Top Gear's Video Review of Prius

I love Top Gear videos, but this one seemed all out negative about the Prius.

What other diesels get over 45mpg in the United States? Jetta TDI?

Some differences that I picked up along the way was the European version runs 0-60 in 13.5 sec and tops at 99mph. Doesn't the US version do 11sec and top at 107mph?

He did okay with the overall MPG considering that he is super heavy foot driver... not bad for a new Prius driver.

 

Those are likely imperial miles per gallon, in which case many vehicles would be able to top 45 mpg.

 

If he is not impressed with the acceleration he likely has had his foot in it all 70 miles no wonder he is getting bad milage. I have to say the fit and finish on my Prius is better than any of the English made cars I have been in! The reliability of English made cars is lengendary like own two one to drive while the other is in the shop!

 

Funny how they pronounced it "Pry Ess", when it is actually pronounced "Pre Ess".

You have to remember Top Gear is a joking approach to auto reviews. You really can't take anything they say very seriously.

 

Clarkson is an out and out petrol-head, very entertaining and I could watch him all day.
But power and performance are his answers to everything and the meaning of life.
Hardly measures suitable for judging a Prius I'd say.

In England you can have milk delivered to your door by battery powered vehicles (its fast dying out now) they are very slow, but quiet, because they delivery the milk at 4am and don't want to wake people up.
They are known as milk floats and Clarkson often uses this term to describe the Prius or sometimes he uses golf cart.
However another presenter on TG - James May - has actually used the Prius for commuting etc and wrote a mixed but overall flattering review.

I think we must recognise that petrol-heads will always have difficulty in appreciating the Prius concept - it is alien to them - so JC and his ilk do have a hard time getting their heads around it

On various car surveys over here, Japanese cars constantly score well in reliability, build, owner satisfaction, value for money etc etc. Mercs/Jags/BMW just don't score as well- but their image and marketing are better though.

I mean, JC has a Ford GT40 - a supercar that has real 'presence', makes a helluva statement and I love it - but its constantly in the shop.......

 

"See the trees smile at me as i drive by. see the children run out into the road, because they haven't heard me coming." :lol:

"Actually, i'm being unfair. The Prius is so slow, the child could run into the road, retrieve his ball, and grow into puberty before you actually hit him"

At least he's good for a laugh!


But man, he has it in for the Prius...

 

he probably ran the traction battery charge down before taking his performance tests. that alone would add nearly 2 secs to the elapsed 0-60 time. the numbers reported are nearly identical to what was documented in consumers report car of the year for the 04.

me thinks they did not test, they simply plagiarized


also his trip to London. obviously doctored trip mileage. you can see that he only drove 15 mins. so ya, with enough starts and stops sure he could get it down to that

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Nov 14 2006, 10:28 AM) [snapback]348689[/snapback]</div>

I don't know when this was broadcast but the registration plate of this car shows that it was first registered in 2003 so it was probably a 2002 or 2003 model.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Nov 14 2006, 02:05 PM) [snapback]348949[/snapback]</div>

But it was a gen 2... thus 2004 or later... since you say it was registered in 2003 (and not being from the UK, i'll take your word for it), it's probably an '04 - the new body design in '04 was really what set off the whole Prius craze, i think, since they were then more noticeable, so this would make sense.

 

Coming from the UK, I can tell you Clarkson is pig headed and narrow minded - only likes high power Merc's and BM's - I wouldn't loose sleep over his appraisal of the prius

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cox @ Nov 15 2006, 02:07 AM) [snapback]349373[/snapback]</div>

Well said. He's a sports/power car driver... It's almost as bad as handing a Prius to an editor of "Muscle Car" magazine. You can imagine outcome.

 

The performance figures he quoted are for the classic Prius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KMO @ Nov 15 2006, 05:19 AM) [snapback]349389[/snapback]</div>

No. 0-60 was 12.5 seconds.

 

i think the plate on the car means nothing. its probably a stock plate used by the show for testing cars of which they do frequently. the car was an 04 or later. probably much later.

lets face it, we all know the show is about high performance and anything better than what he said would be surprising. i actually saw the show when it came out (thanks to DirecTv keyword search abilities) and jeremy was lambasted by the audience and his co-host who had a Prius too.

lets face it, its obvious that the review was a comic one at that and he should know that 45 mpg (actually there are better ones than that) diesels maybe available in Europe but nothing comes close to that here.

what really gets me is his comment about the car being spendy at 17,000 lbs when that is a fraction of the cost for nearly everything they test on that show.

 

I bought my Prius for three reasons:

1) Fuel economy
2) Discounts on UK road charging schemes
3) Jeremy Clarkson dislikes it.

I loves my Pri, loves my Pri...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Toyota Sirup @ Nov 15 2006, 07:51 PM) [snapback]349673[/snapback]</div>

2 Years ago I paid £185 road tax for my Merc :angry:
Last year I paid £65 road tax for my Prius
I just paid the road tax for my Prius this year - it came to £30
Maybe next year they'll be paying me !! :lol: :lol: