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Toyota Prius sets a different kind of Nurburgring lap record [w/video]

Scroll down the leaderboards of Nürburgring lap times and you'll see mostly racing cars, supercars and sports cars. Delve deep enough and you'll eventually get to hatchbacks and sedans, albeit the most performance-focused of their kind. But a hybrid? Sure, the Porsche 918 Spyder posted the top time for a street-legal series production car, and it's technically a hybrid, but we're talking about another kind of hybrid here. We're talking about a Toyota Prius.
That's right: the Prius just set a lap record around the Nordschleife. But it wasn't for the lap time. In fact, miles per hour barely factored in (except for staying above the minimum 37-mph average speed mandated on the vaunted racing circuit). No, this was about miles per gallon.
Toyota took one of its Prius Plug-In hybrids to the Nürburgring, topped up the battery, put on a set of low-rolling-resistance tires and put automotive journalist Joe Clifford behind the wheel with a mandate to use as little fuel as possible. After one second shy of 21 minutes, the Prius completed its lap having used just five tablespoons of fuel.

Toyota's 'Easy Speak' Gives Parents A Voice In Backseats

Parents often wish they could be in two places at once. A feature from Toyota now gives them the next best thing: The ability to yell at their children from a distance. The feature, known as Easy Speak, was introduced in the 2014 Highlander and can now be had in Toyota's Sienna minivan. It allows drivers to use a microphone to communicate with passengers via the car's speakers, all while keeping their eyes on the road. This can come in handy when your brood starts their territorial shoving matches. There's also an optional two way conversation mirror, which allows parents to keep check in on the action without having to turn their head around. These are welcome features. A three-week study from the Monash University Accident Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia showed that children – not telephones – are more likely to distract people while driving. Parents were distracted on 90 of 92 trips studied by the researchers, racking up an average of three minutes of distracted driving per 16 minute trip. Cell phones only made up one percent of that distracted drive time. Related Gallery Coolest minivans of all time Weird Car News Toyota Minivan/Van

This Irishman really likes the Toyota GT86

Okay, okay - by this point in time just liking the Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, what have you) doesn't make you special. Even if you're a sort of funny sounding, funny looking Irishman, who probably isn't the most seasoned car reviewer ever, digging the GT86 is not news.
However, if, when you choose to publish your ten-minute-long review, you include exclamatory phrases about your own pubic hair, Ozzy Osborne's drug habit and "gentleman vegetable stuff," well sir, then you'll have our attention.
Don't give up on this video, available down below, after the first couple of minutes, we implore you. The silver-tongued Irishman doesn't really get warmed up until four minutes in, or so. Believe us, it's worth the wait.