First Drive: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In

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You Say You Want An Evolution?

2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In

Here's a game that the first people who buy the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid should play with their other Prius-driving friends: Let them slide behind the wheel and see if they can even tell that it isn't a standard, third-generation Prius. Very few will be able to tell. That's how subtle the changes are between the two vehicles, at least, to someone who isn't looking too closely. After driving the corded Prius in California recently, we can confidently say that from both the outside and behind the wheel, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid looks, drives and feels pretty much like any other example of the world's most popular hybrid. Of course, this Prius does receive some important advances - ones that hardcore fans will notice them right away - but it's more than obvious that Toyota's strategy with its new model is evolution, not revolution.

The changes start with the plug-in's new lithium-ion battery pack. Much smaller than the packs used in the two most popular plug-in vehicles on the market, the Prius Plug-in's 176-pound, 4.4-kWh battery pack offers just enough juice, Toyota says, for an "electric-only driving range of up to 15 miles at a maximum speed of 62 mile-per-hour" (More on how this isn't exactly true after the jump).

Continue reading 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In

2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRacer Profile ? David Burnett

When it comes to sim racing, Club England’s David Burnett is far from a one trick pony.  Although he is most active in the the Classic Lotus GP series, he owns a very, er, catholic collection of iRacing wheels, from his Lotus 79, Dallara IndyCar and Star Mazda to HPD ARX01, Chevrolet Impala Class B and Corvette C6.R as well as a virtual fleet Fords (or is that a fleet of virtual Fords?): Ford GT, Ford Mustang FR500S and Ford Falcon FG01 V8. But when it comes to road course v oval, there’s no denying that Burnett is a dyed in the wool road racer.  In more than two years of iRacing, Burnett has nearly 360 official race starts to his credit, four (4) of which have been on ovals.  [...]

MaurĂ­cio Gugelmin Dan Gurney Hubert Hahne Mike Hailwood

Video: Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann stops by Jay Leno's Garage with Aventador

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aventador with jay leno

The Lamborghini Aventador stands to be the new supercar king. For starters, every body part and component is completely new, from the 6.5-liter V12 boasting 700 horsepower to the light-weight carbon fiber monocoque. We're enthralled, but what about enthusiast royalty like Jay Leno?

Lamborghini
President Stephan Winkelmann took to the road to bring the Aventador to Leno, and the late night talk show host was thoroughly impressed. Winkelmann talks about how new and impressive the Aventador is, with its 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 217 miles per hour. Research and Development Director Maurizio Reggiani followed with an even more in-depth dive into what makes the Aventador special, with Reggiani giving Leno a tour of the Aventador using a body-free version of the Italian exotic.

Hit the jump
to see Leno and his new Italian friends go in-depth with the Aventador. Of course Leno gets to drive the Aventador at the end, but even he had to hit the road with a chaperon.

Continue reading Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann stops by Jay Leno's Garage with Aventador

Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann stops by Jay Leno's Garage with Aventador originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brawn calls for curfew clarification

Mercedes GP team principal Ross Brawn has called for a clarification of Formula 1's curfew regulations, after his team was one of three outfits caught out when marketing staff entered the track early at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Brackley-based outfit joined Red Bull Racing and Virgin Racing in using up one of its four allowable curfews when it was discovered that marketing staff from the three outfits entered the circuit the track during a prohibited time.

Masahiro Hasemi Naoki Hattori Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn

Dealbreaker: Senate Rejects House Budget Due to Lack of Car Subsidies

What’s keeping Congress from passing an extension to the federal budget? Democratic protection of automobile subsidies. Top Senate Democrat Harry Reid vows to keep an clean-car subsidy in the budget, come hell or high water. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP After midnight last night, the House finally managed to narrowly pass a budget extension bill, but [...]

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