MotorWeek Face-Off - Prius, Insight, Fusion, Jetta TDI, Audi A3 TDI, and Smart ForTwo

[bakerinva]

MotorWeek TV and Cars.com Feature Fuel Economy Face-Off
Prius, Insight, Fusion, Jetta TDI, Audi A3 TDI and Smart ForTwo Put to the Test
OWINGS MILLS, Md., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- MotorWeek, television's longest running automotive series, and Cars.com, a leading online automotive shopping destination, have teamed up for the Power & Economy Drive to determine which shade of green makes the most sense for consumers. The Power & Economy Drive is featured on MotorWeek episode 2902 which begins airing on PBS Saturday, September 12 (check local listings).
"We hear a lot about fuel economy these days, but we wanted to know which cars deliver fuel efficiency without compromising power and performance" said John Davis, MotorWeek host and executive producer. "MotorWeek, and members of Cars.com's editorial staff, got behind the wheel of three hybrids, two clean turbocharged diesels and a compact car to find out what's behind the fuel economy numbers."
MotorWeek and Cars.com took six cars with the highest government fuel economy ratings to the mountains of Western Maryland for a typical weekend family outing. The gas sippers tested were the 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Honda Insight, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2010 Audi A3 TDI, and the 2009 Smart ForTwo.
Each car was equipped with a data recorder for monitoring driving and engine performance. The cars were put through the paces, covering 500 miles of extremely challenging terrain over three days, with one car reigning supreme in terms of overall comfort, performance, handling and of course, fuel economy.
"We found the Prius, in the end, offered a really top-notch interior, a peppy ride and great mileage," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of Cars.com. "There were several close competitors, but the Prius's new look and frugal ways won us over."
The full report airs on MotorWeek episode 2902. Here are the results of the MotorWeek and Cars.com Power & Economy Drive by the numbers:
Car Type Drive mpg EPA mpg
--- ---- --------- -------
1. 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid 49.2 50.0
2. 2010 Honda Insight hybrid 40.5 41.0
3. 2010 Audi A3 TDI diesel 38.2 34.0
4. 2009 VW Jetta TDI diesel 36.2 34.0
5. 2009 Smart ForTwo gasoline 35.3 36.0
6. 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid 32.9 39.0 SOURCE Cars.com; MotorWeek
Website: http://www.cars.com

 

[TDIMeister]

http://www.google.com/search?q=motorweek+hybrid+diesel+face+off

 

[Pelican18TQA4]

One must remember though that this comparison was based largely on fuel economy. I recently saw an article in a magazine that included some of these same cars compared to the TDI and though the TDI didn't win the fuel economy tests, they picked the TDI hands-down as the car that they'd actually want to drive everyday and also as the most fun to drive. I'd take the better daily driver and the most fun to drive over the best fuel economy any day! Besides, on the highway, the TDI beats the Prius just about every time both in driving experience AND fuel economy and I do a lot of highway driving. I will honestly say though, that if I lived in a city or did the vast majority of my driving in the city, I'd probably buy a Prius too. Of course, if I lived in those conditions, I probably wouldn't even own a car

 

[66Stang]

It will be interesting to see what happens with the new Prius, which gets rid of or mitigates some of the faults of the previous car.

However, I still want a TDI and not a Prius. But I hope they sell lots of Priuses as well...more petro left for racing and autocrossing!

Chris

 

[thebigarniedog]

MotorWeek TV and Cars.com Feature Fuel Economy Face-Off
Prius, Insight, Fusion, Jetta TDI, Audi A3 TDI and Smart ForTwo Put to the Test
....."We found the Prius, in the end, offered a really top-notch interior, a peppy ride and great mileage," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief of Cars.com. "There were several close competitors, but the Prius's new look and frugal ways won us over."
The full report airs on MotorWeek episode 2902. Here are the results of the MotorWeek and Cars.com Power & Economy Drive by the numbers:
Car Type Drive mpg EPA mpg
--- ---- --------- -------
1. 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid 49.2 50.0
2. 2010 Honda Insight hybrid 40.5 41.0
3. 2010 Audi A3 TDI diesel 38.2 34.0
4. 2009 VW Jetta TDI diesel 36.2 34.0
5. 2009 Smart ForTwo gasoline 35.3 36.0
6. 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid 32.9 39.0 SOURCE Cars.com; MotorWeek
Website: http://www.cars.com

Our cameras caught a picture of one of the motorweek testers :

I think it's fair to say the test was rigged when the "testers" got a little carried away with the free makeup kit Toyota gives out for the Prius clown car. Afterall, most people would prefer a prius over an Audi A3 (excuse me while I call b*llsh*t on this).

