A survey conducted by Purdue University has found that the vast majority of drivers are totally cool with driving over the posted speed limit — no matter what that number is. Five miles per hour over the posted limit? No problem, 21% said. Ten mph over? More power to you, 43% said. Twenty mph over? Why not? asked 36%. The study's author, Fred Mannering, hypothesizes that moves to tangle other concerns up with speed limit ...

The following story is going to contain an overwhelming amount of clichés: San Francisco hybrid owners now have the option of taking their Priuses into a specialty shop for conversion into plug-in electric vehicles. Carolyn Coquilette, owner of Luscious Garage, offers the option of installing an extra plug-in battery pack that allows the typical Prius to go 12 to 15 miles on electric power alone before shifting to the gasoline engine. The conversion costs $6,000, ...

I can almost hear Comic Book Guy from "The Simpsons": Worst. Batmobile. Ever. Still, the Batsmart has its charm. The creator of the classic TV version of the Batmobile, George Barris, showed off this funky little creation at this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas. Yes, it's a Smart ForTwo duded up for Gotham crime-fighting, complete with a rear jet-exhaust and high-mounted rear wings. Not to get all nerdy, but the Batsmart is clearly more ...

Toyota announced a couple months back that it would produce a four-cylinder version of its Highlander crossover. Today, the company has published some of the specs behind the newest model. The new Highlander is powered by a 187-hp, 2.7-liter four-cylinder with 186 pounds-feet of torque. It’s mated to an all-new six-speed automatic transmission. This is the same engine and transmission in the new Venza, and with good reason; Toyota’s K-platform underpins the Venza, Highlander and ...

Weighing in at 6,000 pounds and decked out with gadgets and creature comforts to rival a yacht, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is a serious luxury vehicle with a green twist. Where the non-hybrid version of the Escalade gets around 12/19 mpg city/highway, the hybrid gets 20/21 mpg ??? that???s a significant improvement in city driving. Does that make the Escalade Hybrid a deal? And what person is both worried about paying for gas and in ...

Two weeks ago, I took to the Pennsylvania countryside to test an all-new model from Toyota, called Venza. Despite the name — a combination of the word “venture” and the Monza racetrack in Italy — the vehicle is almost entirely practical. Who would have thought Toyota could do such a thing? Seriously though, this enlarged wagon/crossover/non-SUV will be hard to sell, simply because people won’t know what it is. But after reading the review, it ...

Last week I went to southwestern Pennsylvania to drive the all-new 2009 Toyota Venza. Loosely based on the Camry sedan, the Venza is directly aimed at those who are not interested in full-blown SUVs and want something that’s not only easier to drive, but easier to get in and out of as well. The term “boomer” came up more than once. I’m prevented from discussing how it drove for another week, but look for a ...

Talk about your good ideas. Scientists have long bandied about the notion of creating transportation fuels from atmospheric CO2, but the economic and technological constraints have made it impossible. Now, a California startup called Carbon Sciences claims it’s found a way to make the process cost-efficient. It says that, over the course of the next several months, it will demonstrate that it can make a profitable liquid fuel from carbon dioxide. How would it work? ...

This morning we saw the production version of the Chevy Volt for the first time. We had seen some earlier images released unofficially on the web and they disappointed us. Thankfully, after seeing more angles of the real thing, we’re a bit more optimistic for the Volt’s success. Below are our staff’s first thoughts from editors Joe Wiesenfelder, David Thomas, Mike Hanley and Kelsey Mays. Don't forget to voice your own thoughts in the comments. ...

We spent a good chunk of yesterday calling car dealers nationwide trying to find a new Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid to buy. We logged quite a few phone calls — as interested buyers, mind you — and not one dealer had an actual vehicle on the lot. We recently ran our list of the fastest cars moving in and out of lots, and both ranked quite high, with the Prius and Civic Hybrid ...