Gas millage

[Farabist]

I am only getting about 28 MPG in my 05 prius any Idea of why?

[GreenMachine]

Originally posted by Farabist@Dec 19 2005, 12:47 PM
I am only getting about 28 MPG in my 05 prius any Idea of why?

[snapback]175665[/snapback]

Can you give us something to work with?

Where do you live? How fast do typically drive the car? Length of trips? Tire Pressure? Level, weight and type of Oil? Do you keep it in a heated garage? Do you have a block heater? How are you figuring your mpg?

Also, there are several threads on here that address the low winter mileage question.

[wb9tyj]

well, to begin with...mileage varies and is reduced in winter...the colder the temps ,the lower the mileage...be glad you are not driving a convential car that would get 20mpg in the summer,now its getting 10-12 in the winter...the reason no one complains is that they dont have a mpg monitor in their car...if everyone just knew how bad their mileage is in the winter...you would seen complaints coming from all walks of life...the general populus is absolutely clueless on their mpg in the winter... additionally, you will learn to drive a prius as time goes on...your mileage will improve as the car "breaks in"...too bad its winter...also, the fuel blend in the winter, nationwide, is condusive to lower mileage...you will improve when summer blend returns... if your heater and blower run, you will get lower mileage...after 1 1/2 yrs of driving a prius...i see approx 38-42 in the winter and upwards of 55-58 in the summer...i have 33600 miles on the vehicle...

[TonyPSchaefer]

Here ya go; read this:
http://www.priuschat.com/forums/kb.php?mod...761c27df11b1c88

It'll help. Also, check out the link in my signatue. You'll see what I'm going through and what I expect.

[Potential Buyer]

Here are the most likely reasons you are getting low fuel economy:

1) Short trips. If you drive only around 5 miles per trip, you will get something close to 25 mpg. The car gets low FE until it warms up, so just take longer trips, if only to prove to yourself that the car is capable of higher FE.

2) Cold. All cars suffer in the cold.

3) Reformulated gas. Gas in the winter has other things added to prevent it from freezing and that reduces its efficiency.

4) Low tire pressure. Even 32 PSI is a bit too low; you can get better FE by pumping up the front tires to 42 PSI and the rear ones to 40 PSI.

[petunia]

I see a lot of posts on this site that say, "be glad you are not driving a conventional car." I have to say, this makes me extremely worried about my upcoming prius purchase. I currently drive a conventional car, a Honda Civic VX. It is 12 years old and wearing out. I obsessively track my mileage and yes, I do see a drop in the winter. I don't however see a 40-50% drop as described by wb9tyj. My commute is under 2 miles so my car is virtually never warmed up. I hardly ever see the mileage this car is capable of any more (mid 50s on the highway). However, my mileage this summer averaged 47 MPG and during the cold spell currently happening in the Denver area my mileage has dropped to 43 MPG -- a drop of less than 10%. I sincerely hope that Potential Buyer is not correct when stating that 5 mile trips will yield 25 MPG. Our Subaru Outback wagon gets that mileage in the cold for short trips and it is substantially heavier, more powerful and 4 wheel drive.

I have waited a long time for a car to come along that seemed as practical as my trusty civic. I hope I am not making a terrible mistake.

[tripp]

Originally posted by petunia@Dec 20 2005, 02:05 AM
I see a lot of posts on this site that say, "be glad you are not driving a conventional car." I have to say, this makes me extremely worried about my upcoming prius purchase. I currently drive a conventional car, a Honda Civic VX. It is 12 years old and wearing out. I obsessively track my mileage and yes, I do see a drop in the winter. I don't however see a 40-50% drop as described by wb9tyj. My commute is under 2 miles so my car is virtually never warmed up. I hardly ever see the mileage this car is capable of any more (mid 50s on the highway). However, my mileage this summer averaged 47 MPG and during the cold spell currently happening in the Denver area my mileage has dropped to 43 MPG -- a drop of less than 10%. I sincerely hope that Potential Buyer is not correct when stating that 5 mile trips will yield 25 MPG. Our Subaru Outback wagon gets that mileage in the cold for short trips and it is substantially heavier, more powerful and 4 wheel drive.

