What fuel economy can I expect?

[wanmichael]

All,

I'm trying to decide between a '07 Prius or a '07 HCH II. Eventually, if and when I decide to purchase next spring, the cost difference between the Prius and HCH II will be about $2k after all available tax credits. I gather that the two will deliver similar efficiency under my type of service.

The type of service the vehicle will see, is:

~70% 1-2 mi trips
~30% 5-10 mi trips, city/hwy mix.

Current vehicle is a 96 Saturn SL2 Auto, which delivers between 24-27 mpg in this type of service.

With the Prius, can I expect to obtain 35-40 mpg over the life of the vehicle throughout all seasons? Or more? Does anyone here have a similar driving profile?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[efusco]

Are the 1-2 mile trips multiple trips...IOW, are going 1 mile to one store, stop for 10 minutes, then on to the next, etc. Or, are they 1 mile to work, car sits all day, then 1 mile home?

The 1-2 mile trips are definately killers unless you do multiple in a row. In Sacramento the weather should help matters. I suspect you'll see closer to 45mpg lifetime depending upon your driving style, traffic conditions, what speed the roadways you drive on tend to be, etc. But it's pretty rare to see someone getting under 45mpg lifetime if they try at all to get good FE.

[wanmichael]

Only the 5-10 mi city/hwy trips, which make-up about 30% (I'm guessing), will be in a row.

The 1-2 mi trips will be spaced at least an hr apart. The engine doesn't get very warm in the first place, so its probably not much better than a completely cold start.

[berylrb]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SodaGuy @ Nov 18 2006, 09:56 PM) [snapback]351560[/snapback]</div>

... The type of service the vehicle will see, is:

~70% 1-2 mi trips
~30% 5-10 mi trips, city/hwy mix.

... With the Prius, can I expect to obtain 35-40 mpg over the life of the vehicle throughout all seasons? Or more? Does anyone here have a similar driving profile?[/b]

Hey Soda Guy,

We used to live in Sacramento and we maintain homes in Elk Grove (Sacramento suburb), so we go at least once/quarter, as well as visit family and vacation in Sacramento Old Town/Mid Town.

Efusco is right on target! Checking my spreadsheet there were multiple day trips to Elk Grove where i refilled in Elk Grove, and mileage was 42-44 easily. All of those trips were drive 1-2 miles stop for an hour, drive again. Elk Grove streets are pretty typical of Sacramento (Although not Fair Oaks or Carmichael).

Compare that to our SF 1-2 mile stop for an hour, drive again which yielded about 36 mpg average this past September about 55 F average over three tanks. The only way for me to see 40 under this type of drivng is to get out of town, LOL.

Hence, again Efusco's 45 mpg for Sacramento is in the ballpark from my personal real world experience. In the summer and spring you should easily be approaching 50 mpg.

[Cheap!]

Your mileage will improve some after about a 2000 mi brake-in period so don’t get disappointed at first. Also, like most drivers you have to learn how to drive it for the best mileage. Don’t gun it at red lights and don’t drive like an old person either, as both will kill you mileage. Set you tires for the max safe presure and soon you will get the hang of it.

[wanmichael]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(berylrb @ Nov 19 2006, 08:19 AM) [snapback]351690[/snapback]</div>

Efusco is right on target! Checking my spreadsheet there were multiple day trips to Elk Grove where i refilled in Elk Grove, and mileage was 42-44 easily. All of those trips were drive 1-2 miles stop for an hour, drive again. Elk Grove streets are pretty typical of Sacramento (Although not Fair Oaks or Carmichael).

Compare that to our SF 1-2 mile stop for an hour, drive again which yielded about 36 mpg average this past September about 55 F average over three tanks. The only way for me to see 40 under this type of drivng is to get out of town, LOL.[/b]

I take that you were in the Laguna area? I'm over here in the Greenhaven/Pocket area, so it may be a bit different. Hopefully I'll be able to obtain similar mileage if and when I get one.

Why does SF driving yield less fuel economy? Is it due to the hilly terrain, which is a strain on the small sized engine?

[efusco]

Hills are a strain on any size engine, but yes, the hills would be the problem.

[wanmichael]

I see. I just did a quick little comparison, for my conditions, between the HCHII and Prius:

Here are my figures:


Vehicle price (before TTL):

Civic EX, Automatic- $19k

Prius, $24k (after tax credit)

HCHII, $21k (after tax credit)

(Apparently, my earlier math was off...the difference was much more than that. )


Projected Fuel Economy:

Civic EX, 27 mpg

Prius, 38 mpg

HCHII, 38 mpg


Projected Fuel Costs @ $3.00/gal, over 150k miles:

Civic EX- $16,666.67

Prius- $11,842.11

HCH II- $11,842.11


Fuel Savings vs. Additional cost of vehicle:

Prius- $4824.56 vs. $5k

HCHII- $4824.56 vs. $3k

So, I'll questionably, barely break even with the Prius, but for sure with the HCHII with my "optimistic" fuel economy predictions.

[efusco]

Why did you use 38mpg for Prius? Not that $45 will make a huge difference in the cost differential, but certainly is a more realistic number.

Also, don't get caught in the trap of just looking at cost/fuel savings. Prius offers lower emissions, arguably better performance and reliability, hatch-back which is very nice for storage/convenience.

Buying a new vehicle is not an investment, it is a way to lose money to start with. Consider all the factors of the vehicle, test drive them, compare features, etc. A couple hundred or even a couple thousand dollars won't be an issue if you don't feel satisfied with the product.

Oops, I meant 45mpg, not $45.

[wanmichael]

I was trying to predict worse case scenario...I was formerly using 35 (yikes!) but I figured 38 should be a bit more realistic.

I agree the Prius will be more reliable. Toyota's CVT has been outstanding compared to Honda's.