UPDATE: Make That $41,000 For A Single Volt

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But that includes delivery charges.

(Cue crickets)

Chevy says it can make the argument that unlike the purely electric Nissan Leaf, which starts below $33,000 before tax credits, the plug-in hybrid Volt is a "real" car. And GM's working some math magic to make lease payments competitive with the Leaf despite the sticker spread.

Full details from The Detroit News.

And full credit to Edward Neidemeyer over at The Truth About Cars , who got past the price tag, hauled out the spec sheet and found the Volt's range extender (what you and I might quaintly call a "gasoline engine") requires.....

Premium fuel.

Post Title → UPDATE: Make That $41,000 For A Single Volt

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Toyota Highlander 4 Cylinder and Hybrid Review

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A four-cylinder Highlander would have been considered a great leap backwards just a couple of years ago. Now it looks like an inspired move.

187 horsepower turns out to be adequate to move this mid-size SUV, and the resulting gas mileage (20 city/27 highway) is nearly identical to the much smaller 6-cylinder RAV4, which gets 21 city/27 highway.

Not only that, but the 4-cylinder Highlander I drove for a week was optioned sensibly (upgraded audio system, cold weather package, convenience package, manual rear air conditioning, the third row seat package, the towing prep package, cargo and floor mats and a tow hitch with wiring harness added less than $4,000 to the $25,705 base price)...resulting in a bottom line 2 grand lower than the V6 RAV 4.

More SUV...less money...essentially the same gas mileage. In this economy, that sounds like a strong package.

UPDATE: The polar opposite of the brilliance of the 4-cylinder Toyota Highlander is the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Seven miles more per gallon in the city, true...but two fewer on the highway (27 city/25 highway)...with a base price $16,000 higher. That's right...the starting price is $41,020. And Toyota loaded our tester with enough options to hit $49,086 (an Extra Value Package discount brought the final number down to $48,386).

That's 20 grand more for the same vehicle with a different powerplant, a higher trim level and more options. As with so many hybrids, the Highlander is fine to drive, makes you feel good about your relationship to the environment and all that....but can't win the value argument.

Post Title → Toyota Highlander 4 Cylinder and Hybrid Review

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Ford Fusion Hybrid Wins Break-Even Contest

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Here's the deal with hybrids. You pay a few thousand dollars more than you would for the gasoline-only equivalent of that car and you get a few miles per gallon more. How long before those gas savings pay for the extra cost of the hybrid version?

That depends on the car. The Ford Fusion Hybrid is the best bet, according to The San Francisco Chronicle...with the next best taking more than twice as long to put you in the black. But that's the nearly identical 

(and not significantly higher priced) Mercury Milan Hybrid. 

Huh?  Full story here.

Post Title → Ford Fusion Hybrid Wins Break-Even Contest

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VIDEO: Runaway Prius In Arizona: Driver Says He Was Standing On Brake, Toyota Says "Driver Error"

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Chuck Schmeiser says he was a doubter when it came to unintended acceleration until two months ago, when he says he almost killed a parking attendant as his car lurched forward and he couldn't stop it.

He had it towed to a dealer, Toyota flew in an inspector who said it was driver error, and Chuck sold the car and bought a Honda (a new Insight, also a hybrid).


This story's only now coming out because the incident happened on private property, law enforcement wasn't involved and Schmeiser approached Phoenix NBC affiliate KPNX's consumer reporters. That's when the story made the wires and went national.

Full disclosure: My day job is with ABC affiliate KNXV (ABC15), which aired the video by reporter Eric English at the top of this story.

Worth reading: What's behind most fully-investigated cases of unintended acceleration.

Post Title → VIDEO: Runaway Prius In Arizona: Driver Says He Was Standing On Brake, Toyota Says "Driver Error"

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Mercedes-Benz S-Class To Go All-Hybrid?

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Mercedes-Benz, whose parent company is already considering a technology and stock deal with Renault-Nissan to meet European emissions standards, is also under the gun on upcoming fuel economy requirements.

One idea is to make all flagship S-Class models, including the high-performance AMG models, hybrid-only, beginning with the next generation which hits Europe in 2013 and the U.S. in 2014.

But Automotive News says Mercedes-Benz dealers in the U.S. aren't happy with that idea at all.

Post Title → Mercedes-Benz S-Class To Go All-Hybrid?

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Lincoln Hybrid MKZ Unveil At NYC Auto Show

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Lexus is rolling out the hybrids, so why not Lincoln? Expect an announcement this week at the New York Auto Show that there will be a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.

