When driven "spiritedly" on a test track with the BMW M3 as a pursuit vehicle, the suprising answer is....the BMW. 17mpg for the Prius and 19mpg for the M3! Which only goes to show that driving technique has a lot to do with fuel economy. I also personally feel the BMW may have benefited some from drafting the Prius.
The test was completely bogus and in favor of the BMW. In a truely scientific test the outcome would have been much different IMO. There is another thread on the subject.
I would really like to see how to drive an M3 on a test track and still get 19mpg. Maybe the BMW M3 is being towed by the Prius.
In real world driving, I've never gotten below 40 mpg on a tank. I'm guessing only the most accomplished hypermiler(s) would be able to get > 30 mpg in the M3.
The new M3 is EPA rated at only 14mpg city. Road and Track averaged 14.6mpg in their comparison test. Can't imagine how it could exceed 8mpg when driven at speed on a closed track.
this has been discussed before... http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/49576-top-gear-prius-yet-again.html
