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BMW M3 Vs. Toyota Prius - Who Really Is the Fuel Economy Champ?

Agent00J submitted on 06/26/2008 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 8:08 AM
from: www.autospies.com

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BMW M3 Vs. Toyota Prius - Who Really Is the Fuel Economy Champ?

It may seem a little insane to compare the BMW M3 to the Toyota Prius as very few people would consider either car to be a competitor to the other. Perhaps that is exactly why Top Gear has pitted the BMW M3 against the Toyota Prius, to find out which car achieves better gas mileage on the track. Both cars are leaders in their segments, but are they truly competitors. Watch the video and find out...

A special thanks to user 528i for the tip on this video.

BMW M3 Vs. Toyota Prius - Who Really Is the Fuel Economy Champ?

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2JayZee - 6/26/2008 8:29:15 AM

+15 Boost

lol....only top gear

reply to this comment

Whatthe - 6/27/2008 1:03:58 PM

+1 Boost

Fantastic story. Top Gear rules.

WorldofLuxury - 6/29/2008 2:46:29 PM

+1 Boost

hehe BBC got owned!
This is why I love Top Gear so much. It's government operated and publicly funded, and as a result, it is the least biased car show you'll ever find.
Jeremy Clarkson actually kinda surprised me there...I thought he, considering the sort of person he is, was going to talk rubbish about the Prius.
Apart from the fact that I disagree with his opinions of Bangle's designs (I love the 7 and Z4), I'd be proud to be the 40% of the British population that would rather be in a car with Clarkson rather than Angelina Jolie, even though I live in SoCal.

Audiphile - 6/26/2008 8:53:32 AM

+11 Boost

This is hilarious! I wish I could get Top Gear in my area.

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DexDiamonds - 6/26/2008 8:57:00 AM

+1 Boost

Top Gear is coming. But it's hosted by Adam Corolla :-/

lewishamiltonpimp - 6/26/2008 12:16:13 PM

+4 Boost

All the episodes are at www.finalgear.com

Torrent files.

07mcs - 6/26/2008 4:58:30 PM

+5 Boost

BBC America has Top Gear. the episodes are older, but is better than nothing.

DexDiamonds - 6/26/2008 8:56:01 AM

+3 Boost

I have a question. I have a '05 Acura TL with 45k on the odometer (so it's well broken in). I live in NYC. It rains all the time with plenty of ice in the winter(why I opted for FWD). I currently get 13-14 in the city. I think it's the traffic and long lights. I took the car to a local dealership and was told that's pretty normal even though the car is rate 18 city. I really though the engine might have a problem. I use synthetic oil and 93 octane. I realized there wasn't a real problem when I get 28-30 on road trips. But what do I do about my city driving? Any tips? Do I cut the ignition? Or will that damage it?

reply to this comment

SHOWTIME - 6/26/2008 10:54:58 AMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

Try not to be heavy on the pedal when your're accelerating and go 5-10mph over speed limit and let off the gas so that the cars rolling momentum maintains that speed for a while. Once you're 5mph under speed limit repeat the process over and over.

Other things you can do to increase your overall fuel economy are installing a cold air intake, a more free flow exhaust, lighter rims and tires, lowering car (decreases drag), etc...I know all this costs money but I'm just letting you know what works.

Agent004 - 6/26/2008 2:33:10 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

"Once you're 5mph under speed limit repeat the process over and over."
You can't fool physics, you'll use the same amount of gas in this scenario versus driving at the speed limit constantly.

Hantra - 6/26/2008 2:46:44 PMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

Use CRUISE CONTROL!!!!! From a light, take about 10-15 seconds to get her up to 20-25, and then use cruise from then on. Also try 87 octane. I get +2mpg in my BMW with 87 versus 93.

Ohh, and I HAVE to put this -- YMMV <-- LOL

SHOWTIME - 6/27/2008 12:52:11 PMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

Agent004, you are partically right on that but you have to remember that in city driving at 25-30mph it is very hard to give the exact amount of gas needed to keep the car steady at that speed. You're constantly either giving slightly more or slightley less and that works against efficiency. So by increasing the speed and then letting it roll for as long as possible, you are maximizing the momentum (kinetic energy).

If you still dissagree I suggest you try it, I always get better city mileage that way aspecially on a stick car where I can put it in neutral so there is 0 engine braking applied.

SHOWTIME - 6/27/2008 12:54:43 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

Hantra, your theory also works quite well and I've heard as well that 87 octane burns slower.

Whatthe - 6/27/2008 1:02:47 PM

0 Boost

buy a prius you big baby.

