Test Drive: 2010 Toyota Prius

By Kevin Harrison

I believe in climate change. There really is no reason to not believe it in my opinion. Is it a cash grab by certain companies and corporations? Maybe. Businesses are certainly shifting towards a more environmental angle and are starting to make products that they claim will help save the environment. We usually need to pay more than we’re used to. But really, when are businesses not jumping onto the latest trend? They’re here to make money and if they’re making it at the expense of saving our earth, then I’m okay with that. And if climate change turns out to be a hoax, then at the very least it means that we saved money on energy, fuel etc and we end up with a less disgusting, cleaner earth. So, in my mind there’s really no downside to trying to save our environment.

How we go about doing it is fairly controversial. In the car world, there are many interesting solutions. You have diesel, which has been around since 1892 and thus proven to be the most reliable way to save gas. Then there’s relying on pure electricity – burning no gas and emitting no emissions is pretty sweet… assuming you don’t run out of electricity in the middle of nowhere. But really the same risk of running out of gas exists in the cars we drive today.

Then there are hybrids, likely the most popular way to save fuel and emissions right now. Toyota has the most hybrids out of any manufacturer. The most popular is likely the Prius. In fact, the Prius is so popular that you simply need to say its name and everyone not only knows it’s a Toyota, but knows that it is the car of choice for environmentalists, celebrities and people who order chai lattes at Starbucks – you know, the trendy ones.

There’s no doubt that the Prius is the most frugal car when it comes to gas consumption, but there really is more to cars and driving than how much gas it uses. Is it actually a good car?

Read the rest of this entry »

FAIL: Making the Toyota Sienna Cool

Now, here’s the thing. There are certain vehicles out there that really seem to resonate with the people. This inevitably translates into celebs buying said vehicles because it is the latest cool thing to do. The Lincoln Navigator, the Cadillac Escalade, the Mercedes-Benz any-model and even the Toyota Prius all come to mind. In fact, I’ve pointed out that the new Chevy Camaro will be the new hot car in Hollywood as Lebron James & Ludacris seem to be all over it. Young Jeezy even made a song called “Camaro”.

Rick Ross also has several songs dedicated to Maybach’s, and Luda even did a song about the Cadillac Deville. There’s no doubt that certain vehicles make an impact on certain celebrities rappers. One vehicle yet to have a rap song made about it is the Toyota Sienna minivan…until now.

I’m all for good hearted goofy rap spoofs, but this one really isn’t funny. It’s trying too hard to get laughs and we know when you try too hard to get laughs you end up with Carrot Top.

The thing is, it is possible to make a funny rap song about a traditionally ‘uncool’ car. The Casual Mafia was able to make an amusing song about the Toyota Prius. This video, however, tries to do the same thing but falls quite short, even though it appears to be much more high budget. Oh and the song is called “Swagger Wagon” which would work if the Sienna was a wagon. Since it isn’t, it remains an unfunny title on top of it all. At least they’re “rapping” about the Sienna SE, which is probably the best trim level you can get.

But, you be the judge. check out the video above for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Leah!

More BMW Diesel Goodness Cometh

Fact: BMW’s diesel’s are tremendous.

Fiction: North Americans love diesels.

Fact: BMW is trying to make North Americans love diesels.

That’s basically how the diesel story goes. BMW isn’t the only one trying to make us love diesels as VW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz have all thrown their hats into the fray. The truth is, we are immensely stupid for not warming up to diesels and should consider oursleves lucky that said manufacturers haven’t given up on us.

And, to prove they haven’t given up, BMW has just announced that the new 2011 5 series will have a diesel varient to choose for us North Americans. The 5-series diesel is currently offered in Europe (where they do things properly) and it has been pretty successful so far.

But on top of that, BMW recently confirmed that two more diesels will be making their way to our shores. They didn’t drop any hints as to what they would be, but the only logical models left that don’t have diesel variants are the X6 and the 1-series.

Finally! GM Executive Admits the Chevy Cobalt Is “Horrible”

Karl Strake vice president of global engineering deserves a raise. In fact, make him in charge of any decision making when it comes to new models because he has stated what I and many like me have known for a long long time: The Chevy Cobalt sucks and always has.

While in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Strake took the press on a tour of the new Chevy Cruze which is going to be the replacement for the Cobalt. In fact there was a Cobalt on hand that Strake had the opportunity to drive and he held nothing back when asked how it compared:

“Look at this car, it’s horrible” Strake said of the Cobalt. ” How did it get through so many people?”

I was wondering the same thing, I don’t know how it got passed by everyone at GM but what’s even more astonishing than that is the amount of people that actually bought a Cobalt. I mean, they’re everywhere. My theory is that the Cobalt is substantially better than the Cavalier was so by comparison, people thought they were buying a good car. But that’s a bit like saying Bill O’Reilly isn’t as offensive as Rush Limbaugh, so Bill O’Reilly must be a good commentator. And he really isn’t.

