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When car companies want to increase fuel economy one of the first places they look is the wheel and tire setup; the less rotational inertia and frontal area the better so the narrowest, smallest tire that will effectively carry and redirect the car’s mass is best.

Would you notice? Some would say no, but as someone in the market for a Prius recently pointed out those with the optional 16” wheels report having a hard time matching the observed mileage of those with 15” wheels. So I’d argue that you can’t break the laws of physics (and tell Prius buyers if fuel economy is what’s most important 15” alloys do best of all).

So when you see someone in a hybrid on larger, wider, heavier aftermarket wheels do what I do…

...shake your head and look at the driver with a mixture of pity and disgust.

“After driving the Saturn and Forester, I got into the RAV and CR-V and thought, good gosh, there are horrible seams and bumps in this road I didn’t even realize were there.” St. Antoine: “The CR-V is disappointing in terms of ride. And I’m shocked at the RAV’s ride. Typically, when you get into a Toyota, you expect soft and cushy.” Through the back-and-forth curves, the Honda also has a peculiar squirmy thing going on: tiny gyrations deep down in its suspension joints. – Motor Trend

Remember when Toyota and Honda tried as hard as they could? That was before Lexus and Acura dealers existed, before the company wanted to keep those same dealers from whining that customers would drive their cars then go buy a Toyota and Honda instead.

Today’s Hondas and Toyotas are dumbed down to the point that they’re not only more American – they’re caricatures of what domestic cars were. They’re backward thinking.

The new Accord deserves the whipping its getting in the press, and so does the Corolla:

we’re disappointed with the design and materials used throughout the interior. The peanut-butter-jar lids doubling as rheostat dials for the climate controls are particularly horrifying from a company that could probably buy any one of Detroit’s Big Three automakers with the change in its pockets. If Toyota wants to maintain its lead in this business, we dare suggest it benchmark some of GM’s interiors and then do better, not worse… Aside from its affordability… we’re let down by the ’09 Corolla. Perhaps Toyota has set the bar so high in its various segments for the past two decades up to and including the current Camry that we expect every at-bat to result in a home run. And although we have no doubt the Corolla will continue to seduce buyers by the hundreds of thousands, that may be more than ever a matter of momentum as opposed to product superiority, because the new Corolla is no quantum leap. – Car and Driver

Toyota rushed the 5.7-liter engine into production in time for the Tundra’s February launch. The 5.7-liter initially was scheduled to arrive this summer. But Toyota dealers and product planners told the manufacturing arm that the Tundra needed the big V-8 at launch because the 4.7-liter V-8 would not make a strong enough statement. The 5.7-liter represents more than 70 percent of the engine mix. Toyota’s top executives repeatedly have stated their concern that Toyota is growing too quickly to keep quality at past high levels. – Automotive News

The cabin works though and, like the whole car, is set up to be less polarising that the zoomy Jetsons style of the Civic… The 1.8 is all-new and brilliantly free-revving, spinning to 6,000 rpm and beyond with rotary-like speed and clarity. With Dual VVT-i variable valve timing, it lugs better than the old 1.8. [it] rides, steers and grips with authority. this chassis feels like it can take a lot more than the 110-136 bhp currently on offer in Japan. OK, so the Auris may not cleave through bends with the same precision and grin factor of a Focus (few cars can), yet it’s still tidy and well balanced, gripping well at the front, unfazed by sudden dips and camber changes, with strong brakes also out there as a big plus. It rides well too, efficiently smothering road shocks and road noise is low. By the same token, it’s not what you’d really call fun. Capable, yes, very: but it’s a Focus or Civic you’d choose for that fast, back road blast. some will still argue that ditching the Corolla name (total production now more than 30m units, making it the world’s most made car, by a country mile) is a gamble that could backfire. – 4Car

You don’t hear much about the Toyota Highlander Hybrid either in print or on TV. It’s as if Toyota decided to funnel all of their marketing money into the Lexus RX Hybrid, despite the fact that the cars have indetical powertrains, acceleration and fuel economy numbers, etc.

Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the Highlander retails for about $10,000 less than the RX. Read the rest of this entry »

AutoExpress reports the next Prius’ Hybrid Synergy Drive will combine a 1.8L turbocharged lean-burn engine and lithium ion batteries… The ability to plug in and top off the battery pack is also rumoured.