Please ease my MPG fears experiences Prius drivers....

I am averaging about 35 mpg because of short trips, cold weather and hilly terrain. But when I take a long flat trip I can get 59 mpg even in 40-45 degree weather. I suggest that you plan a nice drive and see how the car performs in different terrain on a longer trip.

 

I am averaging about 35 mpg because of short trips, cold weather and hilly terrain. But when I take a long flat trip I can get 59 mpg even in 40-45 degree weather even though my Prius has less than 3000 miles on it.

I suggest that you plan a nice drive and see how the car performs in different terrain on a longer trip.

 

It's probably from it just being winter.

Since I picked mine up, just after Thanksgiving, we put on about 3,100 miles. My wife uses it for work (mail carrier) and usually gets about 30 mpg. An average 50/50 mix of driving work/ pleasure yields upper 30's. The best we got was 55 (temp above 50 and steady 55 mph ), the worst was 20 (temp -15, 300 stops in 30 miles/ work).

Over the holidays, the car was full of people and luggage. That resulted in a 5 mpg drop from 45 mpg - 40 mpg, just from the added weight.

Last night I was thawing out the car. We just got 8" of snow, and my wife used it for work. I took of at least #300 of frozen slush from the wheel wells. I am sure the added weight from slush can have a big factor in mileage.

It still get better than dbl. the mileage of a smaller mid-sized car.

We are happy

 

Don't worry It will get better. I bought mine in November and It got real cold here in Northern NJ. I was averaging 38mpg. Then we got a warm spell for a couple days and my ave went to 50+. Now its cold again and I am back to 40mpg ave. I haven't hit 2k yet on it but I hear once you hit 5k you have broken it in. You might want to conisder blocking the grill. I will be doing that tonight.

 

I don't know that breaking it in makes that much of a difference, I would assume it is the cold and would recommend looking at the grill blocking.

I have only had mine for 5 days now, but at 250 miles I am getting 46.

The main difference is probably my location, I am in NC and it is definitely warmer here, and my trips tend to be 20+ miles.

 

Before I go into painful detail, I should first give the admonishment to just drive it. It's a great car and it will continue to get very good mileage if you just drive it normally. Now, if you're interested in becoming a fanatic, read on:

35 MPG is actually quite decent considering all the factors you have going against you:

• The cold kills mileage
• Winter gas has a definite effect
• You're a new (Prius) driver, so the car hasn't "trained" you properly yet
• There definitely appears to be some "break-in" that happens after the first 5000 miles; whether that's a difference in the car or if you just are better "trained," I don't know.

It's hard to say how much better you could expect in the Spring. Your mileage will definitely get better, but how much better depends on a lot of different things: the length of your trips (short trips kill mileage), how good you've gotten with being a gentle driver (i.e. no jackrabbit starts), and how fast you typically go.

Take a look at Why Don't I get the EPA Mileage by our very own Dr. Fusco for information on all the things that can go into it.

 

Chicago area here.........

My trips are approx. 15 minutes to and from work. Warmer temps I see MPG of anywhere between 50 and 60. Colder temps I see MPG anywhere between 35 and 45.

I bought my car in March of '06. '07 yielded about 10 MPG higher than '06. This can be contributed to break in as well as my increased experience w/ pulse and glide.

You'll get there but must be patient. Peruse the threads on increasing MPG and it'll help you get a handle on things that can be done for increases to same. Good luck. Make sure you check out the blocked grill threads for colder climate driving.

 

Check tire pressures often, at least monthly. Many use 42/40 PSI front/rear in the original tires for noticeably better MPGs at the cost of a harsher ride.

Don't use "B" in normal driving. It's only for long downhills to avoid riding the brake.

Gliding (using just the right touch on the accelerator so that there are no arrows on the energy display) is better than regeneration, and regeneration is better than braking.

Make sure that the oil is not overfilled.

 

Welcome antigonepc!!

You purchased your Prius at a time of year when hybrid mileage always drops due to lower outside ambient air temperatures. In addition to that, you are experiencing the "break in" period. That period is around the 5000 mile mark, not 30,000. It takes a while for your motor, both electric and ICE to break in. Also your tires all have brand new tread on them. Furthermore, you are new to driving a hybrid and you need to get broken in driving your car.

There are many things, several that are free, that you can do to help. Pump up your tires to 42 front, 40 rear. Block your front grill. Instructions for that can be found in the Modifications forum. An engine block heater, especially where you live, would substantially help in the winter months, but they aren't free.

Regardless, you're getting 35 mpg!!! That will probably be the worst you'll ever get, and it will certainly go up from there. In addition, you are right now driving a partial ZERO emissions vehicle!!! GREAT for the environment!

So feel good about your Prius! Feel good about your purchase, you made a very good decision not to continue to drive 100 year old technology!! Welcome to the future!! You're helping our country and our planet!!

Right on Dude!

 

When I bought my car I lived in Connecticut. It doesn't get quite as cold as upstate NY there, but we did have a stretch of really frigid temps last winter. (below zero mornings, barely above zero daytime highs). That tank of gas lasted little more than 200mi and was maybe 39mpg despite my best efforts to salvage it. In warmer weather my car will give me 55mpg without any effort at all, 60+ if I try hard enough. In short, there's nothing wrong with yours. Cold weather sucks.

 

I think the temprature has the biggest affect. First tank 30 plus degrees 46 mpg. Last tank temps around zero 42 mpg and just filled it up this afternoon 3rd tank temps 10 below zero and readout says 32mpg. Bring on warmer temps " What am I thinking I live in the Frozen Tundra"

 

Grill blocking is for fanatics who either have a scangauge or keep an eagle eye on the weather and love to fool with stuff. Normal get-in-and-drive owners should not bother with it. Even a small risk of forgetting on a warm day and damaging the engine is not worth a gain of a few MPGs.

 

My 2006 Prius has about 17,000 miles on it. The mileage improved somewhat after 10,000 miles. Here in SoCal the weather is pretty constant, so temperature changes don't affect me much. I've been averaging 42-46, with 55+ on longer trips, at freeway speeds. Short trips around town drop me to the mid 30s. So I'm pretty much getting what the new EPA ratings say I should. I've learned to drive the car to maximize mileage.... or I should say the car has taught me! "Feathering" the throttle and watching my speed are the two things that helps the most. I do run the A/C most of the time, because of our wonderful California air.

So far, zilch on repair costs. I recently bought a case of factory oil filters and have the 5K services done at my local car wash. The are very good and careful, plus they rotate the tires for free. The cost: $24, as compared to at least $90 at the dealer.

Bottom line: a great car that gets excellent mileage.

 

You don't say if you blocked all or just upper or lower. Just make sure you unblock it if your temps get up above 50 degrees, even for a short period. That can't be stressed enough.