BMW's Prius Killer - 65 MPG and 0-60 in less then 8 seconds

sigh... because of self-interest, the whole "reliance on foreign fuel" isn't going to last. Prius has gotta step up its game! But of course, without BMW and others doing their job, the Prius probably wouldn't be as good as it is now.

you're right huu. but the prius is also like driving a toaster oven. the 3-series has a wonderful chassis and handles better than the vast majority of cars. that combined with amazing fuel economy is very appealing proposition.

Most of the 5-7K UK pound difference will be mute a few years out after the first Prius battery change and in higher resale values for the BMW.

yeah, a standard car battery. ruh-tard

Should be comparing it to Honda's dismal CR-Z. 2 Sec faster to 60, almost double the fuel economy, and wanna guess which is more fun to drive.

The problem for some of us though is that it's diesel, for someone like me who lives in san diego (encinitas to be specific) it's very difficult to find a diesel station when I actually need to fill up. It's even more difficult to find one on the way out to palm springs or up to LA if i have to get gas immediately I might be out of luck.

It is nice though that you could still have a BMW and get good mileage for people who have diesel stations

I've lived in both Los Angeles & San Diego(Clairmont). Diesel is not that hard to find if you know where to look: stations near freeway on/off ramps or industrial sectors.

Well. Diesel is in every gas station here in the Mid-west, so just bring them over.

@huu76: "Anyway, what happens when the 320d runs into a city" -> We will see the result in our road test! We start off in the centre of Munich, drive the 320d on the Autobahn to Hamburg and Lübeck and find out if we get back the same way with one single tank of diesel fuel! Of course we will drive the car how its meant to be driven => like a BMW. I dont expect that we follow trucks on the right line of the Autobahn :-) So we are talking about realistic conditions! Stay tuned for the result!

at the end of the day, getting in to a vehicle you love to drive is a big deal. If you dont believe this, you have never owned the right vehicle. it could be the miata, wrangler or anything the makes the drive enjoyable.

some of us actually LIKE to drive. and it really sucks driving a car that pitches when you make a turn, gives no steering feedback and freaks out if you actually have to do any emergency maneuvers. to say nothing of the fun of driving a great car all the others times when not commuting. is that the only time you drive your car huu? back and forth to best buy?

One can easily find the real-world fuel economy of the Prius and BMW 320d using the www.spritmonitor.de website.

The average 2009/2010 Prius uses 5.19 L per 100 km (45 mpg):
http://www.spritmonitor.de/de/uebersicht/49-Toyota/439-Prius.html?constyear_s=2009&constyear_e=2010&powerunit=2

The average 2009/2010 BMW 320d uses 6.39 L per 100 km (37 mpg):
http://www.spritmonitor.de/de/uebersicht/6-BMW/37-3er.html?fueltype=1&constyear_s=2009&constyear_e=2010&exactmodel=320&powerunit=2

Now, the low-rolling resistance tires of te ED edition 320d may have some impact on fuel economy, but I doubt if it will be more than 5%.
So, I would not say "forget the hybrids" just yet.

I'll take the BMW any day.

I'm not a BMW fan, but I would have this over any Prius, Insight, or even a Camry or Accord hybrid. It is just a better vehicle all around.