Not that big a stretch, really...given that the MKZ is a derivative of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, both of which have hybrid models. We loved the Milan Hybrid...but will the MKZ be different enough to justify the Lincoln price tag?

The Detroit News talked to at least one analyst who isn't so sure. Story here.

Post Title → Lincoln Hybrid MKZ Unveil At NYC Auto Show

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Mazda To License Prius Hybrid Technology From Toyota

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You'll see Mazda hybrids on the street in 2013, but there'll be Toyota technology helping to power the new Mazda Sky engine.

Full story from The Detroit News here.

Post Title → Mazda To License Prius Hybrid Technology From Toyota

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Unanimous: Harrison, NY PD Agrees: Driver Error, Not Unintended Acceleration

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The one on the right is the gas pedal. The one on the left is the brake pedal. The chief of the Harrison, New York Police Department says, yep...the 55 year old woman who crashed her Toyota Prius hybrid into a stone wall two weeks ago...the one he said couldn't have been driver error at the time.....was, well, driver error, the most common cause of fully investigated unintended acceleration incidents.

Captain Anthony Marracccini says his department's investigation confirms what Toyota and the NHTSA's found...that the throttle was wide-open at the time of impact...with no sign of any application of the brake.

AP story via The Detroit News here. Conversations among Prius drivers on the PriusChat forums.

Post Title → Unanimous: Harrison, NY PD Agrees: Driver Error, Not Unintended Acceleration

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Harrison, NY Police To Announce "Runaway Prius" Findings This Afternoon

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Yes, we know...in fact, we told you on Friday...the NHTSA says the 55-year old woman whose Prius crashed into a wall in the NYC suburb had her foot on the gas, not the brake.

But instead of saying..."yeah...what the feds say....", the Harrison PD plans to announce their own findings this afternoon. It should be interesting, given that the police chief started by ruling out driver error at the scene two weeks ago, then amended his position to a definite maybe last week, before the NHTSA announced the results of its investigation.

The PriusChat forums are talking about it here.

Post Title → Harrison, NY Police To Announce "Runaway Prius" Findings This Afternoon

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Lexus CT200h Premium Compact Hybrid A Go

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Last month, the Geneva Auto Show, next year, your dealer's showroom.

The Detroit News is reporting that Lexus will launch the CT200h hybrid early next year.

It will be Lexus' second compact hybrid. Read our take on the HS250h here, and Prius owners are talking about the video above and the car in it on the PriusChat forums, and there's a second thread about it as well.

Post Title → Lexus CT200h Premium Compact Hybrid A Go

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Lexus LS600h Hybrid Review

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The truth, although a lot of people don't know it, is that hybrids aren't really about saving money. Yes, gas mileage is usually better than a conventionally-powered version of the same vehicle, but on gas price alone, you'd have to drive that hybrid for about nine years in most cases to make up the price difference in gas savings.

No, hybrids are about saving the environment and making statements.

The Lexus LS600h Hybrid certainly aces that last part.

                     

Making statements is about getting noticed....and the big Lexus does that for you. The re-design of a couple of seasons ago turned the LS from the anonymous luxury car into a head-turner. It's not the shape...there's still a lot of "large Toyota Camry" in there...rather, it's in details that just scream "money". And the LS600h turns them up several notches.

Really, it has to. You see, you can buy the "base" LS,  the LS460, for $65,380.

The LS600h starts at $108,800.

Nope. Not a typo. $108,800...$42,620 more than the LS460.

Find the right dealer on a good day and you might be able to take two LS460s home for the price of one LS600h.

Now, you get the long-wheelbase, which would cost you five grand extra on a gas-powered LS....and the hybrid engine here packs 438 horsepower, compared to a mere 380 in the LS460.

That means 0-60 in 5.5 seconds....but wait! The lighter LS460 gets there in 5.4.

And here's the kicker: Buy the gas-powered model...and you'll get better gas mileage. At least on the highway. An LS460 is EPA rated at 16 city/24 highway. The LS600h is 20 city/22 highway. 

With that small a mileage difference and that big a cost difference, you won't live long enough to recover the extra money spent on gas savings.

                     

So why buy one? Because it's the ultimate Lexus LS. If that's what you're after....this is where you get it all, the finest materials, most-cutting edge options, extra engine power  (quiet about that 1/10th of a second slower to 60 part, okay?) and green status to boot (as long as no one thinks about it too carefully).

