Hybrid

Hyundai has unveiled a new Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) variant of the 2016 Sonata. The big thing that sets the PHEV model apart from the normal Sonata Hybrid is that this version can drive for up to 27 miles on electricity alone.

When you think Toyota and hybrid, likely the Prius probably comes to mind first. However, at 95Octane we like our hybrids with a little more to them than the Prius. So, I am glad to get to review a hybrid that’s more my style and more well-suited for 95Octane.

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a new concept car at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show designed to showcase the future of aerodynamic design. The Concept IAA has the lowest coefficient of drag in the world according to Mercedes with a Cd value of 0.19.

Decades ago, when I first met my wife, she had an old beat up Honda CR-Z. I loved that car; it was so fun to drive and looked cool too. I always wished Honda would come back out with a car like that.

The Toyota Prius is a bonafide sales success that other manufacturers can only dream of. In spite of that fact, it has never been an attractive car. Designed more to cut the wind, as opposed to turning heads, it’s pretty much been the equivalent of a lozenge on wheels… until now.

When is a Ferrari not a Ferrari? When you can’t drive it down the street and have everyone ogle at your awesome ride and show off your Master of the Universe status. That’s essentially the situation for the new LaFerrari-inspired FXX K.

The gang over at Brabus is well known for taking Mercedes-Benz cars and giving those lots more power and torque. The last time we spoke of them was when they coaxed 850hp from the C63 AMG coupe.

Cadillac is on hand at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show and has officially confirmed the plug-in hybrid version of the Cadillac CT6 we talked about earlier this month. It is withholding some key details on the car, but giving up lots of other info in the process.

I’m not typically that impressed with what Volkswagen is cooking up these days, but I rather like the looks of the C Coupe GTE Concept that has been unveiled at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. The car looks very attractive on the outside with a wide and low profile.

After previewing it back in December, Volvo has officially announced the plug-in hybrid model of its XC90 SUV. This version aims for the green crowd that have a lot of people and stuff to move. The plug-in version of the car is called the XC90 T8 Twin Engine and as the name implies it has two propulsion systems.

We’ve seen the McLaren P1 reviewed alongside the shy Ferrari LaFerrari. Here’s a more definitive comparison of the best hybrid supercars, but this time it’s between the P1 and the Porsche 918 Spyder. The goal? Fastest lap at the Laguna Seca. 

The Chevrolet Volt has been around for a few years now and it is an interesting vehicle. The car is a plug-in hybrid with a generator inside that powers the battery when the charge runs out.

The Cadillac CT6 was unveiled during the 2015 New York Auto Show last week. We already know that the normal version of the car will be offered with either a 3.6L V6 making 335hp or a twin turbo 3.0L V6 producing 400hp.

The most common place for us to see hybrid tech today is in cars. The better place for that tech where fuel savings can be more important is in larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks. With that in mind, Toyota has announced a new hybrid version of the RAV4 SUV for 2016.

I admit that when the first hybrids rolled onto the market, I didn’t like them. I am much more about performance than saving fuel when it comes to cars. I will also admit that I really like the new generation of performance cars that use hybrid tech to go green and perform better.