 

[02AutoWag]

One must remember though that this comparison was based largely on fuel economy. I recently saw an article in a magazine that included some of these same cars compared to the TDI and though the TDI didn't win the fuel economy tests, they picked the TDI hands-down as the car that they'd actually want to drive everyday...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFDHpG8NQjY

 

[TDIMeister]

Very nice!

 

[bakerinva]

Watch the youtube (posted by 02AutoWag) of this! I second TDIMeister's enthusiastic response!!

 

[Sweeps]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFDHpG8NQjY

CLEAR winner...Love it.

 

[Melensdad]

. . . most people would prefer a prius over an Audi A3 (excuse me while I call b*llsh*t on this).

If there is ANY truth to that statement then it is clear that our public education system has completely failed and needs to be dismantled!

 

[itchytweed]

My soon to be retired 93 Jeep Cherokee has about 72 cu. ft in the back with the back seats down. The JSW has about 66 cu ft max in the back. The Prius comes no where near that and we can forget the Fortwo.

Fuel Mileage is not the highest criteria for most people except ones that are radical treehuggers. To the treehuggers, drop the Prius and the Fortwo and get better gas mileage. I also own a Trek 6200 mountain bike that gets far better fuel economy than either. Oh, but wait, the EPA wants to declare Carbon Dioxide a hazard. So, I guess that bikes can be ruled out because of heavy breathing

Can't wait for my JSW.

 

[jerryofva]

itchyweed:

Don't laugh, I did some rough calculations on human CO2 production and although the amount of CO2 produced when you ride your bike is not car-like it is still significantly greater then one would think.

 

[gary 32]

more track days for us

It will be interesting to see what happens with the new Prius, which gets rid of or mitigates some of the faults of the previous car.

However, I still want a TDI and not a Prius. But I hope they sell lots of Priuses as well...more petro left for racing and autocrossing!

Chris

Thanks toyota for the prius. It wins in all the tests for gasoline fuel economy, marks for everyone the most entitled and politically correct (worst) drivers on the road and no one drives it for pleasure.

 

[Diesel_Mikey]

Hey, don't knock the Prius...when you drive it, it somehow forces everyone around to dress up like a flower and dance alongside the road. It also has enough torque to tow the sun behind it. Oh, no, wait, sorry...I just realized it says "dramatization" at the beginning of that commercial.

Good thing they cleared that up...no, seriously, the target buyer for a Prius probably does need that cleared up, since the Prius drivers I know all seem to think every mile they run feeds a starving child and finds a home for an abandoned puppy.

 

[Pelican18TQA4]

Hey, don't knock the Prius...when you drive it, it somehow forces everyone around to dress up like a flower and dance alongside the road. It also has enough torque to tow the sun behind it. Oh, no, wait, sorry...I just realized it says "dramatization" at the beginning of that commercial.
Good thing they cleared that up...no, seriously, the target buyer for a Prius probably does need that cleared up, since the Prius drivers I know all seem to think every mile they run feeds a starving child and finds a home for an abandoned puppy.

Thanks for the much-needed laughs!

 

[wolfskin]

itchyweed:

Don't laugh, I did some rough calculations on human CO2 production ....

Would appreciate it if you could share...

 

[JettaJack]

What roads were they driving?

I am just curious how they got such a low MPG on that run? Did they only go uphill to Deep Creek, or did they count the run back downhill? Or was it break in mileage?

 

[NICK4030]

I am just curious how they got such a low MPG on that run? Did they only go uphill to Deep Creek, or did they count the run back downhill? Or was it break in mileage?

Good point.

 

[drewkeen]

Kind of funny that both diesels got better than the EPA estimates and all gassers got worse. I also has no idea that the new TDIs were that much lower than the older ones...does the emissions stuff choke them that bad?

 

[NICK4030]

Kind of funny that both diesels got better than the EPA estimates and all gassers got worse. I also has no idea that the new TDIs were that much lower than the older ones...does the emissions stuff choke them that bad?

Yes sir.... I still cannot wait to get a 2010 golf... worse mileage or not, still no comparison in my mind.

 

[BolaB4V]

...was surprised the Audi with faster shifting auto trans got better mpg's than the Jetta manual trans..

 

[jbright]

I also has no idea that the new TDIs were that much lower than the older ones...does the emissions stuff choke them that bad?[/quote]

Many people who actually own this car and drive it every day are averaging 40 to 45 mpg per tank. That's combined mileage calculated by hand, not MFD. Check the monthly mileage threads on this site and others and you will see what I mean. I'd have to work to get such low mileage in my 2009, beat the hell out of it, sit in traffic, drive a mile or two cold over and over. Out on the highway, with conservative driving, it's not uncommon to top 50 mpg on trips. It's a powerful car, no doubt about that, and it could encourage the type of driving that may not get the best possible mileage. I'm not sure what causes the discrepancies.

