Click above for a high-resolution gallery of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring.

All the way back in September of 2005, Solomon Technologies sued Toyota for allegedly infringing on a patent related to hybrid powertrains. Shortly thereafter, Solomon attempted to get the importation of the Prius and Highlander hybrid vehicles to the U.S. halted. The International Trade Commission ruled in Toyota's favor, leading to an appeal by Solomon. Their first lawsuit has been stayed awaiting the resolution of the ITC case. The latest page of this saga has Solomon completing their arguments to a three-judge panel in Washington appeals court. Of course, we have no idea how all of this will pan out, but we don't imagine that it's anywhere near over if the past is any indication.

Three grown men, a global positioning system satellite navigation screen, and a map with directions. Seems like shooting fish in a barrel, right? Wrong. These fish apparently are wearing kevlar vests, you have a slingshot, and do I see a chain gun in the flippers of that sturgeon homing in on me?

That's what it seemed like while attempting the MPG Challenge, the residential/rural course in Madison, WI where hypermilers tested their skills against one another. Except, it wasn't the full course - we were, for the sake of time, only doing 9 of the 22 miles laid out on the route.

Our vessel for the treacherous voyage was the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, equipped with the same Hybrid Synergy Drive as the Prius, but instead of combusting the more planet-friendly amounts of fossil-fuels with an electric-assisted, asthmatic, chain-smoker-on-the-patch 1.6 liter four-cylinder, there is a 3.3 liter V6 aided by two electric motors.

Thankfully, in spite of numerous failed attempts at navigation, once the actual course was located and followed, we achieved an average of 44.5 mpg over those 9 miles. Tell that to the EPA.

Glad to be back in the blogosphere. Two more Hybrid Fest videos coming up, so stay tuned!

There is a great deal of controversy regarding Consumer Reports these days, given the recent erroneous test results of children's car seats (CR will redo their tests under the correct conditions), however, many still rely on the magazine for help in choosing their next vehicle. The full list is below, but a few choices caught my eye. The Honda Fit won the "Best Budget Car" category, the Toyota Prius the "Best Green Car" category and the "Best Midsize SUV" award going to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The Honda Fit was chosen by the editors of Motor Week as the Best of the Year as well.

According to our very own Dan Roth and Alex Nunez, the testing facilities and personnel at the Consumer Reports facility are first-rate.

Consumer Reports Top Picks for 2007

• Fun To Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata
• Small SUV: Toyota RAV4
• Small Sedan: Honda Civic
• Family Sedan: Honda Accord
• Minivan: Toyota Sienna
• Luxury Sedan: Infiniti M45
• Midsized SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Green Car: Toyota Prius
• Upscale sedan: Infiniti G35
• Budget Car: Honda Fit

[Source: Consumer Reports via Autoblog]