Fuel economy speaking, drivers can expect to get 27 mpg in town and 25 on the highway. Compare this to the 17/23 mpg EPA rating of the traditional Highlander. This remarkable SUV offers extremely low emissions and is rated a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV).

The SUV comes equipped with a 3.3 liter, dual overhead cam, 24 valve V-6 hybrid engine, that puts out 208 horsepower. It has a standard towing capacity of 3,500 lbs. The vehicle’s transmission is a 6-speed automatic that is electronically controlled. It has four wheel independent strut suspension, with front and rear stabilization bars, providing a smooth and comfortable ride.

There are various attractive options that a prospective buyer may choose to add on.  Leather seating surfaces are available, as well as heated front seats.  Buyers may choose to upgrade the sound system to that of a JBL AM/FM 6-disk CD changer, which has satellite radio capability. To keep the kids occupied while driving, a 9 inch screen rear seat DVD component is available.

The Highlander SUV is loaded with several bins and cubbies for storage around the seating areas, and with generous-sized cup holders for passengers in all three rows of seats. Drivers have the ability to operate the vehicle in two different driving modes, “EV” and “Econ”. By selecting the EV setting, the Highlander runs just on electric power. This driving mode can be utilized when traveling at low speeds or for very short distances.

Toyota offers an 8-year/100,000 mile warranty on all components. To explore the opportunity to own this or any other model hybrid Toyota, check your local advertisements for deals available in your area.

The average gas savings during the life of a hybrid car is reported to be approximately $2,500 which doesn’t even make up for the inflated cost of the vehicle.  There are also reportedly 30%  less emissions from hybrids.

Due to the fact that there are 2 engines, there is more maintenance that is required and service centers have jacked up prices on maintenance on hybrids simply because the engines are a new concept.

It is reported that if you live in a city with a lot of hills, like San Francisco or Seattle, then your city fuel savings may be obsolete as the battery in a hybrid does not function very efficiently on steep hills, so that even though the overall gas savings is reportedly 20-25% in a hybrid over a car with a conventional engine, that may or may not be the case. If you do mostly city driving, even without hills, the gas savings is reduced to 10-15% because most of the fuel economy occurs during highway driving.

Another pitfall is the immense expense of replacing the battery.  Although some factories offer an extended warranty on their hybrid models, if you do have to absorb the cost of replacement of the battery, you can be in it for up to $4,500.00.  This is not a car for someone who lives within a tight budget.

With the new electric cars that are coming out on the market soon that can be charged for up to 300 miles at a time (with the average cost of a full charge being $4), the wait may be worth it particularly if you notoriously put mostly city miles on your vehicle.

Many states are offering buying incentives such as tax benefits to help to encourage buyers and to offset the inflated prices of the vehicles.

So all in all, the hybrid may not be the car for every driver, there are many websites that you can access to do your homework before making a quick uninformed decision.  You have plenty of time because the average wait can be up to six months.

Car Wash

Car washing may be one of the few activities where it is considered more “green” to have the job professionally done than it is to do it at home.  Car washing wastes a lot of water, typically 140 gallons per wash. Dirty water that comes off your car contains contaminants from soap and any other chemicals you used in washing it, as well as all the dirt, sludge and oil you removed from your car. Soaps used for car washing contain phosphates, which support rampant algae growth in ponds and lakes.   When algae take over a water supply, fish and other creatures are deprived of the water’s oxygen.

When you wash your car at home, any soap or other chemicals you use floats down the driveway into storm drains ending up polluting any nearby lakes, ponds or rivers, the dirty water bypasses water treatment facilities, which normally treats water (that goes down your sinks or toilet) before releasing it into the environment.   When run off goes directly into the storm drains, it can take with it many chemicals that are harmful to humans and to fish and plants in the water.

Commercial operations use less water and they are required to recycle much of it.  They are mandated by law to follow EPA regulations for disposing of dirty water and sludge in a way that does not harm the environment.

For those who insist on washing their car at home, there are all natural waterless car wash solutions that will do the job well in an environmentally friendly way. These are safe products that have been designed to break down the dirt so that it can be buffed away with a clean cloth.

In some areas, waterless car washes may be the only option now days as some cities in California, Texas and Florida have passed laws to restrict or even ban home car washing as a result of droughts that have depleted local water supplies and for the negative effect of toxic run-off.

As we are making more conscious decisions in purchasing eco-friendly cars like the hybrid Toyota Prius, it is important to become educated on “green” methods to maintain our cars as well.

2007 Toyota Prius

The Prius made its grand debut in 2003 with the second generation hybrid Toyota. The evolutionary gas-electric hybrid progressed from a specialized technical product to number one on the list of best-selling hybrid cars in the U.S., as well as a top seller in Japan. The high satisfaction ratings and dedicated loyalty of its owners makes the Prius top in its class.

The new 2010 Toyota Prius  hybrid went on sale in April. It gets 50 mpg combined city/highway gas mileage makes it unprecedented in its class. The improvement in fuel efficiency in the 2010 model is a result of a combination of changes in the power train, a more aerodynamic design of the body, and decreasing the overall weight of the vehicle. Other great improvements to the newest addition to the Prius family include; a bigger engine giving it an increase in horsepower from 110 to 160, and subsequently boosting the acceleration power.  The body is bigger, and slightly sportier, and last but not least it gets the best gas mileage of any gas-electric hybrid on the market today. Innovative features and technical options have also improved with time in the Prius.

