these tweaks is without a doubt, out Car full LCD dashboard, with its many different animation rending the UI (User Interface) astonishing, you will surprise yourself to even wait each time you start or stop your Crown Hybrid in order to see its boot-up and shut-down animation.

The 2nd impressive improvement made on the Hybrid Crown is the spectacular Toyota Noise Cancelation system which thanks to different microphones and speakers placed all over the car will nullify almost any engine and driving noise, giving you a real stress less driving experience. And we have to admit that Toyota is on the right track on this matter, less noise means less stress and less fatigue giving you not only a comfortable driving experience but also an huge increase in passive security.

On the Road
Toyota is far from being a “newbie” here strong from its experience with the Prius and some other Lexus for example, Toyota gave to the Crown Hybrid its best attention and latest tweaks in order to give the best out this new Hybrid Sedan.

Now let’s face it, the Crown Hybrid is not a road demon and has not been even built for that, however thanks to its dual engine (Gasoline V6 and Electric) you will be surprised how responsive is our little sedan, after all the Crown hybrid proudly announce a total of 36HP which is far enough for such vehicle.

With 1840kg in total and fitted with ECO Tires, our Crown Hybrid does not really enjoy be fool around especially in mountains for example, and both its “fluffy” handling and its start of art Active and Passive security features, taken from other Lexus Sedans, will quickly spoil you fun, but once again, such attitude defeat the Crown Hybrid nature.

No the Crown Hybrid has been solely built to drive you and your family in perfect security, quietly, comfortably and on top of all, in a Car built to save both your wallet and the environment.

If you ever happen to drive an Hybrid car before you know what we are talking about and what kind of experience it will give you, for those who never had this chance, well let’s imagine for a minute your average V6 gasoline engine, with almost absolute silence and with the exact same range as you average Diesel car, but with the pleasure to drive a real engine, a gasoline one! Yeah ok you may already figured it out, but we cannot stand diesel vehicles…

Just imagine a moment being capable to drive over 800km without the needs to refill you tank, and not driving one of those disgraceful diesel engine cars, no sir, but driving for over 800km in a nice and soft V6 powered car, yes this is what we are talking about!

Granted we were doing our best to keep, what many call “a civilized way of driving” as well as checking the Electric motor energy gauge in order to optimize our mileage, but we did it, with a little bit less of 1 week, driving in almost any kind of road configuration from Highway to city, then country side road up to mountain road… we gave back our press car to Toyota with still 70km to go and made little over 800km with one and only one tank… Impressive !

Conclusion:
Between the Prius and the Lexus LS600h and LS600hL Toyota thanks to its Crown Hybrid filled the gap that we were all waiting for! And Actually the Crown Hybrid is the perfect balance between economy and comfort… With a great value when it comes to comfort power and mileage the Crown Hybrid could even wear the Lexus badge that it will not chock anyone. And it is latest and more dynamic design, the Crown is now no longer only made for the 50+ Japanese citizen but will seriously start to attract some 35 to 40 years old father wishing to carry its family in style and be kind for the environment.

Source: Nihon Car

Nissan 370Z CAR review

Nissan's Zed car is back and that new 370Z moniker indicates a bigger 3.7-litre V6 – up from the old car's 3.5 and lifted from the Infiniti G37. Yet thanks to the extensive use of aluminium throughout, the new 370Z weighs exactly the same as the current 350Z. Time to find out if this make the new Nissan 370Z as good as a Porsche Cayman. Read on for CAR's first drive.

So the Nissan 370Z has been working out? More power, same weight and subtly different looks...

Nice of you to notice. Check out those swollen rear arches and pinched waist. The current 350Z never looked quite right – the rear end was a mess and the flanks lacked definition – but the 370Z answers almost every aesthetic criticism while still retaining the distinctive look of the Zed we’ve loved since 2003.

It’s not just cosmetic stuff either. The wheelbase is 100mm shorter than before to improve agility and the doors, bootlid and bonnet are fashioned from aluminium to peg the kerbweight at 1480kg, exactly what the old car weighed. Nissan reckoned this was needed to offset a 100kg increase resulting from meeting more stringent crash standards.

But it’s the same car underneath?

It’s the same in spirit, but the components are different. The platform is new – albeit one adapted from the old car’s – and also underpins the latest Infiniti saloons, coupes and convertibles.

The Nissan and Infinitis share the V6 engine too, which displaces 3.7 litres, up from 3.5 litres, hence the extra 20 in the name. It kicks out 331bhp, up from 309bhp and 269lb ft of torque, delivering said steeds to the limited slip-equipped rear axle via a six-speed manual gearbox or new seven-speed automatic. Other markets have had auto versions before, but this is the first time Brits have been offered a two-pedal version.

Limited slip diff, 331bhp, rear-wheel drive: the thing's probably never in a straight line, is it?

That’s not true. The 350Z had this same reputation but it’s as undeserved now as it was then. In fact it’s predominantly an understeerer with strong traction and you have to be really trying to get the tail to step out. At least that’s what it’s like in the dry. We didn’t drive it in the wet – but we’d imagine the standard-fit electronic stability control system more than earns its keep.

