This week in Car Tech

Prius due for an update
The Toyota Prius, the car that defined the hybrid category, gets an update next year, which will debut at the 2009 Detroit auto show. Although it generated a lot of green publicity for Toyota, the company let it languish in a standard 5 year update cycle. But now Edmunds' AutoObserver reports some details about the next version. The car won't be a plug-in, and will use nickel metal hydride batteries, as does the current version. Conforming with typical automotive bloat, the new Prius will be a few inches longer and an inch wider. It will also get a bigger gas engine, a 1.8-liter, delivering 160 horsepower. Although the engine is bigger, new tech and tuning of the powertrain will give it better fuel economy than the previous version. Most importantly, it will drive for longer distances under electric power, a mode which emits no carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas. Edmunds doesn't mention cabin tech, but we expect Toyota to use the Prius as a showcase, which should mean a hard drive-based navigation system and some sort of data connection. Read more

Garmin Nuvi 660
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Garmin Nuvi 350
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TomTom GO 720
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Garmin Nuvi 200
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Magellan Maestro 4250
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Photos: Futuristic concept cars
This year's auto-show season threw up a rich crop of cars that are never likely to make it to production in this decade. But who knows what features future cars will have? Solar panels? Mood-sensors? Video-game controls? Built-in Segways? Check out our slide show to see some of the more experimental ideas that major automakers are exploring. Read more

Photos: Track testing Audi's finest
At this year's Media Days event at Laguna Seca raceway in Monterey, Calif., we sought to find out was whether Audi's Quattro system worked as well on the track as it had on the roads. We lost no time grabbing some of the cars that we had reviewed over the past 12 months to find out. Check out our photos Read more

Photos: Driving BMW's new models
A new BMW launch always gets our rev-counter ticking higher, so when we got the chance to test drive three new Bimmer models last week at an event hosted by the Western Automotive Journalists association, we lost no time in buckling up. From the two nimble 1 Series models to the the phenomenal M3 trio, to the curiously styled X6, we put the next generation of Bavarian Motor Work through its paces. Read more

Photos: Maserati Quattroporte
In an age when automakers are touting the "four-door coupe" as the future of sports sedans, it's refreshing to see that there is at least one manufacturer that can combine performance and comfort without trying to invent a new segment. It may be in desperate need of a cabin tech upgrade, but the Pininfarina-designed Maserati Quattroporte is in a class of its own when it comes to exterior and interior style. Read more

Audi launching sport version of TT this year
Wayne Cunningham
Following the sport versions of Audi's larger cars, such as the S4, S5, and S8, the diminutive TT gets its own sports version, the TTS. Audi announced that the 2009 TTS would launch in late 2008. We got a preview of this car at the 2008 Detroit auto show, and came away baffled by its engine specifications. We were highly impressed by the 2008 Audi TT Coupe and Convertible, when equipped with the 3.2-liter V-6 and Quattro all-wheel-drive, but Audi specified a 2-liter turbocharged four cylinder for the TTS. Read more

Brake and steering fluid
Posted by User429
I have a 2004 Hyundai Accent which I purchased brand new in 2004. Several times a year I check, among other things, the brake fluid level and the power steering fluid level. As of today (April 22) both the brake fluid level and the power steering fluid level is near the top of those two reservoirs. I don't understand it. The car is running all right. I don't drive the car hard and I only drive about 6,000/7,000 miles a year. But shouldn't I have used more fluid than that? Is there something wrong with the car or what? Thank you very much. Read more 

• 1. 2008 BMW M3 Coupe
• 2. 2008 Audi R8
• 3. 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet
• 4. 2008 Volvo V70
• 5. 2008 Infiniti G35 Journey
• 6. 2008 Ford Focus SES
• 7. 2008 Volkswagen R32
• 8. 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V-6
• 9. 2008 Cadillac CTS
• 10. 2008 Scion xD

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