The Highly Efficient Hyundai Ioniq

Averaging 55 mpg is this model’s modus operandi. The Hyundai Ioniq is a tale of three models, namely hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure-electric variants. All three are front-wheel-drive compact hatchbacks with room for five. Introduced in 2017, the 2020 model features several changes, including new front and rear bumpers, a … Read more

9 Winners and Losers of 2019

It’s a wrap: 2019 is in the books. And if you’re thinking we’re a bit late sharing this information, hold on: the U.S. auto industry finished reporting its annual sales on Monday, closing out an extended period of news releases hyping the details. We’ll cut to the chase and look … Read more

Efficient Hatchback:
2019 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid

We’ve passed the tipping point where crossovers and similar people movers are outselling cars across the United States. Truly, the majority of customers shopping for a new vehicle prefers a utility vehicle or pickup truck to the coupes, sedans, and wagons that once represented the car market. An important sub-set … Read more

2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Debuts

2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid

A Corolla Hybrid for your consideration. The Prius launched Toyota into the hybrid sphere, a market it has controlled for more than two decades. And no wonder: the Prius has long delivered the best combination of fuel efficiency, passenger-carrying capacity, and utility of any competing model. Quite easily, the Prius … Read more

The All-New Toyota Avalon Hybrid Combines Luxury With Efficiency

Toyota launches the latest generation Avalon Hybrid sedan. The 2019 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is a large, five-passenger front-wheel-drive sedan that’s also all-new. While some competing manufacturers are fleeing sedans altogether, Toyota is doubling down and releasing new models, including the hybrid version of its flagship sedan. The current version is … Read more

Attainable Hybrid: 2018 Hyundai Ioniq

The Ioniq Hybrid lowers your fuel costs remarkably. The automotive landscape is in constant flux, with crossovers the current rage and small cars seemingly forgotten. Manufacturers such as Ford and Fiat Chrysler are running away from cars, placing their bets on SUVs and pickup trucks. Hyundai offers its own line … Read more

Hybrid Finesse: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq

Hyundai’s Ioniq line of electrified vehicles is here. The Prius has long been synonymous with “hybrid” ever since Toyota launched this model two decades ago. Since then, various manufacturers have attempted to replicate Toyota’s success, but nearly every new model has failed to make a dent in Toyota’s dominance. But … Read more

Nothing Ironic About the Hyundai Ioniq

Not a Prius fighter…or is it? Some may say the Hyundai Ioniq is this Korean manufacturer’s answer to the Toyota Prius. Hyundai insists otherwise, citing its own effort to deliver the most affordable and efficient cars the world over. Maybe there is a touch of irony here, but what’s important … Read more

2017 Lexus CT 200h Review

2017 Lexus CT200h

An entry-level hybrid with a fun-to-drive F Sport option. Sitting lower and coming in slightly shorter than the Toyota Prius, the Lexus CT200h (CT) is the smallest hybrid model for Toyota’s luxury brand. Now in its seventh year, the CT will soon follow the Prius and receive an update of … Read more

Driving Green With the All-New 2016 Toyota Prius

2016 Toyota Prius Four

Toyota’s popular Prius is all-new, more efficient, and offers improved handling. Needing no introduction, the Toyota Prius is the world’s best-selling hybrid electric vehicle, with nearly 6 million units sold since it was introduced in 1997. The US market didn’t receive the first-generation Prius until late 1999, but American consumers … Read more

The Top 10 Fuel Efficient Cars of 2016

What are the most fuel-efficient vehicles of 2016? Our list excludes electric and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, and features 10 models each averaging a combined 40 mpg. With gas prices at or near the lowest levels we have seen this century, fuel efficiency concerns have been placed on a back … Read more

Toyota Reigns Supreme Four Years Running

Volkswagen’s quest to overtake Toyota will have to wait at least another year as the German automaker deals with more than 11 million recalled models. Once again, Toyota Motors is the largest producer of passenger and commercial vehicles in the world, edging out the Volkswagen Group and the General Motors … Read more

Behold! The Fourth Generation Toyota Prius

The all-new Toyota Prius has taken a bow, the fourth generation of Toyota’s most popular hybrid. Last night, Toyota revealed the 2016 Prius to a national press audience in Las Vegas, a model that takes polarizing looks to a new level. This writer turned down an invitation from Toyota to … Read more

13 Top Fuel Efficient 2015 Models by Category

The 300h is the hybrid variant for the Lexus NX. With gasoline prices trending somewhere below $2.50 per gallon, the rush to fuel-efficient vehicles has certainly come to a grinding halt. On the other hand, demand for pickup trucks, large utility vehicles and other less-efficient models has soared. Even though … Read more

Active Hybrid: 2014 Lexus CT 200h

Lexus has taken its own approach to the premium/luxury segment. Its model line is composed mostly of a variety of sedans and utility vehicles, each powered by a gasoline engine. There is nary a diesel found in its North American lineup. Instead, Lexus serves up five hybrid models to demonstrate … Read more

Toyota Prius: Innovation Breeds Success

When you are hot, you are hot. When you are not, then you must be one of the few manufacturers that are taking on the Toyota Prius. These manufacturers currently number just two: Honda and Ford, but each one has much catching up to do if they’re to make a … Read more

Ford and Hybrids Are a Winning Combination

The Ford Motor Company has long operated as an also-ran to Toyota’s dominance of the hybrid electric vehicle market. Ford entered the hybrid market in 2006 with its Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids, the first hybrid SUVs from a domestic manufacturer. Ford Hybrids Ford later expanded its hybrid offerings to … Read more

Impressive: 5 Million Toyota Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Toyota Hybrid Sales Pass a Milestone Say what you want about hybrid electric vehicles, but there is one thing you cannot deny: Toyota’s leadership in this emerging segment. Indeed, Toyota sells more hybrids than all other competitors combined, just this week passing the 5 million HEV mark. Of those, nearly … Read more

5 Myths About Hybrid Cars

As auto manufacturers put forth a number of hybrid, alternative fuel, and full-electric options, the average motorist can be understandably confused by exactly what each of those labels means when it comes to actually getting out and driving. The word “hybrid” only means that a car can run on both … Read more

Why the Honda Insight Failed the First Time

2013 Honda Insight

  Note: The Honda Insight returned for the 2019 model year. For the second time in its brief history the Honda Insight is being pulled from the US market. And this time it may be gone for good. The Insight, like the Toyota Prius, is a dedicated hybrid. That means … Read more