The early model featured a keyless entry, rear-view camera system, joystick shifter, and energy monitor. Heated seats, a sliding glass moon roof with a solar panel, and remote control for heating and cooling the cabin, and new safety features like; “Lane Keep Assist” and “Pre-Collision System” are just a few of the cool new and improved options available in the 2010 Prius.

The Prius has evolved into such an iconic symbol for a modern hybrid, that Hasbro has even adopted a scale model of a Prius as a game piece in their popular game of Monopoly!

So what is the future of America’s best selling hybrid? A November, 2009 report from the associated press states that Toyota is planning to build an all electric version of the number one selling hybrid. Toyota declined comment on the future of production on the new hybrid, but as indicated by the associated press report, the new model will be much bigger, like an SUV or Station wagon, and will be available the end of next year. It will feature a brand new a new type of battery power-the Lthium -Ion battery which has more power than the battery the battery currently used in the Prius.

Toyota Prius

The  new 3rd generation hybrid Toyota Prius is an example of superior refinement of engineering at it’s best. The changes include; more power, better fuel economy, improved steering and sleeker design. They have improved the new Toyota hybrid with great looks, phenomenal gas mileage, a whopping 51 MPG in the city/48MPG highway and more affordable, the list price starts at $21,000.

The revised version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive has a top speed has been increased from 103 miles to 112 with the larger more powerful gasoline engine for highway cruising. There are the standard three driving modes, EV (electric) for short distances and slower speeds, ECO (a combination of gas and electric) and the power mode for interstate or rapid acceleration driving.

The space efficient interior features include the tracer display that projects car performance information upward allowing your eyes to stay fixed on the road. Luxury features include heated leather seats and a solar powered sunroof, a voice activated touchscreen navigation system with real time traffic, a four-disc CD changer( blue tooth music streaming), and radar-based cruise control. Other luxury options include the automated self-parking feature as seen in the Lexus.

Toyota has beefed up the safety features as well, there are 7 airbags (including side airbags that automatically inflate according to the severity of the crash), a pre-collision system which retracts the seatbelts and applies the brakes in the instance of an unavoidable crash, and an in lane-departure warning system that alerts drivers when they are un-attentive.

With all the options in 2010’s model, the new Prius resembles a small fuel efficient luxury sedan that really stacks up to the competition against any of the hybrids in it’s class.

Green Car

Celebrities are starting to purchase hybrids and jump on the green bandwagon everywhere.  A strong statement can be made through living a conviction vs. talking about it.

Hybrid owners consider themselves to be rational decision makers, intelligent and conscientious thinkers.  It says quite a bit about someone when they can drive any vehicle they choose with absolutely no regard for expense.

Will Ferrell chooses to drive a small hybrid Toyota, the  Prius, which offers fewer lavish features than many other luxury choices he could have made.  Hats off to Will who reportedly says:  “”I absolutely love our Prius. In addition to being obviously economical and environmentally friendly, they drive great and are just plain sexy. There’s no reason all Americans shouldn’t be driving hybrid cars.” (Will Ferrell)

Leonardo DiCaprio was one of the first celebrities to commit to the aspiration  toward driving an economically efficient hybrid, and other big stars like Billy Joel, Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Robin Williams, Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts, and Tom Hanks are included on the unofficial list of those who were quick to follow suit in driving environmentally friendly cars.

Going green is not only an altruistic action, it is also great for a celebrities PR, it is considered very trendy and shows a sense of conscientiousness and restraint and allows the celebrities to show the public that they are concerned for something other than their rich and lavish ego-centered lifestyle.

Whatever the true reason behind their choices, it is apparent that more and more celebrities are going green today,  it’s difficult to ignore the huge influence they may have on their fans to make a  decision to purchase a green car as well.

Parallel Parking

If you have ever lived downtown in a big city, you know how to parallel park, but you also know it can be a pain in the-you-know-what!  Even if you are conscientious enough to leave plenty of space for the driver parked behind you to get out, there is no guarantee that the next parker will not come along and box you in so tight that by the time you complete the grueling job of getting your car out of the parking spot, you are ready to take a nap.

Car makers have come up with an innovative solution where instead of the becoming frazzled by trying to squeeze your vehicle into a tiny spot risking fender benders and traffic jams, you simply push a button, sit back, and the car actually parallel parks itself.  This is the technology of the future that will eventually be used to design a car that can be put on auto pilot to drive it’s self.

How does the self parking mechanism work? The car is equipped with a  small camera mounted in the rear or the vehicle, a built in computer, and a steering sensor that all function to work  together providing effortless parallel parking.

