Channel 4 pits the Prius against a Porsche in efficiency test
We can think of a few natural competitors to the reigning hybrid champ, the Toyota Prius, when it comes to a fuel efficiency test. For instance, the Honda Insight is a logical choice, as are other midsize hybrid offerings like the Ford Fusion. Still others compare the mileage possibilities offered by the Volkswagen Jetta TDI with the Prius in both city and highway fuel mileage contests. All that's been done to death, though, so Channel 4 in the UK went a totally different route: comparing the fuel mileage of a Porsche 911 with Toyota's hybrid hatchback.
Wait a minute, how can you compare the fuel mileage of a dedicated sportscar with that of a mainstream hybrid offering? Well, "you can't" would be the simple answer, as the Prius will surely record superior fuel mileage to the Porsche. So Channel 4 decided to compare their own average fuel mileage with the car's official European rating to see if either competitor could beat its claimed figure. Click here to watch the results on video.
Done? Well then, that was a fair test, right? The driver of the Prius ran the loop with the air conditioning on and at elevated speeds while the Porsche driver did everything in his power to minimize fuel use. Sounds like a test with a predetermined outcome, no?
[Source: Channel 4]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Snowdog 4:51PM (8/18/2009)
Pointless "top gear" like "test".
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nrb 4:55PM (8/18/2009)
Agreed, but that's what the britts do. Also, any time you use the computers numbers for your test results, you can toss the whole test out the window. They're infamous for being inaccurate.
Even taking all that into account, I'm disappointed in the numbers. Compensate for the larger gallon and the Prius got 42mpg, while the hypermiling Porsche got 24mpg.
Thumbs down.
Nozferat 5:40PM (8/18/2009)
How can using an onboard computer be inaccurate yet filling up at a fuel station with different fill levels be more accurate?
phez 9:23PM (8/18/2009)
The Top Gear BMW vs Prius test was useful in that it showed how shitty the older Prius' engine was; 86lb-ft of torque at 5000rpm? rofl worthy indeed.
The newer engine performs much better at higher speed thus making it a better all around car.
nrb 10:12PM (8/18/2009)
Nozferat, never said that was accurate. It's just that the car computers are infamous for overestimating mpg. It's silly. There's no reason they shouldn't be accurate.
Personally, I try to fill up at the exact same pump every time. Even then, I don't trust a single fill. I average across multiple fill ups.
Mike!!ekiM 5:37PM (8/18/2009)
Problem was, the Porsche had a 3.8 liter engine, and of course it's engineered to run all day at, 100 mph, 120 mph, 140 mph?
Vast Excess Power, that you essentially can't use 99.9999% of the time.
A 3.8 Liter engine, no matter how slow you drive it, there's no way to make up for that excess capacity. Those Big Cylinders will still be spinning, and the engine will always be Under Utilized at city and suburban speeds.
The Porsche is a Delusional Vehicle for Today. It simply can't be driven to anywhere near it's capacity in an urban or suburban setting.
You need to rent Track Time at Watkin's Glen to properly utilize the car.
The Prius is built for the real world. Like an employee matches the job, this car matches the commuter car role much better then any other car.
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MikeW 7:13PM (8/18/2009)
Tall gearing helps. 35mph per 1K
Porsche now has direct injection.
"It simply can't be driven to anywhere near it's capacity in an urban or suburban setting."
It depends on the tires & the driver.
Evan 11:12AM (8/19/2009)
"The Porsche is a Delusional Vehicle for Today. It simply can't be driven to anywhere near it's capacity in an urban or suburban setting. You need to rent Track Time at Watkin's Glen to properly utilize the car."
Yes, there is a time and place to exercise it, and it is not on the street. (And no MikeW, good tires and driver don't make it okay when you are sharing the road with other drivers and pedestrians.)
But as for "Delusional", most Porsche drivers understand that they are getting a track car or a Sunday cruiser, and it works very well for those recreational purposes. "Delusional Vehicles" are powerful family sedans like the Ford SHO that can't be driven to their capacity on public roads but are also too big and heavy to be optimal on the track (and who carries four passengers around a track? Most tracks don't allow passengers in the rear seats anyway). "Delusional Vehicles" are modified Honda Civics whose owners should not drive them to their capacity on public roads but who never seem to take them to the track (I rarely see Porsche drivers street racing or acting juvenile on the street, they know where to go to have their fun safely).
