Before I made the appointment, I also searched online to see if Toyota had made any changes to their initial recommendation of 5,000 mile oil change intervals. A while back I’d read that Toyota was considering a 10,000 mile interval for some of their newer vehicles using synthetics. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find anything that looked official or definitive so I called the service manager and headed in.

When I arrived, the person I met with asked me a few questions about what work I would be having done and how many miles were on the vehicle. When he learned that it had only been 5,000 miles since my last oil change, he let me know about the new 10,000 mile recommendation from Toyota Motors. The technician also showed me how to reset the service warning message that had been appearing in my display lately, every time I started my Prius. From memory, I’m fairly sure the steps are as follows:

1) With the Power On, switch the trip-meter to display “TRIPA”
2) Push the Power button to turn the Power OFF
3) (Without your foot on the brake) push the Power ON button while holding in the “km/h” and “MPH” button
4) The display screen will show the progress of reseting of the oil change data.
5) When the reset is complete, release the button and press the Power Off button

Anyway, I asked the tech to send me the official announcement their dealership had received from Toyota, so I’ll copy it below. I didn’t get the free oil change coupon or revised maintenance guide so I’ll have to check on those items next time…

Over the past several months, there has been considerable discussion regarding Toyota and Scion vehicles that have adopted a new engine oil lubrication standard (SAE 0W-20 synthetic) as well as the timeline for the complete integration of this standard. The purpose of this communication is to provide important information regarding the subsequent extension of the oil drain interval for vehicles that have adopted the 0W-20 oil standard.  To that end, I am pleased to announce that TMC has approved our request to move all 0W-20 certified vehicles to a 10,000 mile / 1 year (under normal operating conditions with 0W-20 oil) oil and oil filter change interval effective immediately with the following stipulations:

• TMS solely bears the cost of Warranty and Maintenance Guide (WMG) revisions (i.e. reprinting and distribution, and scrapping of outdated materials) and any and all owner notifications;
• TMS works closely with the Dealer organization to ensure that consumers receive real cost of ownership benefit from this change;
• TMS integrates an updated and TMC approved set of “Special Operating Conditions” (formerly called “severe use”) in all affected WMGs; and
• TMS helps monitor the impact of this change and report the status to TMC periodically

In essence this change marks a return to the two option format in place several years ago. The good news is that, as mentioned above, the Special Operating Condition criteria and WMG verbiage have been revised to provide greater clarity. The new criteria are as follows:

Special Operating Conditions - In addition to standard maintenance items, the maintenance log indicates services that should be performed on vehicles that are driven under especially demanding conditions. These “special operating conditions” and their required maintenance items are clearly indicated in each chart.

You should perform these additional maintenance services only if the majority of your driving is done under the special operating conditions indicated. If you only occasionally drive under these circumstances, it is not necessary to perform the additional services.

• Driving on dirt roads or dusty roads
• Towing a trailer, using a car-top carrier, or heavy vehicle loading
• Repeated trips of less than five miles in temperatures below 32°F / 0°C
• Extensive idling and/or low speed driving for a long distance such as police, taxi or door-to-door delivery use

The details of our 0W-20 interval change implementation strategy are as follows:

- This change will be applied retroactively in an effort to enhance both the current customers’ ownership experience and the marketability of these key products;
- Consumers who have paid for an oil and filter change at 5,000 miles will be provided a coupon for a free oil change at their local Toyota Dealer;
- Customer communication will include distribution of a revised Warranty and Maintenance Guide as well instructions on how to obtain and utilize the free oil change coupon;
- The maintenance reminder lights on these vehicles will continue to illuminate every 5,000 miles even though the nature of these services has changed

If you are considering the purchase of a hybrid vehicle, there are lots of great websites where you can do your research. Some of the best (in no particular order) include edmunds.com, jalopnik.com, hybridcars.com, motortrend.com, automotive.com, cnet.com, motherproof.com, and there are dozens more. Even our parent company (Hybrid Kingdom) has over fifty niche hybrid and green vehicle online properties, including hybridsuv.com.