And that means you'll probably pop for the few available options as well. What's an extra $5280 for the rear power seat package and $2850 for the Lexus Pre-Collison System and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control?

Put that together with $875 for a delivery fee and you have, equipped like our tester, a grand total of:

$117,805. 

Plus tax and license, of course.

Greenpeace members with a Platinum card, your ride is ready.

Post Title → Lexus LS600h Hybrid Review

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UPDATE: NY Prius Case Human Error

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NHTSA says the Toyota Prius driven into a wall by a 55 year old woman in Harrison, New York last week did not experience sudden acceleration. Investigators say their technical analysis of the vehicle show the throttle was open and no brakes were being applied.

That's what's called human error...and as we reported last week, that's the most common finding once investigators dig into allegations of unintended acceleration.

So it's two down as Toyota battles back against sensational stories of Priuses that allegedly defied driver attempts to stop.

Full story from The Detroit News here and discussion on the Prius Chat forums here.

Post Title → UPDATE: NY Prius Case Human Error

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VIDEO: NBC Nightly News Monday (3/15) on Jim "Runaway Prius" Sikes

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After a week of media hyperventilation, it's nice to see solid reporting that prioritizes the salient facts.

NBC Nightly News' coverage of Monday's Toyota news conference played up the most telling fact...that instead of braking as hard as he could, the evidence suggests Jim Sikes may have been riding the brakes on his Prius...off and on the gas and brakes as much as 250 times during his alleged unintended acceleration incident a week ago.

And, they actually interviewed someone who knows something about cars and drivers...former Car and Driver editor-in-chief Csaba Csere.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

ABC has grasped the significance of the 250 applications of the brake pedal, too...CBS makes no mention of it.

Post Title → VIDEO: NBC Nightly News Monday (3/15) on Jim "Runaway Prius" Sikes

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WATCH: Jim "Runaway Prius" Sikes' Least Favorite Video: Toyota Preliminary Findings On His Car

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"It would seem that the account of the driver is inconsistent with the technical investigation."

That's Toyota's single-sentence sum-up of the teardown of Jim Sikes' car. Want to see them say it...and what happens to a speeding Prius when you do one of the several things that will stop it?

Just click play.




And don't think Toyota's going to go quietly. They dropped the nugget that the evidence suggests Sikes was on and off the brakes and gas 250 times during his wild ride...in contrast to his statement to police that he was standing on the brake.

And the news release has this solid punch of a sentence:

These findings suggest that there should be further examination of Mr. Sikes account of the events of March 8.

Read the complete news release from today's news conference here. 

Related link: The Prius chat board discusses the findings.

Post Title → WATCH: Jim "Runaway Prius" Sikes' Least Favorite Video: Toyota Preliminary Findings On His Car

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Jim "Runaway Prius" Sikes: The Mainstream Media Finds Neutral, Hunting For Reverse

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The wide-eyed breathless mainstream media acceptance of Jim Sikes' claim that his Toyota Prius accelerated unintentionally on a San Diego County freeway a week ago is evaporating...and all it took was a look at the facts (something we've been doing for.....oh, a week), and the release of a memo detailing the inspection of Sikes' Prius, which, in a nutshell says what he says happened...couldn't have.

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) broke the story first on Saturday...quoting "three people familiar with the investigation" who say investigators found a particular pattern of wear on the brakes inconsistent with Sikes' story.

CBS followed up Sunday, reporting on a memo that says investigators "can't replicate the problems Sikes said he encountered."  ABC News said essentially the same thing.

But if you want the full story, it's new media all the way. Jalopnik not only is reporting about the memo, it's published the entire thing....and its headline doesn't pull any punches either.

Post Title → Jim "Runaway Prius" Sikes: The Mainstream Media Finds Neutral, Hunting For Reverse

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Lexus RX 450h Review

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This is the year that Toyota makes it clear...you don't have to drive a Prius to be green.

Lexus has been building hybrids for a while...but the big advertising and PR push is now...and with the 2010 RX 350 crossover all-new, there's a fair amount of the spotlight falling on the hybrid version, the RX 450h.

Basically, it's a 350, but with a hybrid powerplant that boosts mileage considerably...to 32 city/28 highway...an improvement of 14 and 6 respectively.

Of course, hybrid tech costs money, so the 450h starts just a shade less than $5,000 above the gasoline-powered 350...at $41,660.

Lexus, of course, wanted to show off the new 450h in the best possible light, so the tester they sent out was...well...loaded. Like ten grand worth of options loaded.

