BMW Beats Prius in mpg test run

[GasSavers_ALS]

Is this a case of man bites dog? A mid-size BMW sedan equipped with a diesel engine returned better fuel economy on a 545-mile, London-to-Geneva, run than a gasoline-powered Toyota Prius. A BMW 520d with a 2.0-liter diesel engine and regenerative braking (but no heavy duty hybrid features) got 41.9 mpg while the full-hybrid Prius, 500 pounds lighter, got 40.1 mpg.

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[4bfox]

Right, but here we go again....Beemer is $20,000 or so higher than the Prius; what about city MPG? I don't think I'll be running out to buy the BMW for .9 mpg gain.

I'm doing 40-45 mpg with my VX that's paid for. I know....it doesn't have the aesthetic appeal of the BMW, but my operating expenses (insurance, taxes, etc) are a fraction of the BMW (or the Prius, for that matter).

[GasSavers_ALS]

The point is manufactures can build cars that can get much better fuel mileage if they put their minds to it. They don't need to be forced into it.

[lunarhighway]

there are lots of modern diesels that return better all round milage than the prius. the only place where a prius is truely in it's element is in a traffic jam with lots of stop go traffic.
but even in city traffic a diesel isn't going to do all that bad, with it's low end torque.

the only advantage a petrol engine curently has over a diesel is that it's a little simpler and cheaper to manifacture and maintain, also in colder climates diesels are a bit out of their element. compared to a hybrid a single engine vehicle is always going to be cheapest and easyest.

diesels have some emviromental issues with their small particle emissions, but technical solutions to cure this exist and although their not yet universally adopted on all new models

recently a lot of european manifacturets wanting "green cars" have put out moddified series of existing models... basically these have all the things applied people over here do to their cars... grillblocks, smooth aerodynamics like belly pans, taller gearing, weight reduction, LRR tires etc... these return a few more mpg's than their normal cousins and require a bit more shifting but otherwise they're normal, and affordable cars. all of these are diesels

if we can moddify existing and most of the time older vehicles to return a great milage, surely manifacturers can do the same if not more, if only they want to, and with public intrest shifting towards FE this will start happening.

[JanGeo]

Ok first that is pretty low mileage for a Prius I did Friday afternoon rush hour traffic from Logan 93 south to Newport so I hit bumper to bumper traffic and was getting 70mpg until the battery ran down and averaged 62mpg highway. Second they are comparing diesel fuel to gasoline fuel - they contain different BTU (available energy).

[GasSavers_SD26]

Originally Posted by 4bfox

Right, but here we go again....Beemer is $20,000 or so higher than the Prius; what about city MPG? I don't think I'll be running out to buy the BMW for .9 mpg gain.

How about battery replacement and resale?

[4bfox]

Actually, that's my point on BOTH cars. Think I'll keep my VX...replaced the engine AND trans for $500. delivered.

[Silver00]

I too feel their milage for the Prius is low. As for the Battery and resale. I have seen them go 350K+ with the original battery, and the resale is great, better than most. I have been looking to buy one (used) and it is crazy what they sell for, even wrecks with salvage titles.

4bfox I wish there was the option to buy something like the VX right now, it is clearly the car that will get the mileage without the premium price.

[1993CivicVX]

Originally Posted by 4bfox

Right, but here we go again....Beemer is $20,000 or so higher than the Prius; what about city MPG? I don't think I'll be running out to buy the BMW for .9 mpg gain.

I'm doing 40-45 mpg with my VX that's paid for. I know....it doesn't have the aesthetic appeal of the BMW, but my operating expenses (insurance, taxes, etc) are a fraction of the BMW (or the Prius, for that matter).

People comment all the time on my VX. "What kind of car is that?" They see how smart looking it is. They don't know about its lean burn engine and are always surprised that it is capable of over 50mpg, regardless of that, they still think it's an appealing car.

[1993CivicVX]

Of course MPG is only a small part of the story. Does the Beamer have as clean emissions? Probably not. Although I saw the strangest thing the other day. A Subaru Legacy with a P-ZEV emblem. No Hybrid emblem, just the partial zero emissions vehicle emblem. Anyone know anything about this?