Sometimes we forget that it is possible to drive a Prius to get really terrible mileage as Top Gear did recently: How to get 17 MPG - Top Gear #36 - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars Enjoy! Warning, there is some little technical content. Bob Wilson ps. It is my habit to first post original work in GreenHybrid, not to troll for web hits but because that is where I started and first learned about PriusChat and "Prius Technical Stuff." My report is Prius advocacy. pps. There is another PriusChat, Top Gear thread from a different Prius review: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/56537-why-do-people-hate-prius-6.html#post759322 Unlike this PriusChat thread of this Clarkson road review, my engineering review in GreenHybrid is of a flat, track race between a Prius driven by a Formula-1 driver and a BMW that gently follows.
Erm, I don't think Top Gear were driving a Prius Classic (NHW11), if I recall they were driving the 2nd generation (NHW20) model.
David Kelly in "Prius Technical Stuff" pointed out that a Formula 1 driver like 'The Stig,' normally spends most of the time at the limits of tire traction ... they spend a significant amount of time 'sliding.' This means the Prius tires were in very inefficient modes with exceptionally poor rolling resistance. In contrast the BMW tires were always in a high efficiency mode. I've added his note to my write-up with full attribution. Bob Wilson
Top Gear likes to have a lot of fun. For those who did not see the entire show they did a super car gas mileage test using one gal of gas and see how fare they could go (racing) around the track. The best mileage was around 5 mpg with the Audi R8. The Prius vs the BMW was for fun and was nothing more than running a Prius at its highest performance while the BMW just followed along (an easy task considering a non-performance auto vs performance auto). I don't think that they were seriously saying a M3 will get better mileage over the Prius. Unless you are in a high speed chase with one...
Well, last weekend we put together a Toyota Auris HSD (1.8) against a Toyota GT86 (aka Subaru BRZ) in a track. Guess what... The Auris marked 14.5l/100km (16.2MPG US), while the GT86 showed 17.3l/100km (13.5MPG US). In this test the GT86 followed behind, braking and accelerating as the Auris could. Taking notice of the GT86 engine vs M3 E46 engine (4 cyl 2.0 200HP vs 6 cyl 3.2 338HP), I find it impossible to get a M3 to consume less than a Prius at same speeds flutuations/pattern in a track (following each other). The only way is cheating: either lying on the numbers or driving much harder the Prius (braking and accelerating beyond real needs than the M3, like almost stopping at corners and the BMW walking at a 50MPH steady pace).
Well any person with some semblance of critical thinking capability will see that the Prius was pushed while the M3 tip-toed around the track. That particular Top Gear test was basically done for entertainment so I wouldn't take it seriously - just enjoy a good laugh.
I've come across a lot of people that thought the Prius ended with worse consumption. To be honest, very few people challenged the perception of a "stressed-economic" car get beaten up by a "sports in zen mode" car. It is the audience-credibility-factor given by a BBC program. And 10 years already from this big lie, which still feeds Prius-trolling worldwide, I can't help thinking how cruel that particular joke episode, got pretty serious and above fake news level.