At the same time, if you want to save yourself hours of research, you can get all your hybrid information in one place for less than $15. The Hybrid Vehicle Guide gives you a straight forward review of every new hybrid car, truck, and sport utility vehicle you can buy right now. Since it’s recent update, several hundred copies have been downloaded.

From the following table of contents, you can see the vehicles included in this year’s edition of the hybrid ebook:

Table of Contents

2010 Toyota Prius
2010 Honda Civic Hybrid
2010 Honda Insight
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid
2010 Lexus HS 250h
2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid
2010 Ford Escape Hybrid
2010 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
2009 Mazda Tribute Hybrid
2010 Lexus RX 450h (and the 400h)
2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
2009 Lexus LS 600h L
2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid
2009 GMC Yukon Hybrid
2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
Discontinued Hybrid Vehicles
Current Hybrids with an Uncertain Future

When you purchase the Hybrid Guide, you will also receive free updates for as long as it is published. Even if you aren’t planning to buy a new car in in the next 12 months, you will continue to get updated information as new hybrids reach dealer showrooms, for as long as you remain interested.

Admittedly, you aren’t going to find anything in this hybrid manual that you couldn’t get elsewhere online for free. The value of this book is in it’s convenience and your ability to compare all the new hybrids in one place, quickly and easily. This includes price, fuel economy, class, drivetrain, packages, options, advantages & disadvantages, cargo room, and links to other sources of online information for each vehicle.

The guide is concise, so when you are ready - print it and take it with you to your local dealership. You’ll have the facts in your hand, and knowledge is power…especially when buying a car.

Lastly, if you order the hybrid car guide and don’t find it to be worth your investment, it comes with a full money back guarantee. Save yourself some time and buy your copy here today. You will be glad you did…guaranteed!

Since the majority of our readers either own a hybrid vehicle or have begun the process of researching them, we set out to determine which car insurance companies are passing some green savings on to their most eco-friendly drivers.

Travelers (NYSE: TRV) is a Fortune 500 insurance company that offers just about every type of insurance you might need. According to their website, they were the first company in the United States to issue an auto insurance policy - way back in 1897. Although their main website is at Travelers.com, they also have a site designed exclusively for hybrid vehicle owners which to my surprise also includes electric and hybrid boats and yachts. Who knew? Check out HybridTravelers.com to see if you qualify for a 10% discount on your coverage.

NetQuote.com is well-known online insurance portal that offers quotes on auto, home, health, business and life insurance. While NetQuote doesn’t actually provide the insurance coverage, they work with providers such as Allstate, Farmers, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual and Progressive.  You can find more information about their auto insurance discounts and benefits for hybrid cars on this NetQuote landing page, where they mention up to 10% discounts for those who qualify.

If you live in the U.K., one option you have to insure your hybrid car, truck or SUV is The Green Insurance Company. Unlike the typical 5% or 10% savings you might find in the United States, this company offers incentives as much as 22% less than what non-hybrid owners might pay. From their website, you will “benefit from a low emission discount and 100% carbon offset of your cars CO2 emissions at no extra cost”. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it sounds cheap enough!

For those living in Canada and driving a hybrid vehicle, there is an insurance company called TD Insurance Meloche Monnex (website) that includes 10% off insurance premiums as long as your green car is recognized by the Vehicle Information Centre of Canada (VCC). Ontario residents get a 5% discount instead, which I thought was part of Canada. Lastly, residents of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are not eligible. What? Does anyone in Canada qualify?

Own a hybrid? Go get your online quote at one of these sites today? If you know of other insurance providers that give a break to green drivers, please add a comment below.

A couple of newly introduced green cars helped to drive a higher percentage of hybrid customers to dealerships in ‘09, despite a drop in total auto sales. Even so, hybrids accounted for just 2.8% of the total market, meaning less than 3 out of every 100 new cars sold carried a hybrid-electric sticker. Sales of some hybrids remained really low, including the Saturn Aura and a couple of expensive Lexus models.

