1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

cold and new=low mpg?

Discussion in 'Prius c Fuel Economy' started by allisonpriuscII, Feb 8, 2014.

  1. allisonpriuscII

    allisonpriuscII New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2014
    1
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    been driving our new prius c Two 2013 for 3 weeks. the first full tank gave us 28 mpg. it's been cold here in vt and many days the farthest we've gone is 5 miles round trip. we also splurged and got a car starter for it since we don't have a garage. my theory for the low mpg is all of these factors combined with learning out to drive a prius (this is our first) and the fact that it's new (had 45 miles on it at purchase). my husband thinks it's broken and we need to call the dealership figuring even if things were bad it wouldn't be as bad as 28 mpg and since it's the "c" for city it should be doing great on these short trips.

    thoughts and/or suggestions?

    thanks!
     
  2. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2005
    29,110
    8,589
    201
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Moved to Prius c from Prius v
     
  3. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2009
    12,470
    6,862
    2
    Location:
    Greenwood MS USA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Cold will be lower MPG than warm. (This graph is from a 2001, but the idea is the same)
    http://john1701a.com/prius/documents/Prius-2001_MPG_Graphs_Lifetime.pdf
    Short Trips will always be worse than long trips, as the engine/drivetrain need to warm up. (this is a graph I made up for my Gen 2, there are no units)
    [​IMG]

    A new Prius both takes time to wear in and to train it's driver.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,912
    49,492
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome to priuschat! seems low to me. check your tyre pressure, reset your trip meter and go for a nice long scenic drive. report back with mpg's, all the best!(y)
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    108,912
    49,492
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    another thought is that the first tank is always skewed because the dealer doesn't quite fill it all the way up.
     
    ztanos and mmmodem like this.
  6. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,323
    10,170
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The car being new should be relatively minor. The new tires are also a minor factor, they will do slightly better after a few thousand miles.

    But new hybrid driver, very cold weather, short trips, and the remote starter for warmup are big factors. Any road condition other than bare dry pavement will also hurt. Compared to any non-hybrid gas burner, your car is doing extremely well.

    Longer trips in warm dry spring weather, when you need no heat and don't use remote start, will show whether or not the car is broken.
     
  7. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2013
    773
    228
    0
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Cold, short trips, and remote starter? Those are some of the worst things for mileage, especially all together. You should be getting much better mileage when you don't have the cold and remote starter working against you.
     
  8. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2013
    5,884
    3,486
    0
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Not broken, new driver to this type of car, extreme weather conditions and short trips all add up to lower then expected MPG, give it time and warmer weather to show you how great a car it is.
     
  9. Karmacare

    Karmacare New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2014
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Lima, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    II
    I got my 2013 Prius C the same time you did. I commute 6 miles (about 12-15minutes) to work, in temps ranging from -10F to 37F. I run the heat a maximum only for the first 4 or 5 minutes when the engine will run no matter what anyways. And I'm lucky to break 32mpg with that short of a commute on a cold engine. I don't allow the car to warm more than a minute before driving. On the 37F degree day, I reached 48mpg, and that with a carefully trained foot to trigger the EV mode. I covered a 125 mile trip today in temps between 17F and 25F, maximizing triggering the EV mode when I could on downhills, and not exceeding 45mph: Average 61.4mpg. :D