Why Does That Lexus Have A Snorkel?
What we know stateside as the GX470 is called the Land Cruiser Prado in Australia. It can be had with a diesel engine and even locking differentials Down Under, but otherwise it’s the same cute ute we curse at when we’re stuck behind one at the Starbucks drive-thru. Since Toyota’s marketing team slapped the “Land Cruiser” badge on the boot, some seem to think it can go off-road, and aftermarket companies are happy as ever to sell add-ons.
It’s not a Toyota ad. I witnessed this Prado powwow, and many others like it, on Cape York this season. I can’t believe how popular these things are.
I’d just as soon fit a snorkel to my mum’s Odyssey… but to each his own.
The Hybrid Family Grows
The debate rages on about whether or not hybrid cars are “better” for the environment than, say, a 1984 Honda Civic (of course, the answer is that they are not).
But the fact remains that some people would just rather have a new car- and can actually afford it.
When first introduced in the 1990′s hybrids like the original Honda Insight were laughed off as goofy and nerdy, an unfortunate stigma that tended to plague their drivers as well.
I mean, come on- gasoline was $0.99 a gallon and the new Suburban just came out.
Your mum had one, admit it.
Once environmentalism came into fashion, the “hybrid movement” had another shot and the cars manifested themselves in the shapes we’re more familiar with today:
So it’s a little more “practical”, but it’s still reserved for people confident enough to ride around in a jellybean/shuttlecraft/dorkmobile.
Before you start commenting that Toyota “couldn’t keep Priui on their lots” and they “sold out quickly” I will say yes that’s true, but you’ve got to consider that these cars were produced in quite limited numbers for the first few years of their lives. Something to do with the government not having enough cash to award all those “green” rebates.
In the last few years, a new hybrid market emerged: high-end luxury. Now that Green is the new Gucci, the sex appeal of a Range Rover is just a little dented thanks to its bigfoot-sized carbon footprint.
So Lexus introduces the 460h, and later its RX and GX series hybrid vehicles.
Not to be left behind their Japanese rivals… Mercedes Benz cooks up the S400 Hybrid:
Nice.
This thing takes the “green” concept a step further with interior parts made of recycled fibers and all that crap.
Plus, it’s an F-ing S Class. This car is decidedly awesome.
Well now that rich people ride around in hybrids… the rest of us start wanting them too.
Ford provides the Fusion hybrid, Toyota releases a Camry hybrid.
Decidedly less exciting than a new S-Class… you can Google you own images for those if you’re that interested.
And no I didn’t forget about the SUV hybrid market. I just think it’s stupid.
Ford Escape: too small to carry a lot or tow anything and definitely not going off-road, so why deal with poor aerodynamics?
Chevy Tahoe/Escalade Hybrid: It’s sad when automakers can brag about 20 MPG. If you need a vehicle this big, get a diesel.
So let’s recap.
Ten years after the original Insight rolled out, we’ve got a pretty dynamic family of hybrid cars on the market for all four of the major car-buying demographics:
Nerds: Toyota Prius, Honda Insight
Rich People: Lexus LS460h, GX…h, RX…h
Normal People: Toyota Camry Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid (and I think the Ford Escape hybrid snuck over here from the SUV category).
SUVs (also applicable to Rich People): Chevy Tahoe Hybrid/Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
But in the next year or two, the forerunners of hybrid cars are promising two new models to appeal to the most important demographic of all: Cool Kids.
You know, the people that marketing companies everywhere want you to be- the Facebook using, vintage sunglass-wearing, music-loving party people that are in catalogs.
These people need cars like the Lexus CT200h and Honda CR-Z.
Cool. But again with the white!
Cooler! And finally a new color.
The “hot hatch” category is finally getting back to its MPG-friendly roots with this pair of tiny-yet-heterosexual cars that I wouldn’t mind owning.
Once thought of as just a teaser concept, I’m now pretty sure the CR-Z is for real. The picture above is from Honda’s official website.
These cars are pretty cool, but don’t get your hopes up about neck-snapping performance.
Despite what the world’s ricers and eurotrash will have you believe, you’ve got to remember to take “hot hatch” performance with a grain of salt.
I’m afraid you will get crushed by creepy old guys in Mustangs at a stoplight in one of these.
But you’ve got to remember you’re getting 30+ MPG, you don’t have to rebuild your carburetor every Sunday, and your girlfriend won’t complain about the omnipresent smell of gasoline when you take her places.
And if you can’t afford one… try an 88 CRX.
LEDs: Twinkling Stars in the Future of Vehicle Lighting?
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) have seen more and more usage in cars over the last few years. Most noticeably as those wacky “eyebrow” lights on Audis, but also in taillights, directionals, and running lights.
The advantages over traditional incandescent bulbs are numerous; they use less wattage, are brighter, and produce that cool no-transition effect of being flicking on and off instantly. They don’t generate nearly as much heat in the front as incandescents either. However, they do get very hot at the resistor behind the bulb. It’s not too much of a problem for brake lights and occasional-use lights, but it presents a design challenge for the bigger-sized LEDs that need to run constantly light headlights and taillights.
This is why you should be careful when swapping your taillights with LED from AutoZone, or trying to make your own LED headlights (these are starting to emerge in the aftermarket, but still aren’t available for many applications. They might look sweet for a couple hours, but if the housing isn’t meant for dissipating the resistor’s heat properly
Engineers at Lexus, Audi and even Cadillac have employed LEDs for the biggest lights on their cars… but they’ve spent a long time researching how to set them up so as not to melt the rear housing of their lighting modules. Apparently the new Escalade ESV was the first American car to ship with full LED headlamps… although I have yet to see one on the road.
Keep watching the market for LED innovations… once the technology improves they may surpass HIDs as the performance lighting item of choice.
