Hypermiling the Highlander?

I have had my 2007 Hybrid Highland for 7 months now and the best gas mileage I can get is 28.3. My commute to work is 38 miles and mostly freeway but it is lovely California traffic where it can take me up to 1 to 1.5 hours to get to work.

I have tried more tire pressure and that did not do a thing. I always run 87 Octane.

Maybe I am just a lead foot?

Pardon me being a newbie, but what is hypermiling?

 

Thank you, it looks like I have some work to do.

 

My wife only gets 22mpg average per tank in our hybrid RX400h, which essentially is the same thing as your SUV. I can average 32mpg over a tank full, and ours is the AWD version. Since she drives it about 90% of the time, we've averaged 24.5mpg over the 2yr vehicle lifetime (just under 30K miles). I'd say you're not doing too bad ! I've hypermiled the prius through a whole tank. Got over 700 miles. I'm still looking for an oportunity to hypermile a whole tank in the 400h. I"m thinking 37 or 38mpg is do-able. Woo hoo!

 

I tried that, but when bubba's on your butt, going slow tends to get a blasting horn and flashing lights and some PO'd redneck on your tail.

We are looking into a 6-7 passenger non Minivan, considered the hy, but at the current price, I can buy two new Prius and just take both of them when we all need to go somewhere. We are currently considering leasing something, just not sure what yet, and it probably wont be a hybrid, since there is only one that can fit 6 passengers, and even on a lease $46K is a high monthly payment for a maybe once a week drive to town. Getting more than 33 MPG out of the new highlander will be a chore, its big, heavy and AWD. Reminds me of my old 97 Exploder AWD, got 13 MPG on its best day and the AWD system put a lot of drag on the drivetrain, coasting was virtually non existent, makes me wonder how well the highlander will fare with their AWD and how much drag it induces.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about Bubba and his clan. It's your car and you know he wouldn't let you tell him how to drive his vehicle.

 

The majority of the fuel economy hit is taken in the 1st 5 min of a cold start. EBH use and thermistor hacks seem to be the only ways to minimize this effect, as HiHy does not have the coolant thermos reservior that the 2004 and later Priuses have.

Even so, ICE would have to be off nearly 60% of the time to get 50 mpg on the HiHy. Based on my limited data on EBH time, and coolant temp effects on % stealth, % stealth tops out around 55% (or about 48 mpg).
However, that would be an interesting challenge to crack the 50 mpg barrier, maybe we would interest Google in sponsoring an X-prize.

A PHEV Highlander or a higher capacity traction battery would surely change the game.