When you take a look at the Lexus lineup, you’ll find that most of the cars with hybrid technology are toward the top of the range. That’s changing with the more entry-level minded Lexus CT 200h. It’s not going to be as cheap as a Yaris, but it’s one of the most affordable Lexus vehicles yet.

Unfortunately, that comes with some sacrifices. Starting at $29,120 US (£23,485 UK), the Lexus CT 200h is supposed to compete against the likes of the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3, except it comes loaded with that whole Synergy Drive thing. It uses the exact same tech as the Toyota Prius, but in a slightly more upscale package.

And we do mean slightly. Early reviews are saying that the interior leaves something to be desired: with “plasticky leather and shiny plastic trim, the CT 200h is beaten by a VW Golf for premium feel inside.” The performance is lacking too, and they’re not fans of the “numb steering” and the not exactly smooth regenerative brakes.

It’s good to see Lexus flesh out the range with more hybrid options, but even the entry-level CT 200h looks like it’s overpricing itself for what it is.

[Auto Express UK, Lexus]

The post Lexus CT 200h Hybrid Brings Down the Lexus Scale appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

2010 Toyota Prius

For the past few years, the mighty Toyota brand had taken a major bloodbath. The company which at one point could proclaim with a straight face they had “The Best Built Cars In The World”, is now under worldwide scrutiny for its quality control and overall product safety.

“Drive a Toyota. You’ll Never Stop.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there have been a total of 52 confirmed deaths to date that can be linked to what is being dubbed: “unexpected acceleration” in their vehicles. In a delayed reaction by Toyota execs, the US government finally stepped in to pressure the car maker to initiate a mass recall, pulling over 8 million Toyota & Lexus vehicles off the road for repairs worldwide.

But the big question still remains….Why? Why is this happening?

Theories have been argued ranging from gas pedals all the way down to simple floor mat slippage. However, no one has really been able to pinpoint the true source of this public catastrophe. A few weeks ago, Mr. Toyoda himself sat in front of agitated House committee with only apologies and little answers.

Facing a dead end in its investigation, federal regulators are now looking at a new culprit: cosmic radiation. Yup, I said it.  Just when there was no one left to point the finger at, an “anonymous tipster” directed regulators to look into the impact that energy particles from outer-space may have on sensitive microprocessors, similar to the kind found in most modern cars.

An in-depth article written by LiveScience explains how Toyota has led the auto industry in replacing mechanical components with microchips to run a growing list of features in their cars. According to scientists, the binary code in chips can be corrupted in what’s called a “single event upset” by high-energy particles that bombard us constantly from space.

Cosmic rays hit Earth - Illustration: S. Swardy / U. Chicago / NASA

While military and aerospace industries have long known about the effects of cosmic rays on computation, automakers have given the subject little attention. If testing shows any positive proof in this direction, the standards in which auto makers manufacture their electronics systems in the future will have to be revamped to military-spec quality to prevent any future such disasters. This could mean even more expensive costing cars.

I’m no statistician, but I think the likelihood of this number of vehicles being randomly struck by space-born particles at just the right moment in their computational cycle, causing a catastrophic malfunction, is beyond ridiculous. Everyone on earth would have won the lottery before this happened. Toyota is not the only car company on the road using chips to control things. Have you ever tried to open the door of a Cadillac when the batteries die? You might as well use it as a paper weight at that point.

Today’s horoscope: If you bought a Prius because you love the Earth, maybe you should just ride your bike to work today.

The post Anonymous tipster says “Toyota’s crashes caused by Cosmos” appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

61 year old Sikes called 911 after he couldnt slow down his 2008 Toyota Prius. Sikes attempted to reach down to the floor and manually lift his gas pedal, but it was still stuck and his Prius was not slowing down anytime soon.  Luckily, a California Highway patrol dispatcher sent help immediately, the officer intercepted Sikes on the freeway and gave him some instructions over a loud speaker. “My brakes are almost burned out.” said Sikes. The to wear out his Prius brakes were apparently down to nothing, his emergency brake was also used and helped slow him from 85 mph to about 55 mph. At this point he claims to have been able to turn off the ignition and the car eventually came to a stop, 23 minutes later.

So what to do if you encounter this rare situation?  First, make sure you are familur with all the controls of your vehicle.  From the shifter, keyless engine start/stop buttons, to where your floormat is positioned.  Yes, some people have had floormats get stuck under the pedal (Fords) and this can be dangerous, but what we are talking about today is a possible defective vehicle, or gross driver negligence.

Here is the scenario. You are speeding along the freeway and all of a sudden you’re not slowing down, your brakes work but with the accelerator stuck its not going to stop.  “Nobody practices antilock braking or hard braking to see what it feels like,” says Popular Mechanics magazine’s automotive editor Larry Webster. Practice stopping from full throttle by pressing on both the gas and the brake at the same time, see what its like because you never know.  “You can practice stuck throttle scenarios very easily in a parking lot,” Webster added.

There’s also the keyless engine stop/start buttons, I know the first time I saw one I was pretty taken aback, what is this OutRun? You should also be comfortable with the shifter, practice dropping it into neutral at different speeds and situations.  In an emergency situation this will take the vehicle out of gear and allow you to atleast coast down to a stop if there are no brakes.