19 inch aluminum alloy wheels ($660), heated and ventilated front seats ($640), LED headlamps with AFS (adaptive front lighting system), intelligent high beams and headlamp washer ($1,875), a Mark Levinson surround sound DVD audio system with 15 speakers ($1,610), a navigation system with XM NavTraffic and NavWeather ($2,440) and the Premium Package.

Now, with the standard equipment in a Lexus and the options above, I would have figured the whole car was a premium package, but no...this adds a touch open/close moonroof, auto-dimming power heated outside mirrors, a power rear door, an mp3 mini plug and USB audio plug and driver's seat, steering and mirror memory.

That's $2,400. Add in the $875 for delivery charges and this particular RX 450h bottom-lines at $52,160. A bargain? No. But a very nice machine...and probably well within the comfort level of the target buyers.

Post Title → Lexus RX 450h Review

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Lexus HS 250h Review

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Answers are great. Answers to questions no one is asking aren't.

So I have to know: Did anyone really look at a Toyota Prius and say "I wish Lexus made one of these"?

Because, folks...that's what we've got here. Swap the hatchback from the Prius for a proper trunk in the HS 250h, give the Lexus a more powerful (and less economical) hybrid powerplant, and slather the whole thing in wood, leather and tech.

Presto! The $22,000 base Prius becomes a $36,970 base Lexus HS 250h.

Yes...that's a $15,000 price increase...and no, you don't stand a chance in the world of finding one without options.

In much the same way that it's easier to find a $30,000 Prius on a dealer lot, there are still things to add to your HS 250h that can run the tab to dizzying heights.

The press vehicle added a wide view front monitor and backup monitor. The front works at low speeds and presumably helps keep you from crunching into your garage wall. $700.

LED headlamps with intelligent high beams, adaptive front lighting and headlamp washers. $1,805.

A Mark Levinson audio system with 15 speakers and a 6-disc in-dash DVD changer. This replaces the standard Lexus Premium audio system. $1,580.

A navigation system including XM NavTraffic, XM NavWeather and XM Sports and Stocks, which constantly updates you on your favorite teams and investments...if you pay for a subscription after the 90-day free trial. $2,125.

The tech package. Lane keep assist, dynamic radar cruise control, heads up display, park assist with front and rear sensors (that's in addition to the front and rear cameras), and a pre-collsion system with driver attention monitor. $3,900.

Premium floor mats (I wonder if for extra money, you could upgrade to Mark Levinson floor mats). $265.

Remote engine starter. $375.

And finally, the Preferred Accessory Package (possibly "preferred" because it's the least expensive thing so far)...consisting of a cargo net, trunk mat, wheel locks and rear bumper applique'. $281.

Oh, and $875 for delivery, processing and handling.

You've lost count, haven't you?

That's okay. I've got the window sticker right here.

$48,876.

I said, $48,876.

One thousand, one hundred and 24 dollars shy of 50 grand for a pimped-out Prius.

Oh, yeah...and that lower mileage I mentioned at the beginning...35 city/34 highway. Good enough to make TireKicker's Top Ten Fuel Savers, but way below the Prius' 51/48.

The Green Hollywood types who've been driving Priuses to make a statement (that they hope offsets the Bentleys and Lambos also in their garages) will absolutely love this car. I don't know who else they could possibly sell it to. This is how they're trying:

Post Title → Lexus HS 250h Review

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Volkswagen's 45 MPG Compact Coupe

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Volkswagen's jumping into the hybrid game, unveiling its Compact Coupe at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

VW claims 45 miles per gallon combined mileage with 0-60 in 8.1 seconds.

Sale date? Anyone's guess. Volkswagen says it's coming to market in the first half of the year with a hybrid SUV and that the Compact Coupe will happen "when the time is right."

Post Title → Volkswagen's 45 MPG Compact Coupe

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Toyota Prius Review

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Cult cars can be a lot of fun. For one thing, they're instant conversation starters.

And no matter what you say, the 2010 Toyota Prius is a cult car. A big cult, to be sure, but a cult nonetheless...with the faithful believing everyone should drive them and an equally passionate resistance trying to set the English-language record for the number of times the word "smug" can be used in a single sentence.

But back to the conversation starter thing...having just handed the Prius back to Toyota yesterday following a week at the wheel...there are a handful of core questions everyone asks:

How many miles per gallon does it get?

How much money does it cost?

Is it nicer than the last one?

The answers:

51 in the city, 48 on the highway (according to the EPA).

