In The AutoblogGreen Garage

Leaping Past Others In The Premium Hybrid Chase It is now clear that gas-electric hybrids, while constantly being refined, are simply never going to gobble up huge slices of any major car market. They are needed, sure, but consumers are already wanting to see what's next, what's even more ...

Smarter "Not so 'Smart' after all?" The older gentleman in the grocery store parking lot asked as I wheeled my loaded cart to the back of the 2012 Scion iQ. On the contrary, sir. After he finished chuckling and drove away, I successfully loaded $150 worth of groceries into the iQ's cargo area, ...

Mild-Hybrid Malibu Proves Only Mildly Interesting

Life In The Commuter Lane Form follows function, so it's easy to find one element of a vehicle that explains everything you need to know about it. Look at the widened haunches of a 911 and you know there's serious hardware in the Porsche's rump. Check the elongated bed of an F-150 and its ...

Lexus' Best Compromise Yet Ever since the Prius unexpectedly became the Xerox of hybrids and a greenie icon, Toyota has been trying to figure out how to apply the technology to its other models. Its results have been decidedly mixed, nowhere more so than with its luxury lineup. But with the 2013 ...

EcoBoost Finds Right Mix Of Power, Efficiency The sport utility vehicle became an endangered species not long after fuel prices began to skyrocket. But while vehicle buyers changed their shopping habits, they didn't actually stray that far from the SUV formula. Many of today's hottest-selling ...

Is 42 MPG The Ultimate Answer To The Ultimate Question? On paper, it sounds like an enthusiast's dream. Start by trimming almost 100 pounds from the curb weight of the base Chevrolet Cruze. Then drop the optional turbocharged engine underhood, bolted to a six-speed manual transmission. Lower the ...

A Feature-Packed Family Hauler That Sips Every time we read Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, we find something new. Adams was able to spin phrases that hit on multiple levels, and his work requires repeated attention to be enjoyed in full. We wouldn't be surprised if the ...

Bankruptcy Brings This EV's Range To Zero We're all passionate about saving the world, but the amount of enthusiasm we each have is different for everybody. What's your passion level? Let's turn the question into a sliding scale; on one end sits, say, BP, while on the other end, we find Ed ...

Green Speed I had been anticipating the pre-dawn run to the airport for a few days. Having spent the week with a Porsche Panamera Turbo, complete with the torque-boosting Sport Chrono pack (yes, that one), the blast to SFO was a fitting sendoff. It was also perfectly timed. I was boarding a ...

Armchair quarterbacks have been quick to charge Toyota with losing its engineering nerve, labeling it a brand content to churn out safe, middle-of-the-road milquetoast ...

Achieving Super MPGs In The Automotive Missing Link

There's something to be said for being at the right place at the right time. Had our primordial ancestors evolved legs and lungs while the entire globe was still awash in warm sea ...

A Porsche Cayenne Hybrid For The People

Fuel economy is a funny thing. In Europe, better efficiency has always boiled down to two simple concepts: diesel fuel and turbos. But like the 35-year-old who won't drink ...

Lexus Tries To Build A Better European Luxury Hatchback

"Stealing" seems a touch harsh, so let's go with "uninformed borrowing" instead. After all, Lexus did hand me the keys to a U.S.-spec CT 200h hybrid, along with a vetted and ...

A Bubbly EV For The Road Ahead

There's an interesting realization that occurs when you drive an electric car. After all, EVs act just like normal vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine, they're just a bit ...

Shows other luxury hybrids how it's done

On the whole, luxury manufacturers just can't seem to figure out what to do with hybrid drivetrains. Sure, there's some vague notion of improved fuel economy, but for every ...

Take off your rose-colored glasses, CRX fans

Okay, so the 2011 Honda CR-Z isn't exactly the modern-day CRX redux that we were all hoping for. Mildly upsetting, yes, but perhaps this disappointment tarnished our initial impression of ...

Drop the term "Big Benz" in conversation and most people assume you're talking about the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. While the full-size flagship sedan has – deservedly – earned that moniker over the years, ...

The love affair with batteries begins as a child. By the time your fifth Christmas rolls around, the moment you unwrap an electronic gadget your mind is already processing the thought, "Santa better have brought batteries..." Not only does ...

With a slew of sensors and CPUs, the 2010 Lexus RX450h can pretty much drive itself. Want to go somewhere? Sit down in the driver's seat, use the Remote Touch device (a.k.a. "mouse") to tell the crossover where you want to go, and ...