Which is better? A 5 series BMW or a Toyota Prius?

Which is better? Well, I guess it depends on how your order your priorities. If you're talking about panache, style, performance, comfort or practicality then my guess is you'd pick the BMW. If you're talking about fuel mileage then you'd probably pick the Prius... but you'd be wrong.

A recent article from The Sunday Times in the UK tested a modern BMW 520d (diesel) against a Toyota Prius and the 5 series won by about 2mpg overall. Of course the test was weighted heavily in favor of highway cruising but still... that's quite an achievement for BMW.

With modern diesels becoming more civil in terms of pollution (in terms of CO2 emmissions it is just 32g/km worse than the all eco-greenliness of the Prius), noise and driveability it truly is an alternative to other automotive gas saving alternatives. The diesels from BMW arrive this side of the ocean later this year and I'm sure along with all their other all-new models (1-Series, M3, X6) it will sell like nobody's business.

306hp twin turbo 3.0 I-6 | 420hp 4.0 V8 | 400hp twin turbo 4.8 V8