The driver pulls up in front of a vacant spot and then the driver shifts the car into reverse, the parking mechanism is selected to activate the system and an image of the parking spot shows a box with arrows pointing in all four directions, on the navigation screen.  The driver simply taps the arrows to adjust the picture on the screen, projecting exactly where he wants the car to end up.  Then select a button and the car starts to back up and steer itself into the parking spot.  The only thing the driver has to do is to control the speed of the car when backing up by keeping his foot on the brake and of course watch for an unexpected pedestrian walking in the way.  Then when the car is properly positioned into the parking spot, the driver simply shifts into drive and pulls the car forward.  Although it is not a 100% automated process, it certainly takes the stress out of the most difficult part of parallel parking. Check out a new hybrid Toyota or  Lexus with the self-park option at Spirit Toyota today.

Stock cars

Toyota has been a regular NASCAR participant since 2004. The company has achieved success at the highest levels in auto racing, by winning more than 20 Sprint Cup races to date, and by competing for sprint cup titles during the last two years. Toyota also has claimed four manufactures titles in NASCAR’s truck series and two others in Nationwide.

May 24th 2009 marked the first occasion that we have seen a hybrid vehicle pace an entire NASCAR race, from start to finish. The setting was the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, in Concord, North Carolina. On this day, some 180,000 racing fans made it out to the track to feel the waves of adrenaline rush through their bodies, as the cars blow in an amazing display of speed and power.

The Toyota Camry hybrid pace car itself was built in Georgetown, KY, at the manufacturing facility located there. This 187 hp, 4 cylinder, 16 valve Camry comes standard with a 45 hp electric motor, and gets 33 miles per gallon of gas, on average.

Why did a pace car make headlines prior to the event? Well, consider that we are talking about a sport that just began using unleaded fuel in 2008, and that your typical NASCAR vehicle gets around 4.2 mpg of fuel. At first glance, this venue does not seem to be well suited toward displaying a “green product”, such as hybrid car.

It all comes down to performance, as far as NASCAR is concerned. A pace car executes two main functions on a race tack. First, they assist in starting off the race by bringing vehicles up to their starting speeds. Second the act as safety vehicles during a race, in the event of bad weather, or when collisions occur. Quick acceleration and the ability to handle safely at high speeds are definitely a part of the job description.

Prior to receiving a go ahead from NASCAR, the hybrid Toyota Camry had to demonstrate the ability to go 0-100mph in the ¼ mile distance from the pit road track entrance to the exit at the second turn. The vehicle passed the test. Pretty impressive, considering the fact that the only thing on the car that wasn’t to factory standards was the paint job.

Doing Maintenance

You decided to invest the extra money to purchase a Hybrid Toyota. The next step is to maintain your Highlander, to ensure that it runs at a level of peak performance. Proper maintenance can help the vehicle run just as good in 5 years as it does today. Not only that, by having the scheduled maintenance performed, you will insure that your warranty stays intact. Repairs that need done which result from not keeping up with the scheduled maintenance requirements will end up being an out of pocket expense.

Many newer vehicles are engineered to only require maintenance twice per year or every 5,000 miles. This makes is more convenient for drivers, as opposed to having to make appointments and pay for service after every 3,000 miles of operation. Here are the maintenance requirements that you can expect for the first 10,000 miles, or for the first 12 months of operation, whichever comes first.

5,000 miles/6month service

• Brake inspection
• Rotate the tires
• Replace the engine oil and oil filter

Maintenance when using vehicle for towing

• Tighten nuts and bolts on chassis and body

Driving on dirt/dusty roadways

• Check the ball joints and the dust covers
• Check the drive shaft boots
• Check the air filter
• Inspect the steering linkage and boots
• Re-torque the drive shaft bolts

10,000 miles/12 months

• Brake inspection
• Rotate the tires
• Replace the engine oil and oil filter

Maintenance when using vehicle for towing

• Tighten nuts and bolts on chassis and body

Driving on dirt/dusty roadways

• Check the ball joints and the dust covers
• Check the drive shaft boots
• Check the air filter
• Inspect the steering linkage and boots
• Re-torque the drive shaft bolts

This information is only a guideline. The required maintenance can vary based on how you drive, as well as the environmental conditions that the vehicle operates in. Consult a Toyota dealership representative, if you require more information on the matter.

The first thing you’ll need to do is to make sure that your vehicle is clean and shiny. If there is dirt and grime on the paint, or bugs stuck on the windshield, the picture just won’t turn out well. Instead of paying attention to the streamlined look or the gorgeous color, all anyone will be able to see are the imperfections. So, do yourself a favor, and wash and polish that car!

Now that your car is clean, you’ll need some good lighting. Sure, your camera has a flash, but to really get a good portrait, you’ll want to make sure there is also lots of ambient light. Chances are, some good daylight will get you what you need. Make sure that the sun is behind you as you take the shot of your hybrid Toyota. Otherwise, the car will look as though it’s shadowed. Also, make sure the sun isn’t too high or creating bright reflections off of the paint.

Finally, you’ll need to decide if you want to pose with your car. If you do want to be in the picture, be sure to have someone else around to take the picture. They should probably take more than one so that you can be sure to have some good shots to choose from. You could also use a timer and a tripod, but that may require investing in more equipment than you need.

So, have a little fun and snap some shots of your hybrid Toyota. It can be fun to compare how it looks now with how great it will look in the years to come!