Quote:
Originally Posted by Deslock
The M3 was not driven enthusiastically ("It was one of the dullest drives of my life" - Clarkson). Ironically, that Top Gear clip underscores one of the points some of us have been making: Even an M3 is boring when it can't be pushed (which you can't at remotely close to legal speeds on most public roads in the USA).
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Yep. I would say the Prius driver was having more fun in that video, and they still are able to get 60mpg when they aren't driving around the top gear track. The M3 on the other hand could be tons of fun on the Top Gear tack, but on regular roads you won't be pushing it unless you have a death wish and you'll still only get 19mpg. I think something like a miata or ft86 gives you the best of both worlds. You'll be driving closer to its limits on fun backroad/canyon runs without endangering anyone's life, you can still flog it at the track, and it should have decent highway mpg. The M3 and basically all high-end German cars are designed for the Autobahn where you can really use its capabilities on a regular basis, and it is designed for people who wipe their ass with hundred dollar bills so they don't really care how much gas it uses. Unfortunately I am not one of those people.
I think the BSFC argument is irrelevant because 99% of the time you aren't going to be wringing out the engine. Maybe a bigger displacement engine that you can short shift will get better fuel economy under heavy acceleration, but what percentage of time do you spend doing that? Most of the time driving for most people is spent cruising on the highway, in which case those extra cylinders are just wasting gas.