When Will My Mpg Improve On My New Prius

when it gets warm. That may be awhile in Iowa.
Fernsmom

 

I'm a fairly "newbie" and here in central Indiana, I'm currently getting 41 mpg (and it's pretty cold here). I found it helpful to have the "wheels on the bus" screen up while you're driving. You'll get a feel for what your car is doing and when if you keep an eye on this screen.

For instance - thinking ahead (and looking ahead) at the stoplights (or slight downhill stretch of road). If you let up on the accelerator, at certain speeds, if you ever so slightly put some pressure back on it (slight, mind you), you will be coasting - no arrows anywhere - and have learned from this website that it's one of the most efficient "stages".

I'm looking forward to warmer weather.

 

SOIUX I just picked up my new Prius last Saturday and I am on the 2nd tank already with worse gas mileage than you. But I have done a few things at the suggestion of this helpful forum. I inflated my tires to 42 PSI for the Front and 40 PSI on the Rear Wheels. I also starting "gliding" more in town and on the freeway which seems to have improved my MPG's. Right now on my 3rd tank in -10 F weather I am averaging 38 MPG's. I am not going to "block" my grill because the Dealership said if they found any evidience of this going on my 8 year 100,000 extended warranty would be void. So I will just be patient for warmer weather. I hear things improve drastically in weather above 50F. I can't wait. But for now I have 465 miles on my new ride and I feel like we're getting to know each other better.

The difficult thing is that I traded in a 2007 Honda Ridgleline for this car, but I still have my Porche Cayman [which I drive only when the roads are clear] and I drive that car balls to the wall. I have learned that the Prius is not so up to the challenge. So I have had to learn to lighten up my lead foot. Enjoy the new car. For me, in the long run, I think it will have been a great investment.

 

It is cold here too in SE PA., but I am averaging about 45 mpg on my last 5 tanks. Learn how to drive the car without any drastic takeoff and hard braking. Drive the Prius as smooth as you can and you'll be surprised to see you mpg increase. I don't do any grill blocking, but one thing that I always remember to do is not to turn on the heater until after over 5 minutes of driving. Just like any car, if you have a 'Pb' foot , it will hurt your mpg. Oh yes, majority of forum will agree that short trips will indicate a low mpg as well...so plan your trips and stops...better for the car.

Drive safely.

 

Your mileage will get better:

As you drive more miles (engine and components break in)

As the weather warms up

As you get used to driving the car and learn how it operates

As the car learns your driving style (don't laugh, the car stores data and adjusts parameters that it learns) I learned by disconnecting the 12v battery that it takes a couple of tanks of gas for the mpg to come back to the previous level.

Also check this out: http://priuschat.com/forums/fuel-economy/14701-new-owner-want-mpg-help-read-first.html

 

Yeah; what Dogfriend says!!!!

 

Joke answer: As soon as you stop using the brakes

 

Your dealer is full of s---. Did they also tell you that they'll void your warranty if they don't change the oil? I wouldn't give that stealership another dime's worth of business. You are free to do what you want, just make sure it's an informed decision.

 

I have this same question.

My computer is stating a 31 mpg average at this point.

I have 130 miles so far.

It is 6 degrees here today though....

 

We definitely have different terrain so we most likely won't get the same FE. 1. Check and increase the tp. If not for the FE then to increase tread life. 2. Block the grill. This is more beneficial on longer trips and higher OAT. 3. Install an EBH to get the 1st 5 minute bar up around 50mpg. Step 1 is free. Step 2 is cheap (<$5). Step 3 doesn't cost much.

Although I drive ~35 miles to work I still get 1 low bar (significantly under 50) in the "middle" of the trip. I attribute this to the engine running to heat the cat.

 

But grille-blocking is an important strategy for cold weather driving; Along with changing to full synthetic oil, it has been worth at least 5 mpg for my driving. Grille-blocking is not something mysterious which has originated with Prius drivers. It has been used for some time by drivers of SUVs, big trucks, and 18-wheelers. Keep reading and best of luck!

 

I agree with Jim. No one told me not to do it. I took mine in with a blocked grill and nobody made a peep. They hassled me about the 12V battery freezing, but no mention on my invoice about the blocking.

Maybe it's on my car's permanent record, but probably with the same effect as my own permanent record.

