At the upcoming Paris auto show, French carmaker Peugeot will debut a diesel hybrid based on its existing 3008 crossover. The company claims the 3008 HYbrid4 will return up to 62 mpg—albeit on the optimistic European economy cycle. To do so, the five-seat, Volkswagen Tiguan-sized crossover combines a turbo-diesel engine powering the front wheels with an electric motor powering the rears. It will be the only diesel hybrid production car in the world.

The engine driving the front wheels is one of Peugeot’s HDi FAP diesels, a 2.0-liter mill rated at 161 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque, coupled to a six-speed automated manual transmission. The rear-mounted electric motor is rated at 27 hp and 74 lb-ft of torque, with brief peaks of 37 hp and 147 lb-ft available; a nickel-metal hydride battery feeds the motor and is recharged by the gas engine. The HYbrid4 also has a stop-start feature and a seven-inch LCD screen allowing the driver to monitor the system’s performance and efficiency.

A knob located in the center console allows the driver to choose from four operating modes. In auto, the car’s computer decides how best to employ the diesel engine and electric motor. In ZEV (zero-emissions vehicle) mode the Peugeot runs primarily in electric mode, firing up the diesel only if more acceleration is needed. Four-wheel-drive mode uses both locomotion sources for additional traction, and Sport mode combines them for maximum acceleration, with a peak combined output of around 200 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque.

Peugeot will begin building the efficient crossover in France later this year and it should hit European dealerships in the spring of 2011. (The company hasn’t sold cars in the U.S. since 1991, so don’t get your hopes up for one on our shores.)

Prices for the current, non-hybrid 3008 run from about €21,000 to €33,000 depending on options, or $27K–$42K in our currency. Key features on the 3008 HYbrid4 will include a panoramic sunroof, electronic parking brake, LED running lights, head-up display, navigation, and Bluetooth. Figure on a price deep into $40K-equivalent territory with the addition of all the hybrid tech.

Volkswagen today took the wraps off its second-generation Touareg SUV that is slightly longer yet more than 200kg or 440 pounds lighter than its predecessor and will be offered right from the beginning with a clean, or rather cleaner, hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain.

Set for a Geneva Motor Show debut on March 2 with European sales to follow in April, the new 2011 Touareg shares most of its underpinnings with the forthcoming 2011 Porsche Cayenne.

At a first glance, it appears that the designers kept the basic shape of the current model and added a new face that’s inspired from the firm’s latest production and concept models such as the Golf VI, Polo and the NCC study.

Look closer though and you’ll see that there’s new sheetmetal everywhere with the most important stylistic changes concerning the lower roofline and the curvier profile lines.

The new interior is also in line with Volkswagen’s latest design DNA featuring several novelties including a pushbutton parking brake, and according to the Germans, the largest panoramic sunroof of all SUVs.

The German firm said that the new Touareg is more spacious at the back adding that the rear bench now has 160mm in longitudinal adjustment and that the backrest angle can be adjusted.

Optionally, the rear seat can be electrically unlatched and folded down at the press of a button in which case, it frees up 1,642 litres of cargo space.

Perhaps the most important news about the 2011 Touareg is that Volkswagen managed to shave up to a whopping 208 kg or 459 pounds over the outgoing model.

Even so, the German automaker claims that the 2011 Touareg’s body has five percent greater torsional rigidity than its predecessor.

At launch, the new Touareg will be available with three engines including two turbo diesels and a gasoline-electric hybrid, all of which are offered with a standard 8-speed automatic transmission.

The range kicks off with a 3.0-liter V6 TDI diesel that churns out 240HP and 405 lb-ft of torque that returns 38.1mpg UK, 31.8mpg US or 7.4lt/100km on the combined EU cycle, with 195g/km of CO2.

Next up is the 4.2-liter V8 TDI diesel with 335HP and a massive 590 lb-ft of torque that is said to achieve a combined 31mpg UK, 25.8 mpg US or 9.1 lt/100km with 239g/km of CO2.

The highlight of the range is the new hybrid model that’s mates a 3.3-liter supercharged V6 TSI producing 333HP and 265 lb-ft of torque with a 47HP electric motor for a combined output of 380HP and 428 lb-ft.

The Touareg Hybrid, that can be driven up to 50 km/h or 30 mph in purely electric mode, sprints from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 6.5 seconds and returns a combined 8.2lt/100km which is equal to 34.4mpg UK and 28.7mpg US.

