BMW M3 versus Toyota Prius

[monaroCountry]

YouTube - Top Gear - Toyota Prius Vs BMW M3

[henk4]

I hope people will look as far as a the final sentence, and understand the worthlessness of this "funny" episode....

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by henk4

I hope people will look as far as a the final sentence, and understand the worthlessness of this "funny" episode....

I don't think Top Gear is meant to give sensible consumer advice...

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

I don't think Top Gear is meant to give sensible consumer advice...

yeah, that would be boring....except that the last sentence is the only real useful part of the sequence....

[pimento]

Making a good point, the Top Gear way.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by pimento

Making a good point, the Top Gear way.

well, the naive viewer is now led to believe that an M3 is actually more frugal...

[Q TOY]

Originally Posted by henk4

well, the naive viewer is now led to believe that an M3 is actually more frugal...

No only the idiot viewer would think that.

[jediali]

I think this is like a shock headline, plus they can cash in on the signifcant amount of "technically underknowledged" petrol head TG viewer who hate the love or hate prius. How you drive is important but its by no means worse than the incident where the trio chained themselves to a bus at hammersmith bus station in response to some people chaining themselves to the range rover production line. Technically correct point against a socially contraversial background. What about the dust to dust costs too? Surely anyone technically aware will understand pre-sale car energy consumption is very significant and that buying an efficiently made car is also important.

[Matra et Alpine]

Well the facts are that driven that way the M3 IS better.
Drive the M3 like the optimal for a Prius and we all know what'll happen besides suicide !

The Prius number one selling point is in fact a distortion of facts. Yes, it can do better on a 10 mile journey and meet the figures quoted if driven the right way and not carrying too much weight. BUT, as they said, very VERY few are driven so and in reality the immediate consumption/pollution is pretty abysmal. When you then take in the birth<->death figures the Prius is awful and is in fact beaten by some SUVs !!

Top Gear just went about communicating that in their own way and if it makes anyone read the literature properly then it's served a secondary purpose .. Already served the primary and amused me for an hour

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine

Well the facts are that driven that way the M3 IS better.
Drive the M3 like the optimal for a Prius and we all know what'll happen besides suicide !

The Prius number one selling point is in fact a distortion of facts. Yes, it can do better on a 10 mile journey and meet the figures quoted if driven the right way and not carrying too much weight. BUT, as they said, very VERY few are driven so and in reality the immediate consumption/pollution is pretty abysmal. When you then take in the birth<->death figures the Prius is awful and is in fact beaten by some SUVs !!

Top Gear just went about communicating that in their own way and if it makes anyone read the literature properly then it's served a secondary purpose .. Already served the primary and amused me for an hour

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.

[Roentgen]

Despite being seemingly idiots, what they said does actually make a lot of sense; "it's not WHAT we drive, it's HOW we drive."

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Roentgen

Despite being seemingly idiots, what they said does actually make a lot of sense; "it's not WHAT we drive, it's HOW we drive."

see post #2 of this thread....

[jediali]

Originally Posted by henk4

But judging by the way how Clarkson is normally pronouncing the word "diesel" this is also unlikely to happen.

I believe JC has and would happily say get a golf diesel, not a prius. When he originally reviewed the prius a few years ago on TG he said a lupo diesel would genuinely get 70mpg where the prius wouldnt. Also reminds me of the time he drove a lupo diesel against a lupo petrol round the M25 (and bought a golden cock with the money saved in fuel) proclaimng, where important, going from 50-70mph is far better in the diesel. Its only really on the track and in sportier cars where he has raised an argument against diesel, and not for unrealistic reasons IMO (jag s-type 2.7D on nurburgring is a good example).

[NicFromLA]

Originally Posted by henk4

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.

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.

[jediali]

Originally Posted by NicFromLA

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 3 Yaris's.

Absolutely. Couldnt agree more! I also corrected your post