$25,800 base...$30,709 the way the tester came (with moonroof, solar powered air conditioning, voice activated navigation, upgraded audio system, Bluetooth, backup camera, floor mats and security system).

Yes. In fact, here...have a look inside:



Much more upscale than last time around...in fact, Toyota's channeling its Lexus side here.

Oh, yeah...the other big question is "How does it drive?"

Heck with that...I wanna know why it stops.

As in without warning.

20 years ago, Audi suffered through a non-phenomenon called "unintended acceleration"...where owners claimed their sedans were roaring off at full speed while they stood on the brakes (evidence later showed they were, every last one of them, standing on the accelerator).

Well, let's call this "unintended de-celeration". You're driving along when suddenly, the Prius is coasting...the gas pedal does nothing...and you eventually crawl to a stop.

I'll solve the mystery. You probably just made an adjustment to the climate control system (while keeping your eyes on the road like a good driver should) and accidentally pressed the "Park" button.



That's right...for the uninitiated, Priuses (Priii?) don't put Park on the gear shift...it's a separate button...marked with a big "P", above and to the left of the gear shift...and for 2010, it's directly below the climate controls.

From online research, it appears a handful of last-gen Prius owners found this flaw the hard way (at first, you think the car has simply died on you) back around 2005...and Toyota whipped up a software solution so that pressing the Park button in motion above 7 miles per hour would have no effect.

I don't know whether it got overlooked in the new Prius, or if the tester malfunctioned, or what...but after figuring out why it happened by accident, I was able to make it happen multiple times...at 25 miles per hour.

Hey, look...they fixed it once and if it needs fixing again, Toyota will do it. But it does point up the issues raised by gimmicks and complexity. Does the Prius really need a giant function key instead of a legitimate parking gear on the shift lever? The answer, in my view, is no...which is why hybrids that resist the urge to re-invent everything and focus purely on the economy and emissions appeal to me more.

Post Title → Toyota Prius Review

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Mercury Milan Hybrid Review

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I've said it before...the real game in hybrids isn't in small cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight that are born economy machines...it's in the conversion of larger, more thirsty vehicles and getting great mileage from them.

So far, the best examples have been the Nissan Altima Hybrid , Ford Escape Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Here's a surprise (at least it was to me): The Mercury Milan Hybrid blows those three away.

The EPA mileage estimate (41 city/36 highway) is enough to pole-vault over that trio (as well as the Insight) for second place on the TireKicker Top Ten Fuel Savers (clickable list in the right column of this page, just below the TireKicker Top 20 Cars (So Far).

But EPA estimates...you know...even the new, improved ones...you can't really trust 'em....they're estimates...not Gospel.

For the Milan Hybrid, they're low.

Nothing on that sheet says that I should have been able to do a 40 mile roundtrip in town (one-third freeway, two-thirds surface streets) and get 45 miles per gallon. But I did. Or the Milan Hybrid did, anyway. And I wasn't playing the game...just trying to get a library book across town before the branch closed and I owed a fine. Which means if anything, I was driving a little less than eco-conciously.

Didn't seem to matter.

How do I know how I did on one trip? Well, that's the other cool thing (besides sheer mileage) aoout the Milan Hybrid...its new LCD instrument cluster looks more like something from a high-end laptop than a Dearborn dashboard...and it serves up interesting and useful information...including your mileage from the moment you turn the car on until you shut it down. Trip after trip. Want to know more? Watch this Ford-produced video:



I put 300 miles on the Milan Hybrid in a week's worth of driving. I handed it back to Ford with half a tank of gas and a distance to empty reading of another 300.

$27,500 gets you into a Milan Hybrid. My tester had a package including Moonroof, a 12-speaker Sony audio system, a driver's vision package, the "Moon & Tune" package (moonroof and audio), blind spot detection, a rear-view video camera and rear spoiler. Package price: $3,735, minus a $660 Rapid Spec discount. This one also had a nav system ($1,775).

Leather seating? Standard.

Anyway, with $725 destination and delivery charges, this bottom-lined at $33,075. Ditch the moonroof and nav system and you're under $30K. Buy the Ford Fusion Hybrid (essentially the same car) and the base price is $230 less.

Comparably equipped, the Camry and Altima Hybrids still cost a bit less...but the story of hybrids thus far has largely been about people paying a premium for the highest gas mileage. If you're looking for an excuse to go green and buy American, it's just arrived.

Post Title → Mercury Milan Hybrid Review

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