As for the standard all-wheel drive system, the base 4MOTION versions get a Torsen limited-slip differential (climbing ability: 31 degrees) and an “Off-road driving programme”, which – at the press of a button – tunes the ABS, EDS and ASR for off-road duty, activates Hill Descent Assist and adjusts the automatic gearshift points.

Optionally, instead of a Torsen differential, the V6 TDI can be ordered with an “Terrain Tech Packet” that is said to have an even more rugged transfer case designed for off-road duty. It includes reduction gearing and centre and rear differentials, each with up to 100 percent locking (climbing ability: 45 degrees).

Like the first generation Touareg, this version also gets a rotary switch that allows the driver to adapt the car to specific duty conditions over five levels: 1. “On-Road”; 2. “Off-Road” (like “Off-road driving programme” plus automatic control of the mechanical locks); 3. Low (like “Off-road” plus activation of reduced gearing, higher shift points, no automatic upshift in manual mode); 4. Addition of centre differential lock; 5. Addition of rear differential lock.

More details will be released at the new Touareg’s world premiere in Geneva.

So the Germans were wrong about the market’s desire for hybrids, and now they are trying hard to catch up. Proof? Even the 1-series, BMW’s self-proclaimed "spritual successor" of the 2002, is slated to gain a hybrid powertrain. As these spy photos show, prototypes using current 1er bodies are on the road. And while we don’t expect the 1-series to become available as a full hybrid, the next generation is almost sure to get an electric motor and a pack of batteries to allow owners an extra degree of eco-smugness.

While this 1-series hatch may seem unfamiliar to you, it is the standard body style for most other markets. Pretty it ain’t, but it provides a nice, flexible cargo area and works well in urban habitats. The next-generation 1-series will be based on the 3-series platform, as it is today, and it will be available with several body styles again, including hatch, coupe, and convertible.

Read more »

There are luxurious cars, and there are fuel-efficient cars. There are even some that offer moderate levels of both characteristics. But no vehicle has managed—or even attempted—to take luxury and fuel economy simultaneously to such high levels as has the 2010 Lexus HS250h, the industry’s first dedicated luxury hybrid. Think of it as the Prius of Lexuses or the Lexus of Priuses—your choice—and you won’t be far off.

If any company can pull it off, it’s Lexus. But by Lexus’s own admission, the HS250h is not one of the brand’s so-called no-compromises hybrids—such as the RX450h, the GS450h, and the LS600h—which supplement well-endowed engines with electric power for a driving experience that feels befitting of their luxurious trappings while still delivering better fuel economy and lower emissions. By inference, then, is Lexus suggesting that the HS250h is perhaps a “compromised” hybrid? After our first drive in one on the roads around Newport Beach, California, it became clearly evident that that’s what it is.

“Mooing” Motor and Un-Lexus-y Loudness

So what happens when Toyota takes the small-car chassis on which it also bases the Prius and adds hundreds of pounds’ worth of Euro-market Toyota Avensis–based sheetmetal and luxo gewgaws? Well, for one thing, it gets slower—which is why Lexus deemed the Prius’s 98-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder inadequate and replaced it with the Camry hybrid’s Atkinson-cycle, 2.4-liter unit with 147 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque. The nickel-metal hydride battery pack and electric motor conspire with the engine for a system output of 187 hp (the 3050-pound Prius makes only 134 combined horsepower). Hustling the 3740-pound HS250h to 60 mph takes 8.4 seconds, which is 1.4 seconds faster than the last Prius we tested. The HS pays the piper in fuel economy, though, as its EPA city/highway ratings of 35/34 mpg doesn’t even come close to the Prius’s 51/48 figures.

In spite of the HS250h’s alleged acceleration advantage, the Prius and the HS250h feel virtually identical from behind the electrically assisted steering wheel (which, in the HS250h, unlike in the Prius, is thankfully not ovular). Road feel is pretty much zero, even with the optional 18-inch wheels and 225/45-series tires. However, the steering response is direct and reasonably quick. At the same time, the interior sound quality isn’t exactly up to the traditional Lexus-isolationist level. We wish it were, for as much as we like to hear and feel what’s going on beneath us, what we hear and feel inside the HS250h are the droning “mooOOOOooo” of the engine-and-CVT combination during acceleration, along with a fair amount of tire noise and low-level reverberations from road impacts. We understand that less weight is important for any hybrid in the interest of fuel economy—and indeed for any vehicle—but even we would like a few more pounds of sound-deadening material in the HS250h so we don’t have to hear the powertrain’s pitiful drone. We suspect anyone who’s ever owned a whisper-quiet Lexus would agree.

