Can't get above 35mpg- something wrong?

Thank you for everyone's comments. We have only taken one trip on mainly level ground thus far (30 miles out, 30 miles back). My spouse drove one way and I drove the other. We did not reset our trip meter, but the overall average of 34.7 didn't change. The rest of our trips have been the "normal" commute down our little mountain at 1000 ft. into the city and back up.

I brought up my HCH (manual by the way in case that adds any info) just to say that we are not new to driving a hybrid, not to claim some hypermiling pro status, and to give an idea of our current normal mileage. Just to reiterate, I'm not bashing the V (we love it). I am just asking if others in hilly areas have a similar experience.

Also, is the Power mode button be best to use on the uphills IN TERMS OF MILEAGE? We haven't been using it because I assumed that was for people who wanted that "feeling" of a powerful acceleration (see definition in manual below). We have been trying to drive with the Eco button pushed because I thought, "I don't need the feeling of peppy acceleration if that gets me better mileage and I can still get up the hill ok."

On Power mode: Manual says, "Use when high levels of response and feeling are desirable, such as when driving in mountainous regions or when overtaking."

Thanks for any other helpful advice.
Robin

I live in San Diego, and my house is in the middle of mountain area. I got frustrated when i noticed i lost 5 MPG within ONLY 1/3 mile uphills (8-10% grade), then I re-route through different road. It's longer road but not too bad uphills (2-3% grade), and it helps me saving gas still....

Robin -

Eco/Normal/Power mode is a throttle mapping difference. The full power is still available in all 3 modes, it's just a matter of the "feedback" you get from the car based upon the how far the pedal travels.

Power mode gives a faster response, in the sense that you don't have to apply as much "pressure" to the pedal to attain the power sooner.

I know there's much better explanations of that than what I just typed up, but it does nothing more than re-mapping the output vs input movement distance (how far the pedal moves). However, I have noticed that it feels like it regens a little less aggressively in PWR mode on my 2010 Prius than it does in Normal mode, and also that it tends to require MORE brake pedal movement for additional braking power.

Try driving in POWER for awhile on your trips, and see if you are getting better MPG or not.

If it is taking longer to accelerate in ECO mode then you need to press down on the pedal more. You don't get more power in the other modes.

I live on a 10% grade and have to drive 0.6 miles up it to get into my driveway. Depending on how long I've driven the tank (for an example, I'll hypothetically say I've driven it from 100% full to 50% full) and how aggressively I've driven on it, (I'll give an example of 49.5 MPG at the bottom of the hill), I'll drop about 0.5 MPG going up hill. You'd think I'd get it back going to the bottom of the hill, but that's not the way it works, oddly enough. If I haven't driven the tank for more than 3 to 5 miles total, I can go from 60 MPG to 23 MPG in that short trip. If I've driven the tank from full to almost empty, I barely lose anything ... maybe a tenth of a mile MPG.

But your original post makes me think something else is wrong. You never go OVER 35 MPG? That's just plain old weird. Are you still having these problems? If so, go to the dealer and SCREAM -- make lots of noises like "expensive piece of s**t" at the top of your lungs -- I would. Were it not for the vastly superior MPG numbers I get, I'd sell this car -- it's not the driveability dream I keep having

Are you really saving gas by taking a longer route? Have you measured or computed the amount of gas each route takes?

Just because the shorter route produces lower MPG doesn't mean it requires more fuel.

When you are driving downhill, are you using B or D? By the way, you should never need to use B around Portland, even coming down the hill on 26.

Does the engine turn off at stoplights?

I live in the the east bay area and work in the Oakland hills. When I'm not working I can easily get 47, but otherwise I have to work to get 44, and it's evened out so far to 45. I more or less go up and down the Oakland hills multiple times per work day, and when I'm climbing the steep hills I get about 10-15mpg on the instantaneous readout, then coasting back down I'm essentially getting infinite, so I figure it averages out on those to 20-30. It's better in the milder or more moderate hills, and so it bumps up the averages a bit, but depending on what those hills are like and how often you climb them 35 doesn't sound insane.

My Prius v3 has just over 300 miles on it, and I'm averaging 38.8 mpg. First time in a hybrid, so still getting used to the slow acceleration.

Have you looked into hybrid driving techniques? Catgic has a website with a lot of tips. This video helped me a lot:
http://m.youtube.com/index?#/results?q=hybrid driving techniques

Assuming Spring has sprung for you it should improve as weather gets warmer. I have gone up a lot. W

Hi Group! Stan from San Diego. Just got a Prius V5 without ATP on April 4th. On April 8th, took off on a trip to Lake Tahoe and back with 4 adults and gear. Quite a break- in trip and despite the load and the mountain terrrain, averaged a little over 41 mpg. But the "Eco Light" in the far left side, the one that acts like an old vacuum guage light, is just not there anymore. I've tried every button and read the manual, but I can't activate it. Besides a burned out bulb, is there anyway to test it or turn it on? Thanks.

Stanny – See 2-2, Instrument Cluster Page 203 0f Prius v 2012 Owner’s Manual.

I have a suspicion that you inadvertently cycled yourself into the #2 or #3 SETTING of the HSI Display. lane:

Are you in D or B mode on the shifter???????????????????????

I have a 2011 Prius and have driven it for over a year.
I have seen various changes in mileage due to the fuel I use.
One stations gas gives me as much as +3 Mpg per tank over another station.
I believe it's the level of ethanol which varies per manufacturer. Who really knows.

I would change fuel, check tire pressure and make sure the trunk is empty.

If that doesn't work, take the wheel covers off so it looks faster. ;-)

Best of luck to you.

I agree with above poster...ethanol levels are a kicker! Here is a great site for finding ethanol-free gas in your area. Run a tank or two and see if things start looking up.

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

I did a test drive in the hilly/mountain areas around where I live a couple of days ago. Yes the Prius sucks in this type of terrain as do other 4 cylinder vehicles. I am glad I do not have to drive in that terrain everyday

I have a 2010 Prius IV with a little over 34,000 miles and have calculated miles per gallon (mpg) with every fuel fill up since I got the car in July of 2009. With the exception of five fill ups where the tank wasn't filled all the way I have never averaged less than 50 mpg combined driving. During yearly trips from New York to Florida and back I usually average around 55 mpg.
Yesterday for the first time we traveled west on Route 80 and through Pennsylvania and across the Appalachian Mountains.
The temperature was in the low ninety's and I was shocked at my first fill up in Ohio when I calculated only 47.2 mpg. The lowest mpg I ever got with my Prius .
I thought something was wrong with the car, but after reading all these replies about what steep hills do to Prius fuel consumption I now feel quite relieved that my car doesn't have a problem. Besides the steep hills, I'm sure that the elevated temperature contributed to the lower mpg.

High temperatures are great for mpg because of reduced rolling resistance and air density. It's the use of AC in those high temps that kill MPG.

You are correct about lower air resistance or drag, but you have less "air" going into the cylinders and therefore less power output. Just as jet engines, the denser the air (cold temps at higher altitudes) the more efficient the engine operates.

It just doesn't work with respect to fuel efficiency. Horsepower yes, fuel efficiency no. In the end, the net result is higher fuel efficiency due to many factors. I watch this every day on my commute. My best tanks are when it is over 100F.

Colder air is more oxygen dense but at higher altitudes oxygen density is decreased due to reduce pressure.