Brembo - 6/26/2008 8:56:24 AM

+2 Boost

That is awesome. I totally agree with the statement of driving habit.

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Brembo - 6/26/2008 9:01:33 AM

+8 Boost

I'm going to contradict myself. The prius is design for city driving with stop and go traffic. With that said, the prius would win in that contest.

Whatthe - 6/27/2008 1:39:16 PM

0 Boost

you're taking this story seriously?!?
Wow, you must love the prius

bmwdrvr - 6/26/2008 9:15:30 AM

+5 Boost

top gear is hilarious.....interesting video thats true about it depends on how you drive..

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enthusiastx11 - 6/26/2008 9:56:00 AM

+1 Boost

that's hilarious!

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t_bone - 6/26/2008 9:56:08 AM

+4 Boost

BMW has always been pretty efficient, and I'd sure like to see what they could do with a diesel hybrid.

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michal1980 - 6/26/2008 10:07:02 AM

-7 Boost

bmw efficient? LOL

Brembo - 6/26/2008 11:15:16 AM

+3 Boost

It's pretty true. Hard to believe.

Need4Speed - 6/27/2008 9:12:41 AM

+1 Boost

Michal1980....I routinely get 22.1 MPG from my 330Ci, city + highway. On the highway with cruise set to 55 in 6th gear my MPG sits at a constant 32 MPG....how is that not efficient!

Agent63 - 6/26/2008 10:55:04 AMView My AgentSpace

-3 Boost

I'm sorry the Prius isn't the most best in fuel economy. A proper diesel could do better mileage than the Prius. On top of that the quality of the Prius is rubbish. I thought Toyota focused their quality control on each and every one of their products but I was wrong, completely wrong. Don't deboost me because you're niave and think it's the best of quality just because it's under the Toyota badge. Go see for yourself. I've rented one before.

0-60mph takes what roughly 13 seconds? with so little horsepower tugging that weight compared to an M3 with more power the M3 wouldn't have to be gassed as much whereas the Prius is pedal-to-the-medal. Mind you gas probably cost more for the M3 but that's not the comparison here.

reply to this comment

Whatthe - 6/27/2008 1:41:14 PM

+1 Boost

most best?
Get some sleep.

eric113 - 6/29/2008 3:50:57 AM

+1 Boost

you're comparing the petrol to the diesel
isn't it obvious??

it will be interesting when toyota come out with the diesel electric hybrid.

ChicaneShooter - 6/29/2008 9:03:36 AM

+1 Boost

"...with more power the M3 wouldn't have to be gassed as much whereas the Prius is pedal-to-the-medal."

63-- you need to wake up to the fact that in the REAL world, NEITHER car is driven balls out all the tiem. and the FEW times they are, only briefly.

see my post at the bottom. in the real world, the prius can be FULLY EXPLOITED to its design targets FAR MORE OFTEN, and far more efficiently.

ryskt - 6/26/2008 10:56:18 AM

+7 Boost

In a similar bent I saw an article last week about "hypermilers" who're trying to get record mileage out of their ordinary cars. Some people are claiming 60mpg out of an average V6 etc...

I decided to give it a half-hearted try myself. I drive an '07 M Roadster as my summer car and I'm conducting a 1 tank experiment. So far, by coasting down hills, coasting up to stop-lights, leaving a long lead in front during stop and go traffic to keep the car rolling, 2-4-6 starts and only using the throttle to maintain speed up hills; I've been able to average 27.2mpg (as of this morning) on 1/2 tank of gas. That's for purely city driving with the top down on Z-rated tires inflated to mfr. specifications.

EPA estimates 15mpg for my car in the city. So I'm getting nearly 12mpg better mileage than BMW states in their promotional specs.

This doesn't mean I'm going to continue to drive like this indefinitely. I didn't buy this car to drive it like a Prius. I bought it to drive like an M Roadster. So I figure if I continue to coast down hills and up to stop-lights etc... (i.e. not wasting gas for no reason) while in the city I should get better than average mileage and still kick it in the ass once in a while when appropriate and to have some fun. (Btw... I don't really care much about the clutch when coasting, my lease will run out long before the clutch wears down.)

The video is a bit spun. They were driving the Prius as hard as it would go and only using a small portion of the M3's capabilities to keep up. But in city driving you wouldn't be driving the Prius hard and you'd still only be using a small portion of the M3's capabilities so the numbers for the Prius would go way up while the M3 would probably stay close to the same and even go down due to repeated stopping and starting.

reply to this comment

Hantra - 6/26/2008 2:51:26 PMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

Here here! I wish more people understood this. If I wanted to drive a freaking Taurus, I'd buy a Taurus.

