Damox's Car Blog

The hybrid car is about to get a big boost - at least those made by Toyota. The 2009 model of the car will have mileage around 85 mpg, an improvement of 25-40 mpg over current models.

The major improvement in the future Prius design is the battery, which will use a phosphate material as opposed to the current cobalt-oxide. The new batteries will be safer and more durable in temperature extremes. This will allow Toyota to make the car run on battery power more and gas power less.

Performance figures will also be improved on the next Prius, which will actually be slightly larger than the current model. 0-60 times should be down to around 9 seconds. That's still quite slow compared to performance models in the same price range, but none of its competitors can get anywhere near 85 miles per gallon.
Future Car News » 2009 Prius to get 85 MPG using “Safe” Lithium Ion Batteries

The Lotus Exige S is currently one of my favorite sports cars for the following reasons:

1) The price. It costs less than a Dodge Viper. Way less.
2) Fuel economy. It averages about 31 mpg. Very good for a sports car.
3) It's quick. This car will beat a Ferrari off the line and will beat just about anything in a race on a track with lots of curves. Of course, if you're on the street, you know that most driving is like this. There are very few straightaways in the world that allow someone to go 250 mph, so that Bugatti Veyron won't be getting a full workout any time soon.

Check out the linked article for more on the road test of the Lotus Exige S.

Independent Online Edition > Road Tests