2011 Toyota Sienna
2011 Toyota Sienna – First Drive
2011 Toyota Sienna – First Drive
Can a minivan be cool? Toyota seems to think so. By adding a sporty SE trim with unique interior and exterior design cues to the 2011 Sienna lineup, Toyota believes it can raise the minivan's admittedly geeky profile to something more hip.
Along the way, Toyota is also making the van more frugal, with an optional 4-cylinder engine, and more luxurious, with reclining second-row seats in the top version.
Now in its third generation, the new Sienna is certainly comfortable and convenient, but cool? That's in the eye of the beholder.
Model Lineup
For 2011 the Toyota Sienna will come in five trims: base, LE, SE, XLE and Limited. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is available with the V6 engine on LE, XLE and Limited. Standard equipment on the base and LE grades includes tri-zone air conditioning, a 4-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo, an auxiliary input jack and 17-inch alloy wheels.
2011 Porsche Cayenne teased in Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid picture
At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche will show the new 2010 911 GT3 R Hybrid. Joining the new hybrid Porsche racer will be the 2011 Cayenne SUV, which is being teased through this new image of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid.
We’ve adjusted the picture’s contrast level so you can get a better look. Click on the thumbnail below to check it out.
BMW hybrid boosts performance
BMW's second gasoline-electric vehicle line, the 2011 ActiveHybrid 7 sedans, will go on sale this spring with starting prices of $103,125 (including freight) for the regular-length 7 model, and $107,025 for the long-wheelbase version, the 7L, the German luxury automaker says.
As with the $100,000-plus Lexus LS 600h, against which the ActiveHybrid 7 models will compete, the hybrid system in the BMW models is designed to enhance performance more than to boost fuel economy.
These sedans follow the introduction in December of BMW's first hybrid, the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6. It's a version of BMW's X6 “sports activity coupe,” which actually is a five-door sport utility vehicle with the low profile of a coupe.
The ActiveHybrid X6, which begins at $89,725 (with freight), features a 4.4-liter, 400-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-8 gasoline engine and a pair of electric motors, giving it a combined 480 horsepower rating. It comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission. BMW bills it as the most powerful hybrid vehicle on the market.
ActiveHybrid 7 sedans come with an upgraded version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8, rated at 440 horsepower by itself. It's combined with a single electric motor that boosts total horsepower to 455. An eight-speed automatic transmission is used in the sedans.
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