By Derek Mau

Pros

• Excellent for around town driving and taking care of all the necessary family functions
• The benefits of a hybrid without sacrificing luxury amenities
• Conservative styling upgrade easily blends in with the thousands of other Lexus RX’s on the road today
• More technology gadgets but with less driver distraction

Cons

• Batteries and electric motors add up to a serious weight penalty with regards to braking and cornering
• Electronic steering control is good for mothers on their way to PTA meetings, but not so good for relaying feedback from the road
• Horrific blind spot
• No towing capacity

The new generation Lexus RX blends the geekiness of high technology with the green consciousness of driving a hybrid car. Launched in the summer of 2009 as a successor to the RX 400h, Lexus’ new RX 450h builds on the success of the company’s first luxury hybrid SUV. Visually similar to the RX 350, the 450h has a few of its own unique styling features, including an exclusive grille, hybrid badging with blue-trimmed Lexus logos, unique front bumper, special 19-inch wheels, blue-tinted headlamps and taillamps, and optional LED headlamps.

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You can call this a good news/bad news sort of thing. The bad news is that Chrysler’s two-mode hybrid joint development program has been disbanded, and the good news is that the hybrid Ram pickup is coming in 2010.

The joint development program, which was a very big deal for a while, was created several years ago between Chrysler, General Motors, Daimler, and BMW to work out a two-mode hybrid system for light duty vehicles, is now effectively over. The four automakers involved have either launched or are about to introduce versions of the two-mode hybrid system, so the program is being wound down and the engineering office will be closed by the end of this year.

But the Ram pickup hybrid should be in dealerships by 2010.

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By Greg Gaillard

Hybrids Come of Age

Just 10 years ago Honda released the Insight as the first US mass market hybrid combustion/electric car.  Its two seat aerodynamic teardrop shape, light weight and focused engineering delivered spectacular fuel economy that generated quite a bit of media attention.  In the real world however, the Insight represented significant compromises in terms of utility, performance and perceived safety.  Launched at the height of the SUV boom alongside inexpensive gasoline, sales weren’t significant and to many people the Insight was another Honda engineering experiment; a car that Honda’s Asimo robot might drive, but not something American families would put in their garage.

What a difference a decade makes.  Last week the EPA released its annual Fuel Economy Guide for 2010 and hybrids swept the podium with 9 out of the top 10 MPG scores.  At least in terms of EPA ratings, hybrids are the drivetrain technology of the moment.  Perhaps more important than MPG is how the technology has evolved into a variety of solutions that can be used across a range of body styles without many of the original Insight’s compromises.

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Honda fans can finally rejoice at the official unveiling happening at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, sort of, of the CR-Z coupe. Honda, ever the conservative Japanese car company says that the 2009 CR-Z coupe you see here “remains a concept”, but the car seems production ready to anybody with eyes. Especially since the CR-Z will go on sale in Japan this coming February of 2010 (that’s four months away) and then arrive in North America in the fall. If there’s going to be any major changes, it will be very surprising to see Honda pull it off.

The rather attractive grill from the original 2007 concept has been largely carried over, and still seems like a Honda toned-down interpretation of a Maserati nose to me. The most noticeable changes to the CR-Z being, to some extent, the taller roof and a less raked windshield with A-pillars now blacked out. The higher roof (and the more upright front glass that would have to follow) seems to be compromises allowing people over 4 foot 10 to fit inside.

View gallery after the jump
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Mitsubishi, a niche car company long popular with the import tuner crowd, is rumored to be finally jumping into the hybrid game. And, supposedly, they will be doing what Toyota and Honda have not been able to do. Namely, build and sell a plug-in hybrid from the get go.

The more the merrier, I say. Of course, it would be even better if some car manufacturer were to make a performance hybrid of some sort. And Mitsubishi, starting with a clean sheet and given their performance background, could be a good company to do it.

Mitsu is will be rolling out a plug-in hybrid concept Outlander-based SUV at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show. In addition to the hybrid Outlander, there are persistent rumors that Mitsubishi could be planning to use the green tech from the upcoming hybrid SUV in the next-generation of its top performance car.

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A bit of power with your social consciousness? Infiniti says it can deliver both with its M35 hybrid to go into production on its 2012 model due for arrival in spring 2011. Based on Infiniti’s luxury performance sedan “M” series, the hybrid has a proprietary system by which the 3.5-liter V6 and electric motors are connected to the engine’s output shaft, and the implication is that the flow of power to the transmission would make Danny and Kenickie from Grease happy. Okay, maybe it would make the 40-year-old versions of them (replete with a PTA wife and ungrateful kids) happy, but still, Infiniti is obviously trying to make the M35 less like its hybrid counterparts that tend to lurch when they transition between gas and electric modes as well as quietly creep up on you all spooky-like.

The other Nissan-specific technology of note is this new “laminated” lithium-ion battery pack. No bigger than a standard battery, it lasts longer and the lamination bolsters the battery’s cooling abilities, making it more reliable, which would probably bring comfort to Danny’s bakesale-committee wife. But what about the greenies? Where are they on the “buy an old car to avoid using resources to make new products” vs “we need to transition at some point” argument?