I have waited a long time for a car to come along that seemed as practical as my trusty civic. I hope I am not making a terrible mistake.

[snapback]176113[/snapback]

I had a 1990 honda civic EX and was getting 33-36 MPG. My commute has about 5 miles straight up Hwy 287 from Westminster to Broomfield. I've had my Prius now for about 2 months and I definitely notice a hit when it's really cold out. So far my worst tank was 46 MPG a few weeks ago when it was hitting single digits for highs. The next tank was 52 MPG when the temps were back up in the 50's. Now that it's been cold again I'm right back down to 46 MPG. My commute takes about 10 minutes. The first 5 minutes the gas mileage goes anywhere from 25 - 37 MPG but I don't actually drive very far in the first 5 minutes because there are a lot of lights. During the next 5 minutes my average is a lot higher. If you're buying the car just to save money on gas then you might consider a different vehicle. Maybe another civic. Of course the new civics don't get the gas milage that the old ones do.

[efusco]

Originally posted by petunia@Dec 20 2005, 02:05 AM
I see a lot of posts on this site that say, "be glad you are not driving a conventional car." I have to say, this makes me extremely worried about my upcoming prius purchase. I currently drive a conventional car, a Honda Civic VX. It is 12 years old and wearing out. I obsessively track my mileage and yes, I do see a drop in the winter. I don't however see a 40-50% drop as described by wb9tyj. My commute is under 2 miles so my car is virtually never warmed up. I hardly ever see the mileage this car is capable of any more (mid 50s on the highway). However, my mileage this summer averaged 47 MPG and during the cold spell currently happening in the Denver area my mileage has dropped to 43 MPG -- a drop of less than 10%. I sincerely hope that Potential Buyer is not correct when stating that 5 mile trips will yield 25 MPG. Our Subaru Outback wagon gets that mileage in the cold for short trips and it is substantially heavier, more powerful and 4 wheel drive.

I have waited a long time for a car to come along that seemed as practical as my trusty civic. I hope I am not making a terrible mistake.

[snapback]176113[/snapback]

2 miles is going to be tough to get above the 30s for mpg in winter. That's just the facts of the matter.

I have a 4 mile drive to get my kids to school and can maintain over 50mpg even in 20-30 degree temps. But I'm using an engine block heater now and have 36k miles of experience under my belt to help.

Whatever you're getting in your current car it's unlikely the Prius will get less than that, but it may not do much better on such a short commute in the cold. Come summer you'll enjoy all the benefits of the highest mileage possible--tho still likely not the EPA numbers if your commute is still just 2 miles.

[BrianTheDog]

Originally posted by Farabist@Dec 19 2005, 11:47 AM
I am only getting about 28 MPG in my 05 prius any Idea of why?

[snapback]175665[/snapback]

Read this article. It'll really help. I've still got a printed copy in my glove box.


To the moderators: Any chance of getting those great articles moved to the current KB? It's easy to miss them since it takes several links to get there.....

[geologyrox]

for what it's worth, petunia, wb9tyj described a 24-35% drop. i must admit i'm skeptical that you get 43mpg in truly cold conditions, but if you do, i bet you're good enough to get better than 25 in the prius, reg

i do believe toyota should give away / at least tell people to get a block heater in cold climates, since it seems to work wonders on getting fuel efficiency back up to (above) par. i'm in florida, and i have high hopes that i'll never see a whole tank below 40. i get (right now, with winter gas) 27-29mpg on my 1996 camry - everything i've read indicates that if you are a frugal driver before the prius, you will become even more so with it. a block heater is a small price to pay for getting the effieciency you pay for.

have you considered (or begged or pleaded) getting an overnight test drive? The prius does seem more tempermental when it gets cold, and i'd hate for you to buy a car (any car) and be disappointed. do you know anyone with a prius? i think a test run is about your only 'real' option - we can't duplicate your commute for you. best of luck!