Mileage variability.

Does the traffic differ? Going slower in some spots due to traffic or faster in others could all have an impact. How long of a commute is it?

 

also stop lights can make a big difference, one day yo have to stop at the one at the bottom of a hill, causing you to accelerate from 0 to 40 all the way up it. the next day you make it through and stop at the light on top of the hill. seems small, but can create quite the difference. especially if your commute isn't very long.

 

I almost always get better mileage going to work than returning home. A little of this is due to temperature changes and mornings are usually better. But in winter this part reverses and temperatures are better at night.
However traffic is always better in the mornings. Every extra speed up or slow down or car behind me preventing me from coasting quite as far seriously cuts into my mpg.

With 10 or 15 signal lights I have to stop for some and if I stop at even 1 more than usual it shows up in my trip mpg also, especially if it happened before the engine warmed up.

When the roads are clear and temps wind etc match my mpg comes out within about +/- 1 mpg same every time, except when I get a bad tank of fuel.

 

Well, I think you're on the right track - don't fuss about it.

When I bought this car, it was for its wonderful combination of interior space, hatchback utility, and oh yes, 40 mpg [which was all I was looking for]. I have NEVER driven the car in any fashion except the same way I have driven all of the other 50+ cars I've owned in the past 45 years [yes, I'm a car nut]. Driven like every other car in the world, including foot-to-the-floor when I need to move out, I pretty consistently get 40-45 mpg. Exactly what I was expecting, what all of the magazine road tests told me to expect, etc. If this isn't good enough, I haven't the time or energy to worry about making it better.

This attitude is, of course, not the fashion in the Prius Nation. In case I'm not the only one, I want to start a "sub-club" of real enthusiasts who refuse to obsess about 50+ mpg numbers, and just enjoy the car for what it is - a large car wrapped in a small body that is blessed with decent performance and other worldly efficiency.

As a closer, I'll mention the laugh I had this week as we were coming back from a shopping run; we were sitting at the bottom of a long freeway onramp that has two lanes that merge into one near the end. A monster V8 SUV was sitting next to us - when the light changed, we both hit it at the same time, and she was extremely frustrated by the fact that at the end of the 1/4 mile before the merge, she hadn't pulled ahead of me - after all, I was driving one of those whimpy little tree-hugger cars. I backed off and let her go, but it was a reminder that the Prius has plenty of poop when you want it. I respect those that focus exclusively on the fuel consumption issue - but it's not the end-all and be-all for me. In any case, the fluctuations you see from one day to the next [or one week to the next] shouldn't be a source of worry. Just drive.

 

Doc, I notice the same thing in my car. Sometimes it happens within the same day. I be getting 48mpg and a couple hours later I'm down to 40-42mpg and nothing has changed except DA (density altitude). Maybe our cars are tempermental in that respect?

I really try not to worry about it since the difference at the pump isnt much when it is all averaged out. Heck the only time it bothers me is when I read about people getting 55mpg+ on a regular basis. I simply cannot and will not drive the way its required to get those #s. People in Sacramento already hate on Prii lol

 

<_< WELCOME... to the real world. What a fabulous revelation - mileage varies. What'll they think of next?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Charles Suitt @ Sep 16 2006, 08:50 AM) [snapback]320516[/snapback]</div>

A cure for Texans? :lol:

 

I always get better mileage going to work because I take my time and it's generally a downhill commute. On my way back home I'm generally in more of a hurry to get home and the commute is more of an incline.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jrct9454 @ Sep 16 2006, 08:08 AM) [snapback]320485[/snapback]</div>

Can I be a charter member?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DocVijay @ Sep 16 2006, 11:31 AM) [snapback]320557[/snapback]</div>

Its about pulling the hot, sucessful women in their mid 30s who think our cars are totally hot because it shows caring, confidence, and intelligence! Especially in Salsa Red..... B) lmao

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DocVijay @ Sep 14 2006, 12:27 AM) [snapback]319332[/snapback]</div>

I feel the same way and am seriously considering turning the screen off and just driving the thing like any other car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DocVijay @ Sep 15 2006, 07:49 PM) [snapback]320372[/snapback]</div>

Speed and the use of the air seem to be the variables that really change mpg for me.