 

[MrPolak]

Interesting. When a real car mag did a similar test the TDI won over the Pious. Granted, it was the previuos gen Pious, but even the current one won't hang with a TDI at 80. That was Car and Driver.

 

[Jester]

I just did some similar driving...200 miles worth.... on some curves and twists down in Arkansas, in the Ozarks. Driving like a bat out of hades I got 44 mpg. It was a lot of fun. Then the last leg of the trip, I slowed down to 52 mph, and the MFD went up to 57 indicated. If you knock off about 4 mpg, which is the normal paper result, I would say the JETTA should be a clear winner. While mine is an 06 with DSG, I just don't see how the 09 could be so poor on fuel economy in these tests. Makes no sense.

 

[thebigarniedog]

...was surprised the Audi with faster shifting auto trans got better mpg's than the Jetta manual trans..

Probably the clown driving the standard had difficulty with his floppy shoes on the pedals.

 

[German_1er_diesel]

Kind of funny that both diesels got better than the EPA estimates and all gassers got worse. I also has no idea that the new TDIs were that much lower than the older ones...does the emissions stuff choke them that bad?

More power - for those interested in fuel economy, they make the 1.6 now. That's the replacement for the 1.9.

 

[itchytweed]

I just did some similar driving...200 miles worth.... on some curves and twists down in Arkansas, in the Ozarks. Driving like a bat out of hades I got 44 mpg. It was a lot of fun. Then the last leg of the trip, I slowed down to 52 mph, and the MFD went up to 57 indicated. If you knock off about 4 mpg, which is the normal paper result, I would say the JETTA should be a clear winner. While mine is an 06 with DSG, I just don't see how the 09 could be so poor on fuel economy in these tests. Makes no sense.

My concern here is that was the engine properly broken in or were they testing one "out of the box"? By all reports here, the engine needs some sincere "luv" for over 5k-20k to fully break in an realize their full potential for MPG.

Also, maybe the comment about the driver wearing "floppy shoes" may not have been too far off . My 98 Saturn SL2 was rated by the Feds at 34 MPG hwy. Well, with 105k miles on the clock, I was getting 47 MPG on the highway and I have repeated this several times since (Take that Feds and your silly MPG ratings ). But then I don't wear floppy shoes, I drive long trips in my socks with the shoes off and I was not doing any hypermiling tricks either, just following the terrain and driving with the proverbial egg under the foot.

I can't wait to see what MPG I get with the JSW TDI when it arrives.

 

[Pelican18TQA4]

I just did some similar driving...200 miles worth.... on some curves and twists down in Arkansas, in the Ozarks. Driving like a bat out of hades I got 44 mpg. It was a lot of fun. Then the last leg of the trip, I slowed down to 52 mph, and the MFD went up to 57 indicated. If you knock off about 4 mpg, which is the normal paper result, I would say the JETTA should be a clear winner. While mine is an 06 with DSG, I just don't see how the 09 could be so poor on fuel economy in these tests. Makes no sense.

No way you're getting anything even close to 40 mpg driving the CBEA like a bat outta hades. Doing that you will likely get low- to mid-30s at best. That has been my experience. The CBEA doesn't do well under heavy loads or city driving situations where you're constantly accelerating. It will shine on the highway and I have gotten easily 47-49 mpg on the highway with the cruise set at 65mph indicated, and this is with the constantly undulating roads of the northeast. I imagine that in a part of the country with flat roads that doing the same would easily yield 50 mpg or more. Of course, start going faster than that and the mpg will drop accordingly, seemingly exponentially as you go faster. For instance, yesterday I averaged 44 mpg on the way to work (34 miles on mostly rural roads and highway with very light traffic and very little stopping). Today, I got the itch to go fast on the highway and cruised at 80 mph rather than the normal 65 mph and my average for the the same trip was 40 mpg. All other aspects of the drive were consistent with yesterday, with my highway speed being the only difference. A lot more power and much cleaner emissions = less mpg. There are always compromises!

 

[abctdi]

Did anyone address the long term hybrid issue? Where/when do you get new batteries and what is the impact to the environment from the old batteries. What was the impact creating the first set?
Also, driving a diesel takes more skill than just mashing the pedal. The low end torque curve should be ridden, not driven. I doubt any of the testers have that skill.
It was unsurprising to hear the big guy complain about the cramped conditions of the smart car

 

[JettaJack]

And another thing

They showed the mileage being measured by a plug in tester supplied by cars.com. I wonder what they are using for the algorithm and how it compares to the (obviously 4 mpg higher) MFD readings?

Nothing like the old fashioned way sometimes, you know pen, paper, calculator. . . oops!