April 2005 MPG Averages<img alt="" src="chrome://easygestures/skin/xLink.png" style="border: 0px non

April 2005 MPG Averages

Hey, gang! Happy to have my blue Prius! My last fillup averaged 52MPG, here in Phoenix, but I'm getting used to driving it, and am now averaging about 53.2 MPG roughly 80 miles into the new tank of gas. Temps here are on the rise, and my averaging driving temp will probably be 80 or 85 (degrees F) before long.

Still, it'll beat the 14.5 MPG my '78 928 gets.

...and the Prius drinks REGULAR gas!!! Sweet!!

 

Well I filled up for the second time yesterday

Miles 365
Calculated MPG 46
Displayed MPG 48.2

The only reason I filled up this early is that my fuel gauge was reading 1 bar and I wanted to make sure it was in error, not the MPG computer. I really didn't want to run out of gas. Now after two tanks I feel I can trust the MPG readout (subtracting 2 MPG) and figure out how much further I can go instead of relying on the fuel gauge.

 

Third tank yesterday filled with 8.715 gallons after 507 miles, first time over 500 miles on a tank. Combined freeway/city. I allowed a second click on fillup since the fill volume seemed low.

I find the best mileage is with slow and go traffic on the freeway. There are plenty of opportunities to coast and slowly accelerate without having to completely stop.

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

so is the best approach.......a slow acceleration? I've only been driving my new P* since Easter and I'm still learning.
In So. Calif........a slow start can get lots of stink-eye from the people behind me.

 

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That's why the fwy with congestion is nice for mileage: slow acceleration without 'stink-eye'.

Think of fast acceleration as some of that energy going to the lifting of the front end which occurs because of torque and overcoming more friction in all components, squirm of tires to the ground, etc.

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

excellent advice.......thanks!

I'm on my 2nd tank and getting 47mpg and approaching 800 miles. Got 47 mpg on my 1st tank)....have the tires inflated 42/40 and I use the AC regularly.

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

This was my first tank:
Tank Miles: 510
Tank MPG: 52.5
Displayed MPG: 45.4
AVG Temp: 65F
AVG cruising speed: 70 mph, mountainous terrain

I assume the displayed economy was 7 mpg low due to a number of short trips during the week... the computer seems to be a very conservative guesser for the first 5 minutes (usually 25-30 mpg).

 

I agree with Evan to a point. The first 20 to 30 mph can be a little quicker than at higher speeds. To me accelerating with most of the traffic is slow acceleration but I'm comparing that to the other 26 years of my hotrod driving habits. In the Prius, I tend to get to 30 mph in 15-20 seconds and to 60 mph in 45-60 seconds.

Of course, I'm not really disagreeing with Evan as his results are great.

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

We just recently bought a slightly used 2004 Tideland Pearl Prius. I drive mainly from San Francisco to Berkeley to work every day, and so far my mileage has only been about 45 mpg. Am I doing something wrong, or is there something wrong with my Prius? Please advise. Thanks.

 

I usually accelerate very quickly, an old habit I guess. Maybe I'll try Evan's method and see if my MPG number improves. I went for a drive to try a few new ideas and ended up bumping my MPG up by a little anyway.

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

First tank

Regular 8.767 Gal
$2.239 per
$19.63 Total
Odometer 450
51.327 mpg calculated
[ I do not have the display MPG. Spouse bought much earlier than I recommended ]

Silver Pkg# 2

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

Here in Michigan, temps finally reached 70F,
I'm using a new freeway strategy and driving 67mph
getting 51.5mpg.
I don't have to pass many cars and very few trucks at
this speed.
but as I said to a friend, I'll have to do more city driving
to get my mileage up.
Does that sound strange?

Mr Mel Pruis (my surname is Pruis, the anagram)

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

Most likely there is not something wrong with your Prius. The MPG can vary based on commute, driver, temperature, etc, etc. For example, if your MPG is 45 and your commute is 30-45 minutes at 55 mph in a mild climate, that is cause for concern. However, if your MPG is 45 and your commute is 30-45 minutes in at 75 mph that is probably about average.

You can post a separate thread with more information to get some specific feedback.

(I would post my avg, but I havent' had a tank that was really driven in April)

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

DW is away a full week on vacation so I get to drive the brand new Silver Pkg# 2. I first drove on Sunday to haul three people and luggages for two to Dulles Airport and the return trip and this morning drove my commute (round trip about 35 miles) on the leg to work. The calculated MPG at the time I began driving was around 41 MPG (DW has a commute of 5.5 miles round trip) and by the time I reached work today it was 55 mpg!

 

Around 560 mile round-trip to Florida: 51MPG down, 50MPG back. Not as good as October's 54MPG version, but I decided to get gas on the way back so there was a big drop in average after the refill. Found I'd underfilled by a gallon or so last time, so now that I've topped off I might get a better idea of what level of gas I'm at when the new gauge starts to blink. First guess is, about 1 gallon left.

The route I found on my own, down Rt. 321 to the I-95, is around 10 miles shorter and around 30 minutes quicker than the all-highway versions I get from the NAV. Excluding all highways in the NAV gives a route much longer than mine, so maybe they just don't like a route with 25MPH zones, but now I do...

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

Tank Miles: 499mi
Total Miles: 1200
Display MPG: 48.9
Actual MPG: 48.5
Lifetime MPG: 50.0
Avg Temp: 50-60
Gallons: 10.3
$/Gallon: 2.76

April 14 - April 18
I've owned the car for 11 days and put 1200 miles on it so far

 

Latest tank is lower because of trip back from Houston on the interstate. At 300 miles my average was 52.1 MPG but by the end of the tank it had risen to:

643 miles @ 54.9 MPG

Edit: this was a typo, actually it was 643 miles @ 55.9 MPG

 

Re: April 2005 MPG Averages

April 18 2005

5th Tank

Odometer: 2220M
TripB: 456.6M
Tank: 9.339G
TripB/Tank: 48.892MPG
Lifetime MPG: 50.84917384MPG
Price of Gas: $2.599 per gallon.