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Do the more recent Prius models get much better MPG than the 2001?

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by ragnarkar, Sep 6, 2011.

  1. ragnarkar

    ragnarkar Junior Member

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    My GF's has a 2001 prius and it regularly gets over 50 mpg even though it's rated about 42 mpg.. maybe it's related to her driving style. With everything else constant, could I expect substantially higher MPG in, say, a 2010 or 2011 Prius even though its EPA rating is only 50 mpg?

    In other words, 50 vs 42 mpg, that's a 20% increase.. would it be reasonable to expect a real-world MPG of 60 on a Prius rated at 50 mpg?
     
    #1 ragnarkar, Sep 6, 2011
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    If she is driving her normal commute, yes. :D

    I know the Gen 3 was better above 60 MPH and better below 60 MPH than the Gen 2, but no real improvement if you only drove 60 MPH.
     
    #2 JimboPalmer, Sep 6, 2011
  3. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    That revised EPA estimate is way off and not a good basis for comparison.

    I owned a 2001 and certainly didn't see that as an average. Here's my post-breakin (year 2) data...

    [​IMG]



    And year 2 for my 2004...

    [​IMG]



    And year 2 for my 2010...

    [​IMG]
    .


    Nope. See above.
    .
     
    #3 john1701a, Sep 6, 2011
  4. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    if your g/f is driving a genI... and getting that good of gas mileage then she would get better mileage with a genII or genIII

    the question is... value... if her current prius is dying (hypothetical) then it's cheaper to get a used genII that will still get better mpg for only 10 grand or so.. then to buy a brand new genIII and pay all that extra. (if i was trading up/in and didn't have a genII currently that's what i would do... since it would have saved me over 20 grand since i financed)
     
    #4 V8Cobrakid, Sep 6, 2011
  5. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    if your g/f is driving a genI... and getting that good of gas mileage then she would get better mileage with a genII or genIII

    the question is... value... if her current prius is dying (hypothetical) then it's cheaper to get a used genII that will still get better mpg for only 10 grand or so.. then to buy a brand new genIII and pay all that extra. (if i was trading up/in and didn't have a genII currently that's what i would do... since it would have saved me over 20 grand since i financed)
     
    #5 V8Cobrakid, Sep 6, 2011
  6. car compulsive

    car compulsive Active Member

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    One data point for you. I just filled my 2011 Two for the first time since the dealer filled it with 3 miles on the odometer. Over the first 377 miles of 80% freeway driving, I averaged 50.1 MPG calculated on fuelly and on the onboard display. I didn't baby the car, driving mainly open roads with the cruise control set at 71 or 72 MPH and the AC set at 69 on some fairly warm days.
     
    #6 car compulsive, Sep 6, 2011
  7. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    G2 is about 110% of G1 MPG on average.

    G3 compared to G2 is more complicated. About the same or a few percent less than G2 with gentle, slow driving, easily 5% better than G2 at speeds over 65 mph. There are reasons to think the G3 will also better a G2 in cold winter and short trip driving, but I do not know if this has been the actual case.
     
    #7 SageBrush, Sep 6, 2011
  8. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    It depends on what you consider "significant". She'll do "better" in a bigger, more refined car but IMO not significantly. FE is much like that 1/2 glass of water. Some owners would be thrilled with the "low" numbers posted by others.
     
    #8 JimN, Sep 6, 2011
  9. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    I keep a spreadsheet. The Gen3 is a hard luck car. It debuts in a downward economy, suffers bad press (editorial comment deleted), colder winters & supply disruptions. In a more hostile environment my 2010 has achieved higher FE than the 2006 over comparable months. Tank to tank it is more consistant & easier to get the number (whether considered "good" or "bad") than the Gen2. Over roughly the same number of miles the Gen2 had 12 tanks over 60mpg & 1 tank over 70mpg. The Gen3 has 1 60mpg tank.
     
    #9 JimN, Sep 6, 2011
  10. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    duplicate post deleted--some threads just hang for me.
     
    #10 JimN, Sep 6, 2011
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