TFLcar.com

Video technology review: Can the 2010 Lexus HS 250h really drive itself?

The newest hybrid Lexus is a technological tour de force. The HS 250h not only drives-by-wire, but can almost drive itself.

Seriously, the driver no longer really drives the car, but instead just makes suggestions using the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake pedal, and the car's computers interpret those suggestions into actions.

Click HERE to see reviews of many of the newest hybrid and electric cars that you can buy now or will be able to buy very soon.

2010 Chicago Auto Show Video: Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid debuts along with sexy new convertible

Who says that expensive luxury cars can't be environmentally friendly?

Certainly not Fisker.

The new U.S. premium car manufacturer recently debuted two new models at the Chicago Auto Show.

OK, so the Fisker Karma isn't all that new, but this is the first time the Fisker Karma Sunset is on public display. In Chicago right next to Karma you'll find the jet black and new Fisker Karma Sunset convertible, which is about as sexy as it gets for a plug-in hybrid.

Video FT-CH Hybrid: Toyota goes small and green...a sort of lime green

It is going to take some pretty innovative new cars if Toyota wants too meet its goal of selling one million hybrid cars per year this decade.

Enter stage right at the recent Detroit Auto Show the newest and smallest Toyota hybrid concept the FT-CH (Compact Hybrid).

It is about the size of a Toyota Yaris and it is supposed to be fun and a bit retro.

Review: 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid: a good choice without much compromise

A hybrid sport utility vehicle? About six years ago, the idea still seemed outrageous. But then the Ford Escape hybrid debuted. Skeptics sneered. But now SUV hybrids are plentiful from several manufacturers. In other words, there’s competition for the Ford Escape, even if some of the competition remains from Ford via the very similar Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute.

Review 2010 Lexus RX 450h: It's hard not to like once the sticker shock subsides

When it debuted in 2006, it could have easily been considered an oxymoron — a luxury, hybrid sport utility vehicle? But with its series of upgrades, the newly named Lexus RX 450h has become mainstream in its short tenure.

The RX 450h no longer attracts a "wow-factor" response because it initiated a new vehicle segment. Instead, it garners attention for the same reasons as its siblings — class. In short, it deserves the manufacturer's luxury brand high praise reputation.

Review Lexus GS 450h hybrid: Finally, a fast hybrid!

Finally, a fast hybrid!

The GS 450h is not a new vehicle by any means and it creates an interesting stumbling block for someone who never equated hybrids with performance (like me). You see, this huge machine is super fast. Hit the gas at 0 mph and get to 60 mph in less than 5 ½ seconds. That’s damn quick. Switch the Adaptive Variable Suspension system to “Sport” and scare smug teenagers in their lowered Hondas.

Review 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid: most fuel-efficient doesn't mean best

The Prius, which means "to go before" in Latin, has come a long way since 1997 when Toyota introduced it as the world's first mass-produced hybrid. But with several more manufacturers now offering quality hybrids, Toyota redesigned and upgraded the hybrid industry leading Prius for its third generation in 2010.

The standard and optional changes are substantial — the redesigned exterior, better gas mileage (the first legitimate 50 mpg EPA estimate) and Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA). The Prius is now among the top-20 the best-selling cars in the country. Yet, it's still a work in progress.

2010 Toyota Prius V video review: a not so normal car for the very normal driver

Give us five minutes and we'll give you the scoop.

Like the Volkswagen Beetle and the Ford Model T before it, Toyota considers the Prius an iconic car.

And so is Toyota correct? Because unlike any other car made in the last 100 years, the Prius has brought back electricity as a viable way to power a car.

It opened the door for the Volt, the Tesla, and hundreds of other cars that will soon join the Hybrid and EV car craze. 

Prius vs. Prius which is faster? The second generation or the newest 2010 Toyota hybrid

So which car is faster? The newest Prius or the last generation of the iconic hybrid.

There is only really one way to find out: Good old fashioned drag race,

So what happens when you drag race a second generation Prius vs. the newest (2010) third generation Prius hybrid?

Review: Honda Civic Hybrid: nice car that won't win any drag races

The Honda Civic hybrid in its runner-up status to the Toyota Prius among eco-popular cars, has no reason to feel inferior. Its gas mileage averages are lower than the Prius and it doesn't have, for whatever reason, the same "green appeal" as its rival.

But the 2009 Civic hybrid has a refreshed exterior design, more interior space and is more attractive than its biggest competitor.

2010 Lexus RX 450h takes on an electric bike in a fun urban electric car vs. bike video review

The 2010 Lexus RX 450h hybrid is a slick car, but can it beat a bike in the city?

So which is faster and which is better in the city when you need that morning cup of coffee?

An electric car or an electric bike?

Review 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid: appliance, icon, or the new WV Bug?

Millions of Americans delight at driving the Toyota Prius. A friend of mine argued that the Toyota Prius (he has last generation’s) is a quirky car in a similar vein of the original VW Bug. He (Roman Mica – Examiner extraordinaire) made a valid point as I argued that it is an appliance meant to efficiently get the owner from point A to point B – period.

I thought about his assessment of the Toyota Prius for a long time (Uh, for a monosyllabic Neanderthal like me that’s 10 minutes). After sampling many a Toyota Prius and just finishing a week with the brand new 2010 Prius – I came to a conclusion: he has a point.

Review: 2009 Lexus GS450h Hybrid: standout car that deserves better mileage to impress

Now entering its third year as a rare luxury sport sedan hybrid, the 2009 Lexus GS 450h is a desirable automobile that just happens to be a hybrid. There's little, if any, consolation to its “green status” in any area of the car — acceleration to braking, handling to design. It's a hybrid alright, with its small hybrid nameplate is so subtly positioned, how would anyone really know?

Review 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid: the perfect pick-up for the green truck types

The marketing types of this world would have you believe that there are car people and truck people. They also like to divide car buyers into the "green" hybrid types and the more traditional fossil fuel burning "muscle car" drivers.

While these simplistic stereotypes may hold true on some level, the fact remains that people buy cars and trucks that best meet their needs.

Review 2010 Honda Insight: Is it a Prius twin or arch rival?

Editor's Note: It is our great pleasure to introduce longtime automotive journalist James Raia to TFLcar.com. James is the editor of TheWeeklyDriver.com and over the last six years has driven and reviewed hundreds of cars. As a lifelong journalist we're thrilled to have his car reviews and we're sure you'll find his work not only informative but highly entratining as well.

The original Honda Insight, sold between 2000 and 2006, was odd-looking. But as the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle available in the United States, its unique status and strange appearance made it cool.