Gary,
I too noted that the 2008 specifications indicated a 25MPH max in electric mode and the 2009 spec says 40MPH max. This means something has changed.
I work for a giant computer company; in our case if we publish a spec value it means we fully support it. In order for us to make a spec change like this we would have to ensure that 100% of the product shipped meets the promised spec value. This generally means that some of the product will exceed the specification to account for the entire distribution.
Thanks for explaining. It always nice when someone back up their statements with data; you always do this and those of us that read your posts benefit.
Regards,
Dan