Since we're fairly new in town (August), I have to try dealers out until we find one that works. I'm not going back to the first dealer anyway because, even though they are high volume and seem to sell a lot of Prii, most of their service advisers have no idea what they are talking about. Mine garbled what the hybrid tech said and refused to honor the warranty for my battery. At least Toyota CS in Torrance said they'd reimburse us. Still waiting on that check, though....

Anyway, I assume rochesteruser bought from Rochester Toyota. Since they've now threatened to void both the tire warranty and extended warranty for rather minor things, I would recommend trying to go elsewhere, at least for anything more than an oil change. I realize your options are limited, unless you want to drive over to Winona or up here toward the metro. If you're so inclined, oil changes are fairly easy to do yourself, at least when there is no snow on the ground. Maintenance for the Prius should generally be a semi-annual event and not too expensive unless you drive more than 1000 miles a month or don't read Galaxee's guide. If you do your own oil, block your grill (removing pieces as it warms up), and inflate your own tires, you shouldn't need to go in more than once a year for the more complicated inspections and replacements. You can even get and replace the air and cabin filters yourself, either off eBay, at a local auto parts store, or worst case, buy them in bulk from the dealer. That way you can afford to drive a fair distance once a year to a dealer who isn't either ignorant or trying to jack you.

And look into getting a refund on that extended warranty. You can get them here in the PC store for about $1000, if you even need it. Since your main hybrid parts are covered up to 80,000, you're not buying a ton of protection. It's a gamble, but even the insurance against the gamble is pretty expensive. Don't worry about canceling. Since you just bought it, you should be able to get a full refund. At worst, you can get it prorated for most of the value and save yourself a few hundred. Given everything else they told you, I'm sure the dealer made a big deal about how expensive it is to repair the Prius. While that may be true, a) regular maintenance is cheaper than a gas-only car, b) the hybrid and powertrain warranties cover many of those expensive parts up to 60k or 80k miles, and c) Most of the expensive repairs will not rear their ugly heads until well after the extended warranty is a distant memory as well.

 

They may be, but do you speak for Toyota on this matter? If Toyota decides not to honor a warranty because the owner blocked the grill would you serve as an expert witness against them? And if you were willing, would it do any good? Anyone who modifies their car opens themselves to a fight in a warranty dispute.

A dealer who says nothing about mods does the owner no favor. The dealer knows that they'll get paid regardless for a repair; they might even prefer it if the owner has to pay, 'cos an individual owner has less clout than does Toyota.

 

Maybe this thread is now about grill blocking. ??
I have a 2008 Prius with about 600 miles and it is getting about 35 mpg. Not that cold here but is on oxygenated fuel. Still, bought a 2004 in early 2005, same time of year and it got 50mpg from get go and has for 60K miles. 2004 gets a few mpg less on winter fuel but always ranges between 45 and 55 depending upon driving style. I know how to drive the car for mileage, tire pressures are good, etc. I'll see what happens after some more mileage but I don't think a 25% break-in reduction is possible and the 2004 didn't have one at all. I will let it break in on the factory mineral based oil before going synthetic. BTW, 2004 has always been run on mineral based oil with frequent changes.

 

I know what you mean. I actually was thinking of taking my car to Walser up in the Cities. I have heard nothing but good things about their service dept. The Rochester Toyota is brand new. They just opened it like 6 months ago, so technician are a little wet behind the ears. They did help me with a Spoiler Creak that my car developed about 100 miles back. The technician Joel was fantastic to work with. He even came with me after he did the work to listen for any addtional creaks and noises. The cold down here really beats up on Plastic.

Back to the post, I am hoping to not have to step into the Dealership for anything else. I will get my oil changed at 5,000 like recommended and keep my tire pressure at 42/40. But other than that they won't see me until 15,000, 30,000 and 60,000 miles. [I hope].

 

What they said... But there are SOOO many things that will affect mpg. I've had a 5 mpg spike with this tank, I think our stations switched to no ethanol. We get ethanol during the less windy winter months, and that will impact your mpg too. I don't do grill blocking (do have block heater and TP 40/38), now getting 56 mpg, low this morning 32 high around 50, commute ~22 miles each way. I've seldom used the heater since its comfortable now in the car mornings, only if the windows fog. Heater will suck the heat out of the engine, causing it to run to keep warm. Get a Scangauge and you will see that at 146 degrees and below the engine will come on no matter what... turn the heater on and watch engine temp drop. Short trips and REALLY cold weather will kill mpg.

