My friend sent me this. Top Gear episode where they drive an Prius as fast as possable and then use a new M3 to keep up. Watch the video, personally I disagree with his comment on "it's how we drive" but rather that the Prius is created for real world driving where we aren't racing around a track.
How stupid are these people testing these cars, in the same episode of top gear they ran a full speed super car economy run. One car got 1.9 mile per gallon!! I guess if you are shopping for a race car then don't buy a Prius, if you are going to blast along autobahns at 80 to 90mph don't get a Prius, but if you are a normal road driver in a country with speed limits then the Prius might just be the right car for you. Check it out for your situation.
I hope you realize that Top Gear is entertainment, not a program for serious consumer journalism. Watch it and have a laugh but don't waste your energy getting upset with them.
Absolutely agree. Or maybe BMW bribed them to skew the results so they could get a portion of the "Green-Prius-Like" market share :spy: (obviously jk)
Interesting thread. No way in the world will the M3 have better fuel economy than the Prius. Just something to think about...great video though...
I know it's all in fun, I have seen the whole episode and it was pretty light hearted as always. Yep, I always get a laugh at Top Gear. The Prius has become their favorite target and it wears a bit thin but when they see the swelling sales Toyota get the laugh.
I remember Top Gear's episode about handling, where the Smart horribly understeered through the cones in the slalom test. I agree with the above opinions, it was more comedy/entertainment than information. I love Top Gear! he made a good serious point at the end of the Prius vs M3 race: "It's not what you drive that matters rather than how you drive it."
Remember the episode where a guy from Loyus came in to show Clarkson how to drive the Lotus after he bagged it? I loved that one.
In the video there's a Rolls Royce (or is it a Bentley) drifting around a corner in a race track... ouch
Yes, however this is something Americans need to learn. None the less, if you drive like you should (ie. no need to floor it @ intersections, staying at the speed limit, and coasting to red lights and stop sign) the Prius is in fact in a class of it's own and unbeatable by anything currently offered anywhere in the world (TaTa does not count, it's not a real car imo)
True... before buying my Prius, I made tests with my previous car (MazdaSpeed6, 274HP 280ft-lbs torque, awd). I started driving in the center or right lane at 60-65mph, just to see if I could live with that. I also tried not to push the car and not blast off from dead stops when the light turned green. I went from an average 13 L/100km to 10 L/km. 23% fuel economy improvement just with the driving style, not bad.
It's not easy to go from 300 + HP and instant arrival to enjoying the trip. But in my view it is very worth it. Ive been all over the world but never noticed the beauty much anywhere. I am enjoying it where I am now. I can drive 55. I love this country. It's worth of noticing and enjoying out the car windows!
If you want to run 80 - 90 MPH, you can still buy a Prius. I had to make up time on the way home last night and ran a mix of country two lane and divided highway at 75 - 90 MPH. I still got about 34 - 35 MPG. If you baby the bimmer, you might get 30 MPG. Then again, can you really baby an M3 and still have respect for yourself? As for not racing a prius, I'm not so sure. In the right class, it might just do well in endurance racing. Less frequent pit stops and brake pad changes just might make it an interesting pick for a 24 hour race.
This is a hoot, and they have a valid point: if you drive any car -- Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Prius -- as fast as you can, its gas mileage will be lousy, whereas if you toddle along well under the car's limit, (and was the M3 slip-streaming?), your mileage won't be all that bad. Now, a question: how fast will a Prius go on the flat, no wind, and what does the current fuel consumption gauge say? I'm too old and chicken to find out for myself, and I haven't seen it anywhere else in these forums.
well yes they're comparing an apple to an orange so it makes no sense. despite all that, i still love the show.. jeremy clarkson is awesome haha.
I've seen 0.00 litres per 100 kmh at an indicated 153 kmh. After I took my foot off the gas, of course. The relative silence at that speed is eerie. Beat that in your M3, Mr. Jeremy-I-can't-drive-a-Lotus-Clarkson.
