2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7l, Sr5 on 2040-cars

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Toyota Corolla Nurburgring Edition talks the talk, doesn't walk the walk

From the Opel Corsa OPC to the Lexus LFA, there have been all sorts of vehicles worthy of wearing the Nurburgring name. And while the Toyota Corolla may have a lot going for it – it is, after all, once of the top selling models in the world – we're not sure it would count among them. Especially not with a CVT. Toyota's Thai division seems to think otherwise, though, and is launching the Corolla Altis ESport Nurburgring Edition at the Bangkok Motor Show this week. Apparently inspired by a seventh-place class finish at last year's 24-hour race on the Nordschleife, it's based on the Corolla Altis – a version of the popular sedan sold in South Asian markets – and picks up where the ESport trim leaves off. From there it gets a reworked aero kit, blacked-out grille, LED daytime running lights and red-trimmed leather interior. There's even a recalibrated suspension hooked up to 17-inch alloys, giving it the right stance, but that's about the extent of the performance enhancements. Power unfortunately still comes from a 1.8-liter atmospheric inline-four, driving just 141 horsepower to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. So while it may have at least some of the looks to go with its racy name, it still lacks the oomph. This, then, will not be one of those overseas performance specials we'll be longing for when passing by a Toyota showroom on our own shores, but at least customers in Thailand can look the part.

Sunday Drive: Big debuts from the Big Apple dominated the headlines

New York Auto Show week has come and gone, and, not surprisingly, the week's biggest bits of news came from the halls of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC. Our favorite debut from New York was the Lincoln Aviator, a sharp-dresses crossover that looks lovely inside and out, and sits on underpinnings at least partly derived from the Ford Mustang. While the Aviator may have caught our attention, it wasn't the most popular vehicle debut from New York, at least when judging by the number of page views here on Autoblog. That distinction goes to the 2019 Toyota RAV4, and we're hardly surprised. The RAV4 is the most popular compact crossover in America (in fact it's the most popular vehicle that isn't a pickup truck), and the 2019 version looks like a radical departure from the model that came before. We can't wait to drive the thing. Midsize sedans may not be the darling of the family car set, that honor taken over by the aforementioned crossover, but they still sell in large enough numbers that a brand-new model catches our attention. Such is the case with the 2019 Nissan Altima. We broke down the specs of the Altima and compared Nissan's bread-and-butter sedan with its biggest rivals. And finally, we got some official figures for the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt. It'll cost a cool $12,000 over the cost of a Mustang GT, and will benefit from a 480-horsepower, 420-pound-foot version of Ford's excellent 5.0-liter V8 engine. As always, stay tuned this week for all the latest automotive news that's fit to print. 2018 New York Auto Show Mega Photo Gallery | Start spreading the news 2019 Toyota RAV4 actually looks pretty cool 2019 Nissan Altima vs Honda Accord vs Toyota Camry: How they compare 2019 Mustang Bullitt orders open as Ford reveals price and horsepower Image Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty New York Auto Show Ford Lincoln Nissan Toyota Coupe Crossover SUV Sedan 2018 new york auto show

2016 Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Vehicle likely to get 60 MPGe

Toyota isn't talking about the Mirai's fuel economy just yet, but that doesn't mean we can't make an educated guess. And we do so by looking at the competition and knowing that the DOE says that "One kg of hydrogen is roughly equivalent to one gallon of gasoline." For now, the Mirai's H2 competition means the 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell. It can carry 5.64 kg of hydrogen and has a range of 265 miles. If we do the division there (265/5.64) we get 47 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe). The DOE says that the miles/kg values are 49 combined, 48 in the city and 50 on the highway while Hyundai lists the official MPGe estimates as 50 combined, 49 city and 51 highway. The simple math gets us pretty close to these official numbers. Or take the 2014 Honda FCX Clarity. With a range of 231 miles and a max of 3.92 kg of hydrogen on board, division gets us to 59 MPGe. Officially, it's rated at 59 miles per kg (combined), with 58 in the city and 60 on the highway. In other words, simple math is a reliable way to calculate rough MPGe. So, we know that the Mirai can hold five kilograms of hydrogen on board and that the car has a 300-mile range. We don't even need a calculator to figure out that the Mirai is looking at 60 MPGe. Interestingly, that might be what the next-gen Prius will get.