Unless you live in California, you might not be aware of the invasion of the Toyota Prius. They're everywhere. In fact, there are streets I drive where every other vehicle appears to be a Pious. It's become the chosen chariot of the smug and the uninformed.
I have to admit to a slightly irrational hatred of this hybrid. I'm trying to come to terms with it but I'm losing the fight.
One of my problems is that people are under the misconception that owning a Prius is enough. I regularly see them rattling down the carpool lane or burning away from traffic lights. And in these circumstances, the Prius is no more efficient than many other cars.
A quick Google search will find a story run by the London Sunday Times newspaper that pitted a BMW 520d against a Prius on a 460 mile journey from London to Geneva.
Although it involved long stretches of freeway, they deliberately included additional urban driving to help the Prius, and yet the BMW won by a narrow margin.
BBC Top Gear made a similar comparison by running a Prius around its test track with a 400hp M3 V8 giving chase. Again, the BMW used less fuel. So it's not what you've got, it's how you use it...
Where the Prius excels is in city driving because it switches to its electric motor. We were able to clarify this during our Prius vs Jetta TDI Miser's Challenge elsewhere in this issue. In heavy downtown traffic, the Prius used about 30% less fuel than our TDI. However, once the Prius is forced to run at higher speeds on its comparatively small 1.5 liter gasoline engine, it became a relatively unresponsive hatchback. Our TDI was able to match or better its gas mileage once we hit a short stretch of freeway. And when we turned the cars onto the Malibu canyons, they both burned about the same amount of fuel as they climbed the steep hills.
Without wishing to spoil our story, the TDI shines where you'd expect - on the open road. While the hybrid technology undoubtedly works best in the city.
However, you should realize that while Pious owners look down their noses at the rest of us, the production of their batteries is causing catastrophic environmental damage. Of course, hybrids aren't the only things using nickel in their batteries, but be aware hybrids are still a compromise.
There was an unsubstantiated report that stated a Hummer creates less environmental impact than a Prius in terms of the life of the vehicle from its production, to its fuel use, and its final destruction and recycling. The argument is inconclusive in our opinion, but it's a complex issue. At the end of the day, it's about how you use your vehicle and whether you respect the environment. If we all make an effort to cut our emissions and be informed about reducing our long-term carbon impact, hopefully we can all continue to enjoy exciting forms of transport for many years.
There are plenty of tips on maximizing gas mileage from the vehicle you have. And let's not forget alternative transportation such as bus, train, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and walking. In short, we all have to play a part if we're going to cut our carbon emissions and reduce our dependency on foreign oil. So ask yourself if you could use your car less? Could you get a smaller car? Could you live near work? Could you drive more efficiently?
Despite the mounting environmental pressures, we can still enjoy our cars and hobby, especially since Euros are among the most efficient on the market.
One of my all-time favorites is the E30 M3, and we have two fine examples in this issue. Like our owners, I always wanted one but lack of funds forced me to build a convincing replica some years ago. Yet it wasn't the same. When asked, I had to admit it wasn't an M3. It was the last replica I'll ever own.
If you still enjoy the heat of competition, you might like to consider the Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge announced in this issue. We're inviting you to represent us against Japanese and domestic opposition in this multi-discipline event.
The car we select will have to compete on the road course, dyno, quarter-mile and pass emissions testing - impossible? We're looking for a great all-round package, so visit the website to enter.
Even if you don't have a suitable car, you can enter a sweepstakes by nominating your favorite car and have the chance to win $10,000! All the details are elsewhere in the issue or at www.SyntecTopCarChallenge.com
From gas-sipping diesels to 900whp M3 turbos, we reckon this issue has something for everybody. If it doesn't, drop us an email to the address below and tell us where we're going wrong.
Greg Emmerson, Editor
eurotuner@sorc.com