Is it just me?

I have been driving slow, power seems good but haven't pushed it yet. I bet it's just the cvt your hearing, I just filled and got 57.5 mpg too. I don't care if people are on my nice person they can go around, most of the time people don't use all the lanes.

 

Those two things might just be related.

Prius engines don't sound or feel like other cars. There are no gears in the usual sense, and they often stay at the same rpm for a broad range of speeds. This may just be a getting used to a new type of car thing.

There are many many threads on getting better gas mileage in your new Prius, peruse this site for a while and see what you can find that appeals to you.

 

Its not just you... After coming from a 2010 Prius liftback, I am extremely disappointing with the drivetrain in the PriusC. That being said I love everything else about the car. I feel like I have to work really hard and become a hazard on the road to get the 50MPG mark. I think that they should have stuck with the drive train in the liftback, in a smaller car the gas mileage would have been even better than the liftback and the acceleration would not be so painful. Seriously in the PriusC what is considered "Excessive Acceleration" is simply unacceptable. The EV mode button is worthless while driving.

 

Some folks have already swapped out their OE Turanza tires and claim the ride is much smoother and more comfortable.

Driving super easy should net you much more than 50mpg. Maybe you just need more seat time and to learn better techniques?

 

I'll bet it's a matter of learning the car. It is very weak but if you press that pedal down it will take you where you need to go without a problem. Best to be fairly aggressive getting up to speed with a small engine and then cruise lightly. If you try to baby it during the acceleration phase you will drive yourself mad and get worse mileage.

 

First off, new car, new tires. Have you checked your tire pressures? Low pressure can really make a car feel sluggish. Make sure they're at least at the level on the door jamb.

Next, need more information. What distance are your trips, what speeds are you traveling, what are the temperatures and are you using climate control?

 

was your test drive much smoother? perhaps you should go to the dealer and try another one while they are looking at yours to see if it's okay.

 

Mostly, it's just you. You could also be driving with the ECO button on, which will reduce power. If you're just learning to drive the car, leave ECO on for a good month or two until you figure out how to drive it.

Bottom line is that the amazing 60+ mpg's you see from others are a result of them adjusting their driving habits. If you drive the c like other cars (accelerating hard and cruising slightly above the speed limit), you'll see something like the EPA mpg estimates- 46 mpg highway, 53 city.

Also keep in mind that short trips (less than 5 miles) will reduce mpg due to the car running the ICE to warm up at the beginning.

Make sure your tires are inflated to the limit (or even a little over).

Beyond all that, there is an extremely small chance there is something wrong with your car. Take a half-hour drive around your city, accelerating reasonably quickly with the ICE away from stops and letting off the gas to engage the EV when you hit cruising speed to maintain. Make sure you start and end the trip at the same altitude. If you don't get 53 mpg or much better after such a half-hour drive, there may be something wrong with the car.

 

I'm still in my second tank and have ~790 miles on the car...

The first tank was used driving the car without regard that it's a hybrid and achieved 43.5 mpg over 368.3 miles. I'm quite happy with that - I was in the Power zone often, drove the hwy over the speed limit (70+), didn't change my habits - and still nearly doubled my Maxima's mileage.
In the second tank, I've learned to still drive more than the speed limit, keep with the flow of traffic (not be a rolling speedbump), and still got 53 mpg without getting into the Power except for merging. Eco mode screen helps and making use of the EV mode in town (while driving in Normal mode) after a hwy stint can be a huge mpg boost.

Learning this car is kind of like learning a new operating system.

 

You're right, it is not as responsive as a Civic Hybrid. But it's worse in ECO mode. Take it out of eco and see if it feels better to you. There's nothing wrong, you'll get used to it.
JD

 

I will reiterate here, just so no one is confused, that the modes do nothing to increase or decrease the available power. They only move where any particular power level is on the accelerator pedal. Full power is available in ECO mode, just as it is in Normal and Power mode (fully depressed gas pedal).

 

ECO mode makes the pedal FEEL less responsive, that is her problem. Feel, not power.

JD

 

I was responding to things like "You could also be driving with the ECO button on, which will reduce power."

 

Yes, ECO really reduces the throttle sensitivity. I've been paying attention and it's quite noticeable.

 

Out of curiosity, how hard are you pressing the accelerator? The only time the engine sounds harsh to me is when I'm really pushing it (into the red power zone on the Eco Score display).

Regardless of that, you will have to get used to the different sound this car makes compared to a traditional car. It does not shift at all due to the Continuous Variable Transmission, which takes some getting used to. When I first test drove, I felt like I wasn't accelerating very quickly, until I looked at the speedometer. It just didn't feel/sound like how I had gotten used to acceleration feeling and sounding.

 

Yes.* This car, in fact, has no gears that change. The engine will sound the same for a lot of speeds, as the engine is run at its most efficient RPM, and the electric motors are used to change the actual speed of the car.

* - probably. It could be that engine is over-revving, if there is some problem with the car. Try to ascertain whether it is normal by finding another local Prius driver to listen to it, or another Prius for you to listen to, or get a scanguage to read the RPMs directly.

 

Keep in mind too that under certain conditions, the engine will rev up faster than needed, and use the surplus energy to charge the battery.

HUAWEI MediaPad ? 2