Think you can creep around in EV mode to shut things up? Technically, you can for up to two or three miles, so long as the battery remains above a 50-percent state of charge. This requires the tenderest of right feet (which we admit we don’t have) and only works when not accelerating at speeds higher than 20 mph. Otherwise, the engine fires up.

The HS250h subscribes to the latest craze in hybrids in offering selectable “eco” and “power” settings in addition to a normal mode. Eco mode accelerates battery recharging and retards throttle response to maximize efficiency; power mode does the opposite. Putzing around Newport Beach in the HS250h, we noticed a canyon of difference between the two modes and a commensurate difference between the resulting fuel economy, as well. Employing our best hypermiling techniques in eco mode for many miles, we eked the HS250 to over 42 mpg—although we assure you we made few friends among our fellow drivers along the way. In power mode, we enjoyed crisper acceleration, of course, but had a hard time getting mileage anywhere above the high 20s.

A Little More Luxury, a Little Less Practicality

Okay, so dynamically, the HS250h leaves a lot to be desired. But what about luxury? The good news is that the HS250h offers many more luxury fitments than we usually associate with hybrids. Problem is, so does the 2010 Prius. The list of features that come standard on the HS is long, but not much longer than that of a reasonably well-optioned Prius. And there are many options—such as the odd-but-effective “lane keep assist” feature, adaptive cruise control with collision mitigation, and swiveling headlamps—that can also be added to the Prius. Exclusive to the HS250h, however, are such options as Lexus’s nifty “remote touch” controller, a wide-view front monitor, a head-up display, and a Mark Levinson surround-sound audio system. The HS250h debuts Lexus’s new OnStar-like Enform system, which makes real live people available to beam directions to your navigation system, displays sports and stock information, and allows owners to input up to 100 destinations into the car from their computer rather than from the driver’s seat.

What you won’t find are the roof-mounted solar panels that are available on the lower-priced Prius. There are other compromises, too. The base textured leather upholstery feels more like leatherette and makes the upgraded semi-aniline leather a worthwhile upgrade. Color combos are slick, especially the high-contrast cream leather with black carpeting, but there remains a certain sense of thin-skinned cheapness to the materials that reveal the car’s light-weight-over-substance priority set. And with the batteries located between the rear seatback and trunk, the cargo area is surprisingly small and lacks the accessibility of the Prius’s hatchback. (To be fair, the HS has the largest access slot of any Lexus sedan.)

We’d Rather Have a Prius (There, We Said It)

Lexus claims that a not-insignificant 60 percent of entry-luxury customers would consider a hybrid if it were available. If that is the truth, this car should sell reasonably well. Still, it’s hard to say that the HS250h does the hybrid thing—i.e., get great mileage and make splashy green statements—as well as the Prius. Nor does the HS250h do the luxury thing as well as other Lexuses. It is less practical than the Prius while returning exactly as much driving satisfaction—which is to say very little—all without the green halo effect that has made the Prius the favorite of the environmentally inclined. Indeed, if the HS250h isn’t going to drive any better than the Prius, we’d rather have the mileage—and the lower monthly payment—of a Prius instead.

So, the HS250h is a “compromises hybrid” that strikes a compromise between good mileage and a fair amount of high-brow comfort features. We can think of other vehicles—the Mercedes-Benz E-class diesel or even a loaded Ford Fusion hybrid—that strike that balance just as well, and drive better in the process.

[ Source ]

With all eyes trained on the Big Apple for this week’s New York Auto Show, it struck us as odd that Mercedes-Benz would release two new models on the eve of the event, neither of which will make an appearance in NYC. But here they are: the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S600 and the S400 Hybrid, the first series production gas-electric model from the automaker.

Both models benefit from a subtle exterior makeover that includes redesigned front and rear fascias, a new grille, chrome below the air intakes and bi-xenon headlamps with LED indicators, while inside, the 2010 S-Class hosts a myriad of high-tech appointments, including a 6.5-inch color display, a revised COMAND system, navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and a Zagat-rating system for local restaurants. But the tech doesn’t stop at helping you eat better. Many of the safety systems that debuted on the E-Class have found their way into the S, including optional Adaptive Highbeam Assist that recognizes vehicles ahead and dims the headlamps, Lane Keeping Assist (self-explanatory) a new Active Body Control (ABC) system that compensates for crosswinds and a drowsiness detection monitor that will warn drivers if they’re getting too tired to pilot their two-plus-ton behemoth.

Read more »