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Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Susan4ET, Jul 4, 2015.

  1. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

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    • Sure...I'm coming down from from my 2012 PiP with this new 2015 Prius Three but 34 mpg--really? I feel like after driving Priuses for going on 10 years now it means nothing and I must relearn how to get the 51 mpg city and 48 mpg highway techniques all over again! Dis-a-ppoint-ed... I've never had to focus on hypermiling before... Do I have to do that now to reach 51 mpg? I've done some coasting with the new car where I'm right between regeneration and the start of the ECO range and still on my first tank of gas I've watched the mpg creep up slowly from around 23 to 34 but noticed today that if I don't focus on coasting when I can the mpg will drop off again. Unless there is something amiss this is a pita. I think I will visit the dealer next week and learn how to drive these cars 'properly' all over again. What a surprise!

     
    #1 Susan4ET, Jul 4, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2015
  2. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

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    I have to believe there's something wrong. I can drive somewhere without a thought and get 55 mpg these days.

    I would talk to my dealer first, then based on what they say, decide on my next steps.

    Good luck.
     
  3. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    parking brake on?
    3 fat hookers in the trunk?
    are sure you bought a prius?
    new cars all look alike these days
     
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  4. Eclipse1701d

    Eclipse1701d Prius Enthusiast

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    Something is DEFINITELY not right. Have you checked the tire pressure? Bad 12Volt off the lot? Over filled oil? All three previously listed things together? I try to hyper-mile and get slightly over 50 with 17's. Sometimes, I am in a hurry and just drive it like I stole it. Then I get better mileage then when I tried to hyper-mile. Maddening. I know the Gen III's seem to like EV mode more than the Gen II's. Really don't know what to say.
     
  5. DoubleDAZ

    DoubleDAZ Senior Member

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    Also, hills, short trips with cold engine, curvy roads where you're on/off the accelerator? I just drive the car, no hyper-anything, and I've only gotten mid to high 30's a few times in our 2014 Four, but that was fully loaded for vacations at high speeds (75+) on generally uphill grinds, against the wind or on/off the accelerator dealing with 18-wheelers. However, since this is still your first tank, don't assume the tank was actually full. I'd fill it, reset one of the trip meters, drive it for 200-300 miles and see how it goes. The other thing to check is the mpg display that is shown when you turn the car off. This display shows what mpg you got from the time you started the car until you turned it off.
     
  6. retired4999

    retired4999 Prius driver since 2005

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    Go find a back road flat as you can find, warm up your car, reset your mpg screen.
    drive 50 -60 mph you should get between 50 - 6o mpg.
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe that's it: you're fighting your way out of a mpg "hole"? Is this the trip meter then, untouched since purchase? The more miles on it, the harder it is to budge. Wait 'till you tank up and reset the trip meter, and start calculating as well.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    ^^^exactly^^^ how many people post here about bad mpg's on the dealer tank of gas?
     
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I like the 2015 where when you shut down, it displays your trip mpg and fuel cost. On my way to work, which is 2 miles from home, I often get around 30 mpg
     
  10. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Did you reset the trip meters when you bought the car, or at any time since?

    If not, those mpg figures don't count because they include whatever cold start and test drives and other low-mpg misbehavior of everyone who touched the car before you. Reset them now and start fresh.
     
  11. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    She does not have to wait:

    Warm up the car engine by driving for about 5 minutes, then zero the trip meter and go for a 10 mile r/t trip at 60 mph on the highway.
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    True. Still, good to track mpg tank-by-tank, gives good feedback regarding your overall mpg. I don't use trip meter for that, instead record odometer. Well I do reset trip A too, but just for feedback during the tank, and as a cross check of the two odometer values.
     
  13. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    OP is a new owner. KISS
     
  14. DoubleDAZ

    DoubleDAZ Senior Member

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    When we first got our Prius, I started using Trip A for mpg between fill-ups and Trip B for mpg on our road trips. Once I found out the CONS mpg differed from actual, I recorded the trip data and the odometer reading in my spreadsheet, so I could track how actual mpg differed from the CONS display. Now it's become a habit and I don't like to reset the trip meters for other purposes.

    That said, this is Susan's first tank and we all know how useless the displayed data is for the first tank. Therefore, I think Sagebrush's idea to simply reset a trip meter, drive a bit over a flat section of road at 50mph and check the results is a good idea. The only thing I guess I'd add is to also drive her regular route, if she has one, to see what the display says. That should give her an idea of how the car performs under somewhat controlled conditions vs her regular routes. If she does any of this, I hope she reports back.
     
  15. CardiffChris

    CardiffChris Member

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    I try to fill my car at the station at the highest elevation in town, then try to go as far as possible with the mpg reading 99.9
    It's 20 miles of down-angled streets from the foothills to the harbor.
    The route I take is almost all downhill.
    Plus it's a nice drive.
     
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  16. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    The 2015 Gen Prius is not much different than the 2004 Prius or the PiP -- at least not in ways that would ever explain your poor fuel economy if you drive them the same over the same routes. So yes, something is amiss, and driver remediation at the dealership is not it.

    Three easy to check things that might be causing a lot of energy consumption:
    1. Flat (or almost flat) tyre
    2. Partially released emergency brake
    3. An almost dead 12v battery
     
    #16 SageBrush, Jul 4, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2015
  17. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

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    Thanks for all the suggestions... I need to act on them this weekend and will report back. For the record I'm a new 2015 Three owner but have had 2007, 2010, 2012 PiP Priuses so that is why I'm as surprised as you that I'm seeing such poor mpg that I've never seen stick around for so long on any of the previous cars. Stay tuned.

    I think I'll check the oil first. Right on the full dot!

    The tires are probably over inflated slightly because it drives, turns, and tracks great!

    Checked the 12 V battery next and connections are tight--nothing obviously wrong. There is a funny wire of sorts that appears insulated off of but attached to the metal battery hold-down strap. If someone can elaborate on what this is all about it might save some time finding it in the manual. Can't remember seeing it on the PiP but maybe it has been on all the cars?

    Okay, time to top off the tank, reset everything and take a drive. BTW, if this still proves to be a problem with something that the dealer fixes it will literally be the first and only problem ever needing fixing ever on these cars. Everyone hold your breath!
     
    #17 Susan4ET, Jul 4, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2015
  18. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Susan,
    I meant check the 12v battery voltage under load.
     
    #18 SageBrush, Jul 4, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2015
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you get the first 20 gratis?(y)
     
  20. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

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    Gotcha... I think I will let the dealer do that should my test drive not go well today. Thanks.

    BTW, is there any reason why it might be a good idea to disconnect the battery to _really_ reset everything at a deeper level? Again, if so I will let the dealer do that too--I'm feeling lazy about trying to get something brand new to work properly that has cost me thousands of dollars.