1/25/09

The Office's Mindy Kaling Drives a MCSa

We can another celebrity to the list of MINI owners. From what I can tell, its an R53 ('05 or '06) CR/W MCSa with nav, sunroof and anthracite dash. Very nice combo. Check out this NAM Thread for other notable celebrities with MINIs like Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, and Jimmy Fallon.

1/15/09

2010 Prius vs 2010 Insight

Toyota finally premiered the 2010 3rd gen Prius. Overall it looks somewhat different, especially the interior. An improvement from 46 mpg to 50 mpg is a key mental jump but certainly not anything near the 100 mpg that had been rumored a while ago. The exterior is definitely Prius although there is a slight improvement in the lines. It's not so odd looking. The car appears smaller even though they tout more rear legroom than before. The optional solar panel roof is nice but is it really that useful? It is simple to ventilate the cabin on those hot days while parked. I also have a feeling that they are doing away with the display monitor as standard. All that info has moved to the instrument panel above. Although there will be the option for gps of course.

I am really not as excited about the new Prius as I thought I would be. The overall improvement just isn't there yet. I think I like the new Honda Insight a lot more now. It now has a back seat though it trails the Prius in mpg ratings at about 41. I also like the fact that the motor does not turn off while you drive. And the price is more to my liking. Under 20k for this make it very appealing to more people. This might be a great choice for my next daily driver. My current one has seen better days.

Check out the videos from cnettv.com of the Insight and the Prius. The insight is said to be availible as soon as April of this year while the Prius is coming sometime ing the Spring.