Prius vs. Odyssey mileage test; one better than expected, the other worse

A South Florida CBS TV station followed a Toyota Prius and a Honda Odyssey around town for a day, checking the actual mileage against manufacturer claims. The Toyota measured in at 52mpg while the minivan dropped to 11mpg. The Prius actually got better than the 50mpg mileage expected by the TV reporter while the Honda didn't match the 20mpg expectation from the Odyssey owner.

The test was hardly scientific, and the mileage standards against which the actual numbers were judged seemed off. According to www.fueleconomy.org, the Prius is rated at 60mpg city and the Honda at 18mpg city, so why were 50 and 20 the goals? Also, the Prius owner drove around by himself all day while the Honda mom had to tote children and run errands. Hardly similar tests.

[Source: CBS4 South Florida ]