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Guest tinymighty

Prius, Diesel Jetta and a Smart

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Did you see the new test on youtube (

)?

It hope Smart will introduce the diesel in the 451 soon...

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Posted (edited) · Report post

To thread starter: Not a realistic comparison without calculating all costs.

Edited by Razorback

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LOL, a biodiesel 450 CDI would've kicked ass across the board.

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I'm surprised they got 52mpg on the Prius. I believe that's the highest mpg achieved by any magazine (online or printed) umm... "journalists"The smart's biggest trump card is its price. I'm trying to utilise my Prius driving techniques on the smart but it's difficult because the 451 loves to engine brake and thus I lose a lotta speed trying to coast.

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To thread starter: Not a realistic comparison without calculating all costs.

I’m not sure the test was centered around the notion of costs. If it was the Yaris would be a better all around performer than the prius.

In my view you could always justify the 450 diesel compromises ( tiny storage space, slow performance, weak heater ) by its unbeatable fuel consumption ( and the possible use of biodiesel ). It is not the same when you consider that a 4 doors, hatchback like the Prius gets all around better mileage.

I’m not sure the Smart in general is marketed as an economy car. In Europe you can find very expensive Brabuses ( Brabi? ) that cost much more than a Prius / Jetta / Focus. I think the car is more of a statement of the will of the driver to use as little petrol as possible.

Maybe its just me...

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I think the car is more of a statement of the will of the driver to use as little petrol as possible.Maybe its just me...

and as little space on the road as possible

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Both? I mean the Prius had a high cool factor when I bought it (and those that didn't care for gadgets didn't pay attention since gas was 70¢/litre). Smart Key, bluetooth, 7" LCD screen, HUD instrument panel etc etc.

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The smart, gas or cdi, will not be a fuel economy champ at 75 mph.I've longed to compare a TDI and cdi at 95 kmh for a YouTube release.... Hmm.....

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Posted (edited) · Report post

The bottom line on this comparison is that (most of) the editors at Edmunds have an intense dislike of the smart car and rarely miss an opportunity to knock it. All things considered, I'd say the smart acquited itself quite well.

Food for thought:

The new EPA mileage numbers place them in this order for annual fuel cost based on 15,000 miles/year, 45% Highway - 55% City miles, and with differences in fuel costs taken into account:

Prius = $1175

smart = $1601

Jetta = $1780

Focus = $1933

As for True Cost to Own (for 5 years per Edmunds) try this order:

smart = Not listed

Focus = $34,956

Prius = $36,319

Jetta = $37,466

They (the Edmunds editors) must really have their panties in a bunch over this item found on their website.

Consumers' Top Rated for 2008

Convertible Under $35,000: Smart Fortwo

Judging by the early returns in our consumer commentary, Smart convertible owners are miffed that the automotive press hasn't taken kindly to their pint-size ragtop. One owner opined that the Smart feels faster than its numbers suggest, which prompted the following facetious exclamation from one of our editors: "A 19.4-second quarter-mile? No way. That totally feels like an 18-second car!" Another Smart fan gushed that the paddle shifters yield a racecarlike driving experience, which is kind of like saying that a ride-on lawnmower's raucous engine note lends it a sporty feel. But we have to admit that the Smart Fortwo convertible has its perks. If you want an al fresco 40-plus miles per gallon, for example, the Smart's your only option, and its upright posture means that just about everyone fits inside. As long as you don't mind being the center of attention, this radical runabout could be an appealing proposition.

Edited by dancote

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The bottom line on this comparison is that (most of) the editors at Edmunds have an intense dislike of the smart car and rarely miss an opportunity to knock it. All things considered, I'd say the smart acquited itself quite well.

Most places aren't kind to the Prius either. This has to be the first magazine that got > 50mpg on a Prius lol.

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the new Prius model apparently states 70mpg, wonder how true that is??

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the new Prius model apparently states 70mpg, wonder how true that is??

Depends which agency you're quoting. EPA? Transport Canada? Euro standards?

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Yeah, because the current version is 70 mpg imperial by NRCAN ratings

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Powerful, yes. But the only ones claiming it has superb fuel efficiency are VW themselves. The EPA has rated it at just 30 mpg (US) city and 41 mpg (US) highway, for a combined 34 mpg (US). In Canadian those are 7.8 L/100 Km, 5.7 L/100 Km and 6.9 L/100 Km, respectively. Now, granted, I'm usually one of the first who distrusts the EPA's (old and new) ratings. But a check of the relatively few 2.0 TDI (103 KW) on www.spritmonitor.de/en reveals that nobody is getting the 50 to 60 mpg US (4.7 to 3.9 L/100 Km) that VW was claiming in press releases and on the www.vw.com (USA) web site until very recently -- the best so far at a 6.1 and the average at 7.4 L/100 Km. Now VW is stating that they anticipate drivers in the real world should see 40s city and 50s highway.

There's a decent article about this at Edmunds.com http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea783e

Edited by SameGuy

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Audi & Auto Bild magazine organized an event to demonstrate the 2.0 TDI's fuel efficiency in Germany. Eleven different teams testing A4s (basically an upscale Jetta) got between 64.4 (US) mpg and 68.3 (US) mpg. That's 3.65 - 3.44 L/100km.

LINK

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Such tests are not representative of real world performance.

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And the Jetta we'll be getting is the 103 KW (140 hp) model with the DPF, not the 88 KW (120 hp) model.

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autobloggreen.com just posted the results of the 2nd half of the Audi TDI test: LINK

70.85 miles per (US) gallon at an average speed of over 45mph.

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