Fuel Saving Fun

The Toyota Prius has a reputation as a car favoured by tree-hugging Hollywood stars, but a former colleague of the World Highways editor has proven that despite its reputation for economy, the Toyota Prius can serve as a racetrack tool. The driver has con rmed that his vehicle was o cially the ninth fastest of its type around the famous Nordschleife (Nürburgring) race track in Germany, beating 27 other similar models at the time of its run. The unmodi ed Prius T4 managed to complete the 20.8km section of t
April 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The 2728 Toyota Prius has a reputation as a car favoured by tree-hugging Hollywood stars, but a former colleague of the 3260 World Highways editor has proven that despite its reputation for economy, the Toyota Prius can serve as a racetrack tool. The driver has confirmed that his vehicle was officially the ninth fastest of its type around the famous Nordschleife (Nürburgring) race track in Germany, beating 27 other similar models at the time of its run. The unmodified Prius T4 managed to complete the 20.8km section of track open to the public in 15 minutes 34 seconds. The owner did however hold true to the image of the fuel economy concerned Prius driver by adding that the car achieved 13.94km/litre (39.6mpg) even while pedal to the metal at the racetrack. However it is worth noting that record times for completing the 20.8km circuit in unmodified (but high performance) road cars are under 7 minutes, with racing cars having managed faster laps still.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New fuel economy targets could cut motoring costs in Europe
    May 18, 2012
    Europe’s drivers will be able to save enormous sums of money if ambitious fuel economy targets are introduced by the EU this July. This claim has been made by a former UK Environment Agency chief, Malcolm Fergusson. His study predicts that annual fuel costs for Europe’s drivers could fall by about 23% by 2020 if the currently expected EU fuel efficiency target of 95grammes of CO2 emissions/km for new cars and 147grammes/km for vans is confirmed by the European Commission in July, as expected. If the target
    Read More
  • Study reveals high levels of US motorcyclist fatalities
    April 26, 2013
    A report by the US Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) estimates that motorcyclist deaths increased around 9% in 2012, with over 5,000 killed. This is greater than had been expected by the US Government and if the data is confirmed, 2012 will be the 14th out of the last 15 years in which motorcyclist fatalities have increased. This shocking data is in marked contrast to US road fatalities overall, which have dropped. Motorcyclists remain one of the few roadway user groups where no safety improvemen
    Read More
  • Fast smart car
    January 14, 2015
    Audi has let its sophisticated autonomous RS7 performance car loose on the famous Hockenheim race circuit, with successful results. The vehicle features advanced computing technology that allows it to drive itself and was able to achieve speeds of 240km/h while completing a lap on the Grand Prix race circuit. A combination of GPS location data and onboard camera technology enabled the vehicle to compare with stored track map information and identify its precise location on the track, allowing it to drive at
    Read More
  • Get out of my way!
    May 1, 2018
    Paramedics responding to a serious medical emergency in the UK said that they were disgusted when they returned to their ambulance to find a note attached to the windscreen. The note complained that the vehicle had blocked a driveway, preventing a person from moving a car. The paramedics received praise for their efforts in saving the life of someone who had been taken seriously ill, while criticisms were aimed at the selfishness of the unnamed complainant who wrote the note. The writer later admitted his s
    Read More

Highlighted Content