Just picked up my prius yesterday

[edge2276]

I just picked up my 2005 BC package driftwood prius yesterday and i'm loving it. I have a few questions.
When i hit the power button does it heat up the car like starting it would with a normal car in cold weather conditions?

Does the tan cloth stain easily? it seems like it will be very difficult to keep clean.

I've heard its good to wait a few months before waxing a new car, but i'm afraid going through a new york winter without waxing. Can someone please let me know if i am better off doing it before or after this winter?

I drove my prius from Ma to Long island, NY and got 50.2 mpg, but i noticed driving around town its often getting between 15 and 30 mpg. does anyone have advise on getting better mpg when doing local driving? thanks in advance for any help.

[Tideland Prius]

You'll have to hit it twice to get into IG-ON mode (amber light) (the equivalent of "ON" on a regular car) to get the fan or a/c working. I have yet to receive my Prius but my guess is that it should provide some heat. Would anyone else like to feed their input?

as for the mileage,
a) wait for the car to break-in
the engine temperature dictates how often the engine runs and whether it'll stop when you're at idle
c) the temperature of your climate control
d) the type of tyres
e) and your driving habit

these are just general tips. Perhaps if you elaborate on the what you did during city driving, then someone here could give a specific solution

[TonyPSchaefer]

Edge,
First of all, congrats on your new Prius. I truly am happy for you and understand that "new cool car" feeling. I'm two months into it and still smile every time I power up.

Secondly, calm down. To paraphrase a wise jedi knight and tutor: "present themselves in time all thing will." In the meantime, this is your most important link: http://priuschat.com/forums/search/ this is the PriusChat Search page.

While we would gladly rehash any and all topics on this board, the best thing you can do is spend some time searching and reading. There is a collection of literally thousands of Prius Hours of experience contained on this board. Some of it contradicts each other and that's the beauty and proof of individual results varying. Read on, search on, and absorb as much as you can.

[richard schumacher]

Why bother with "IG ON"?. Just turn it ON.

Google "alcantara" to find cleaning instructions.

Wax it. No need to wait.

Read the owner's manual; especially read the "before you drive" section before you drive away from the dealer. Pay attention to what Toyota wrote about their vehicle and don't filter it through any pre-conceptions or received wisdom you have that might have applied to previous conventional vehicles.

[bruceha_2000]

but i noticed driving around town its often getting between 15 and 30 mpg. does anyone have advise on getting better mpg when doing local driving?

You'll need to post more specifics related to your "around town" driving. Town meaning lots of hills and you only drive 1 mile in the morning and 1 mile back in the afternoon so the engine is starting cold both times??

By often, do you mean you are looking at the instantaneous MPG readout? Don't determine your expected avg MPG from that. You'll see really low numbers leaving a stop, even if you don't lead foot it. The car is using gas and hasn't gone far in the first second or two :-). Accellerating up even relatively slight hills can bring the instantaneous MPG down a lot. Other times (downhill, stopping) you'll see it at 99.9. Are you going to use THAT as your expected average? ;-) Unless you push 'reset' on the consumption screen every time you start out, you can't get a "this trip" MPG avg. And if you do, you won't be able to get your "this tank" avg. I usually just compare the before and after MPG value if I am interested in what I got for the trip. But remember, 10 miles when you have only 10 on the tank has a lot more potential for changing the "to date" avg than the same 10 miles when you have 450 miles on the tank.

Since you've only had the car 1 day, you'll see that you learn what is "normal" for your regular driving over time. I filled up on Sat and went straight home, < 2 miles. 32 MPG. Drove a couple of times Sat and Sun and I am now up to 45, with perhaps 20 miles on the tank. Neither of these examples are "average" for what I drive on a tank though the second is pretty common for a weekend - drive, stop for 2.5 hours, drive home, stop for the night.