BMW M3 versus Toyota Prius

[Ferrer]

If they (rightly) wanted to "expose the fallacy" of the Prius' consumption figures, they should have put it next to any 2 liter common rail diesel car on a longer stretch of motorway. But judging by the way how Clarkson is normally pronouncing the word "diesel" this is also unlikely to happen.

Pieter, it's Top Gear.

Top Gear is all about tyre smoke, big V8s and exhaust noise.

Anyway you can always watch Fifth Gear, if you want.

Or even a BMW 325d! I've been trying to explain to Americans for YEARS about the virtues of diesel over hybrids, but Toyota's vast marketing machine has everybody fooled. The irony is, as I understand it, that Toyota does make the world's most economical car: the Yaris. Good luck getting Leonardo DeCaprio to drive a Yaris.

Thing is with the rise of diesel prices Europe (or at least part) is going to switch back to petrol probably.

[henk4]

Pieter, it's Top Gear.

Top Gear is all about tyre smoke, big V8s and exhaust noise.

Anyway you can always watch Fifth Gear, if you want.

Thing is with the rise of diesel prices Europe (or at least part) is going to switch back to petrol probably.

I know it is topgear, but don't underestimate their influence on the general public.

Petrol prices have gone up too.....and 5th gear is broadcasted by some commercial British station we cannot see here, or by discovery channel, two years later...

[jediali]

and 5th gear is broadcasted by some commercial British station we cannot see here, or by discovery channel, two years later...

Your not missing anything! Its just VBH and her gravel voice, some fat bloke and tiff needle showing off reversing round a track. If you must, the best bits are usually on youtube.

[henk4]

Your not missing anything! Its just VBH and her gravel voice, some fat bloke and tiff needle showing off reversing round a track. If you must, the best bits are usually on youtube.

that's the impression I get when I accidently bump on them at Disco Channel.

[Ferrer]

I know it is topgear, but don't underestimate their influence on the general public.

Well people already buy SUVs in spades so moving them into M3 saloons could be seen as something of an improvement.

[SlickHolden]

First of all wtf has Richard done too himself ?.

Good top gear that, I got it, It's how you drive a car that determines what econemy you have, Doesn't matter if it's a Shit prius, If your a led foot you will return bad econemy, On the other hand a Diesel will return good econemy going medium to hard?..

My Berlina can return 5-6l/100 @ 70-80kp/h on cruise.. 6-7l/100 @ 100kp/h on cruise.

[digitalcraft]

Its not what you drive, but how you drive it.... and what you drive. Sorry, but if you drive economically, different cars will still get diferent mpg.

[RacingManiac]

And the whole hybrid thing is based on partial load, stop and go, low speed city driving, where it can run on electric motor alone. Full load, balls out on track driving is bad for fuel economy of any car....regardless the ultimate absolute speed of the vehicle...

My friend's plug-in hybrid business when they sell customer their $10k Li-ion battery pack for the Prius, they also teach the owner how to drive a hybrid properly to avoid using the gas engine.....

[NicFromLA]

Actually, I really hope this test doesn't get out because it's a great endorsement for lower speed limits. The truth is I'm as happy driving a car with 200hp as I am driving a car with 500hp as long as I can cruise at 90mph and tare through tight corners at 50mph, but a strict 60mph speed limit sucks whether you're in a Ferrari or a FIAT.

[Bob]

Ultimately hybrids as well as diesel and gas are doomed. Why? Hybrids and electric cars are touted as using an "alternative fuel source," but while the fuel in the vehicle is different, the energy source is still many coal, oil, or gas burned at a plant. These are non sustainable. We will turn to solar, because solar is the only long term energy source we have (and of course, geothermal, wind, and water energy are derived from solar.) On the other hand, once we have the infrastructure in place, hopefully orbitally based, we'll have essentially free and unlimited energy and be able to synthesize fuel in many ways.

That was way off topic. oops

[henk4]

hydropower is not really solar based though, and the same goes for wind energy (Unless you of course consider the sun as the source of life, and his absence meaning death...)

[f6fhellcat13]

I'm not sure about this, but i think the way american refineries work is a system that produces 1/2 petrol 1/5 diesel and 3/10 avgas and the like from any given amount of oil.
the european method however makes 1/4 petrol 1/4 diesel and all the others with the remaining half. i didnt explain it weel but its all in Bedard's column in the apr08 C&D

[henk4]

I'm not sure about this, but i think the way american refineries work is a system that produces 1/2 petrol 1/5 diesel and 3/10 avgas and the like from any given amount of oil.
the european method however makes 1/4 petrol 1/4 diesel and all the others with the remaining half. i didnt explain it weel but its all in Bedard's column in the apr08 C&D

it is grosso modo correct, the American refineries have been largely oriented at producing gasoline (hence the predominance of cat crackers as the secondary refinery process), while in Europe and the rest of the world much more of the barrel is converted into diesel fuel (thermo cracking)

[mikelzapi3]

[QUOTE=henk4;815376]hydropower is not really solar based though, and the same goes for wind energy [/u QUOTE]

Hydraulic power is based on solar energy, because who gives the energy to "lift" the sea water to the mountains (by evaporating it) is the sun, this way the water cycle can be closed.

And the same for eolic power, the wind is the result of pressure differences that are created when the sun heates the air.

And about the M3 vs Prius, in the way they tested, the M3 was somewhat more efficient, but that's all. If I remember correctly, the most efficient engine that you can find is a F1 engine, that gives you a 34%- 36% efficiency, so if they had raced a M3 vs F1, the F1 would get the better mileage

[henk4]

[QUOTE=mikelzapi3;815385]

hydropower is not really solar based though, and the same goes for wind energy [/u QUOTE]

Hydraulic power is based on solar energy, because who gives the energy to "lift" the sea water to the mountains (by evaporating it) is the sun, this way the water cycle can be closed.

And the same for eolic power, the wind is the result of pressure differences that are created when the sun heates the air.

all problems become academic if there is no sun....