That said, I've been hypermiling my 330Ci for fun, and I'm hitting 28 back and forth to work (city driving).

The other day, my neighbor says he wants to look at a Dodge Caliber. I asked why on Earth he wanted to do that! He said "I saw a guy at the gas station filling up, and he just smiled and said '25 mpg always!'". . .

I had to laugh and show him my mileage meter. Even if I drive the BMW as hard as I'd want to for a whole tank, I'm at 24.

damikco - 6/26/2008 10:57:52 AMView My AgentSpace

+12 Boost

The prius being driven at top speed is not efficent becuse you are not using the batteries to run the car, but in city driving it will kill the bmw, and im not a huge toyota fan.

reply to this comment

ContX - 6/26/2008 11:28:07 AM

+3 Boost

The point of the comparision is that the Prius is not the most efficent in all driving conditions as many people would believe

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M35MT - 6/26/2008 11:45:56 AMView My AgentSpace

+7 Boost

no sh*t

People buy a Prius to achieve good mileage, with slow city driving.

People buy an M3 to push the car hard at high speeds on the track/back roads/highway.

If you drive an M3 like a grandma you will get much better fuel economy, if you push a prius to its limits (which must be pathetic) the small gas engine will produce much worse fuel economy.

Must be nice to have the time to do such a pointless exercise...

lewishamiltonpimp - 6/26/2008 12:21:06 PM

+8 Boost

Wow. You're a bit of a plonker mate. It is the most watched motoring show in the English-speaking world. 300 million people watch the show weekly. I guess they're all 'effin stupid' too.

Go back to your Motorweek archives.

reply to this comment

Htay7500 - 6/26/2008 1:53:48 PM

+6 Boost

top gear haters make me laugh a lot!!!

reply to this comment

dumpsty - 6/26/2008 12:15:09 PM

+3 Boost

This comparison makes sense. Where I live, of all the Prius' I've seen, they've been on the highway. And the majority of them were being driven at speeds above 70mph.

I didn't think it was getting its optimal fuel ratings being driven that fast. Each of their commutes were probably 20-30 min on the highway on average and maybe 5-10min on the streets in the 'burbs.

I would assume these Prius owners are getting 35-40mpg consistantly and wondering way they aren't getting the "advertised" fuel consumption ratings.

reply to this comment

thetruth01 - 6/26/2008 12:24:18 PM

+3 Boost

I did not want to be a part of this discussion for many reasons.

But I have to point out this error, which is a common miconception. Priuses remain quite efficient at speeds in excess of 70 mph on highways. It is still possible to achieve 45-50 mpg with speeds in the low to mid 70s. It is not until you start going above 80 that mpg drops precipitously.

kut17 - 6/26/2008 12:48:12 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

I was looking at a European BMW website, and the same models the U.S. have are getting 40+ MPG in Europe. I don't know why they don't bring those here.

reply to this comment

kut17 - 6/26/2008 1:05:11 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

For example:

European BMW 135i Coupe
-306 hp
-31 mpg

U.S. BMW 135i Coupe
-300 hp
-25 mpg

European BMW 550i
-367 hp
-26 mpg

U.S. BMW 550i
-360 hp
-21 mpg

European BMW X5 3.0si
-272 hp
-28 mpg

U.S. BMW X5 3.0si
-260 mpg
-21 mpg

Hantra - 6/26/2008 2:54:06 PMView My AgentSpace

+6 Boost

A: EPA standards for rating cars are way different.

B: All the envirofreaks, and people in Kalifornia ensure that we have much more crap put in place to keep our cars from breathing properly in the US. Hence the ass-whipping we take on gas mileage, AND horsepower.

JRobUSC - 6/26/2008 3:22:51 PM

+9 Boost

those European ratings are also based on British gallons, which are larger than U.S. gallons. One U.S. gallon = 0.833 British gallons. Larger gallons = more miles per gallon.