It has always been a race for second place in this market. Aside from the Prius - the Camry, Insight, Civic and Fusion were the only other hybrids that topped 10,000 sales each last year.  Motortrend  didn’t waste any time choosing the Fusion as their favorite of the remaining contenders.  With some nifty options, an attractive interior, and a cool SmartGauge cluster/dashboard featuring a growing vine - some are anticipating the Fusion will finish second in hybrid sales during 2010. 

Another rookie to the game this year, but no stranger to being hybrid, was the Honda’s Insight.  With a price tag substantially less than its adversaries, it was coined as the new “Prius Killer” . In addition to being more affordable, Honda’s newest addition helps drivers achieve environmentally responsible driving with a new driving support function to achieve ultimate fuel efficiency.

Even with advances by Honda and Ford, Toyota still stands to be in the untouchable position of hybrid market leader in 2010 and undoubtedly moving forward. With 500,000 battery assisted cars and crossovers sold in the last year  alone (see autoblog), it’s easy to see how.

Below were the top selling hybrid cars for 2009. This list does not include hybrid trucks or sport utility vehicles.

Toyota Prius - 139,700
Toyota Camry - 22,890
Honda Insight - 20,570
Ford Fusion - 15,550
Honda Civic - 15,120
Nissan Altima - 9,360
Chevy Malibu - 4,160

View the 2009 top selling hybrid SUVs.

Above data was estimated from this Hybrid Cars article. Their dashboard is updated monthly and is a great resource.

Many of you who live on the East Coast are also relearning how to drive on snow and ice. With this weekend’s snowstorm dumping 10 to 20 plus inches in Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and surrounding states - road conditions are poor at best. And with well over a million Toyota Prius on U.S. roadways, I have lots of company sharing my hybrid driving experience.

I’ll admit that I debated even buying a new Prius because I wasn’t sure how it would handle the snowy roads, but it had nothing to do with it being a hybrid-electric vehicle. My concern was mainly about moving from a 4 wheel drive truck with 10″ of ground clearance to a 2 wheel drive car with about 5″. Right before the blizzard hit, I decided to do a few online searches to see what others were saying. That’s when I discovered there is a lot of debate surrounding how the Prius does in snow and in cold weather driving.

On sites like PriusChat.com and GreenHybrid.com, most of the negative comments center around poor traction from the Prius’ stock (factory OEM) tires, a big drop in fuel economy, and issues with the traction control reportedly causing the Prius to stop on slippery hills. Comments are all over the board, ranging from those who claim the Prius is one of the best FWD small cars they have driven in snow to those who say it’s nearly useless. The majority of people commenting on these forums own a second generation Prius (2004-2009 model years) but my guess is the ride is similar in the 2010 Prius 3.

Although I have less than 2 weeks of experience driving my Prius in the snow, I’ve been impressed with how well it’s done so far. I don’t see any major traction issues yet, but I haven’t had to climb any large hills either. Most of my winter driving with the Prius has been in town as well. What I have noticed more than anything is the big change in gas mileage. For the first 10,000 miles I averaged 50 m.p.g. in my 3rd generation Prius. Driving on snow and in temperatures ranging from zero to 32 degrees (Fahrenheit), I am averaging only 37 miles per gallon. Again, some of that has to do with the fact that I haven’t been on the highway during this time, but it is still about 10 mpg less than what I got during the summer and fall. From what I’ve read, a 20% drop in fuel economy is normal for most cars under these driving conditions.

If you own a Prius, we’d love to hear how yours handles in the snow!

In addition to allegations of this cover up, the insider also claimed that the United States (government I assume) has been inflluential in making sure the IEA underplayed the oil shortage while overplaying the odds of discovering new, untapped oil reserves. What’s more, another former IEA source (who also was unwilling to devulge his name) said the situation is “really bad”. He added that we have already reached peak oil and that there is not as much oil as the IEA previously reported.

The IEA released its 2009 World Energy Outlook this week and in a nutshell admitted that current energy plans are unsustainable. Demand for primary energy is expected to increase by 40% over the next 20 years, and the demand for oil will increase by nearly 25% during that same period. But the real shock was the anticipated increase in need for electricity - up more than 75% by 2030.

