What kind of re-gen braking does that BMW have? What does it power? (just the battery?)
It also looks like that BMW has some aero-features e.g. the wing mirrors are smaller and have some airflow by the window where airflow will be high!
I have to admit, I got 90MPG (UK) in a Toyota Avensis 2.2 Diesel Turbo, on a round-trip 200 mile run, so 2.0 diesels can be efficient).
I bet, if they raced that Prius, they could have had the battery drained, the engine running 'enriched' a lot of the time, so the BMW would be running more efficiently.
By the way, the PRIUS WON the competition anyway
Because the calorific (therefore CO2 output) value of diesel is much higher than petrol anyway. So that BMW put out more CO2/mile than the Prius did!
Edit - I see that the energy content of diesel has already been discussed.
Also found this :
GUYS its all about how LOW mpg if i could afford it i would armor plate an H1 hummer so that it got 2mpg instead of the 8 it gets. all you "greenies" and your wannabe fake attitude about caring about the environment and buying a crappy prius so that you can not feel guilty about yourselfs for all the waste that really matters. how many of you special people recycle all your empties, cans, milk jugs, paper, etc. think of all the stuff you throw away that doesnt biodegrade easily. so if you "greenies" actually think your doing the world a favor by buying an "enivornmentally safe" car needs to really think of how much of a "big deal" your making
By 'Tim The Man'....