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3 Weeks later with the New 2016 Prius. MPG

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Mark A. Cooper, Feb 23, 2016.

  1. Mark A. Cooper

    Mark A. Cooper Junior Member

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    Just over 3 weeks ago I purchased my first Prius. The 2016 Four. Previously I had always driven BMW's.

    The car is magical, spacious and very smooth to drive and when you floor it, boy does it kick into action.

    Week 1.
    I had it on standard mode, I live in Florida, no hills and managed to get 54.8 mpg ave.

    Week 2.
    I had it on Power Mode. A little more responsive, it averaged 52.1 mpg ave.

    Week 3.
    I switched to Eco Mode. WOW 60.3 mpg. And if you have to floor it to get out of trouble it still responds, I will keep it in this mode. I can;t see any benefit of the others. If you need to pull away fast it still jumps into action. Maybe I am a better Prius driver now and watch out for a Red stop light ahead, so maybe that is also why I managed to get over 60 mpg.

    The only bad thing about this, is I wish I had bought a Prius many years before, before I spent thousands on repairs and services at the BMW dealership, paying for Premium gas and through the nose for parts and labor.
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome to our world.:cool:
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I think you could switch back to normal mode without giving up any mpg, as long as you don't shift modes in your mindset. ;)
     
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  4. Zojja

    Zojja Active Member

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    Prii (Pruises?) have been popular among us vegans although I went vegan after buying my Audi...


    Anyway, I live in an area with lots of hills and do a lot of short trips and have been getting great gas mileage. It is also the the funnest car I've ever driven and I've driven a lot of cars.
     
    #4 Zojja, Feb 23, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2016
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  5. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Mark,

    The Prius doesn't make any more or less power in these modes. Full throttle delivers the same amount of HP each time rather it makes the pedal more (or less) sensitive to input. Eco does also change some other parameters like A/C performance so you might want to try standard mode again in the hot months. I found ECO mode would sometimes turn the fan down too soon.

    Also, I'm not trying to bust your bubble but this time of year in Florida is the ideal time for best MPG's. You should see a decline when things heat up!
     
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  6. Iamjo20

    Iamjo20 Member

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    Hey there--congrats! I live just North of you in Florida--Manatee---very awesome that you are enjoying your Prius!

    I have had mine since 2008--a remarkable time with NO repair issues! :)
     
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  7. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I don't know if Gen4 is different. But on Gen3, the ECO/Normal/PWR mode choice generally has no direct impact on MPG when climate control and cruise control are off. It is basically a different tuning of the user interface at the gas pedal, not a real change to the engine and propulsion system. An Ideal Driver (zero reaction time, infinite patience, perfect fine muscle control) should be able to get the same MPG in all modes. But common mortals often get different results, depending on their particular combination of human frailties. Most of us do best in Eco, but some do best Normal or PWR, and some actually do get the same in all modes. So use whichever mode suits you best.
     
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  8. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    I drive in "Normal", "Eco Mode" highway only!
     
  9. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Nice to hear a positive review of an actual owner.
    Enjoy.

    I'd like to hear some from Gen 4 owners that previously owned Gen 3's, just to get some feedback as to what improvements they notice in actual operation and ownership between the two generations.

    But I suppose that will come in time.
     
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  10. vince22

    vince22 Active Member

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    same here, been driving Eco mode with my two Eco model since 01/30/16, I personally prefer normal city, Eco highway, I'm averaging 65- 68mpg combined.
     
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  11. StigHunter

    StigHunter New Prius Owner

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    I completely agree with fotomoto, I currently have a Gen 3 (just today ordered a Four!) and live in Florida. I keep mine in ECO, but typically move to Normal mode through the summer months for a better/quicker cool down.
     
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  12. chenderson2

    chenderson2 Member

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    If I ever get mine, I'll be able to give that comparison. They just told me mine has been delayed for at least a week.
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  14. godzillaismad

    godzillaismad Member

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    Somewhat true, but I observed that the ICE stays on for longer when on PWR mode, presumably charging the battery. That's the reason I don't use it too much because it will impact your FE as well, albeit small in the scheme of things. What each mode gives you is the throttle respond at mid-range... refer to the chart in post #19 at this thread Can I just drive in ECO Mode?? | PriusChat
     
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  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    @godzillaismad

    How do you create a link that takes you down the page to that specific post? I think I've stumbled on it, but can't recall how, lol.
     
  16. godzillaismad

    godzillaismad Member

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    You just click the post # and a pop-up with URL pointing to that very post you just clicked on for you to copy and paste. I found this accidentally too :)
     
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  17. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    You click on the post # of that particular post and copy/paste that link into your reply.
     
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  18. TheChosenOne

    TheChosenOne Member

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    Doesn't ECO have the weakest acceleration? I don't want to piss people off behind me so everytime I go on the freeway I put it on normal. The rest of the time on 25-40 MPH roads or heavy traffic on freeway, I have it on ECO.
     
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  19. godzillaismad

    godzillaismad Member

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    Not when in full throttle... power is the same at max throttle.

    SM-G900I ?
     
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  20. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    yes and no. LOL Pushing the pedal the same amount in ECO vs PWR will result in slower acceleration in ECO but if you floor it (or nearly so) you'll get the same amount of power (and thus acceleration).

    Here's another way to explain it (#'s made up).

    Push the pedal 30% of the way in STD, you get 30% acceleration.
    Push the pedal 30% of the way in PWR, you get 50% acceleration.
    Push the pedal 30% of the way in ECO, you get 20% acceleration.
    Push the pedal 100% of the way in any mode, you get 100% acceleration.
     
    #20 fotomoto, Feb 24, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2016