Mercedes-Benz's new E250 Bluetec Sedan earns Toyota Prius-level numbers on the EPA's highway fuel-economy test. Shocking, because it's an evaluation we know to be hard on diesels and generous to hybrids. We therefore figured the oil-burning Benz had a chance to best the Prius in real-world driving—thus winning a small battle in the war of "cars we want to drive" versus "cars we feel we should drive"—so we set up a test. We mapped a route of backcountry, highway, and in-town roads that both cars could complete on a tank of fuel. There were only two rules for our test drivers: stay together and drive like reasonable human beings.

After 390 miles, with the Mercedes's trip computer boasting 534 miles of range remaining, the Prius's indicated range dropped to zero. We drove another 20 miles before we stopped to refuel. Our hypothesis was correct: The Mercedes used half a pint less fuel in mixed-use, real-world, conservative driving. That's well within the "noise" of measurement error, so in fairness, this is a tie.

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Except we're declaring the Mercedes the winner. We're not picking on the Prius (it's a technological marvel), but it's a car created solely for efficiency, and that shows in its road manners. The $52,634 E250 is a luxury car that just happens to get unbelievable mileage. It's 1001 pounds heavier than the Toyota but feels as if every ounce of that went toward noise cancellation and luxury. And torque: The Mercedes is 2.7 seconds quicker to 60 mph, and it easily climbed mountain passes in top gear with the engine almost completely silent, while the Prius's mooing four-banger was a screaming stress case. Although the fuel economy was effectively tied, the driving experience was anything but. So feel free to tell the Prius owner parked in the left lane that, from behind the wheel of a Mercedes, it is easy being green.

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