Strake had nothing but good things to say about the Cruze though, so it’s probably a legit car. Let’s just hope that it’s not the same situation where we all think it’s a good car because it’s better than a Cobalt, but years down the road we realize that isn’t true.

Taking a Ride In An Exotic Car Can Help Sick Children

On June 5th that is. And if you pay $20. And if you live in the Toronto area.

ILR Car Control School will be hosting an event on said date that will allow members of the public to take a ride in a Porsche, Lotus, Ferrari, Viper or Lamborghini for the low low price of just $20. All the money will be generously donated to the Hospital for Sick Children for cancer research.

I’d take a ride in a Ferrari if it were my money. Preferably the new 599 GTO or 458 Italia. Too bad you’ll only experience the thrills as a passenger and not a driver, but it’s for a great cause. And even if it weren’t for a great cause, I’d still pay the $20 to participate.

If you’re in Toronto at the time, make sure you go out and support this event!

Exclusively Ours: Acura Gives Canadians A-Spec Option For TL

Auto manufacturers tend to show Canada some love every now and then, even though in the grand scheme of things, our market is pretty insignificant compared to our southern neighbours, Europe, and Asia.

Acura has always given us a bit of exclusivity with the EL now turned CSX. Now we are going to get a little taste of A-Spec flavour for the TL.

Starting at $51,290, the A-Spec will add special 19 inch wheels, a dark crhome grille, special areo body kit, A-Spec badging along with SH-AWD and your choice of a six speed automatic or six speed manual. Get the six speed manual. My test revealed that it really adds more personality to the car.

BMW 135is Grows An Extra Set of Pipes

Well, looky here.

We’ve known for a while now that BMW is planning an even hotter version of the 135i, tentatively called (by Car Driven) as the 135is. Also rumoured names are M1 and 135 M. It’s looking more an more like it will be some sort of M because of the new exhaust system. Four pipes instead of two.

Regardless of what they call it, there have been spy pics and even video of it charging around the Nurburgring. But never have those spy pics caught a quad pipe set up.

Not the case anymore apparently. The good folks at autoblog have a spy pic of the beefed up 1 with the quad set up.

I’ll report more details as they arise.

[Autoblog]

Welcome Back, Saab!

Alright, I’m going to admit that I’m a huge loser because I will go out of my way to go down Kempt Road in Halifax just to oggle all the new cars in the dealer lots. If you are unfamiliar with Kempt Road, it is a haven for car dealerships and the place to go if you are looking to buy a new car or if you are some sort of car pervert like me and you just want to look from a distance.

Whenever I’m on one of my Kempt Road runs, there’s always a moment of sadness when I pass by the dealership that used to be home to Saab. Right now, the building is empty and there are no Saabs to be found.

Luckily, as you have probably heard, Spyker has bought the second largest Swedish car brand and as a result, Saab will be returning to Canada and will be available for sale as early as this fall!

So far 20 dealers accross Canada have expressed interest in importing and distributing Saab vehicles.

There is also the possibility of Spyker selling its own models through Saab dealers as well.

FAIL: This is Why I Park Like A Jack-Ass

My friends usually make fun of me for where and how I park my car. I refuse to park next to anyone anywhere. Therefore, I park way at the other end of the lot where no one bothers to park because it’s too far from the doors of the store. Because you know, it’s not like North American’s could use the exercise that the extra walk from the car to the door provides. Anyway, even then I only park in corner spaces because there is always some cock bag who will park next to me regardless of how much out of my way I go to ensure that very situation does not happen. And then I park on the line closest to the corner of the space to ensure no dings can ever occur from people who apparently have enough sense to pass a driving test but not enough sense to know how to open a car door properly. People usually call me a jack-ass for purposely parking on the line, but whatever. I figure if I park far enough away, it doesn’t really affect anybody anyhow.

Now, the picture above is a perfect example of why I do this. I don’t think I could describe in words the amount of rage that would consume my body and soul if I was the owner of the Nissan 370Z (40th anniversary edition too!) pictured above while coming back to my car. I would likely bludgeon the owner of the white Honda Accord along their family with an axe. There’s no way the clot who owns the Honda Accord Hybrid didn’t notice how close they had parked to the 370Z. There’s no way there wasn’t any scraping. Judging by the condition of the Accord, the owner obviously doesn’t care about the car to begin with. If there were a car equivalent of child services, I would be tempted to call to save this poor Accord from its reckless owner.

In any event, FAIL FAIL FAIL to the Accord Hybrid owner. I’m going to print this picture and show it to the next person who makes fun of me for parking the way I do.

Best Reaction Ever

If I ever saw Top Gear filming or any of the three blokes in person I would likely be very excited. The excitement of some British parents who drove by Top Gear filming had no bounds, however.

James, Richard and Jeremy, apparently on one of their wacky challenges, were spotted driving down a British road in what can only be described as unusual and not immediately identifiable vehicles – likely ones they built themselves.

