60-70 mpg. Really? Not sure about that....

[azgringo]

I have owned my Gen III for a few months now have about 5,000 miles on it. Gettin' ready for my first oil change! But I digress....

Anyway, I've read on this board (numerous times) that people are getting 60-70 mpg "pretty easily." Really? I'm not sure about this. I can consistently get 50-51 mpg, and that's with p&g, coasting, etc... How in the world are people getting 60-70 mpg "pretty easily?" I just don't see how this is possible.

For those of you who make this claim...could you please share on how you accomplish this?

[Mitchellsprius]

Originally Posted by azgringo

I have owned my Gen III for a few months now have about 5,000 miles on it. Gettin' ready for my first oil change! But I digress....

Anyway, I've read on this board (numerous times) that people are getting 60-70 mpg "pretty easily." Really? I'm not sure about this. I can consistently get 50-51 mpg, and that's with p&g, coasting, etc... How in the world are people getting 60-70 mpg "pretty easily?" I just don't see how this is possible.

For those of you who make this claim...could you please share on how you accomplish this?

I'm getting 50-52 MPG on average over many runs around town. But if I take a long ride on the highway and just calculate that one ride I can get 57-63 MPG. On some short rides to town I can get 70 mpg. But like you if I add them all up and average them on the car trip computer its about 51 MPG. On none steep grades you can do pretty well.

[dsviv]

Me too. My highest was on a 50 mile trip @ 59mpg, but averaging in all the small trips around town it's around 50-51mpg consistently.

I am doing the pulse/glide, etc. just like you and have no idea what I need to do to up the mpg.

[radioprius1]

I drive basically only around town, and most of my trips are 1-5 mile. I basically never get to even warm up the Prius. I'm getting 45 mpg on my 2nd tank of gas. Whenever I get on the interstate (rarely) my mileage skyrockets.

[a64pilot]

Our lifetime average for the car is around 54. I will play hypermiling from time to time, but my wife just drives it. She has put probably 75% of the miles on it.
I get around mid 60's when I drive it, but have not put it on the highway at all so far. It shines on 2 lane country roads where the speed limit is around 45 and little or no traffic.
I think where you drive has as much to do with it as how you drive.

[Jasonsprite]

ya short trips are killer for the mpg.

[wfolta]

Originally Posted by azgringo

Anyway, I've read on this board (numerous times) that people are getting 60-70 mpg "pretty easily." Really? I'm not sure about this. I can consistently get 50-51 mpg, and that's with p&g, coasting, etc... How in the world are people getting 60-70 mpg "pretty easily?" I just don't see how this is possible.

It's not possible "easily" and I don't remember seeing anyone who said it was. Now if you're willing to pick your route entirely based on being able to P&G at 30-40 mph, and have a scan gauge, tires inflated above max sidewall, engine block heater, etc, etc, I have no doubt you can get 60-70 MPG, but that's not "easy".

Perhaps someone was using the word "easily" to mean certainty, not ease of task, as in "he was easily over 200 pounds"?

[JimboK]

I agree it's not easy. But it's doable with practice, patience, and additional instrumentation. I'm still refining my technique after almost four years.

If you still doubt, take a look:

97 MPG commute ... aiming for 100!

90+ MPG trips. (Oh, how I love summer fuel mileage!)

Of course this with the Gen II, not the Gen III. But the GIII should do at least as well once everyone figures out its nuances.

[rachaelseven]

10-15 mile trips on rolling country roads with speed limits of 35-45mph.. that's my recipe. Add in p&g, 46psi in the tires, easy acceleration and braking, and I find it very easy to get in the high 50's. If I did only those trips, I could get well over 60mpg without much trouble. But after I add in a few highway miles and short trips (1 mile in town stuff), it lowers my average to about 54-56mpg.

[fuzzy1]

... Of course this with the Gen II, not the Gen III. But the GIII should do at least as well once everyone figures out its nuances.

That Generation II-III difference is a very significant issue. GenIII nuances haven't been figured out yet, so it appears that those higher GenII numbers are not currently within reach.

My tanks are running 55 mpg. As a % of EPA sticker, this is my worst car ever. But that base sticker is so much higher than my pre-hybrids I'm still happy.

Pre-release reviews on CMPG clearly warned that for hypermilers, GenIII might not beat or even match GenII fuel economy. But for average drivers, it would do better. So, while it is not meeting my most optimistic hopes, it is significantly beating the basic expectations I used to justify its purchase. I wouldn't turn it in for anything else that currently exists.