Car Tech
Aston Martin Cygnet: Automotive netbook
Just over a year ago, Asus birthed the netbook -- a cheaper, smaller, alternative to the traditional laptop -- that would later explode in popularity. Today, Aston Martin looks set to apply the 'smaller sells more' philosophy to the world of cars with the Cygnet -- a dinkier, less expensive take on the luxury supercar.
The Cygnet will be created in conjunction with Toyota and is based on the Japanese company's iQ city car. That's no bad thing, though the enormous air intake on the front of the concept (pictured) -- taken straight from a DBS or DB9, by the looks of things -- plus the new lights and bonnet vents give it a more sinister look than its Toyota brethren. Continue reading...
Video: 2010 Toyota Prius road test 
The new 2010 Generation III Prius is heavier and has a bigger engine than its predecessor, yet it's more economical, kinder to the environment and faster than comparable diesel cars. What brand of witchcraft is this?
We've already shown what brand of witchcraft it is in our earlier photo story, but if you've yet to read it -- perhaps you literally have lazy eyes -- rejoice, for we've made this easy-to-digest video review, just for you, in which we get all hands-on with the Prius T Spirit -- the high-end model with all the gadgets in it. Watch video...
Jaguar XFR road test: Faster than they think 
Waiting patiently at the traffic lights for that familiar shade of green, we noticed something unusual. The number of passing pedestrians gazing in the direction of our XFR had increased. It was nothing to do with the car's inherent beauty -- not this time. Today, the Jag shared its limelight with a shiny yellow Lotus Elise that had pulled boorishly alongside, its driver making the sort of eye contact that demanded a race. What the hell, we were running late for Andy Murray's game at Wimbledon anyway.
The speed limit on the road ahead was a meagre 60mph -- not even half the Jag's electronically limited 155mph maximum. Not wanting to offend the lawmakers, we hit the ASL button on the centre console to engage the car's automatic speed-limiting feature, thumbed the corresponding dial on the steering wheel 'til it read 60, twisted the JaguarDrive gear selector clockwise from D to S (for sport, natch), and tugged the left paddle behind the steering wheel to access first gear. This was going to be like shooting a piece of cake from a baby's hand, using a shotgun loaded with fish. Continue reading...
New 2010 Toyota Prius road test: It's back to save us all
The Toyota Prius is loved and loathed in equal measure. To some, it is a mere gimmick that does as much to harm the environment as it does to protect it. Others believe it represents the future of motoring, boldly forging a path that other cars simply aren't equipped to follow. Whatever your opinion, it's difficult to deny the Prius has always been a technological tour de force, but has the latest iteration evolved sufficiently to silence the brand's critics? We think so. Continue reading...
UK to plug in world's largest electric car trial
The UK is to host the world's largest trial of electric vehicles, putting the kind of hi-tech eco-friendly cars you'd normally only see in CNET UK's award-winning Car Tech onto the streets of our green and pleasant land.
The £25 million scheme was unveiled on Tuesday by Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, and Lord Drayson, the science minister. Three hundred and forty vehicles will be loaned to people in eight locations around the country, including London, Coventry, Birmingham and Newcastle. Each area's trial will be run by a consortium made up of car manufacturers, power companies and universities, to test and study hybrid and all-electric vehicles. Continue reading...
BMW and Toyota rev up new hybrids
The Web has gone hybrid nuts today with rumours of a new hybrid Toyota sports car and a hybrid BMW sedan. Spy photos show the BMW 755ih, a hybrid version of the 7-series, driving the streets of Munich. The car uses the 750i's twin turbo 4.4-litre V-8 complemented by a small 20hp electric motor. BMWBlog says the hybrid system reduces the V-8's fuel consumption by 15 per cent. The 755ih should be unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show. Continue reading...
The 2010 Toyota Prius is here, and at 71mpg it means business
Today and tomorrow, Crave is in Sweden for the UK launch of a Japanese car designed to save the world. Yup, we get to do some pretty bonkers things, but this has to be up there with them.
The car in question is the 2010 Toyota Prius -- a car whose predecessors have become a byword for environmentally friendly motoring. This time round, they say it's faster, significantly more economical, and more desirable, which addresses pretty much all the problems we had with the seminal original.Continue reading...
Video: Smart Brabus Electric Drive sound generator tested
Blind people believe hybrid and electric cars pose a safety risk. They reckon that because these things make virtually no noise, it's only a matter of time before they're involved in some sort of collision with an errant G-Wiz or Citroen C1 EV'IE.
Smart doesn't particularly believe this to be true, but its latest vehicle, the Smart Brabus Electric Drive, incorporates a gadget that may save the lives of the visually challenged. Or not. It has a sound generator that mimics the noise made by a traditional internal combustion engine. More to the point, it also makes a noise that mimics a bloomin' space ship! Watch video...
Video: Porsche Boxster S launch control will tear your face off
Good news folks, we've shot a video test drive of the brand-spanking-new Porsche Boxster and Boxster S, and -- as we said in our earlier photo story -- it is the canine's genitalia. That's a good thing, by the way.
In this video, we'll take you through a few of the car's highlights, including its dash-mounted timer, which stores lap times on a built-in hard drive, and the truly awesome Porsche Management System 3.0, which serves as a sat-nav, iPod dock and car phone. Plus we demonstrate the amazing F1-style launch-control system that comes courtesy of Porsche's double-clutch PDK system. 0-60mph in 5 seconds, anyone?Watch video...
Smart Brabus Electric Drive generates noise like the Enterprise
Are you tired of being run over by near-silent electric cars? No, us neither, but we've got good news for anyone who often finds themselves wandering into the path of freakishly quiet oncoming eco-cars.
Meet the Smart Brabus Electric Drive -- a modified version of the Smart ED prototype we tested back in April 2008. This one's been given the once-over by German tuning company Brabus, which has painted it spearmint green and white, fitted a matching interior, and added some interesting new gadgets. Continue reading...