The British couple filmed it and showed it to their son knowing how much of a fan he was of the show. Whether he was just excited as his parents were no one knows, but regardless he likely felt pretty embarrassed by his parents reaction. I just find it hilarious.

In any event, good to see the boys aren’t lacking in ideas for season 15 (which is rumoured to start this June!)

Say Whaaaat? Land Rover LRX to be FWD

This is likely to peeve off quite a few Land Rover die-hards.

Land Rover announced a while back that they intend on building a production version of the Land Rover LRX concept. Not a bad move considering the Freelander was horrible, and the LR2 isn’t quite selling as well as expected.

But the thing is, Land Rover has just announced the unthinkable. The LRX will be front wheel drive. Yes, a front wheel drive Land Rover.

According to Autocar an inside Land Rover source said the brand “cannot ignore the growth of the two-wheel-drive SUV segment.”

There’s no word on if the LRX will at least have all-wheel drive as an option, but we do know that there will also be a hybrid version offered in 2013. Expect the LRX to go on sale at the end of this year.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage Coming to Canada!

YES!

Aston Martin had originally decided not to sell the V12 iteration of the Vantage in Canada because it said the level of demand along with sales would be too small.

They have apparently had a change of heart, however.

“This is the ultimate performance interpretation of the Vantage range, combining our most agile model with our most powerful engine. It represents the definitive Aston Martin driving experience, providing spectacular performance to ensure a dynamically thrilling drive in a highly exclusive package,” said Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez.

The V12 Vantage obviously gets twelve cylinders which produces 510 horsepower with 420 pound feet of torque. The V8 produces 380 horses and has been criticized for lack of power so the addition of the V12 is welcomed news. The additional power will help get the baby Aston from 0 to 100 kph in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 305 kph.

Lamborghini Opens Third Clothing Store in The World in B.C.

Lamborghini not only has a talent for making supercars, but they also claim they have a talent in the fashion world. If I ever become famous (which I sincerely hope never happens) I would be proud to answer “Lamborghini” when the paparazzi shout out “Who are you wearing?!”

This is a fairly new endeavor for the Italian brand as the store opening in Richmond, British Columbia is only the third Lambo clothing store in the world. Pretty exclusive! It had its grand opening Saturday night with a parade of Lamborghinis making an appearance.

“As long as this is giving additional profit and it’s not diluting the brand, it’s a must-do because a luxury brand always has a limited opportunity to grow, because a luxury business is always to produce less than demand” said Steve Wilkemann of Lamborghini Canada.

Lamborghini sells about 70 cars a year in Canada on a good year.

BMW X3 Prototype Causes Bomb Scare in New York!

BMW was out testing its prototype for the new 2011 X3 in New York with Head of Production Planning Martin Birkmann being the fellow doing the testing (which would be an awesome job by the way).  Birkmann made a pretty big error in judgment by deciding to leave the X3 prototype by Central Park with the engine running.

In case you haven’t heard (and if you haven’t you really need to read or watch the news more often) New York is very much on high alert after a bombing attempt last week in Times Square where a bomb was left in an SUV with the engine running. So naturally, the people of New York are a bit jittery and will definitely take notice of suspicious vehicles.

Since the X3 is still in prototype phase and since BMW annoyingly loves to put camouflage over all its new upcoming products so bloggers like myself don’t out the product before an official reveal, the X3 had said camouflage and naturally stood out like a Hummer at a climate change convention. New Yorkers aren’t generally used to test mules around their parts as well, so it may not have been immediately apparent that this situation was just BMW innocently testing its new product. A woman walking her dog did indeed pick up on the peculiar looking SUV and so she called the cops who promptly arrived, cleared the area and cautiously investigated the X3.

Obviously they did not find anything but the X3 had its rear window smashed in the bomb finding process.

Lesson learned for Birkmann!

[Photo Credit: New York Daily News]

Mini Coupe & Roadster Engines Revealed

Yes, Mini is planning on building them and they are expected to offer an even sportier driving experience than any Mini before it. Considering how good the Cooper S is, that’s a very tall order.

Along with a much sportier look the coupe will be more powerful than the Roadster. The engine that will help the Coupe get its juice will be 1.6 litre twin scrolled turbocharged engine taken from the John Cooper Works Edition. This can only mean that the next iteration of the John Cooper Works will likely have more power. The 1.6 is capable of producing 211 horsepower and 192 pound foot torque. Sweet!

The Roadster will get the same engine from the Cooper S – also a 1.6 litre making a healthy 175 horsepower and 177 pound foot torque.

No word on pricing and/or options yet, but right now consider us to be very intrigued. The pictures you see above are technically concepts, however they look very much production ready so expect what you see to be very similar to what will actually be sold in dealerships. Speaking of, an official unveiling of the Coupe & Roadster is expected in 2011.