efficiency of 2008 Prius

I got an 2007 Pg 6. I was getting 54 last summer. That went down to 51 during the winter. This summer I am getting 58-60 MPG. I have the tires at 42/40. Drive the speed limit. So your MPG's sound about right.

 

Yes, that sounds right. I just broke 3,000 miles and I already have a lifetime average somewhere over 55 mpg. Of course it has all been warm weather so far and, like you, I'm using all the hypermiling tactics I can.

On my first long trip in the car after getting it home from the dealer, still learning how to drive it, I did 200 miles at 59.3 mpg (all on the highway at 55-60 mph).

I still haven't even checked or adjusted my tire pressure. I can't wait to see what happens after it gets broken in.

EDIT: I really think that most people should expect mileage in the 40's. But if you are willing to put in the effort to read about hypermiling on priuschat.com or cleanmpg.com and focus on driving carefully (we are the minority on the road if you haven't noticed), then the EPA estimates are easy to beat.

Tim

 

Is that 56 MPG according to the console display ("MultiFunction Display"), or to manual calculation? The MFD is almost certainly more nearly correct because unlike manual methods it is not susceptible to the variable capacity bladder inside the fuel tank nor to inaccuracies in the meter on the gas station pump.

 

Mileage is highly dependent on temperature and trip distance. My typical trip involves starting the Prius and driving continuously at 30 to 55 mph for 25 miles, after which I make a bunch of stops for shopping and such, then turn around and repeat the 30 to 55 mph for the 25 mile return trip. Doing this in the summer I average 55 to 57 mpg. On the rare occasions that I am forced to make short trips around town, my average drops to 45 mpg. My best mileage comes if I stop for gas before the 25 mile return trip. In this case I have a hot engine and open roads. Under these conditions I have topped 70 mpg in the summer without any hypermiling techniques, other than driving a little slower than normal.

In the winter my 55 to 57 mpg drops to 44 to 46.

From reading thousands of posts on PC, I've come to believe that most of the mileage variation we see is from the type of driving we do, and much of this is dictated by local conditions. People forced to drive stop and go are going to be disappointed with their mileage, while people like me are going to think it's pretty easy to beat the EPA mileage estimates. I'd like to chalk it up to my stellar driving, but I think it's just the driving conditions.

Tom

 

I just replaced my 2007 touring with a 2008 touring after it was totaled in a collision. On the 2007 i didn't get a 50 mpg tank until the car had almost 20,000 miles on it. So far on my 2008 my third and fourth tanks are over 50 mpg. The only differences are that I have left the wheel covers on and haven't put the trailer hitch on yet. The 2007 was my second Prius, so I had already learned how to drive a Prius when I bought it.

I was also wondering if there were any subtle tweaks to the control software that improve mileage. It seems to me that the car spends a bit more time with the engine off, and I've noticed the engine regularly shutting down while coasting at 40 mph.

 

I have a 2008 Package 2 with about 3000k. I averaged 65mpg on a 60 mile round trip over the weekend. It was HOT but relatively flat. I average ~54 in town without AC, which brings it down 2-3 mpg.

Peace,

Tom

 

Sweet! Did the average outdoor temperature change much more than, say, 10'F around that time? Any trips to a dealer?

 

When I sold my 97 Explorer (15 ~ 18 mpg) and bought my Prius I was hoping for somewhere in the 40 mpg range. My first tank was 44 from the MFD. That was back in March. Now I'm running consistant 52 ~ 53. The kicker is my daily commute is five miles one way. I don't think I ever get into S4 on the commute. Sometimes I muse that I should move farther from work so my average would go up -heh.

Rod

 

If you're getting that kind of MPG right off the bat, you are way ahead of the game. It will only get better. Good job.
I don't know when you fill up, but you should be able to get a little more range out of your tank, if you so desirel.

 

I am loving my 2008 Prius so far. I am having no problems thoroughly destroying the MPG estimate from the sticker. My goal this tank is to keep it above 64 MPG before refueling.

 

unbelievably.... that's great MPG's.. We live here in FL and whether we HM or just drive sensibly or interstae at 65 or city at 45.... doesn't matter..... mid 40's tops!! so congrats.

 

i've recently reset my computer to see if I can get some relief...