NBC News Show on the Prius

Most likely people not trying to drive conservatively -- if you speed accelerate and hard stop any vehicle, you're going to get crap mileage.

 

Try releasing the parking brake.
That is the peddle to the left of your left foot.

 

I got barely 40 last week, but I know why it is low, so it doesn't bother me.

My longest trips are 7 miles, barely long enough for the engine to get warm enough to start reaping the benefits of what the Prius is capable of. With winter coming on, this is compounded.

On the weekends I drive barely 2 miles to get to a fast-food restaurant twice a day, where I sit in line at the drive-thru. Boy, does that hurt mileage in cold weather.

The car is capable of wondrous things -- but to get those wondrous things, it needs a warm engine. Colder weather with very short trips will devastate the mileage.

With more 'common folk' coming on board (those that don't know anything about the car), I would expect more complaints. We'll just have to wait and see what will come of it. A disclaimer to the EPA measurements? Not selling Prii in cold climates? A rebate? Hmmmm... I could use that last one!

Luckily, even at 40 I'm still getting TONS more than my SUV does, so understanding the issue is a big part of living with it!

 

I doubt they'll find "thousands of complaints"...

I find it very hard to believe that even a significant minority of Prius drivers get only 50% of the mileage that I am able to achieve. According to greenhybrid, the average so far for the 2nd generation Prius is right around 48 MPG, with a nice looking bell curve.

Whoever these people are with horrible mileage, they don't represent all of us.

 

So where are you (generally) what are the daily temps. Here we are having a cold snap i.e. temps around freezing and my milage dropped. Driving style is a big thing. I have to say that I have never been in the 30's but we have a relatively mild climate and last winter was warmer than average. As the temperature drops the ICE is going to spend a lot more time keeping its temperature in the optimal range not only keeping you warm. It all adds up.

 

where would this "local" news be coming from. i saw a blurb on tv today too. it said that there were "dozens" of complaints from people who were getting poor mileage. one of the people complaining admitted that he drove like a jackrabbit and bought the Prius because he thought he could get great mileage no matter what he did.

the blurb also said that mileage was in the mid 30's. no mention of twenty anything

*edit*

i saw mine on MSNBC

 

If you are making short trips of couple of miles and then home again you will always be getting poor milage in the 30's and low 40's. You will notice on your energy monitor screen (push 'info' button on left of screen and place finger on 'Trip Info') click 'Consumption box on screen and view your 5 minute bar graph of your gas mileage for the first 5 minutes of your trip. You will notice this first bar shows only 23 to maybe 28 miles per gallon. The second 5 minute bar maybe in the 45 to 50 mile range but usually not much better. Only after the first 15 or 20 minutes is the engine completly warmed up and you start to see 5 minute bars of 50 to 75 miles per gallon.

 

If you are making such short trips get a block heater. It is the cure.

 

Interesting story...The worst average tank mileage I've seen is 40-42 on our car..and that was with the 17" wheels tires I tried during the summer. I find it hard to understand sub 40 MPG unless it's very cold or very short trips. There is an art to driving a Prius...perhaps Toyota should give lessons like Saturn used to show in their commercials...remember those? Where they have a shop tour/car overview and BBQ? My sales guy only showed me where the manual was stored, but I think I knew more about the car than he did anyway.

 

I'd be very pleased if I could get in the 40s these days. Since the average temps here dropped to near zero F, I've been aveaging in the low 30s on my MFD.

No complaints, though.....it's expected because the ICE runs so much.

 

Boxster, do you get low 30s even on longer trips (more than 30 minutes)?

 

I drive pretty hard and I get around 43 mpg over a tank according to the computer - the car has around 1300 miles on it so far.

 

Yea, but you're lucky enough to live in a warm place!

 

Darn. So far you have beaten me to the claim of "worst Prius winter fuel economy." With temps in the -18 C to -24 C range, at highway speeds I'm getting 5.1 l/100km (55 MPG Imperial gallon), and in the city around 5.7 l/100km (49 MPG Imperial gallon).

So far my winter fuel economy is substantially higher than last year under similar conditions. First, I'd like to thank Frank Hudon for his suggestion on the winter front. I had already fashioned a cover for the lower grille but didn't know what to use on the two slits above the bumper. I didn't want to block off the actual radiator itself.

Frank suggested a length of 1/2 inch pipe insulation, that black closed cell foam stuff. It's already slit for installation. Just cut down the other side so you have two pieces, then it's VERY easy to push into the slits to cover them.

I knew it would make a difference on the highway, but I didn't expect such a difference in city driving. They must have designed the airflow through the rad and motor area very well, even in city driving having the grille blocked makes a HUGE difference.

At least I get way more heat, so far I haven't complained about how cold-blooded my Prius is. Though even with the grille blocked off, the motor isn't that warm in temps of -24 C. I drove out to the hobby farm this weekend, and after 1.5 hours on the road I parked inside the garage and popped the hood. The motor felt nice and warm to the touch, certainly not sear-your-hand hot.

Another difference to fuel economy has been running Mobil 1 0W-20. I haven't noticed any difference on highway driving, but around the city the much lighter oil has definitely helped my cold fuel economy. Instead of seeing 25 l/100km for the first 2-3 minutes of operation, I see 15-18 l/100km.

jay

 

The lowest I've seen is a 47mpg average, and that was only because I took an extended trip on the highway. I hover around the low 50's, and that's with the heater set at 80...

Of course, every time I get in the Prius, I'm in for at least a 7-10 mile drive...


h34r:

 

When my Prius was new, I rarely got over 42 mpg and that was in the summer. Now with 6000 on the clock and using winter blend fuel I rarely get below 45 MPG. I also did a tanks worth of fuel last week never driving above 65 mph. I got 52.2 MPG WOW! I live in Californias Bay Area with temps in the early morning at about 40 and daytime temps are 58 or so. I continue to get better average mpg since new but California freeways average speed according to the CHPs reports is 72 MPH without traffic and the roads I travel it's almost never below 75. The 65 mph self imposed limit really helped my mileage. I do not drive slowly and I briskly accelerate. I run 42 and 40 psi tire pressure and I have a 30 mile commute each way. I continue to drive the way I always have except now for the lower top speed and my heater is set at 73. What a great car!!! I have zero complaints.
-Paul R. Haller-