How could toyota actually claim this?

[macreative]

Look at this article on MotorTrend (Specs Page)
Specifications for 2004 Prius

If all of you are reporting less than 500 miles per tank - before refill, how can they possibly say over 700 miles before refill?

It's not fudging - it's blatent blasphemy of the numbers, no?

[aarons12]

there have been a few folks on here who have done 700 on a tank. but what you have to do to get that mileage is sort of over the top...

[Ray Moore]

Not over the top at all. I didn't try hard at all for the 763 mile tank I just got. It doesn't happen without trying but I drove almost normal. I simply avoided braking and didn't drive over 65 mph. I coast alot on the backroads. I tinted my windows with the good stuff and use Mobil1. Until you get your car and put over 10k miles on it, I think it would be unfair of you to accuse them of lying about the performance of the car. If you still want to call them blasphemers, it's OK. Toyota can probably handle it.

[macreative]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ray Moore\";p=\"40949)</div>

Not over the top at all. I didn't try hard at all for the 763 mile tank I just got. It doesn't happen without trying but I drove almost normal. I simply avoided braking and didn't drive over 65 mph. I coast alot on the backroads. I tinted my windows with the good stuff and use Mobil1. Until you get your car and put over 10k miles on it, I think it would be unfair of you to accuse them of lying about the performance of the car. If you still want to call them blasphemers, it's OK. Toyota can probably handle it.
[/b]

Easy buddy - I didn't mean to call toyota blasphemers -- just thought that it might be slightly exaggerated at the 700+ miles per refill. We have Prius' in my family, all 2004 models, and nobody is very leadfooted - no actual over 700 miles per refill on our logs. I know for certain if I avoided the brake, I wouldn't have a Prius at all {when it comes or without it propper}.

[rflagg]

It's not blatant blasphemy, Motor Trend are just giving calculated specs according to the other numbers given by Toyota - 11.9 gallon tank, 61mpg EPA city rating, 51 EPA hwy rating.

The only word I ever heard from Toyota was way back around a year ago when they actually advertised for the 04 Prius - the ads frequently said something along the lines of "go 600 miles on one tank*", and of course in small print it stated the obvious YMMV and estimated EPA numbers at the time.

I guess Motor Trend is the one you should email if you're upset with this "inaccuracy". Personally, it's been months since I've gone less than 500 miles on a tank, and I finally broke the 600 barrier on my last fillup. And, I don't even have the fuel gauge fix yet.

YMMV, is what it all boils down to.

-m.

[hdrygas]

My best is 520 but I am not yet sure of myself so I chicken out. I don't tolerate blinking bars well. I suspect that I could go to 600 with a bit of patience and more training by the displays.

[DaveinOlyWA]

hmm anyone notice the performance data??

9.8 sec from 0-60??

i thought my car was faster than advertised... now i have corroboration.

[jfschultz]

My best so far is just over 500 miles on a tank. Maybe I could have beat it with my last tank, but I did not want to get caught at night downtown needing to get gas.

My work commute is 4 miles and most weekend errands just a couple of miles. So I am happy with 46-47 MPG. My boss's manager promised the group that if Memphis passes a payroll tax that we will be moved from FedEx HQ just inside Memphis to their Tech Center in Collierville. The longer commute will probably be enough to get me up to 50+ MPG.

On the much longer drive into Memphis for English and Scottish Country Dancing normally get close to 60 MPG.

[macreative]

Your mileage may vary'
The EPA's fuel efficiency estimates are in the hot seat these days
September 11, 2004: 2:17 PM EDT CNN Money

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - There's been a lot of griping lately about the Environmental Protection Agency's fuel efficiency estimates. Those estimates are pretty far off, they say.

The discrepancies are becoming a big deal because cars are getting more fuel-efficient making differences more noticeable. For example, by some estimates EPA mileage ratings tend to overstate fuel efficiency by about 15 percent.

If that's true, then drivers of GMC Yukons are getting about 13 miles to the gallon instead of the 15 the EPA estimates. That's so close that, as an estimate, it may as well be dead on.

Buyers of Toyota Priuses, however, would have something to complain about. The EPA estimates that it should get about 55 miles to the gallon. If the EPA's figure is off by 15 percent that would mean a real-world fuel economy of about 46 miles per gallon. That's a noticeable difference, especially since the Prius has a computer screen that continually informs drivers of its fuel efficiency. It also roughly conforms to many real-world reports including CNN/Money's own tests with the car.
Lab tests

The EPA's fuel efficiency tests do not involve driving the cars nor do they involve actually measuring the flow of fuel. Instead they are based on laboratory tests. The good thing about lab tests, the EPA says, is that they are highly consistent from one test to the next and one vehicle to the next.

That means that test results can reliably be compared to one another. It may not mean that the results can be reliably compared to what happens when you drive a car on real roads.

The tests are done on a machine that allows the car's wheels to spin without the car actually moving anywhere. Instead of measuring the fuel flowing into the engine, the EPA measures the amount of carbon leaving the tailpipe. Since carbon isn't lost in combustion, the amount of carbon in the exhaust fumes indicates the amount of fuel going into the engine.

The "city" driving test is designed to mimic an 11 mile stop-and-go trip with an average speed of about 20 miles per hour. About 18 percent of the time is spent idling and the test includes a short "freeway driving" segment.

The "highway" test is designed to mimic a 10 mile trip on a two-lane country road, not an interstate, said John Millett, an EPA spokesman. The average speed, including slow-downs to mimic allowing another car to merge into traffic, is about 48 miles per hour.

Since these tests were created, driving habits have changed. Adjustment factors were added into the equation in 1985 as a simple way to make things right again. After all the testing is done, the EPA reduces the city mileage by 10 percent and the highway by 22 percent.
Real world driving

But still, consumers say, they're not getting the mileage the EPA says they should be.

One reason probably has to do with driving speeds, said Millett. The EPA's highway mileage rating system was never designed to mimic interstate driving, he said. Today, people are comparing those numbers to mileage they're getting on interstates where speed limits are as high as 75 miles per hour. Higher speeds mean lower gas mileage.

Accessories are another issue. Air conditioning was not nearly as common in cars in the 1970's as it is today. Today air conditioning is common in cars and drivers use it often, especially in warmer months, without even thinking about. The air conditioner is left turned on and it just starts when the car starts.

Air conditioning actually puts a burden on the engine. That's no big deal for a powerful V-8 engine, but for the sort of small engine that powers an economy car or, even worse, a gas/electric hybrid, air conditioning can be big drain on fuel efficiency.

The EPA is currently reviewing plans to change its test procedures to reflect more modern driving habits. In the end, they may decide no change is needed.

In the meantime, remember that old line.... "Your mileage may vary."

In fact, it almost certainly will. Top of page

[kingofgix]

Motor Trends "claim" is based on the volume of the gas tank times the EPA rating. They post this info for all cars, and it is always misleading. The only way you will get that range is to get the EPA milage and drive on a fulll tank until you run out of gas.