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New 2017 Prius Delivered with 39MPG @ 126mi (Aggressive Driving?)

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by WilliamP, Jul 8, 2017.

  1. WilliamP

    WilliamP Junior Member

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    I just took delivery of a 2017 Prius with 126 miles on it. It had just been delivered by a man from a dealership that is two hours away. The trip computer read that the car had averaged 39 MPG over that 126 miles. I then drove it home 60 miles and averaged 57 MPG on that trip.

    Do you think the car may have been driven aggressively by the man who drove it from the dealership that is two hours away? It may have idled a bit to lower MPGs, but that is pretty low even with a good amount of idling.

    What were the average MPGs on your trip computer when you got your Prius?
     
  2. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Mine showed something like 12+ litres per 100km (I think that's 25mpg), but it had only done 25km. But, that probably included initial testing in the factory, loading, shipping, transfers and pre-delivery checking and testing by the dealer. It's difficult to drive one aggressively really - though generally, owning a PRIUS means that most of us drive with a degree of restraint, but the car will keep up with or lead traffic if you want to drive it that way.

    Fill it up and keep records from there. Your first tank records will be wildly inaccurate.
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    more likely just idling and the like. these cars like to be driven. the worst mpg's come from sitting in traffic with the a/c on.
     
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  4. kevinwhite

    kevinwhite Active Member

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    Mine only had 19 miles on it when I got it but registering about 25mpg. As others have said it is most likely that the car was sitting not moving but ignition on either while being prepared or demonstrated.

    Nothing to worry about. I reset the fuel consumption gauge to ignore the time before I received the car.

    kevin
     
  5. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    Once you get a couple of tanks under your belt the mileage will be better. At any given point your mpg will vary between zero and 199.
     
  6. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

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    Yeah, it really depends on how you drive it. Drive it fast and you will not get the best MPGs. Drive slow and you will.

    Right now I'm sitting at 71 mpg on my trip meter. Idling in traffic will only help because the ICE shuts down to conserve fuel.

    So more than likely he was flying down the freeway to deliver your Prius.
     
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  7. WilliamP

    WilliamP Junior Member

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    I was worried that the young man who delivered the Prius drove it like a maniac in order to achieve such a poor MPG. I guess I'll never know. I'm getting about 55MPG today. Love the car so far, although I'm having trouble getting the steering assist to work at all.
     
  8. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    Might have been slightly up hill. The Prius is sensitive to elevation change. I get better millage on the way home which is about 400 feet lower than where I work. Also, the delivery driver probably did drive fast, and your tires aren't broke in yet.
     
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  9. robsnyder20

    robsnyder20 Active Member

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    Congrats. Even if it was driven very fast, 80+MPH, there should be no real harm done. Mine had 44 MPG on it when delivered, driven about 200 miles from another dealer. The steering assist only works when its sure you crossed a line. My experience the lines need to be very defined, such as blacktop with white or yellow lines. Sometimes, it will nudge you pretty good if you switch lanes without signaling as well. If you watch the indicators, one will look like a steering wheel when it nudges you (without beeping) as I noticed it does this quite often.
     
  10. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    The steering assist doesn't assist driving the car, it assists keeping the car in lane by notifying you, keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel.(my 16 4 would nudge the car a little, the 17 prime doesn't, it just lights up)
    Yes, the dealer had the car for set up and the mpg's are low, unhook the 12v battery then hook it upagain, a reset will start your computers fresh, err, unhook the red jumper, just ten seconds, just like a computer.
    The salesperson didn't screeeem down the highway, and if it did happen your mileage would still be 50 plus,
    Check your air pressure, it might be 30 it might be 50, you want 40.
     
  11. WilliamP

    WilliamP Junior Member

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    The LDA is working with the beeps, but there is no steering assist no matter how much I get into the other lane. Just the beeps from the lane Departure Alert.
     