MikeW 2:31PM (8/19/2009)
The SHO is pretty delusional. There just isn't enough brake system to go with that 365hp.
Worse is the sports package (faster with 3.16 axle ratio), they still don't give you brakes, just better brake pads!?
150mph to zero with Michelin PS2 tires is pretty easy on the new Porsches. With the PCCB brakes, you could do it all day and not give your brake system one thought.
Jon 5:40PM (8/18/2009)
I don't understand the point of this test. Anyone considering buying a Porsche will not be weighing it up against a Prius, nor will MPG be their first priority.
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Ernie 3:41PM (8/19/2009)
The point of this test is this thing called "humour". Spelled with a u.
Nozferat 5:47PM (8/18/2009)
Auto journalists and car magazines have completely run out of crap to write and report about.
Just go to a newsstand on any given day and look at the garbage MT, CD, EVO, etc write up.
How many more times do we need to read and hear about a Veryon out accelerating a GT-R? Or a group test of the same freaking ares...Lambo, Ferrari, GT-R, Corvette....or a hot hatch special report? How many times?
So it's no wonder they come up with crap comparisons like these...they literally have run of out things to do.
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nrb 10:14PM (8/18/2009)
"Auto journalists and car magazines have completely run out of crap to write and report about."
That's the part that drives me crazy. There's SO MUCH going on in the automotive world right now. It's almost history making. Yet, we get stuck with lazy reporting.
I blame the internet. :)
Nozferat 4:45PM (8/19/2009)
You are correct on that for sure.
Geoff de Ruiter 6:27PM (8/18/2009)
"it's not what you got, it how you use it" as they said at the end of the video.
Yeah OK :P the Prius still beat the Porsche, So actually it is what you got, and also of course how you use it. It would have been cool to see the same course on the way back with the drivers reversed.... Prius 85 iMPG, Porsche 14iMPG :P
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BlackbirdHighway 6:10AM (8/19/2009)
Next week, we'll take a Smart car and a Veyron, push them both off a 4 story car park and see which one comes closest to confirming Newton's law of gravity!
Because that's the sort of reporting people need!
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Mark 10:18AM (8/19/2009)
This reminds me of those Motor Trend Mag shows that would confirm that a Mustang is on equal footing with a 360 Modena. Never mind that the Modena is stock and the Mustang was some aftermarket tuned beast with track rubber and suspension AND a supercharger. They're equal. YAY AMERICA.
Porsches are efficient little cars, don't get me wrong, but this is so obviously pointless. For the urban real world use competition, the Prius wins if only because you'll never spend the 40k base price tag difference on the petrol...
Now, Prius vs VW TDI with real world numbers is something I would like to see.
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spw 9:43PM (8/19/2009)
Mark,
Edmunds did test on fuel sippers and Prius got between 20% and 30% better mileage than Jetta TDI:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/153866/article.html#?mktcat=enabler&AID=10364102&PID=3323800&kw=N&synpartner=edmunds&mktid=cj260233
Mike!!ekiM 4:14PM (8/19/2009)
There's also a FUN quotient.
I doubt the over capacity of a Porsche is much fun in city traffic.
Now, a four cylinder Mazda Miata, with it 's small engine, and a 6 speed, you'd be able to Exercise it in city traffic and still do legal speeds, while having a blast.
Over Capacity has it's Price. You can only dream of those empty back roads in Montana.
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russellgeister 7:21PM (8/20/2009)
oh another silly comparason between a high performance sports car and an eco box. always good for a giggle but pointless if you have the cash to front for a porcshe your not going to be worried about the fuel economy and if you are you probabally could't afford it anyways .the only thing fuel economy means to a porcshe owner is range. the performance of a porcshe may make not be relevant to someone living outside of germany,but with autobahn speeds exceeding 140klms per hour and alot of drivers doing in excess of 200klm per hr, a car with this kind off performance does make sense
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