Crude oil prices are near their 12 month high right now, around $80 per barrel. The price has roughly doubled since February and we’ve been on a steady climb upwards for most of the year (in part due to the value of the U.S. dollar). Even though the sting of $140 barrels and $5 per gallon gas in 2008 has subsided, it seems like only a matter of time before new highs could be tested. What impact this will have on hybrid electric and all electric vehicles remains to be seen, but I think it is safe to say that the IEA would be betting on increased demand.

Following the unveiling of the vastly popular third-generation Prius, Toyota is releasing a second hybrid-only sedan, the Toyota “Sai”. By most accounts, the Sai is being viewed as a slightly smaller, less expensive version of the Lexus HS 250h. You be the judge. The Sai is pictured to the right and the HS 250h is below.

Pronounced “sigh” or “cy”, this hybrid debuted at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show and could be available for purchase in Japan as early as December (2009). It has the same green drivetrain as its more luxurious Lexus lookalike, a 2.4 liter Atkinson engine, an electric motor and a nickle hydride battery - rated at 187 horsepower. Although rumored to get 54 miles per gallon, expect the Sai to get only slightly better gas mileage than the 250h; around 35-40 mpg. The lighter 2010 Prius with a smaller 1.8 liter engine averages about 50 m.p.g. as a comparison.

According to Automotive News (subs req) Toyota has set an initial goal of selling 36,000 Sai per year and the price is expected to begin at about $37,000 U.S. dollars. That may seem aggressive when you consider that the Sai isn’t expected to be coming to the United States anytime soon, but Japan is a huge market for hybrids so we will know more after the rollout. Keep in mind, the Camry hybrid isn’t sold in Japan so if buyers there want a larger hybrid sedan this may fill a niche between affordability and size.

You can get a glimpse of the Toyota Sai along with several other cars on display at the Tokyo Motor Show by watching the short Edmunds video below.

Official Sai data from Toyota here

In case you’re wondering, it apparently stands for Compact Renaissance Zero which fully explains why CR-Z is better (on a side note, my wife drives a CR-V, which is either a Compact Recreational Vehicle or a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle…so you can see how the naming works). Nonetheless, we should know a lot more about the second redesign of this vehicle as it will be reintroduced at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show. You might recall that it was at this same show in 2007 that we first got a glimpse of design one.

Remember the CRX? How about the Del Sol and the original Honda Insight? Honda has been instrumental in putting trendy 2-seaters on the road for many years and the CRZ has the potential to be their most impressive one yet. One unique feature of this small hybrid sports car is that it has a six speed manual transmission (a hybrid-electric first). This will be joined with a 1.5 liter (i-VTEC) four cylinder engine and an electric motor.

No reports yet on what kind of fuel economy the CR-Z might get, but based on its size and technology I would expect to see it come in around 40-45 MPG in combined city and highway driving. As far as price, again nobody really knows. If I had to guess, I’d say a little more than the Insight and a bit less than the hybrid Civic…so around $24,000 might be close.

Already there are tons of pictures online, and we will obviously have more in 2 weeks or so. I haven’t yet found a video, but one is sure to be in the works on You Tube, so I’ll post it here when it pops up (note - the photo to the left is how the CR-Z concept hybrid looked when it originally debuted back in 2007). More specs and news to follow!

Other Honda CR-Z Resources:

Official website from Honda

Press release from 2007

2008 press release

If you are considering the purchase of a hybrid vehicle, there are lots of great websites where you can do your research. Some of the best (in no particular order) include edmunds.com, jalopnik.com, hybridcars.com, motortrend.com, automotive.com, cnet.com, motherproof.com, and there are dozens more. Even our parent company (Hybrid Kingdom) has over fifty niche hybrid and green vehicle online properties, including hybridsuv.com.

At the same time, if you want to save yourself hours of research, you can get all your hybrid information in one place for less than $15. The Hybrid Vehicle Guide gives you a straight forward review of every new hybrid car, truck, and sport utility vehicle you can buy right now. Since it’s recent update, several hundred copies have been downloaded.