I heard Nissan’s benchmark for this project was the Porsche Cayman. Is the 370Z that good?

Nissan did indeed target the Porsche Cayman, though what they were trying to match was the sense of excitement rather than its steering feel or lap times in particular. They feel very different to drive and, predictably, the Porsche is substantially the better of the two. It’s significantly lighter and feels it, and it also steers more satisfyingly.

But the 370Z is still seriously good fun, and much more complete than its 350Z predecessor. Body control is much improved, something you particularly notice over mid-corner bumps, the meaty, communicative steering feels sharper and the turn-in more immediate. The engine feels subtly more athletic too, as it should given Nissan claims the 0-60mph figure has dropped by 0.3sec to 5.4sec.

We didn’t have the opportunity to drive the auto but the hefty, precise feel of the manual gearchange is so good we can’t imagine choosing anything else. Particularly now that Nissan has added Rev Synchro Control. This simple but brilliant feature automatically blips the throttle when you make a downchange, perfectly imitating a heel-and-toe shift. If you’d prefer to do it yourself you can, but it works very well and will help drivers who can’t heel-and-toe feel like heroes, as well as improving their smoothness around town.

No room for the kids in the new 370Z, I suppose?

Sorry, this is a proper sports car. But it’s not totally impractical. The new shell is much stiffer so the engineers were able to relocate the brace bar that crucified the old car’s luggage space to a less obtrusive spot behind the rear seats. There’s still no load cover though, so valuables remain in full view.

But the cabin quality is much improved. The dash plastics are of noticeably better quality, the hooded instruments are more handsome and you no longer slide out of the leather seats when you tick the cow box because the seat centres come covered in grippy suede. There’s still no reach adjustment for the steering wheel, unfortunately.

Verdict

It’s not a radical overhaul of the 350Z, but then it didn’t need one. Instead it’s a sympathetic update that’s resulted in a car that’s better to look at, better built and subtly better to drive. Only the more expensive but beautifully tactile Porsche Cayman could persuade us to spend our £30k coupe pot elsewhere.

Source: Car magazine UK

Impressions from iMiEV, Mitsubishi's electric car

On sale in Japan next year, in Europe the year after that and in the United States, well, eventually.

The iMiEV was one of several EVs at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where Chrysler showed off its three electric prototypes, BMW promised to put the battery-powered Mini-E in 500 driveways within months and Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn became the latest industry exec to say the future belongs to cars with cords. The show, which continues this week, offered the strongest evidence yet that EVs are slowly entering the mainstream and the iMiEV is among the vehicles getting them there.

Mitsubishi holds no illusions that the iMiEV is the end-all, be-all of eco-friendlier motoring. With its diminutive size, limited range and love-it-or-hate-it looks, the iMiEV isn't for everyone. "We know it's a niche vehicle," company spokesman Maurice Durand told us. "It's an urban EV. But it can be a viable alternative for many of the world's drivers."

Durand put us behind the wheel of an iMiEV and turned us loose on the streets of Los Angeles, where we found the Lilliputian ride is just what you want in city car.

We only got 30 minutes in the driver's seat, but it was enough time to impress us. The iMiEV is quick, nimble and roomy enough for four adults. The asynchronous motor produces instantaneous torque and puts out 47 kW (about 64 horsepower), which is more than enough to push the 2,300-pound car beyond the speed limit. You aren't going to blow the doors off anything faster than, say, a Chevrolet Aveo, but you'll have no trouble keeping up with traffic.

The car has three "speeds," which might more accurately be called "modes." Drive provides full power. "Eco" tempers that by 10 percent. And "B" maximizes the regenerative braking to recover as much kinetic energy as possible and maximize battery life. Speaking of, the 16-kWh lithium-ion battery has a range of about 70 miles. We just heard some of you groan, but it's worth noting most daily commutes are less than 40 miles. Plug the car into a 110-volt household outlet and it'll recharge in 12 hours. Plug it into a 220-volt and you're good to go in half that.

Mitsubishi won't say when the iMiEV is headed to the United States, but it's handing four of them over to California utilities Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric for real-world testing. The iMiEVs headed to SoCal Ed's Electric Vehicle Technical Center will arrive this week, joining 300 other EVs in what is the largest electric fleet in America.

"We look at how these technologies interact with the grid — what are the load impacts, how do we manage the load and how do we manage the grid more efficiently," Edward Kjaer, SoCal Ed's director of electric transportation, told Wired.com. "We'll do dynamic vehicle testing on the road and we'll do battery testing. We'll assess how well the vehicle connects to the system, the efficiency of the charging and how best to manage charging."

The iMiEV will need some work before it can hit the road here in the United States. For one thing, it'll need more bracing to pass federal side-impact tests, and boosting the range will make the car more palatable to road-trip-lovin' Americans.

What's it gonna cost? A lot. The battery is the main hurdle, and Durand says the target for the Japanese market is "under $30,000." Ardent EV lovers and early adopters may not have a problem forking over that much, but that price won't play in Peoria even with the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs.

So what's with the name? The little EV is an electric version of the "i," Mitsubishi's gas-powered Kei car. MiEV is an acronym for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle.

Source: Autopia