Great car..

Hello,
My wife owns a 2005 and loves it. I now own an '08 and am enjoying the mileage and "greeness'. I seem to have a tough time maintaining a constant speed the rolling terrain here, though. I guess I'm not used to the CVT or something. I've owned a bunch of cars from a 1.6 liter Pinto to a '93 RX7 twin turbo and a few pickups mixed in there too, but I've never had this much trouble keeping my speed constant within 2 or 3 mph. I think part of the problem is the smoothness of the drivetrain. I wish it handled a little better, but overall I'm pleased with it. It is a pretty amazing car.

James

We unconsciously learn a correlation between the sound of engine RPMs and road speed in a conventional transmission car. In a Prius you have to ignore engine sound and just watch the speedo.

Hello Richard,
You are right about that. I'm also used to a more "seat of the pants" feedback from conventional cars. The cvt acts similarly to other types of cvts I've used in other applications such as motorbikes and snowmobiles, but I guess I'm still getting the hang of it.
What I -have- gotten is mileage consistently between 56 and 59 mpg (MFD) for the 3000 miles I've owned it. And if they get better as they break in, maybe I'll see some in the 60s.

James

give it times. others fluctuate their speeds in traditional cars.. the prius just does it more...

I could only imagine a larger engine.. as some have complained it's hard to keep constant speed in the camry's...

as others have stated at... keep some pressure on the pedal.. there's a huge difference in gliding and coasting (glide is faster, has no drag, and requires the pedal)... but i assume you get that since you're coasting over hills.

go with it.. coast hehe

you should try going down really long hills. this car gains major speed.

Thanks for the advice. Funny thing is, I am able to maintain my speed better on a steeper upward grade than I am in gently rolling terrain. I'm thinking I just need to move my foot on the pedal more than I am used to doing. I'll get it eventually.

You're not kidding! Power wise, the car has surprised me a couple of times. For whatever reason in traffic I have had to hit the gas quickly and have been impressed at the amount of "scoot" that resulted. I think it knows by how you step on it what needs to happen next. Stepping in the same amount gently yields a different result for me. Kind of neat, actually.

James

JAMES!!

in a rolling environment, i would think twice about the importance of a constant speed. use gravity to your advantage (at least half the time!!) increase your speed as much as you can while maintaining a certain MPG... then slowly decelerate when going back up the hill.

your mileage for a newbie is definitely impressive. keep it up!!

Dave,

I'm with ya, man. My concern is with the plethora of aggressive drivers, many, but not all, in large SUVs who will take their aggression (or fear) out on you if you aren't running steady. I've two other vehicles that I drive occasionally to work at the same speed and I swear I am targeted more in the Prius.

Ridgerunner57, congrats on being a 2 Prius family. I know others on here will beg to differ, but I use the cruise control to maintain a steady speed. Does your car have this ?
My fuel economy is about 51mpg, but on longer trips and with the cruise control on at about 67-68 mph, I can get near to 60mpg.

Same situation here--clearly you were able to apply what you had learned by watching your wife drive hers. My hubby is doing quite well for a newbie too because he learned from me.

Of course, some men would never admit that...

ridge:
you probably are more targeted. i see it all the time as well. at least once a week, someone will go flying around me just to cut in front of me within ½ a block of a long line of cars sitting at a red light only because i am coasting up at a relatively slow pace.

its amazing how much gas one will waste just to get one car farther up in line especially when two or more lanes are available