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Socal driving yields better mpg than Norcal

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Sfcyclist, Jun 10, 2013.

  1. Sfcyclist

    Sfcyclist Senior Member

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    Spent a week down here in Socal for a short vacation and this type of terrain/ traffic yields a lot better mpg than SF Bay Area. I was averaging 45mpg with some effort but down here in Socal, easily 49-50mpg(53mpg on MFD)! The congestion which causes slow moving traffic and lack of hills is perfect for the Prius. What's surprising though is the lack of Prius down here compared to Norcal. Talk about different culture... NTL, great to see for myself how some of you can average over 50mpg. Now I am a believer!

    Back home tomorrow! Won't miss the overly aggressive LA driving style which is basically racing to the bumper in front of you... o_O
     
    #1 Sfcyclist, Jun 10, 2013
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    You should change the title to say "SF" instead of NorCal. Those of us outside the big city achieve excellent FE. :p
     
    #2 F8L, Jun 10, 2013
  3. Sfcyclist

    Sfcyclist Senior Member

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    Sacramento traffic is bad as LA's? They rank #1 and I can see why!
     
    #3 Sfcyclist, Jun 11, 2013
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Nah, but the wider streets, many back roads and flat topography make getting high fuel economy much easier than congested, hilly, cold SF area. :)
     
    #4 F8L, Jun 11, 2013
  5. Sfcyclist

    Sfcyclist Senior Member

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    I got best mpg driving through Socal's waves of traffic... Continuously driving between 10-40mph without stopping was key. On the local flat roads, similar to what I get in in Norcal.. BTW, I don't live in SF but outskirts.
     
    #5 Sfcyclist, Jun 11, 2013
  6. Sfcyclist

    Sfcyclist Senior Member

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    During this trip, aside from learning how to get 50mpg, I got a chance to really test out the GPS. Lesson learned, turn off Dynamic Reroute! I learned the hard way in LA's congestion.. constantly rerouting!

    Got over the Grapevine without issue as long as I kept the rpm's up. Funny how it felt like everyone was trying to pass me on the up hill but couldn't! I got the feeling it had something to do with how can a Prius keep up on the hills?

    Here's a few photos I snapped in Santa Monica.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    #6 Sfcyclist, Jun 11, 2013
  7. socalcoast

    socalcoast New Member

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    Lots of Prius drivers on the road here in SoCal, but quite a few more BMW, Mercedes, and latest new car- Tesla's- which are showing up everywhere...
     
    #7 socalcoast, Jun 27, 2013
  8. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    Beautiful pix of the prius overlooking santa monica beach. I think it may have been coincidence or (un)luck of the draw while u were here but there are plenty of prius's here in socal, wherever I go shopping centers or on freeways they're all over the place;) . In fact, in my small block alone there are 6 including mine:eek:.
     
    #8 SoCalBPrius, Jul 1, 2013
  9. Sfcyclist

    Sfcyclist Senior Member

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    There maybe more but I would guess the % is lower down there than norcal.
     
    #9 Sfcyclist, Jul 2, 2013
  10. SoCalBPrius

    SoCalBPrius Active Member

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    now that I think about it, yor probably right:D
     
    #10 SoCalBPrius, Jul 2, 2013
  11. Noel Parker

    Noel Parker New Member

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    Yea! Lets hear it for SoCal! My sister and I agree! We do think there are many more Prius on the coastal I-5 versus I-15 ... we've seen very few on the inland highways whereas the I-5 is loaded with black and white Prius!
     
    #11 Noel Parker, Jul 2, 2013
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