Here is the official feedback from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that after recent events, they “advise drivers to press firmly and steadily, and not to pump, on the brake pedal”  in a situation like this. The last thing you want to do is pump the brakes, at high speeds the engine vacuum power is not as pressurized as it could be, and pumping brakes will just deplete the power assist.  One way is by pressing the brakes hard for a few seconds, then releaseing and pressing them again anbd holding.  Pumping the brakes is a faster repetitive action done several times per second.

What does big Toyota say about all this? “Use both feet and press as hard as possible.”  But hopefully you will never have to.

The post How to stop a Toyota Prius flying down the freeway at 85 Mph appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Toyota’s efforts to make right what went wrong is now showing with the announcement of a recall on over 133,000 Prius models, 14,550 Lexus HS 250h and a new safety precaution in the power steering hose position on some Camrys.

The 2010 model years are in question, Toyota is planning to update the software on the vehicle’s anti-lock brake system (ABS). In normal operation the ABS engages and disengages rapidly, some 2010 vehicles have been reported to show a slow or inconsistent brake feeling when a constant pressure is applied to the brakes on rough or slick roads.

I personally have driven cars for many years with no ABS and had zero problems, but technology is as technology does and if you paid for ABS it should be working 100%.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can – as fast as we can – to restore consumer trust in Toyota, and these recalls are part of this effort,” said Jim Lentz, President and Chief Operating Officer, Toyota Motor Sales. “We regret the inconvenience this recall will cause to Prius and HS 250h owners, and will do our best with the support of our dealers to make sure that it is conducted in the most trouble-free manner possible.”

Only the Toyota Prius manufactured after May 2009 and all HS 250h vehicles are subject to the recall. First and second-generation Prius models use a different ABS and are not affected.

Toyota intends to notify owners of the involved 2010 Camry vehicles throughout the next few weeks of February.

As a safety precaution, Zipcar has removed their 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles from their car-sharing service. This is in addition to the 2009 and 2010 Toyota Matrix models previously removed due to other safety recalls.

The post Toyota to fix software glitch in 2010 Prius and Lexus HS 250h appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

I’m driving, because I ride a 1999 PreRunner, but that wouldn’t be the same if I was eco-packing a Prius or other acceleratingly defected model. Mainstream media is in a panic, Toyota is playing it cool, who do we side with?

The department of transportation has logged over one 120 reports, including reports of 4 crashes relating to the 2010 Toyota Prius and the braking system.

General Motors and Ford have reported increased sales in January. Toyota sales in the US have dropped along with its stock price by, having fallen 14% in the last month. Toyota expects costs and loss of sales from recent safety recalls to reach two billion dollars by the end of March.

Toyota will temporarily stop building and selling eight models in the North American market. The Toyota web site shows the years and models affected are;

• 2009-2010 RAV4 crossover
• 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2010 Highlander
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Sequoia

The 2010 Prius, and perhaps earlier models may soon be joining this list. Of the eight million vehicles recalled, close to six million are in the US. Toyota began repairing the accelerator pedals, but now the braking issue has arisen. This is a big blow to the Japanese auto-maker, investigations are ongoing and will be made available as they are discovered.

The latest announcement from Toyota regarding the Prius braking is as follows; “Some customers have complained of inconsistent brake feel during slow and steady application of brakes on rough or slick road surfaces when the anti-lock brake system (ABS) is activated in an effort to maintain tire traction.  The system, in normal operation, engages and disengages rapidly (many times per second) as the control system senses and reacts to tire slippage.  A running production change was introduced last month, improving the ABS system’s response time, as well as the system’s overall sensitivity to tire slippage.”

In the mean time, if you do not feel safe driving your Toyota, by all means don’t. Especially if you have ever sensed a strange acceleration or braking difficulty.

Toyota’s president Akio Toyoda announced today a Global Quality Task Force.  This task force is to address the concerns these issues have caused the customers, improve quality around the world, and conduct more improvement activities region by region.

This is the six point action plan of the Global Quality Task Force headed by Mr. Toyoda:

1) Improve Quality Inspection Process – Toyota will once again inspect every process, while verifying the causes that led to the recalls, including quality in design, production, sales and service.

2) Enhance Customer Research – Toyota will enhance the customer information research offices in each region to collect information faster.

3) Establish an “Automotive Center of Quality Excellence” in key regions to further develop quality management professionals

4) Support from Outside Experts – Toyota will seek confirmation and evaluation from outside experts—in line with the industry’s best practices—of its newly improved quality control management, based on the above improvements.

5) Increased Communication – In addition, Toyota will work to increase the frequency of communication with regional authorities.

6) Improve regional autonomy – To provide customers with satisfying products in each and every region, Toyota has long promoted the autonomy of its regional subsidiaries.  We intend to further enhance this autonomy, listen carefully to each and every customer and improve quality.

In the mean time, if you do not feel safe driving your Toyota, by all means don’t. Especially if you have ever sensed a strange acceleration or braking difficulty.

The post Toyota Owners: To drive or not to drive? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.