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CARB uses tricked-out RAV4 EV to measure air pollution in California

The old-school Toyota RAV4 EV you see above is the California Air Resources Board's version of a non-participant observer. The all-electric vehicle cruises around the state measuring airborne pollution. Since it's powered by batteries, there are no tailpipe emissions created as CARB tries to get a handle on how dirty the roadway air is. The problem, CARB says, is that it is difficult to measure air pollution levels, "during calm conditions at night and in the early morning." There are over 250 stationary air monitoring sites in California today, but the Board wanted a way to expand where and when it can test for things like ultrafine particles, carbon dioxide and nox. The original plan for the Mobile Monitoring Platform – as the RAV4 EV is officially called – was to "Investigate Spatial, Diurnal and Seasonal Pollution Gradients" on California's highways and ports. The RAV4 EV was originally expected to cost $280,000 (see pages 11-12 in this PDF from 2009), but a new report in the Modesto Bee says it had a total of $300,000 just in monitoring equipment. Michael Benjamin, CARB's chief of air monitoring, told the Bee that the MMP, "paints a thorough picture about what air quality is in any given community." More importantly, the stationary and mobile testing equipment can tell CARB when and where the air is getting cleaner. Which is the whole point, after all.

2015 Toyota Yaris to start at $14,845* and look like this

Toyota released a new Yaris in Europe and its Vitz clone in Japan a few months ago, so we knew it would only be a matter of time before it would launch the new hatchback here in North America. And that time has come.
The new, more distinctive 2015 Yaris features far more aggressive exterior styling, a look set apart by that large lower air dam and X-motif front end. It rides on a retuned suspension hooked up to an altogether more rigid chassis, and Toyota promises it will ride more quietly and comfortably than the model it replaces. Inside the new model has additional soft-touch materials in a more comfortable cabin equipped with everything from a 6.1-inch touchscreen display to nine airbags.
The 2015 Yaris comes in both three- and five-door bodystyles, and three trim levels that seek to eliminate the need for options packages. In fact the only option to speak of is a dealer-installed nav system. Power comes from a modest 1.5-liter four with variable valve timing, dual overhead cams and sixteen valves, sending 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque through either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

Incrementally better than ever | 2017 Toyota 86 First Drive

We'd love to tell you that the incremental upgrades bestowed upon Toyota's rear-wheel-drive coupe as it made its transition from Scion FR-S to Toyota 86 have transformed it into a perfect sportscar. If only a few more horsepower, shorter rear-end gearing, and tiny aero updates were enough to quell all the complaints that enthusiasts have leveled at the machine since the platform first hit the road in 2012, this review would have been so much more satisfying to write. Sadly, that's not the case. Don't get us wrong. The 86 is still extremely fun to toss around a twisty road. The chassis is impressively balanced, the steering is direct, and the shifter is sweet. Sorry to impart upon you this well-worn trope, but the old adage that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow is, in this case, completely accurate. The 2017 Toyota 86 is nothing if not entertaining. But it's not completely new. It hasn't been transformed. It is, in the end, the same as it ever was. It will take about three minutes of your time to watch the videos below, in which we cover pretty much everything that's new for the 2017 Toyota 86. Toyota 86s equipped with manual transmissions get a five-pony boost to 205 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque. Automatic models soldier forth with a carryover 2.0-liter four-cylinder that puts out 200 hp and 151 lb-ft. Apparently, more than half of Scion FR-S buyers chose the automatic. That's unfortunate, as it drains a good deal of the fun out of the 86 experience. Choose the manual and you'll be rewarded with an easy clutch and a rewarding short-throw shifter. And, as we said, five more ponies, courtesy of intake and exhaust tweaks and the polishing of some internal engine components. The only upside to the automatic is improved fuel economy of 24 miles per gallon in the city and 32 on the highway. Manual 86s are EPA-rated at 21/28. Along with the small bump in power, the 2017 86 gets a 4.3:1 rear-end gear ratio in lieu of the old 4.1:1 unit. That ought to translate into a small improvement in acceleration that really only matters on paper. In the real world, on actual roads, the difference is negligible. To eke the most out of the 86, you have to constantly work the shifter and keep the engine north of 5,000 rpm. It's still not particularly quick, but it's definitely fun. There's plenty of noise inside the 86, from the wind, the road, and the engine.