[TagMan]

thanks to ryguy85 for recently posting this link as a side note in another thread.

For those that haven't seen this Top Gear episode... it pits an M3 against a Toyota Prius in a fuel economy battle, but the Prius must achieve some laps around the track!

Here's the link...

[Monaco35Dream]

very interesting...but kinda obvious. if youre pushing one car to its limit, and one is just cruising, of course the cruiser will have better mpg

[TagMan]

Oh yeah, the outcome was no big surprise... but it IS surprising to discover the extent to which the Prius's fuel economy plummeted.

If we're honest about the way some of us 1addicts drive, it would be a total waste of our money to buy a car like a Prius!!

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by TagMan

Oh yeah, the outcome was no big surprise... but it IS surprising to discover the extent to which the Prius's fuel economy plummeted.

If we're honest about the way some of us 1addicts drive, it would be a total waste of our money to buy a car like a Prius!!

I drive the hell out of our Prius and have never gotten below 40MPG on a tank. If you drive it like a normal person you'll exceed 45MPG nearly every time, and a little (and I mean very little) effort yeilds 48MPG.

It is simply the most fuel efficient car in it's class.

[TagMan]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

I drive the hell out of our Prius and have never gotten below 40MPG on a tank. If you drive it like a normal person you'll exceed 45MPG nearly every time, and a little (and I mean very little) effort yeilds 48MPG.

It is simply the most fuel efficient car in it's class.

Are you suggesting that when they drove the hell out of that Prius, they should have gotten better than 17 mpg?

[ScottyGams]

well, they did it on a track where you can keep peddle to the floor the whole time.

In the real world, traffic keeps us from WOT the whole time.

for comparison, most cars like ours get 4mpg on the track

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by TagMan

Are you suggesting that when they drove the hell out of that Prius, they should have gotten better than 17 mpg?

I'm suggesting that their test is totally irrelevant to anything a Prius owner (and the vast majority of car buyers) will see in a real world situation.

Your suggestion would seem to imply that you think someone could actually see mileage that poor on public roads, and I can assure you that you won't.

[cyberbro]

We have a Prius and in a non-track situation the Prius will save gas money no doubt about it. We usually get over 43 mpg don't matter how we drive in a normal suburban environment.

I believe this test on the track is real because you are maxing out the engine the whole time and that is not what it was meant for.

The problem with the Prius is that it is the most boring car you will ever drive. It is just to get to point a to point b, No passion or fun (well maybe a little fun when gas is 5 bucks a gallon).:biggrin:

If BMW can make a car with the 1 series that got 135i performance and even 35 mpg they would out sell every car on the road, if they could price it at the current 1 series prices. I think that will take 10 years to happen though.

In the mean time you could get such gas mileage Right now for 70K, how?

Buy one of each and divide you time equally (or give the Prius to the wife/GF to drive) your average fuel economy will meet around that 30 mpg number.


So I have a 135i with 25k Prius mod to get 30mpg and have not lost any performance. Some guys will spend that on a stereo and a few more HP numbers.

What does all this mean? I have no idea but it was fun to think about MPG as an average in a household and not per car.

[TagMan]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

I'm suggesting that their test is totally irrelevant to anything a Prius owner (and the vast majority of car buyers) will see in a real world situation.

Your suggestion would seem to imply that you think someone could actually see mileage that poor on public roads, and I can assure you that you won't.

No, I assure you I don't think someone could duplicate any of that in real life... I'm just messin' a little.

Actually, I was curious enough about the Prius to rent one recently while down in Hollywood, and I was rather impressed with the car, except for its anemic acceleration.

But, that said, the clever little Prius delivered some damned phenomenal gas mileage... incredible enough to disregard its odd and funky appearance and give it the credit it deserves.

[Heinzftw]

I'd buy one if I lived in L.A. most of the time your driving under 25mph due to congestion so that's the perfect enviroment for it.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by TagMan

No, I assure you I don't think someone could duplicate any of that in real life... I'm just messin' a little.

.

:w00t:

And there's no doubt about it....it's a boring piece of equipment for sure, and the interior isn't anything special either (especially the seats), but my GF is frugal (she's not looking so I'll just say it.....cheap!) and she loves it for the mileage. She uses it for work and does a lot of stop and go driving, so it's really in its element for the past year or so, and has returned close to 50MPG average.