2010 Honda Insight Pictures Car

The 2010 Honda Insight is a dedicated hybrid vehicle, meaning it has a unique look and is only offered with a hybrid powertrain, with space for five.

the 2010 Honda Insight worships wind tunnels, with a shape that looks carved to cut through the air with the least resistance. Yet the silhouette allows a hatchback practicality, and Honda manages to incorporate an impressive degree of design detail for such a low-priced vehicle.

Enter the four-door 2010 Honda Insight, which takes dead aim at Toyota's green machine by offering comparable fuel economy and a look-alike hatchback layout at a considerably lower price. Of course, those with a longer memory might recall the first-generation Honda Insight, too, but its futuristic look was too impractical for most people despite stellar fuel efficiency. Not so version 2.0.

The 2010 Honda Insight is a four-door hatchback available in base LX and uplevel EX trims. The LX comes standard with 15-inch steel wheels, full power accessories, automatic climate control, a tilt/telescoping steering column, a height-adjustable driver seat and a four-speaker CD audio system with an auxiliary audio jack. The EX adds alloy wheels, side-mirror-mounted turn signal indicators, stability control, cruise control, variable intermittent wipers, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters and a six-speaker audio system with a USB port and a fully integrated iPod connection.

The 2010 Honda Insight has a similar hybrid system, but the rest of the package is unique, with a versatile hatchback arrangement and a more memorable look that screams "hybrid."

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2009 Lexus IS Car Pictures

The IS 250's 2.5-litre V6 develops 204 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque, and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Think about it: there is no other Toyota or Lexus model sold in North America that offers this engine, and only the FJ Cruiser and Tacoma are available with 6 speeds in their manual gearbox. The term 'badge engineering' doesn't apply here.

The IS is arguably the sportiest car in Lexus' line-up, but it doesn't turn its back on ride quality. The car is sure-footed and confident, and its linear steering entices you to take curves a little faster, a little sharper. At 100 km/h, the small V6 is spinning at 2,600 rpm, but the cabin is pretty quiet nonetheless.

However, driving the IS 350 may be something of a letdown from the dyed-in-the-wool enthusiast's perspective. The 3.5-liter V6 is unquestionably a highlight, providing smooth yet thrilling acceleration at the drop of your right foot. Unfortunately, the only available transmission is an automatic, and it's a slow-shifting one at that. Moreover, while the IS 350's steering is accurate, it's notably uncommunicative. Handling limits are quite high, but the brake pedal doesn't inspire confidence with its long travel and soft feel. On the whole, it seems that Lexus was aiming for a slightly less sporty demographic with this car, namely buyers who want the aesthetics and track numbers of a sport sedan along with the compliant ride and coddling interior of a luxury sedan.

The sole transmission choice is a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters. The IS 350 accelerates with the tenacity of a dedicated sports car, as the 0-60 sprint requires just 5.6 seconds. Although the transmission offers quick manual-style gearchanges, it doesn't match revs on downshifts like some rival automatics do.

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Honda Civic Hybrid 2009 Green Car

It's the time for Green Car!

The gas-engine Honda Civic comes in a number of trims, as well as a performance Si trim and the two-door coupe, but the 2009 Civic Hybrid is only offered as a four-door sedan. The exterior has been slightly refreshed and new interior features have been added for 2009.

Hybrids are seen as anti-establishment symbols, the anti-status status symbol. But there has been some discontent with these feel-good cars as owners have found they're not getting the advertised mileage. So if you're on the verge of being overcome by the environmentally correct need to get behind the wheel of a hybrid, be advised that they don't all work in the same way. You'll need to curb some of your speedy habits and learn some new driving skills to achieve their fuel-economy claims.

Although the Civic can't move away from a stop using only the electric motor, Honda says there is one situation where its hybrid can run on just electricity—at about 15 to 20 mph when cruising on a flat surface at a steady speed with a fully charged, or nearly so, battery pack. Since the electric motor and the gas engine rotate inseparably, the Civic must cut off fuel to the engine and use its variable-valve-timing system to close the engine's valves and make it easier for the electric motor to do its job.

The final benefit of a hybrid is that the gas engine shuts off when you come to a full stop, thereby saving fuel. In the first Civic hybrid, if the air conditioning was on and the econ button was not engaged, the engine wouldn't shut down.

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New 2009 Nissan Altima Pictures and Review

Both Altima body styles can be luxuriously appointed with an impressive array of options, but those options are typically part of large and pricey packages. These feast-or-famine packages are further complicated by being conditionally paired with other packages. This structuring makes it difficult, if not downright impossible, to pick and choose among options you would consider essential or frivolous.

The luxury-oriented Altima 3.5 SL is the most amply appointed trim level and is only available as a sedan. Standard equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlights, leather seats (heated for the driver and front passenger), metallic interior trim, dual-zone automatic climate control with rear passenger vents, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, interior mood lighting, Bluetooth and a nine-speaker Bose audio system with an in-dash six-CD/MP3 changer and satellite radio.

The 2009 Nissan Altima offers two engine choices. Altima 2.5 models come with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 175 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. Altima 3.5 models have a 3.5-liter V6 that pumps out 270 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.

Pros
Strong engines, smooth and responsive continuously variable transmission (CVT), responsive steering, attractive styling inside and out, high-grade interior materials, high crash test scores.

Cons
Stability control unavailable on four-cylinder models, mediocre rear seating comfort, complex option grouping.

Source

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