Toyota is proud to introduce the 10^th generation of its very successful Corolla line. The 2009 Toyota Corolla continues its ancestors’ legacy of being the world’s most popular passenger car. Corollas have been making waves the world over due to its relatively low price tag and outstanding fuel economy. This is the primary reason why more than 30 million have been sold already in over 140 countries. The new Corolla comes at a low price tag without feeling cheap. Indeed Toyota has not sacrificed quality with its latest offering. It has a feel not unlike those found at more expensive models. New and experienced drivers will not have second thoughts on getting this deliciously crafted automobile. Like before, the 2009 model comes with few distractions and straightforward controls.

For the ultimate low-budget wheels you turn to the Corolla base model, but it has manual, wind-up windows and manual door locks. Upgrading to the Corolla LE includes power windows and door locks. If you fancy a fancier interior, the wood-grain trim in the Corolla XLE goes in that direction, although you can't get leather. Finally, there are two sportier models, the Corolla S which looks the part and has some seat and chassis upgrades, and the Corolla XRS which brings a bigger engine, brakes, and tires to the party.

All models come with standard safety features like six airbags, ABS, Electronic stability control and traction control. Also, it features high-grade seatbelts that will hold even in extreme accidents, that is assuming of course that you are wearing them.

The 2009 model offer a much more spacious cabin than its predecessor. Once inside, you will be forgiven in thinking it’s a Camry. It’s that roomy. All in all it’s definitely a good investment for those looking to purchase a budget car with bangs and whistles that rival those of more expensive models. The future once again looks rosy for Toyota and its uber-succesful Corolla line. 

The 2008 BMW M3 is either a complete winner or a big disappointment. It all depends on your expectations. If you're looking for a supremely fast, incredibly capable back-road stormer, you won't be disappointed; the E92 is even faster than the previous E46 M3. If, however, you think the M3 should be more than just speed, you'll be disappointed. After only a few seconds behind the wheel, it becomes obvious that the M3's engineers traded some driver involvement in return for more speed.

More speed, in this case, comes from the retirement of the inline-six cylinder engine that has defined the previous two generations of M3s. As it turns out, there was no more power to be had from a block with six holes in it. The previous 3.2-liter developed 333 horsepower, and the only way to add more ponies would have been to add more displacement. That sounds easy enough, but it wasn't - the engine block was already bored to its maximum, and increasing the stroke would have reduced the engine's maximum RPM. Thus, the engineers had no choice but to add two more cylinders.

The new V-8 is anything but a half-hearted attempt at fixing the problem. It is, after all, based on the powerhouse V-10 from the M5. Whereas the old inline-six was iron, the V-engines' larger bore spacing allows them to be made of aluminum, and as a result, the V-8 actually weighs 33 lb less than the old six. We've covered the detailed engine specifications in previous stories, but the important numbers are very impressive: 4.0-liters, 414 horsepower, 295 lb-ft, 8400-rpm redline. Press the start button and the V-8 barks to life instantly with a tinny clatter from its thin-walled, equal-length headers. Eight individual butterflies minimize the distance between the throttle butterflies and intake valves, so the engine responds instantaneously to prods of the accelerator.

Though the clutch is a twin-disc design (the first in an M3), the pedal is soft and easy to modulate. The shifter is familiar 3-series, which is to say precise and satisfying, if slightly rubbery. Mash the loud pedal, and the quiet V-8 turns into a screaming demon. Thrust builds gradually until 3900 rpm (the torque peak), but never falls off. In fact, the engine's note becomes more and more hysterical as the tach swings clockwise. From 6000 to the 8400-rpm rev limiter, it sounds angrier and more ferocious than any V-8 you've ever heard this side of Maranello. The soundtrack is nothing short of magic.

From a review:

Thanks to our tester's Electronic Damper Control, ride quality is phenomenal. On Spain's smooth roads, it seems far more complaint than the previous M3's, and yet body motions are perfectly controlled. The new M3 understeers mildly, but that's easily fixed with a nudge of the right foot: in second gear, the rear will easily step out into a controlled power slide. In faster corners, lots of throttle induces gorgeous four-wheel drifts.

The biggest letdown - and it's a huge one - is the steering. Whereas other 3-series (and all previous M3s) read the road surface to your fingertips, the M3 is frustratingly numb on center. It transmits only the largest of messages, and effort is too light and doesn't build naturally. The ratio is wonderfully quick but, to add insult to injury, the M3's turning radius feels vastly larger than any other 3-series.

Brake feel is excellent, but pedal effort rose precipitously during lapping of the 26-turn Ascari racetrack in Spain despite aggressive (read: noisy) pads. Even though we had to pull into pit lane for a few minutes after each lap, brake fade set in after a few laps. The M3's hefty curb weight is to blame - we expect it to weigh more than 3,700 lb when it arrives stateside. And while BMW has gone to great lengths to keep curb weight down - the carbon fiber roof, a huge cost item, saves eleven pounds - the fact is that the M3 has gained almost a half ton in twenty years.

The list of 3-series parts redesigned and re-engineered for M3 use is staggering - the V-8 car shares surprisingly few parts with those with a six-cylinder under the hood. BMW isn't known for frivolous modifications, and all of the changes serve a performance purpose. Unfortunately, they seem to also dilute the driving experience. Once a direct, raw, and frenetic monster, the M3 has morphed into a polished and refined grand tourer.

The original M3 was a track-ready, high-strung performer that made no excuses in its performance. As fun in a 15-mph school zone as it was at ten-tenths on a race track, it dominated everything that came its way. And while it's likely that the new M3 is faster around the Nordschleife than its competitors, it's lost a good bit of the driver involvement that has made previous Ms Legends. At the end of the day, we don't just expect fast lap times from an M3; we expect it to put a big smile on our faces. And this time around, the smiles just aren't as big.

Apparently, people are really starting to see the benefits of owning a hybrid car. According to figures released this week by Toyota, sales of the iconic Toyota Prius, the first hybrid to be mass marketed, have now surpassed the 1 million mark. From January to April 2008 dealers sold 66,100 Prius units, a pace that, should it continue, will bring end of the year sales to 198,300 an increase of 7.9% over 2007. Currently overall sales are smaller in Japan and Europe, but climbing at a faster rate than in the North American market, which is suffering fallout from the weak credit market and anxieties about recession.

Since the Prius was first launched in 1997, cumulative sales of the gas-electric hybrid have reached 1.028 million as of the end of April 2008. It is estimated that use of the vehicle over the past ten years has accounted for a decrease in global carbon dioxide emission of 4.5 million tons.

For the first four months of 2008 there were 24,200 Prius sales in Japan, an improvement that should generate a 24.5% increase over 2007 for that market by the end of the year. In Europe, Prius sales in the first four months reached 14,200 units, a projected increase of 32.3 percent over 2007 by the end of the year.

Toyota has a stated goal of selling 1 million hybrid vehicles per year by the early 2010s. Many are getting Priuses due to the fact that it can really be customized to utilize electric power. This means that you can actually charge the car as would a cell phone. There are still many that aren’t completely sold on the whole hybrid-car thing however, with these abovementioned number, things are really changing fast.