BMW4me4ever - 6/26/2008 12:59:48 PMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

I love Top Gear. They are hysterical in some of the comparisons they come up with. Actually, I found that comparison pretty interesting. Where is MT when we need him and his ridiculous toyota / lexus statements? wonder what he is going to say about this one? lol

reply to this comment

Lyall - 6/26/2008 1:09:09 PM

+2 Boost

to SHOWTIME: Good post. I find what you've advised on driving style easy to do, as i drive a manual. I go 10mph over, then coast for about a minute at a time in Neutral. Again and again. WHen braking for a halt, I coast, and save wear on the clutch too. The brake pads wear more, but not that much- only about 10 percent less brake life. THe BENEFIT? 32-33 mpg for my BMW 545i rated by the EPA at 24 mpg HWY. Take the M3 over the Prius any day.

reply to this comment

Lyall - 6/26/2008 1:10:21 PM

+3 Boost

Is the BMW 535-D coming to the US? Someone say it is. The car's a natural hyper-miler- especially if it comes over the pond with stick+clutch.

reply to this comment

BMW4me4ever - 6/26/2008 1:19:52 PMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

Not yet. The first Diesels to arrive in the US, will be the 2009 335d and the X5 3.5 diesel. Also, the 2009 3-series will be offered with a 6-speed Dual Clutch Transmission ( version of the new M3 DCT ) or 6-speed manual gearbox. It will make that 335d just a blast to drive with the new transmission. The 535d will not arrive til the new bodystyle comes out in 2010.

Rupert - 6/26/2008 8:15:59 PMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

535d is automatic only.

Htay7500 - 6/26/2008 1:56:36 PM

+2 Boost

I've watched the whole episode of the 1st show in season 11 thru youtube. season 11 is soo promising! kicks ass and is f-ing funny!!!!

reply to this comment

MercedesBenz00Z - 6/26/2008 2:38:00 PM

+1 Boost

Wow, BMW is really really impressive. No wonder they are always the best engineering automaker in the automotive world.

reply to this comment

monkeyrun - 6/26/2008 3:14:12 PM

-2 Boost

Meh, obviously a biased test. You should've seen his review for the Prius. Pure comedy.

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auto001 - 6/26/2008 3:29:42 PM

-2 Boost

This is a moronic comparison, M3 getting 19mpg and Prius getting 17? Prius is meant for stop and go traffic, not for racing around a track with your foot welded to the floor.

The battery power will not be enough to maintain those speeds, so the 4cyl engine will in fact be doing all the work. It's like winding a automatic watch every five minutes to make it run even if you already know that just by wearing it, it'll wind itself.

If you drive on highways most of the time, there is no reason for you to get a Prius, just buy a 4-cyl petrol or diesel.

reply to this comment

Parsec - 6/26/2008 5:44:49 PM

+2 Boost

kut17:

It may be a bit deceptive as the European websites probably use imperial gallons which are larger in volume than US gallons. To get the true mileage ratings you would have to convert over to US gallons for fair comparison.

reply to this comment

lexusrox123 - 6/26/2008 6:04:50 PM

0 Boost

is this m3 vs. prius their idea of a joke? for gas mileage, the 2 dont even compare.

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xj13 - 6/26/2008 8:51:49 PM

+1 Boost

Go BMW.

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ChicaneShooter - 6/27/2008 3:04:06 AM

+3 Boost

i use some of the hypermiling techniques.

they enable me to get 40 mpg OVERALL, every day, every tankful, with my '03 corolla. (EXCEPT when i go on trips, where its hard to stay under 70 mph. my mileage then drops to the mid-30s.)

a LITTLE patience goes A LONG WAYS toward boosting mileage. but i make up for it somewhat, by timing signals and ROLLING stop signs whenever possible. re-accelerating from even 5 mph rather than 0 mph DOES SAVE energy and gas. i also STILL get from any pt a to pt b sooner than 95+% of competing traffic. trick here: 'driving fast slowly!'

reply to this comment

ChicaneShooter - 6/27/2008 3:11:14 AM

+3 Boost

...

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huu76 - 6/28/2008 12:58:10 AM

+3 Boost

It's unfortunate that we don't live in a world where all roads are racetracks. It's amazing how BMW managed to dig up all the raw materials that they need for the M3 right in Germany.

At those speeds, the Prius' 1.5L will definitely work harder and burn fuel faster.

I have a better idea. Tie a couple of boats to the M3 and a Tundra and have them run around the track, see which vehicle gets better mileage then.

Better yet, put no gas in the Prius and M3 and see what sort of mpg shows up. Is there such as thing as infinite mpg?

reply to this comment

ChicaneShooter - 6/28/2008 3:29:40 AM

+2 Boost

LOL! great points, huu!

people need to ALLOW for different vehicles having different purposes.

a key point, is that the M3's highly evolved engineering and design, admirable as it is, can be FULLY appreciated only say, 5% of the time.

the prius' likewise highly advanced engineering, can be fully appreciated 98% of the time. (and for the 2% when one may want to go racing with it, yes, it does suck.)

but 98% vs. 5%, the Prius is THE WINNER in the REAL WORLD.

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