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New Prius in Colorado

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by skreich, Jul 8, 2008.

  1. skreich

    skreich New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2008
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Colorado Springs
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Just got our Prius (White Touring Package #6) after a 60 day wait. Bought from Stevinson Toyota in Denver through the fleet department, and they were terrific to deal with; didn't have to pay full MSRP, but couldn't get quite as good a deal as was offered before the big Prius panic of April.....

    Driving home on I-25 from Denver, got 47.4 MPG at 75 MPH or so over the 70 mile trip driving basically the way I have other conventional cars. I'm still on my first tank of gas, but mileage since the trip home has been suprisingly low - about 42....can get up to about 44 but really have to work hard at it. It seems that the spot on the accelerator pedal that allows me to run on battery power alone is about 1/8" deep...the SLIGHTEST increased pressure throws in the gas engine, and I'm finding it hard to maximize mileage. Know other Prius owners in town who average 47 without any advanced driving techniques.

    Will mileage improve as the car breaks in? Does it sound like I have a problem? Colorado Springs is kind of hilly, but every time I go up a hill and use a lot of gas, I come back down and don't. Overall, we're very happy with the car.

    Any thoughts would be appreciated.
     
    #1 skreich, Jul 8, 2008
  2. Joekc

    Joekc Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2007
    265
    16
    8
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    My mileage improved as the car broke in. Also, air conditioning will cut into mileage. As for hills, I'm not convinced you recover going down hills as much as you lose going up, but someone might prove me wrong on that. Also, try to use your cruise control whenever possible. That's the best way -- let the car decide how to get the best mileage. Your car is very smart.

    Congrats on the new Prius and welcome!
     
    #2 Joekc, Jul 8, 2008
  3. clooch

    clooch Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2008
    26
    1
    0
    Location:
    Auburn, Maine USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Colorado Springs is kind of hilly, but every time I go up a hill and use a lot of gas, I come back down and don't. Overall, we're very happy with the car.

    Any thoughts would be appreciated. [/quote]

    It sounds normal, I have the same thing happen here. I just glide and use regenerative braking downhill. It sounds like you live close to the peak, rather that on the flats to the east. I spent a few years in that sweet town.

    congrats and welcome to PC
     
    #3 clooch, Jul 8, 2008
  4. SVPriusFan

    SVPriusFan Hymotioned and loving it...

    Joined:
    Dec 24, 2007
    115
    1
    0
    Location:
    Denver Suburbs
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Welcome to PC, and congrats on your new ride!

    This is just my observation, but it seems that individual cars vary in the mileage they deliver (although they all improve during/after the break-in period). People have reported in various threads here both high (60-70+) and low (40-) MPG. It may be due to a number of reasons, i.e. tolerance differences/buildup during manufacturing, tire alignment, driving habits, lots of other things. I am now driving my second Gen II, and I've seen a BIG difference in mileage between both cars - about a 10MPG increase in my 2008#4 versus my old 2007#4.

    Some ideas to help with your mileage: learn about hypermiling - lots of great info here on PC, make sure you are running higher tire pressures (I'm running 42/40). If these don't improve mileage, perhaps you might want to ask the dealership if they would check the tire alignment. Just some ideas, and I'm sure many others here will have more ideas to help...

    BTW, I've driven from Denver to CS several times and I've consistently seen about 62-63MPG there and 65-66MPG back.
     
    #4 SVPriusFan, Jul 8, 2008
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