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Daily Driver: 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE Premium, reviewed by Sebastian Blanco. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT [00:00:00] Hello everyone. Welcome to another Autoblog Daily Driver. This is Sebastian Blanco coming to you from behind the wheel of a 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE Premium. This is the silver metallic and light gray version. Comes in at $38,455. It has an Entune Premium audio setup here. It's a Toyota. It's a hybrid, which probably makes you think of a Prius. The Avalon [00:00:30] and the XLE and the Premium, what we're really dealing with here is a world's plushiest, comfiest bigger Prius. It's a very different kind of car, with the body style, but you've got a lot of similarities if you've spent any time in a Prius. The fuel economy of this Hybrid on the official scale is 40 miles per gallon combined, 40 in the city and 39 on the highway. I've driven it over 400 miles this week and my average was 34.3 miles per gallon. [00:01:00] Much lower than the numbers would suggest and there's really no excuse for that. I was driving with the cruise control on, mostly on the highway, the weather is fine. This should have been an easy 39, but maybe that's the fault of the cruise control. The sport mode in this car for me has been kind of a joke. When I was interacting with the car in a more discernible manner, I couldn't tell much difference. This isn't the kind of car that you want when you're dealing with sport mode. [00:01:30] You know what you're getting with this car. It's a little more luxurious, not quite Lexus level, but definitely the higher end for a Toyota. It's nice if you like these sort of cars. This is definitely worth a look, but it's not going to be on my shopping list anytime soon. Perhaps it is on yours. For Autoblog and AutoblogGreen, this is Sebastian Blanco for another Daily Driver.

Recharge Wrap-up: Model X pinch sensor update, Karma plans first store

Tesla has improved Model X pinch sensor function in its latest over-the-air update. As we've seen, the pinch sensors already stop the falcon wing doors from completely shutting when they sense an obstruction. Now, though, the doors retract slightly after the sensors are triggered. While the pre-update doors didn't appear to do as much damage to human fingers as they do to various foodstuffs, it definitely looked uncomfortable, especially when one's hand is stuck in the partially closed door. Now, any pinch that does occur should be brief. See the updated sensors at work in the video above, and read more from Teslarati. Karma Automotive will move to Kawasaki's former headquarters in Irvine, California where it will also open its first store. The revival of the now defunct Fisker will sell its Revero plug-in hybrid through both dealerships and company-owned stores like the one planned for its new two-building campus. The property owner, Bixby, had planned to renovate the site, but now says Karma will make its own improvements. Bixby said it was seeking, "a progressive-minded tenant that would value the unique configuration," and appears to have found just that in Karma. Read more at Electrek, or from the OC Register. San Francisco is asking residents for help in expanding its subways. Using an online tool called Subway Vision, users can draw their own subway lines and stations that they'd like to see built and submit them to planners. Listening to the public is a useful tool for the city because, as Grahm Satterwhite, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's principal planner, admits, "Transportation planners may be too close to a problem to see the solution." This approach allows the subway expansions to "reflect the vision of not just a few transportation planners, but of all San Franciscans," he says. Read more from FastCo.Exist. Toyota is continuing its commitment to Yellowstone National Park with a sustainable Youth Campus for environmental education. The automaker donated $1 million to Yellowstone for the facility, which is seeking Living Building Challenge certification. It will have onsite wastewater treatment for its locally sourced water usage, and will generate all of its electricity needs from photovoltaic panels, with excess to put back into the grid. The campus will have classrooms and residences for students and staff for its youth programs.

10 of 18 midsize SUVs earn 'good' IIHS side impact safety rating

It's not terribly surprising that midsize SUVs earned better safety ratings than small SUVs in the latest side-impact tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Just how much better they scored, on the other hand, certainly raises an eyebrow. Ten out of 18 midsize SUVs earned the highest rating of 'good' in the stringent new test, altered for vehicles starting with the 2020 model year with a heavier barrier (4,200 pounds) that moves at a higher speed (37 miles per hour) and is fitted with a hard honeycomb frontal structure. By way of contrast, just one out of of 20 small SUVs earned a 'good' score.  SUVs that receiving 'good' scores were the Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln Aviator, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and Volkswagen ID.4. For EV fans, it's worth noting the ID.4 was the only electric vehicle included in the test. The Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse scraped away with 'acceptable' ratings while the Honda Passport, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Wrangler 4-door, Kia Telluride and Nissan Murano were deemed merely 'marginal' in the tough new test. Only two models — the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen ID.4 — earned a "Good" rating in every test category.  Interestingly, the Jeep Wrangler would have scored a 'good' rating if it were equipped with side airbags for the rear seating positions. It would likely be an engineering challenge to equip its removable top and/or doors with airbags, but the lack of that safety feature allowed the head of the rear passenger dummy to hit the vertical support of the top. Otherwise, the Wrangler scored good ratings across the board. The new Ford Bronco, which makes more allowances for side-impact safety, has not yet been tested.  The popular Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride SUVs stand out in the test with 'poor' ratings for driver pelvis injuries. The Nissan Murano, a vehicle last redesigned for the 2015 model year, was the only vehicle tested that received a 'poor' rating for its structure and safety cage. Videos of the tests of 12 of these 18 SUVs can be found on the IIHS' YouTube page. Related video: Green Buick Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jeep Kia Mazda Nissan Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Safety Crossover SUV IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety