In Other Words
Prius Rolls With New Batteries
We don't have much patience for electric cars, unless we're using them for an environmentally friendly demolition derby. The new Prius will probably go down as the best gas/electric car yet, and not just because Cameron will want one. It's a lot bigger than the first Toyota hybrid, plus it has a hatchback body style that makes it one of the best-looking Toyotas for sale. The power package gets a lot more in the groove, and even if we can't figure out how to boost a battery pack, the Prius can now scoot to 60 mph in less than ten seconds. Greenies will only care that it puts out 30 percent pollution-and that's why we continue to make fun of them. Maybe the coolest feature of the new Prius: A proximity sensor that replaces the keys, so when you step near your Prius it unlocks and lets you press a button to start it up. The $20,000 base price includes anti-lock brakes and power windows/doors/locks/mirrors.
Boosting The Baja
Subaru has the right idea when it comes to making vaguely lame cars interesting: Strap a turbocharger on the engine, black out the body and mildly frighten the women customers who wear comfortable shoes and listen to lots of Sarah McLachlan. The Baja half-breed pickup is the latest Sube to go for a quick power fix: with the turbo motor it makes 210 hp by way of the turbo, some lightweight exhaust valves and a semi-closed deck cylinder head. The hood scoop is functional, in case you doubted its usefulness, and you can stick with a five-speed manual because the four-speed automatic is old skool, and not in a cool way.
Brits Favor Four-Wheel Fun
You've probably heard about people having sex in cars, we're just betting. Now a survey in Great Britain confirms that, at least over there, knocking boots in a car is the overwhelming choice of people who think doing it outside is cool. The Website safeoutdoorsex.com surveyed 1500 people and found that folks prefer doing it in the car over doing it on the beach or out in the woods. While they're not actually advocating the use of car parts as marital aids, the Webbies think car sex isn't just keen, it's liberating. "Safe outdoor sex is about liberty and power," said Katherine Govier, a spokesperson for the site, which is sponsored by a British condom maker.
Drive Time: Infiniti FX45
You might be in better shape than the average automotive writer, but if you parked the Infiniti FX45 in your driveway, you might feel a little intimidated, too. Of all the SUVs on the planet, the FX looks the most like the muscleheads who linger around the 75-pound dumbbells and reek of good health.
The FX's ripped and cut shape isn't the only thing to drool over. It has some of the great body structure of the 350Z underneath its taut skin, gets a scad of techy gear inside, and sports the automotive equivalent of morning wood with a 315-hp V8 and a five-speed automatic transmission.
This is no parking-lot pretender. Stomp into the right pedal and the FX snaps into action like a Marine grunt with the noises to prove it. The V8 howls, the five-speed snaps off shifts in perfect order, and pretty soon you either hit a socially unacceptable speed or the front of a CVS, depending on how well you drive. We did both just to savor the airbag burns. We didn't even bother with the 280-hp V6 version, even though it's about $10,000 cheaper, so smitten were we.
Should you choose to actually change direction, the FX responds more like a sports machine than a truck saddled with kid gear and a grocery-getting life mission. The steering is charming-it got us to loan it lots of money without promising to pay it back-and the brakes are about as good as those on the Z itself. And the independent suspension bits work together so closely you'd swear they had some visceral connection to your central nervous system.
They don't hold back on the gadgets either. The FX45 gets four airbags in front, electronic stability control and a 300-watt stereo system. A rearview camera sounds like a cool option if you like taking pictures of the noses of other cars; we'd prefer the 3-D DVD navigation system, given an extra couple grand. Look at it another way: We're already saving money by not buying Porsche's overpriced, overhyped Cayenne-ice cream's on us!