TV Schedule

Toyota Prius proves a gas guzzler in a race with the BMW 520d

  2. covelogibbs
  3. related topics
The Toyota hybrid is hailed as an eco-paragon, so how does it fare against a big BMW?

"To find out we set a challenge: to drive a Prius to Geneva using motorways and town driving. The direct route is 460 miles but we drove almost 100 miles further to give the Prius the advantage of running in urban conditions where its petrol-electric drivetrain comes into its own.

We took along a conventionally powered car – a diesel BMW executive saloon – for comparison and drove both cars an identical number of miles (545)."
covelogibbs

5 responses // Toyota Prius proves a gas guzzler in a race with the BMW 520d

  • All cars are energy pigs when compared to the bicycle.
    jinkies
  • That is the problem with hybrids. Everyone wants them to be great Earth-savers, but the fact is that they just aren't even as efficient as a diesel.

    Unless we look at carbon footprint, which is REALLY what these cars are all about. The Prius has the same carbon footprint as a small kitten, while the BMW is like Mother Nature smoking three packs a day.
    jpoRS
  • what, jinkies? you mean you expect me to use the LEGS god gave me? psshfft.
    stephenthomson
  • No, this is the problem with motoring journalism about the Prius. First Top Gear and now murdoch's propaganda rag, the times, have come up with the most ridiculous tests for the Prius in order to criticise it for something it wasn't designed to do.

    The average commute is London to Geneva? Absurd. The average commuter drives between 5-50 miles, some of them stuck in traffic. I wonder how the 2 litre beemer would fare stuck in traffic in central London over the course of a week’s back and forth.

    Public transport in the UK is also not an option; years of under funding followed by under funding (labour selling off public assets, pocketing the money without significantly lowering taxes) have made the service overpriced, overcrowded and unreliable.
    absence
  • I don't think they were trying to test the average commute,but rather a road trip. You do raise some great points, though, abence. If they said they were testing the average commute, that obviously wasn't a well designed test. In all city, stop and go driving, the Prius would probably kick butt. They should have done that test as well, for comparison.
    covelogibbs

Add your response

Login/Registration is required to add a response.