From the following table of contents, you can see the vehicles included in this year’s edition of the hybrid ebook:

Table of Contents

2010 Toyota Prius
2010 Honda Civic Hybrid
2010 Honda Insight
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid
2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid
2010 Lexus HS 250h
2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid
2010 Ford Escape Hybrid
2010 Mercury Mariner Hybrid
2009 Mazda Tribute Hybrid
2010 Lexus RX 450h (and the 400h)
2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
2009 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
2009 Lexus LS 600h L
2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid
2009 GMC Yukon Hybrid
2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
Discontinued Hybrid Vehicles
Current Hybrids with an Uncertain Future

When you purchase the Hybrid Guide, you will also receive free updates for as long as it is published. Even if you aren’t planning to buy a new car in in the next 12 months, you will continue to get updated information as new hybrids reach dealer showrooms, for as long as you remain interested.

Admittedly, you aren’t going to find anything in this hybrid manual that you couldn’t get elsewhere online for free. The value of this book is in it’s convenience and your ability to compare all the new hybrids in one place, quickly and easily. This includes price, fuel economy, class, drivetrain, packages, options, advantages & disadvantages, cargo room, and links to other sources of online information for each vehicle.

The guide is concise, so when you are ready - print it and take it with you to your local dealership. You’ll have the facts in your hand, and knowledge is power…especially when buying a car.

Lastly, if you order the hybrid car guide and don’t find it to be worth your investment, it comes with a full money back guarantee. Save yourself some time and buy your copy here today. You will be glad you did…guaranteed!

Although the 3rd generation Prius comes with a few more standard luxury features, the new Insight starts at a lower MSRP of only $19,800 with upgradeable models listed at just $23,100. In comparison the Prius has a starting MSRP of $22,000 and can climb north of $30,000 with all the goodies. However, the Insight does have a lower MPG rating of 40/43 compared to the Prius at 51/48 (and 2010 hybrid Fusion at about 41 miles per gallon). It should be noted that many of the road tests conducted by consumers got a better MPG rating than that of the EPA (although the same could be said for new hybrids from Toyota and Ford).

With a 1.3 liter VTEK four-cylinder engine and Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist System, the Insight offers a fairly smooth and quiet driving experience. Rated at 98 horsepower and 123 pounds-feet of torque, the Insight utilizes its’ electric engine when stopped and at speeds up to around 30 mph. The dashboard provides drivers with a high-tech Eco-assist system in which the background color of the speedometer turns from blue to green as mileage improves. In addition to the eco-assist, you can also utilize the Eco-guide which is a nifty little game that adds graphic tree leaves as you improve and keeps tabs on your daily driving and overall “lifetime” score.

The interior of the Insight begins with a dash forward design, mainly to give front passengers more room and comfort. The back seat can realistically seat three children or two adults, but complaints have been made about the lack of headroom for taller people, with most mentioning a problem if you are over 6 feet in height. Cargo space is 15.9 cubic feet, quite a bit larger than other several previous hybrids on the market; however, the back seats do not fold completely down, which can create a bit of a problem when transporting larger items. One nice feature, uncommon with other hybrids, is the Insights’ lift-up handles as opposed to the larger, more SUV like handles we’ve grown accustomed to on vehicles in this class. And with rear tinted windows and LED taillights, the Insight has some rather impressive design features for such an inexpensive green car.
 
The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) crash test ratings for the 2010 Insight were recently released with a good performance rating in front, side, and rear tests with optional electronic stability control. NHTSA rated the Insight a perfect 5 of 5 on the front driver impact, 4 out of 5 on the passenger side and 4 out of 5 on rollover, which gives it an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

So, do you own one of these insightful rides? If so, add a comment below and tell us what you think!

Other 2010 Honda Insight Reviews and Resources:

Honda Insight versus Fit
Honda Insight versus Toyota Prius

Edmunds
USA Today
CNET
Jalopnik