  12. robsnyder20

    robsnyder20 Active Member

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    I'm pretty sure that the 17s have the LDA with steering assist but I will tell you its mostly worthless (coming from my 16 with ATP). The DRCC cruise control is awesome however. When the steering assist actually recognizes the lines on the road and corrects the steering, I would say its only about a 10% chance it will work correctly and when it does work, it similar to a bowling alley with the bumper guards up where the car will bounce off one line and bounce back to the next. It works better the faster you go (55+MPH) and with fresh blacktop and white or yellow lines. If its a well used road, I wouldn't count on it doing much of nothing except beeping when you cross the line with no nudge. Hope this helps and enjoy your new car William
     
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  13. WilliamP

    WilliamP Junior Member

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    Thanks. Your experience with steering assist matches mine. It mostly does not work, unless I am on a brand new road with bright painted lines and I get way out to the side. And even then it only works occasionally. But the LDA works wherever I am. The Lane Departure Alert beeps all the time. So apparently it can see the lines for beeping but it won't steer.
     
  14. CoastRider

    CoastRider Active Member

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    I second the advice to check your tire pressure. Mine was right on, set at factory specs (tire pressure is listed on the door jam). I bumped it up 2 or 3 extra psi. No higher than that or my ride gets too harsh. Everybody has their favorite psi. Gas mileage is good enough, I don't need to drive around on rock-hard tires set at 50 PSI!

    And regarding mpg, I don't pay much attention to that trip computer. It's all over the map. If I refill after going thru 3/4 of a tank, it shows a certain number when I start driving. If I refill at 1/2 tank, a different number. If I pull the nozzle out at the first click-off, I get another number- but if I put in an extra buck of gas it will show still another number. Doesn't make any sense to me. So I rarely check mpg anymore, I don't care. It's somewhere over 50 and that's fine. :) But if I do want to calculate it, I use my cell phone calculator or good 'ol pencil & paper.

    I have fun and just drive it. Forget it's a hybrid.
     
    #14 CoastRider, Jul 9, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2017
  15. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    You can alter the sensitivity of the steering assist through the menus on the steering wheel. Can't remember the exact steps, but I did with mine and found there were 2 settings. Mine was on the lower one so I upped it to the higher one. Still not powerful, but if I cross a line without signalling first it gently urges the wheel back but not so hard that you can't (too) easily overcome it if you want to. Hope that helps. BTW, I only use mine now if I'm on a really fast road with lots of traffic, or else it becomes annoying.
     
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  16. Neohippy

    Neohippy Active Member

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    Even it was driven hard it's not going to hurt it. Putting the pedal to the floor does no damage at all especially not for 127 miles. What does damage is not changing the oil or not letting the motor warm up and driving it hard.
     
  17. WilliamP

    WilliamP Junior Member

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    Already on high sensitivity. I'll drive it more and see how it does. It just might not like some of the roads here, even though they are pretty clearly marked.
     
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  18. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    I agree the correction pressure is not very strong, but unlike some systems, the Prius's is not intended to correct your steering for you, but just to alert you that you are straying over a line. A self driving car like Tesla's it is not. Road surface camber can have a marked effect on the way it functions IMHO.
     
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  19. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Have a read in your owner's manual. "Lane Departure Alert with steering control" is "only" an alert that you're steering toward the lane edge. It will steer a little, but it's primary function is to alert, and, with a wiggle of the steering wheel, further alert you. I've noticed that it will steer me back into a lane if the road is straight or almost straight - but it's more than likely to then drift me across to the opposite side, where the same thing happens again. But if it is on a decent bend, the steering generally isn't enough to pull you back completely, though it's beeping and wheel movement would likely wake you if you were dozing. Do it often enough, and apparently it'll suggest you stop driving with upload_2017-7-10_20-43-23.png displayed. And, someone suggested that it may record it in the computer log - though that has never been confirmed.

    Don't confuse it with a Merc/TESLA/VOLVO/Cadillac etc which has semi-autonomous steering, this is "just" a safety feature.
     
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  20. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    It is also not the same as older generation Prius which gave an actual assist. Many people think the Gen 4 is a step backward in that regard. :(
     
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