+1 for the Germans
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+1 for the Germans
suck on that you tree hugging Prius lovers!
http://www.technoride.com/2008/03/bmw_dies...ius_in_econ.php
http://www.technoride.com/2008/03/bmw_dies...ius_in_econ.php
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.
Two writers for the Sunday Times (London) wondered if official mpg ratings were accurate after hearing from their readers who said the Prius ratings were high by 15 (U.K.) mpg. "If our readers are right and the official figure is wrong it has important implications, not least of which is that people driving frugal diesels are getting a raw deal," the paper said, since hybrids get some tax and roadway access benefits in Europe as they do in the U.S. To find out, they drove BMW's midsize 5 Series sedan and the Prius London-to-Geneva, adding 100 miles to the route "to give the Prius the advantage of running in urban conditions where its petrol-electric drivetrain comes into its own."
Two writers for the Sunday Times (London) wondered if official mpg ratings were accurate after hearing from their readers who said the Prius ratings were high by 15 (U.K.) mpg. "If our readers are right and the official figure is wrong it has important implications, not least of which is that people driving frugal diesels are getting a raw deal," the paper said, since hybrids get some tax and roadway access benefits in Europe as they do in the U.S. To find out, they drove BMW's midsize 5 Series sedan and the Prius London-to-Geneva, adding 100 miles to the route "to give the Prius the advantage of running in urban conditions where its petrol-electric drivetrain comes into its own."
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Originally Posted by jtpassat,Mar 19 2008, 10:09 AM
what's your point??? still beats it in mpg!!! 
The simple truth is that MPG is not a measure of efficiency. It's economy. And a very general assessment of economy at that.
And comparing diesel MPG to gasoline MPG is just stupid... a gallon of diesel has ~15% more energy than a gallon of gas, so before you even compare engine technology, the comparison is flawed. Not to mention varying blends of ethanol in gas changing the energy composition.
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not biodiesel, cheaper is relative it's still about $1.40 a liter ($6 a gal). the diesels are much different than they used to be. I rented a MB in Germany last year, after the first drive I had to check the engine to make sure it was a diesel ran like a gas engine pickup and power were great (for a MB) 120MPH on the autobahn it wasn't even breathing hard
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Originally Posted by CTMechE,Mar 19 2008, 10:41 AM
And while I realize we're all joking, it does highlight that the average person doesn't have a clue what the word "efficiency" means.
The simple truth is that MPG is not a measure of efficiency. It's economy. And a very general assessment of economy at that.
And comparing diesel MPG to gasoline MPG is just stupid... a gallon of diesel has ~15% more energy than a gallon of gas, so before you even compare engine technology, the comparison is flawed. Not to mention varying blends of ethanol in gas changing the energy composition.
The simple truth is that MPG is not a measure of efficiency. It's economy. And a very general assessment of economy at that.
And comparing diesel MPG to gasoline MPG is just stupid... a gallon of diesel has ~15% more energy than a gallon of gas, so before you even compare engine technology, the comparison is flawed. Not to mention varying blends of ethanol in gas changing the energy composition.
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Originally Posted by jtpassat,Mar 19 2008, 12:17 PM
not to mention the premium you're paying for a hybrid over a conventional car, which would take 5+ years to recoup in gas savings
It's kind of like the awareness bracelets that became a fad... for $1 you too can pretend you're doing something for a cause, and be recognized for it every day. But the truth is they only contributed a buck to the cause and are just riding the image.
Again, as an engineer, I really support the development and implementation of better technology. But until gas gets to about 2x the current price, the reasons for buying a hybrid will mainly be image based, not based on money savings.
The Accord hybrid got cancelled because it sold poorly... but it was the most appealing hybrid to me. Faster than the base V6, and equal or better MPG than the 4cyl. It's win-win, since it's not all about gas savings. But again, it looks like any other Accord, so no recognition for the vain people.