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(New to me) '12 Prius MPG making me happy!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Bluegrassman, Sep 23, 2016.

  1. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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    Today was day 4 of owning this Prius and was the first trip to work for her. About 18 miles of mixed driving (approximately 8-9 miles of interstate and the rest in town driving)
    When I arrived and shut her off, she showed I averaged 51.7 MPG on this drive. Far better than my old truck that I drove to work for years!
    How accurate is this particular post drive info?
     
  2. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    Welcome to PriusChat.
    Your thread title could use some punctuation. Reads like your happy with 4 MPG.

    The display of MPG is high by anywhere from 2 to 5 percent. When reading 51.7, it is probably closer to 49. It's best to record both miles driven and gallons pumped then calculate how far off your new Prius is from what the display shows.
     
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  3. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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    Thank you for the reply. ( And title fixed too)
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Our 2010 has settled in on lifetime inaccuracy of ~7.5%. Positive bias of course.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Sep 23, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2016
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congratulations! every car is a little different. get a few tankfuls and average them for bet accuracy. you'll probably come out around 50 mpg before winter gas reformulation sets in. all the best!(y)

    p.s. what's the 2009 in your avatar?
     
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  6. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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    Ah! I need to update that info to include the newest purchase. 2009 was 3 weeks ago, 2012 was 3 days ago. Thanks for pointing that out!
    Our 2009 is black and the '12 is Blizzard Pearl. So now we have ebony and ivory :)
     
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  7. JDW91479

    JDW91479 Junior Member

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    I just filled up my 2012 today. The dash said 55 mpg over 435 miles. Fuelly had it at 52.1. It's always around that 5% - 7% higher on the dash for a tank. The individual post drive info can vary wildly. Over the last year I've driven just under 15k miles and paid just under $600 for gas, so even if the data on the dash is off a bit, you'll still enjoy the savings over the truck!
     
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  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    This is one of those things: everyone is wise to it, yet Toyota perpetuates the exaggerated mpg display.
     
  9. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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  10. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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    Regarding the random swing in MPG... I see it. Driving home being what I thought even more miserly and cautious, the car only showed 47.7

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That's still very good. Monitoring short trips, you're looking too close.
     
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  12. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Was there any elevation change? Everything else being identical (which it never is), this would suggest that your home is about 150 higher than your workplace.

    Minor differences in speed, traffic conditions, or even a breeze will make a noticeable difference.
     
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  13. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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    You're absolutely right. There is a substantial increase in elevation heading home! I didn't even think of that.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  14. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    By substantial, do you mean more or less than 150 feet?

    If significantly more, then I'd say you actually did better on the way home, but it was masked by the climb.
     
  15. bingee3

    bingee3 Active Member

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    Welcome aboard ,, I'm loving our 2012 also , winters in Michigan kill MPG
     
  16. Bluegrassman

    Bluegrassman Active Member

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    We do live in a hilly part of the country so it varies, but overall, according to topo maps, my home is approximately 108 feet higher elevation than my workplace, and it is a fairly obvious long, slow climb once I think of it. Just never really paid attention to it until now.
     
  17. yortlecti

    yortlecti Junior Member

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    Buying a Prius is the best trigger I know of to start paying attention to all kinds of stuff you never noticed before :)

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  18. jwaasdorp

    jwaasdorp Junior Member

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    The best I can get is about 38 mpg even being careful. Should I see the dealer?

    HTC6525LVW ?
     
  19. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The real time mpg indicator can virtually act as a level, detecting slight grades, up or down. It for sure takes more effort pushing 2 tons of steel up a slight grade. If the car's was in Neutral and you were just pushing it (say out of gas), you'd for sure see the difference.
     
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