Prius overall MPG shows no improvement in the 3rd generation according to Consumer Reports tests

[PriusSport]

CR results are always low compared to what the average driver gets. I do 50 mpg summer, 45 mpg winter with my 08 in normal driving. Add about 2 mpg for highway, subtract 2mpg for short trips. Tire pressures 39/37 psi.

Add about 3 mpg to any number CR gets.

I read a review of the '10 in one of the car mags, and they said it was easier to pulse than the previous generation car.

[john1701a]

Originally Posted by PriusRos

I have never been able to understand why city driving is rated higher than highway. In the city, in my experience, there's a lot of stop and go driving and short trips -- this is not conducive to high fuel mileage.

That's because "city" refers to anything "not highway".

In true city driving, where there is a lot of stopping, MPG will indeed be lower. But in the suburbs, which is still not considered highway driving (45-50 MPH max and generally sustained for awhile) will be considerably higher. But that all gets lumped into the "city" category.
.

[Glider]

sure hope they do their road tests better than Popular Mechanics does...

[fuzzy1]

Originally Posted by Gokhan

This comes as a big surprise. The third-generation Prius has boasted substantial (9%) improvement in overall fuel economy, from 46 to 50 MPG, according to the government dynamometer tests. ...

Other posts long ago indicated that the 46 MPG rating for the 2008-9 models was never figured on the full 2008 test cycle, but instead came from a simpler formula the EPA used to translate the old ratings. Therefore, we don't really know how the older models rate on the new EPA scale.

[PracticalEfficiency]

I really don't trust the validity of these tests unless the MPG meter is off on the Prius.

I had no problem reaching 50+ mpg consistently during a week in the mountains between Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, and Denver.

I still have no problem reaching 50+ mpg consistently in Oklahoma on flat drives.

I can force myself to get 45 mpg by driving like an asshole in power mode, is that what they did?

[cycledrum]

My 2008 Consumer Reports magazine shows -

35 MPG city / 50 MPG highway for an 08 Prius

These numbers are far off from my experience.

I find that if I'm cruising the freeway at about 65 MPH, my displayed average will settle into mid to high 40 MPGs. Mid 40's MPG with 4 people, into a headwind, etc...
I can sustain ~ about 49 MPG driving solo, ~ 65 MPH, flat freeway.

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The MPG's will always start to climb a little bit as I get off the freeway onto a 'suburban' street. In 'the city' with speed limits around 35 or 40 MPH, sometimes the car will go into all-electric mode (no gas!).

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I believe the city economy is usually always higher than freeway in the Prius because the car's gas engine mostly shuts off at stop lights, and it can pulse or creep forward on battery in heavy traffic.

Again, CR's MPG numbers seem far off.

[cycledrum]

Originally Posted by PriusRos

I'm on my second Prius ... I have never been able to understand why city driving is rated higher than highway. In the city, in my experience, there's a lot of stop and go driving and short trips -- this is not conducive to high fuel mileage.

I find my worst fuel economy comes from short trips - 1 mile to store, shut off, cool down (shop for half hour), repeat. But is that really city driving? I don't think so. I'd call it very short trip driving.

As long as mine is warmed up and driven continuously city or highway, it gets great FE. My average is currently about 50.5 on the MFD. I've been driving at least 20 minutes at a time lately.

It's the 5 minute trips that will lower FE in my experience.

[Gokhan]

This is how they describe their tests:

"Consumer Reports tests fuel mileage in controlled conditions and in the real world. We use precise fuel meters spliced into the cars’ fuel lines, and adjust for outside temperature in our calculations. City mileage is conducted on our track using a 1.1-mile loop of stop-and-go driving combined with idling to simulate traffic and stoplights. Highway tests are done on a section of local interstate, run in both directions to minimize the effect of wind. We also drive all the cars on a 31-mile route that includes a mixture of highway, rural roads, and around-town driving. All tests are run several times using multiple drivers, and our overall mileage figure is an average of these tests."

[Tideland Prius]

If I stay out of the downtown core, I'll get better mileage than on the highway. John's right, it's the suburbs where it shines.

[quantumslip]

I can kind of see where they are getting these numbers. Today I was on a trip where for the first 45 minutes I could not break 40mpg. It was a combo of a initial low charge of the battery, hot weather, and simply too much accel/decel caused by the surrounding traffic where I could not optimize my gas mileage. I would say this was atypical for me, but not outside the realm of possibility of happening more often.