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The 2010 Nissan Altima hybrid, which goes on sale this coming Monday, will have an MSRP of $26,780. This is the fourth generation Altima, and apart from the hybrid drivetrain, it is only slightly tweaked from last year’s model. Speaking of drivetrains, the 2010 Altima will use a 2.5 liter four-cylinder with and electronically-controlled CVT tranny that cranks out 198 hp. Nissan says the new Altima hybrid will get an estimated EPA rating of 35 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.

Curiously, these figures aren’t all that much different form the 2009 model. Although the 09 also had a 2.5 liter inline four engine, it only put out 158 HP, and the fuel economy numbers of 35/33 city/hwy mpg were identical.

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What you see here is the Toyota Estima Hybrid minivan. It has a great combination of features, and it’s probably about as practical and environmentally friendly a ride as Toyota can make (which is saying a lot right there). There’s just one problem. Toyota isn’t selling it in America. The Toyota Estima Hybrid Minivan has just gone on sale in Malaysia. I read about it on Paul Tan’s great blog about being a car guy in Malaysia (do you see how far and wide I search to get you people this info?), and I got to say I’m bewildered that Toyota hasn’t brought it here yet.

Sure, I can imagine one reason why not: A lot of Americans are stupid enough to actually believe that they actually need an SUV to drive kids to band practice and get groceries. But if Toyota was smart, they could market around that sad misconception.

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Orange oil-infused tires are the new green for saving the environment

Yokohama has introduced a new tire model that replaces 80% of the petroleum based products that used to make up a tire’s composition with non-petroleum based products. The new dB Super E-spec passenger tire uses Yokohama’s Super Nano-Power Rubber compound and Advanced Inner Liner to create a tire that is 80% petroleum free, performs better than conventional tires made of vulcanized rubber, and has ultra-low rolling resistance.

The new Yokohama orange oil-infused tire is their first product designed specifically for hybrid automobiles. Introduced in Japan in 2007, the dB super E-spec reconciles the conflict between low rolling resistance - key to delivering improved fuel economy - and superior grip in both wet and dry conditions while offering the quiet, comfortable ride that compliments the silent driving characteristics of hybrids. This translates directly into improved fuel economy as rolling resistance can account for up to 20 per cent of the friction that a vehicle must overcome when moving.

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Reviews by community members are the foundation of CarReview.com. Share your experience with other car owners by writing reviews for your cars, aftermarket parts, and car audio components. You don’t have to be an expert - everyone’s opinion counts.

Featured Review: 2007 Toyota Prius

by Mark Lindsey

Price Paid: $25000.00 from Wilde Toyota-West Al
Review Date: September 15, 2007
Overall Rating: 5 of 5
Value Rating: 3 of 5
Used product for: Less than 1 month

Year / Model Reviewed:
2007 Prius

Summary:
May be the best vehicle I have ever owned. So far has surpassed my high expectations. If you are looking for a car that is embedded with the industry’s finest technology, engineering, AND the best fuel economy, then this car is for you.

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By Gary Chan

Pros

• Good gas mileage
• Steering is tight and responsive
• Low-price

Cons

• Rear visibility
• Acceleration - slow and steady wins the race
• Noise, Vibration, Harshness (NVH)

Honda has a tough job playing catch-up to Toyota, who already built two-generations of the Prius, in the hybrid market . Sure Honda had the original Insight, but “practicality” was not used to describe the original version and the Civic Hybrid was never really compared to the Prius. How does the new Insight stack up as a direct competitor to the Prius?

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Toyota’s dominance in the hybrid car game (which seems to be a game that they invented) continues unabated. Take the Lexus HS 250h. It’s hugely popular in Japan, so popular in fact that Toyota is going to triple production output for the car. But Toyota didn’t triple production just for the home market alone, no. It would seem that the Lexus HS 250h will soon be seen on the streets of America as well.

The good news for gearheads put off by the somewhat unconventional styling of the segment leading Prius is that the Lexus HS 250h looks like a more traditional car. It’s got an engine compartment up front and four doors and a trunk out back; the traditional three-box design, in other words. It seems to be a look that’s working well, because they’re Hoovering them up in Japan.

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Reviews by community members are the foundation of CarReview.com. Share your experience with other car owners by writing reviews for your cars, aftermarket parts, and car audio components. You don’t have to be an expert - everyone’s opinion counts.

Featured Review: 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid

by Louella M. Harty

Price Paid: $28000.00 from Schaumburg Honda
Review Date: July 4, 2009
Overall Rating: 4 of 5
Value Rating: 4 of 5
Used product for: Less than 1 month

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By Derek Mau and Melody C. Yang

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You’d think you wouldn’t really need to run the numbers to make sure, but it turns out that some people have, and, as expected, it’s less expensive to own and operate either a diesel of a hybrid car than a gasoline fueled ride. Who knows what their motivation was, maybe it was that bogus study that showed a Hummer has less environmental impact than a Prius, but the numbers, which do look very good, are laid out after the jump.

For the fourth year running, IntelliChoice.com has released its annual survey of eco-conscious rides and it shows what anyone who has bought a car for long term use has found out first hand: Gas cars are cheaper in initial costs, but over the years of ownership, diesels and hybrids take less from your pocket.

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