Happy at 61.1 MPG

We are on our 4th tank of gas in our '06. Following the driving directions posted on this site the best we can, we averaged:
1st Tank 42.5
2nd Tank 49.0
3rd Tank 48.2

I had one occassion where I drove the Prius for over an hour. After about 25min, some of the consumption bars where showing 52-75 with one 5min bar at 100mpg.

They can post whatever they want on the EPA, I love this car and will probably always have one. The MPG is far better than anything we have owned before.

On another note: I don't think this car could manage in the low 20's if it tried. If that's all you can get, you need something else.

My 2cents

 

Question for bluejay -- just what ARE you doing that drives your mileage down so much? You mentioned that you had adopted driving techniques that are improving your milage, but I'm curious what keeps your Prius milage at the bottom of the pile.

And, just for contrast, the milage on the MFD of my 2000 Audi A8 for short in-town trips is.... drum roll....
12.6 MPG

Its EPA estimate for "city" use is 17 MPG. On the road I get a very respectable 27-28 MPG compared to its estimate of 24 MPG. It will do 0-60 in 6.7 sec and the 1/4-mile in 14.2 sec, for comparison.

http://www.audiworld.com/model/a8/00/a8.shtml

 

6 mile commute to work with 11 traffic lights and 10 stop signs.

 

My Webpage


you can check this out too.

 

You know, I drive my Prius just like I drove/drive my other cars and I'm still getting up to 51 mpg. I'm not complaining. Heck I was geting 10-13 mpg before, so I'm happy with 40mpg! I'm not going to drive like a Gomer to try and get 1 or 2 more miles per gallon. You don't HAVE to drive a Prius differently. You can, but you can also drive any car that way and get better gas mileage.

Also, what's wrong with buying a Prius simply for the money you'd save in gas. Do you have to be some pretentious prick with "I'm saving the word" reasons? No. I wager MOST of the people who buy a Prius do so because of the mileage. If you really cared so much about the planet, you wouldn't even own a car, and you'd have a lot more miles on your hemp sandals.

BTW, when I say "you" I mean general you, not any specific poster here.

 

Your webpage looks amazingly like a PriusChat thread. Nevertheless, it answered most of my questions. I was intrigued by your original statement, that you first got ~50 mpg which then dropped to 30's to 40's. How do you account for the precipitous drop in mpg after the first few months? Do you have a theory?

 

I honestly don't think the salesman has to give the information that you may get worse than EPA estimates under some conditions. Getting 25/29 in the car is a sign of either extreme conditions and driving style or something wrong with the car.

The Prius does not have to be driven differently to get the estimates unless a person's driving conditions or style are not similar to the conditions and style of the EPA test. During warmer weather (50+), I can easily obtain high 50s to low 60s without any pulse and glide or driving under the speed limit as my driving conditions are similar to the EPA testing conditions.

 

I quite agree with the above post.

I have had my car since Mid October. When the weather was warmer I got mid and upper 40's mpg. Now I am getting mid and upper 30's mpg. (Outside Air Temp has alot to do with it, as I am in Central PA).

My "commute" is not optimal for higher MPG as I have a 5 minute ride and less than 2 miles from home to work. In general I do not see the "hybrid" effect (Engine turning off at stop lights, Electric only mode during the drive) unless I have longer trips or the air temperature is above 45 to 50 degrees.

I see better mpg on the weekends (longer trips) and during the recent warm spell here in the Northeast.

 

I have had my 2006 since mid-December. I was unaware of the tax credit for this new year...but I needed the car and it would not have impacted my timing anyway. I am a meteorologist...and in addition to inherently being a geek...I am acutely aware of weather conditions. I have been paying very close attention to how this car handles cold weather.

I live in Illinois, where it gets very cold. But this season we have had unusually warm weather. In December when I got the car we had temps in the single digits. In January we have consistently seen the 40's, and even 60's one day. This has given me a good scope with which to work.

In December the Prius averaged around 35 mph. I am a lead-footer that is struggling to change driving habits. Somewhere around the first of the year I hit the reset button. But, as luck would have it, it was about the same time as when it started to warm up.

In January I have been averaging about 40 mph. On a day that was around 60 degrees I actually got around 50 mph on the highway.

My commute is about 100 miles round trip...90% interstate.

I am not upset that so far I have not seen 55/60. I assume that as it gets warmer the FE gets better. Anyone have similar results?

 

First off, let me get this out of the way- I absolutely love my Prius. Love it! I don't agree with anyone that complains about it's mileage and whatnot- most Americans just don't know how to drive, it's as simple as that. I got 49.5 mpg on my first tank (mid August) and had averaged a solid 50-56 mpg for the reast of the fall. My mpg started dropping in December, and I am getting mid 40's right now. I am in central/easter NJ. Damn cold.

That being said, maybe someone can give me some pinters. I am pretty sure my deader or my gas tank is f'd up. I haven't gone more than 440 miles on a tank, and that was when I was getting a solid 54 mpg. The warning beep comes on (one you have one bar) way to early- I am calculating that I still have a solid 2 gallons left. I will continue to drive for another 80 miles or so after the warning, since I know I have more gas than it tells me.


I guess I have to go get her fixed, but I really, really hate the people where I bought mine from (Autoland on rt 22 in springfield, NJ, formerly 1800autoland). Can I take her to any dealer and do you think they would check her/fix her for free (still under warranty)?