 

I have had my 2007 Toyota Prius since May 2007. During the summer I once drove 710 miles before stopping for gas. Based on the 11.9 gallons fuel capacity that is an average of 59 MPG. It is possible, however, the manuel gives a warning to NOT run out of gas because it can damage the hybrid system. So, PLEASE DON'T PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT, like I did.

The least miles I have driven on a tank of gas was 560. Again, based on 11.9 gallons capacity that is 47 MPG. I don't trust the computer MPG average on the LCD screen because I have noticed after so many miles it doesn't change or shall I say adjust accurately. You can start out driving aggressive for the first 150 miles and easy and light driving for the next 400 miles and it will show an average indicating the first 150 aggressive and lower MPG driving more so than the MAJORITY OF DRIVING that should indicate a higher average MPG if the computer adjusted and calculated it right. This is why I give the miles driven before filliing up and let you do the math however you want to. What is really in the gas tank when I fill up is questionable at times if you are familiar with the Prius gas gauge!!!!!!

I believe it is less likely a "factory defect" than it is the way you drive.
The one and only time I drove 710 miles I drove flat highway miles at 65 MPH maximum on cruise control even though the speed limit was 70 on the interstate. I live in Kentucky where there are constant steep hills and mountains to climb. That is when I get 560 on tank. However, that one time. I was on flat roads, used cruise, did NOT go over 65 mph, and half the time on that tank of gas I was driving in bumper to bumper traffic.
Hybrids are supposed to get the BEST GAS MILEAGE in that situation (city mileage).

I accelerated extremely slow despite what the people behind me thought at the stop light. When the engine came on I let of the accelerator for a few seconds until the engine shut off and then easily accelerated on electric mode. You just have to "manipulate the system" and get a feel of it. IT IS NOT FUN, NOR IS IT REALITY! HOWEVER, IF YOU HAD WERE OUT OF GAS MONEY (ALL MONEY TO YOUR NAME UNTIL THE NEXT PAY CHECK) and on the last tank of gas YOU CAN MAKE THE PRIUS GET THE MPG IT IS CLAIMED TO!

Not running the heater and A/C, as all vehicles, increases MPG. When you can't change that factor due to living cold weather you just can't compromise that, but there are all kinds of methods to achieve success with a hybrid.

My experience in the past 24,000 miles(yes I drive alot) is about 560 miles before filling up. Take that for what you want. It is still incredible compared to the Camry which I have owned two and am a Camry fan. I realized the Prius has the same leg room as the Camry, is safe like the Camry, and gets double the gas mileage. The Prius has pulled me away from the Camry and made me a Prius fan!

It is likely the way you drive (various factors such as temperature, hills or flat road, and acceleration) the car rather than factory defective being the reason for low MPG!

Just watch that LCD screen and/or listen to the engine and determine what you need to do to minimize the engine turning on. That will allow your driving habits to change. It is hard to achieve it, but you can! Try it in the summer.

Sorry for repeating myself and rambling. I just want you to really understand that the Prius is amazing! Wise choice!

 

I've had my Prius for 2 weeks, and I just bought my first tank of gas yesterday. On the gas that was in there from the dealership, I averaged 39 mpg while doing mostly short (<5 mile) trips to and from work.

I took a longer trip today, about 40 miles each way. On this trip I averaged 55 mpg! I did inflate my tires up to 42f/40r yesterday (they had all been at 30 previously), but that's the only difference. OAT today was 37 degrees.

My car has less than 600 miles on it, so I'm really looking forward to what it can do once it's broken-in.

 

Do you understand what's in the EPA test? EPA "mileage standard" doesn't mean that you will get the EPA numbers.

See http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...ussion/37214-why-don-t-i-get-epa-mileage.html.

Even with the newer additional tests that got added for MY 08 and beyond, the EPA at Your Mileage Will Still Vary says "EPA has improved its methods for estimating fuel economy, but your mileage will still vary."

Besides learning how to drive a hybrid more efficiently, you'll need to give us more info on your drive and weather conditions for us to be really able to help. Short drives will kill your mileage on any car. Turning the heater above LO w/the fan on our using auto AC when the engine's cold will and can keep the ICE running.

If you really want to be hardcore about learning techniques, see Pulse and Glide plus Warp Stealth in the Prius II for maximum FE … - CleanMPG Forums and Beating the EPA - The Why’s and how to Hypermile. - CleanMPG Forums. The latter also explains the EPA tests.