"A lot of waste in a Prius"...

Come on Jay, stop confusing these guys with hard facts.

Tom

 

I guess it wouldn't be fair of me to point out another fact to the diesel fanboys

Whenever fuel economy is stated in the EU, it is in litres per 100km. When you see fuel economy stated in MPG, it is *always* in miles per IMPERIAL gallon

Imperial gallon = 4,54 litre

US gallon = 3,78 litre

Miles Per Imperial Gallon = 282.48 / l/100km

eg the vehicle is rated for 10 l/100km. Plug in the numbers: it will get 28.248 miles per Imperial gallon

So when meth mouth hillbillies tell us that cars in the EU *always* get better fuel economy, keep a few hard facts in mind. First of all, they rate fuel economy differently, like Canada does, and the posted rating tends to be optimistic

Two, since meth mouth hillbillies think the metric system is a commie guvmint plot, whenever they hear of the rating in MPG, it is *always* in miles per IMPERIAL gallon

 

When comparing US vs European gas mileage, there is more than just different emission standards, gallon sizes, and rating scales. Models brought to the US tend to get 'performance improvements' -- larger engines and shorter gear ratios, producing better race track results at the expense of fuel economy.

 

Until anything like this hits the market the Gen 2 Prius, and it's evolved brother Gen 3, will be the least wasteful commercial cars in the market.

Vaporware indeed

 

You will see Mercedes hybrids in the fall of 2009 for the 2010 model year. These were already testing in the US in Fall-2007 (I attended a GD&T class at the Alabama Mercedes plant and talked to some Mercedes engineers at lunch about future hybrids and diesel models.)

The first will be the S400 hybrid that combines a 297 hp 3.5L V6 with a 20 hp electric motor for a combined fuel economy of 7.9L / 100 km. (Mercedes is using a very similar arrangement to Honda's IMA, with the electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission)

How does that compare to their standard models?
S280 -------- 9.9L / 100 km
S320 CDI --- 8.3L / 100 km
S350 -------- 10.1L / 100 km
S400 -------- 7.9L / 100 km
S500 -------- 11.7L / 100 km

 

Hun. So it's *not* "wasteful" if MB rolls out a hybrid. But it *is* "wasteful" if Toyota does.

Interesting

 

Im hardly a diesel fanboy; I don't belong to any Diesel engine forums. Just stating the facts: there are up and coming alternatives which are going to be a tremendous hit for the auto industry and diesel is night and day from where it was just a few decades ago.

"In an effort to demonstrate the fuel efficiency of the A4 TDI, Audi France recently invited a dozen journalists to go for a drive. The teams set off in pairs driving six A4s powered by the 2.0L TDI from their starting point in Paris. They ended their journey in Madrid Spain after covering a distance of 1,260km (783 miles). The winning team used slightly less than 17.8 gallons of diesel. If they had run out the all the fuel in the tank they could have covered almost 907 miles. That comes out to an impressive 52.9 mpg (U.S.) in real world conditions. The other five teams all managed to be nearly as thrifty with their fuel allotment with even the worst team managing 49.8 mpg. The 2.0L TDI is the same engine that will be arriving in the VW Jetta this summer and an A4 TDI should be available in the U.S. next year."

Now THATS efficiency. Top Gear also had a special where they drove an Audi V8 twin turbo diesel 800 miles on 19 gallons. Even my grandma thought that was cool!

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/17/audi-a4-tdi-goes-over-900-miles-on-one-tank-of-fuel/

 

The same Tier 2 Bin 5 EPA certified engine?

Mercedes made a big deal of their R station wagon with the turbodiesel, when it first came out in Canada. However, their "estimated" fuel economy was substantially lowered once the official Transport Canada testing was done

Ditto VW with their V10 turbodiesel Toureg. Factor in a bitterly cold climate, no thanks

 

It does sound impressive. Pity that it is encumbered by an inherently unreliable conventional transmission :_>

 

Something in this article is busted. 783miles / 17.8 gallons = 44.0 mpg, not 52.9.

 

I'm not trying to be an apologist for the author, but the 52.9 MPG may have come from the projected distance of nearly 907 miles had the "winner" exhausted the entire fuel load of 17.8 gallons. (Though the calculation would have been 50.9/51.0 MPG, not 52.9.

Don't ask me who wrote or translated or even thought about how to put together that piece. They must have had an internal calculator (like we have on the Prius) that indicated something equivalent to 52.9 MPG and then calculated everything else backward to get to a U.S. gas efficiency equivalent.

As they say in Deutsch: "Mir is alles Wurst!"

 

Ja

Mir tut der kopf wir

...

Geht es ihnen gut??

 

I'm doing well, yes, but there is a little pain associated with this business: I bust a gut everytime I think about the phrase Mir ist alles Wurst. I learned several of its meanings while doing business in and around Zurich and Bavaria.

I think I was exchanging a few colloquialisms with some of my Suisse-speaking friends when they filled me in on the sausage bit. I had told them there were two things they never wanted to see in America: the making of either laws or sausage. Boy, did that take some explaining. They don't have that large of a humor bone when it comes to sausage-making, and their political systems are not quite like ours.

 

But I break out in a cold sweat if I see a single segment on my MFD at 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres, that's way high!!!
Of course we can all afford a Merc and their massive depreciation, not!

 

Your Prius doesn't weigh 4400 lbs and go 0-60 mph in 7.2 seconds either.

Amazingly enough not everyone in the world wants to drive a Prius. I consider a 25% reduction on fuel consumption to be good.

A Mercedes S-Class is not a car for the common man. No Mercedes is a car for the common man. However, for a used car buyer like me massive depreciation is a great thing. Edmunds tells me I can get a 2005 S430 for only $25,000. Ebay agrees. So I could drive a S-Class for the same price as a Camry. NICE.

 

Me too, that's why my head hurt from laughing too hard. Just had to check if you had recovered ...

 

I'm well enough, thanks!

I was a bit concerned about your phraseology, though. I'm not too great with German, and I thought you were saying "Mir tut der kopf weh" not the "Mir tut der kopf wir" you wrote. I was confused to see how I was joining your pain -- but, then, I'm awfully confused about many things!

 

With ignorant and self-serving lies like these he's handing you, I'd be looking for a more honest shop for repairs and service on the Benz...