Thank sin advance.

-Keith

 

honestly, I don't think there is anything wrong with her. I think it has to do with the bladder effect and my car does exactly the same thing. Warns me add fuel too soon. I just keep going

 

It is a prius chat thread, that's why I posted it.

Although the weather didn't get very cold here, from all the pruischat info, the mpg are decreased by colder temperatures, possibly tire pressure.
I think I was accelerating too hard and not paying attention to my driving style and my morning commute simply isn't long enough to get better mileage

Now this morning it was 23 degrees, my first 5 minutes averaged about 16 MPG, it went to about 40mpg at 10, I turned the heat on and stayed at 40 for 15minute, I think almost 50mpg for 20 minute mark. I have 3gallon bars left, I'm averaging 37 MPG for this last tank since making some changes. I think the average will drop because the next couple of days are going to be really cold. I will check the tire pressure again today since the temperture dropped--Any insight??

 

[
That being said, maybe someone can give me some pinters. I am pretty sure my deader or my gas tank is f'd up. I haven't gone more than 440 miles on a tank, and that was when I was getting a solid 54 mpg. The warning beep comes on (one you have one bar) way to early- I am calculating that I still have a solid 2 gallons left. I will continue to drive for another 80 miles or so after the warning, since I know I have more gas than it tells me.
I guess I have to go get her fixed, but I really, really hate the people where I bought mine from (Autoland on rt 22 in springfield, NJ, formerly 1800autoland). Can I take her to any dealer and do you think they would check her/fix her for free (still under warranty)?


Your experience is very common for prius owners. I fill up at one or two bars and rarely put even 8 gallons into the tank. But that does not mean I have almost 4 gallons left. Many people on this forum have run out of gas assuming they started with 11.9 gallons of gas in the tank just because that is the stated tank size. The real tank capacity varies with temperature and individual car, and I doubt is usually more than 10 gallons to click-off. So unless you actually pumped 11-12 gallons into the tank, don't assume it is there. And I recommend against topping off since it seems easier for spillage with the bladder. Just assume you have a smaller tank, and be glad you don't have to stand there waiting for 30+ gallons to pump.

 

I don't understand it. There's no way I'm going to get anywhere near 60. I'm in that high 30s to low 40s group. Must be something about our particular machines. I live on a hill, so a lot of my driving is up and down, which is a net loss, averaging 38-39. Only if I drive a considerable distance on the flats do I have a chance of approaching 40 +. I tried the overpressured tire bit, but that made no difference. I anticipate stops as much as traffic and dumb drivers allow. Just can't do better. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm listening. <_<

 

I purchased my first Prius in 2002 after test driving one for 3 days over 400 miles, getting 48 miles per gall. I didn't need to learn how to drive a car. Nothing much has changed except my 2005 Prius gets about 10% better mileage then the 2002 Prius.
I don't think there are many Pruis owners that get poor mileage. I know 6, they all get just about the same mileage as I do.
I wonder what % of Prius driver get poor milage? I would bet the number is small.
I think the media is giving us bad information about Hybrid cars, but once the other car makers start producing Hybrid cars the information will change. It a matter of information manipulation. In other negitive propaganda.
Would anyone beleive that the media would lie to us?
But don't dispair fellow Hybrid drivers we can laugh all the way to the bank and know we're just a little ahead of the curve.

 

i dont get anywhere near that either. averaging 40 now, actually 38 since the weather dropped below 20 two days ago. what is this secret you people are keeping from us. and how much will it cost to get it from ya?

 

All I ever got to was 58 mpg for a tank. But it is congested here so I can see how people get over 60 easily if they are in a more rural area.

 

Regarding tank capacity:

This winter I have been able to fill up 9.0 - 9.5 gallons consistently. My first winter was less, but I am not sure if the difference is the bladder or warmer weather. I do tend to go to the same station, and I set the nozzle at auto low flow.

Anyway, I second the earlier poster who said not to rely on more in the tank than what you put in on the last fill-up. It is really not worth it to get the last drop, and run out of gas in the doing.

 

I just want to sat that my initial response to this post was that I don't understand how people are surprised at bad press about prius EPA. Many people are not getting better expected MPG. I thought I would get at least in the 40's based on the EPA. So, again I am not surprised because real people especially if you read the posts are freaked out.

Having said that, joining prius chat gave some ideas and suggestions that aren't in your manualto increase your MPG. Toyota also has a sight that will give information not shared during your purchase. I think Priuschat is the best source because the information is coming from owners that drive the car all the time.

There are numerous threads that youcan read that will give you tips--make sure you go through the forums. These are some tips that I can offer through my own experience:

Analyze your driving style through observing the consumption and energy screens. Is your foot always on the gas pedal, are you a hard accelerator? Read the post on pulsing, gliding, deadbaning. even if you don't use these technique, you may drive the car different simply by being more observant

http://www.toyota.com/html/hybridsynergyvi...l/marathon.html

What is your tire pressure? Makes a hugh difference.

How many miles is your commute, city, highway, how many stops, how much traffic? Hills, flat surface. . .

How do you use your heat, A/C? Do you leave your lights on after your turn your car off? (this was draining my battery overnight, I think)

How does your car respond to different tempertures?
Your going to have to do some work and research and make some driving adjustments to get better MPG's. This is a journey, good luck and enjoy!