New Prius: First Week Experience

[richtl]

We've had the Prius since Wednesday and have put on 400 miles under varying conditions. What I've found so far is that I get 25 or so mpg for the first ten minutes of driving, then around 30-45mpg on the highway, as expected. However, on the State Routes, where the speed are between 40 and 55mph, I get a pretty solid 55-60mpg with the cruise control on. Nice!

Rich

[Bill Merchant]

Hi Rich, welcome to PriusChat! Your warm-up low MPG is completely normal. The Internal Combustion Engine runs to warm itself and the catalytic converter to keep emissions low, so initial MPG is always only what a regular car would get.

The more you learn how to drive your car, the better your MPG will be, but you are doing good right now. Also, the ICE seems to break in after about 6000 miles and many people experience an MPG boost about then.

Have fun driving the smartest car on the road and keep posting!

[livewire]

Another new NH Prius owner here too. My first tank of gas for this week got me about 46.5mpg overall. Considering the cold weather, I am happy with that. My commute is about 45 miles, most of it on the highway, and only the first and last few miles on local roads. As the weather warms up and I get more miles on, I figure the mileage will go up... but 46.5mpg I can live with

[JimN]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richtl @ Feb 3 2007, 10:56 PM) [snapback]385015[/snapback]</div>

We've had the Prius since Wednesday and have put on 400 miles under varying conditions. What I've found so far is that I get 25 or so mpg for the first ten minutes of driving, then around 30-45mpg on the highway, as expected. However, on the State Routes, where the speed are between 40 and 55mph, I get a pretty solid 55-60mpg with the cruise control on. Nice!

Rich
[/b]

Welcome! Inflate your tires to 42/40 and block your grill. Although it probably won't do much for the 1st 5 minutes it should really help the 2nd. Good return on investment as it costs under $10.

Those are good numbers. Are you calculating your own mpg?

[eucalyptic]

I'm in the same boat but feel relieved after reading this. I've had the car for less than a week and have put in only 96miles. Off the lot it had just 4 miles. My commute to work is no more than 12 miles per day and I only average 35mpg and I was getting bummed about it. After reading that the first 5-10 minutes of the ride is a warm-up period, it makes sense why I only get that much. It only takes me 15 minutes to get to my destination! :P

[Charles Suitt]

Hi Rich... and another Welcome to PriusChat... a fantastic resource for Prius information!

Contrary to the OLD EPA ratings, I consistently got better MPG on the freeways, usually 48 to 55 MPG cruising at 60 to 70 MPH - that was in my 1st Prius, a 2004. Since my 2007 Touring Edition has just a bit over 2,000 miles on the odometer, it's too soon to arrive at conclusions as to fuel economy. Currently, I'm averaging about 42 MPG. Some contributing factors: {1} The 16" wheel with Bridgestone Turanza tires have a larger 'footpring' on the pavement {'more rubber on the road'} which will produce more rolling friction {and better traction and stopping power}, and {2} I did not like the 40/30 psi tire pressures 'feel' so I backed off to 37/35 psi for the better ride.

If you have the GoodYear Integretiy tires standard on the regular Prius, you will likely have noticeable better MPG by using higher tire pressures.

[setheriah]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eucalyptic @ Mar 3 2007, 03:26 PM) [snapback]399553[/snapback]</div>

I'm in the same boat but feel relieved after reading this. I've had the car for less than a week and have put in only 96miles. Off the lot it had just 4 miles. My commute to work is no more than 12 miles per day and I only average 35mpg and I was getting bummed about it. After reading that the first 5-10 minutes of the ride is a warm-up period, it makes sense why I only get that much. It only takes me 15 minutes to get to my destination! :P
[/b]

I had a whole 5.7 miles approximately so I rounded it up to six when i got the car.... it went to six when i pulled it off the lot... Up to about 33.5 mpg with about 1.5 blips left on the first tank of gas but most of my early trips were two miles or less in portland OR