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One last question about my driving conditions and the Prius..

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by cindyh1, Feb 4, 2012.

  1. cindyh1

    cindyh1 New Member

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    I am ready to buy a car, been messing with dealers who are *(*&(*& anyway, before i take the plunge, since i will be keeping whatever car i buy until it dies and cannot afford to do otherwise..

    1.. my driving habits.. I want to know how much this will affect the gas mileage.. Have discussed the many short trips during the week.. less than 5 miles a lot.. not city, i live in Cape Girardeau, MO which is about 30,000 people and yes we have stoplights, but i really only hit a few.. It is a lot more relaxed than St Louis traffic is.. definitely more country...
    That is Monday through Friday.. no hills.. HOT HUMID Summers... lots of short trips in town..

    I got good feedback that the short trips didn't necessarily hurt it..

    2nd factor I did not discuss is that I make about 4 trips a month out of town, all interstate, speed limits of 65 and 70.. about 200 miles round trip.. I also go to St Louis about once a month, which is 225 to 250 round trip but i am in the suburbs there also.. I know it says 48 on the sticker for highway but is this really close to accurate? It seems to me the Prius "shines" in big city stop light to stop light driving.... and I won't have that unless visiting St Louis..

    SO, during the week, a lot of short trips around town probably avg 35 mph, and probably 1 200 mile highway trip a week.. Then the occasional longer trip to St Louis..

    All this makes me wonder how, in the long run, the Prius will compare to a higher mpg non hybrid.

    I am not picking or anything, i just need to think this out thoroughly.. and need your candid input on the subject... I really want to love this car, but I do not want to buy one, and not get much more mileage than a Honda Fit or Focus or whatever would get because of where I drive, and how my trips are. I do not drive with my foot in the pedal. I accelerate moderately to speed and coast when slowing down only using brakes when I have to..

    I tend to over analyze things, even small things, but this is very important to me.. Thanks
     
  2. rsgillmd

    rsgillmd Junior Member

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    I think you will be hard pressed to go as low as 35 mpg in the city, short of having really bad driving habits. This opinion is of course just based on my experience of having had the Prius for 2.5 years. I don't think I've ever dropped below the 44 range, and that was in the thick of winter and running late.

    I've taken several long trips and find I do better on the highway. But that is mainly because I'm more likely to hit flat segments of road, and the car has had time to warm up. Of course when I was down in Florida for a diving trip my mpg value kept going up because the roads were flat, weather warm, and average speed was in the 40s on the road. You should be able to average in the 50s on the highway. Heck I averaged 48 hauling my dive buddy, both our gear, our suitcases, and snacks, and using cruise control. BTW I find I do better without cruise control.

    Hope that helps.
     
  3. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Over the course of a month, you may find that you average 50+/- mpg. Short trip mileage is poor only after several hours of cold soak. On the interstate, you should get 50, maybe a little more, depending on how you drive. Most of your mileage is interstate, from what you describe, so that will dominate.

    If you are considering a Fit or Focus, then you should look at the Prius c, coming soon.
     
  4. samsprius1

    samsprius1 HEV Fanatic

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    I think if you learn to drive this car you should do 40 MPG+ It's hard to tell really what you want? But any car you drive or buy will get less MPG under these conditions! Short trips,HWY driving, Running the AC on hot days! this car likes hills especially the downside. Just go buy it It's a great car you will be more than happy with it. How could so many people on PriusChat be wrong?
    Take care.
     
  5. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    You would absolutely love a plug-in Prius. Lots of short trips in the suburbs with a jump onto a 65+ highway from time to time will result in remarkably high efficiency.

    Of course with any new Prius, having electric A/C is nice. The Classic model didn't, which meant the engine would run to keep you cool. Still getting the electric-only drive experience makes a difference in termms of efficiency.

    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...prius-owner-videos.html?highlight=owner+video provides some samples of my driving experiences. That's a good place to start if you haven't ever seen a Prius in action.
    .
     
  6. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I live in Greenwood MS, so flat, and hot/humid are familiar to me, but have an older Gen 2 Prius.

    At times I think you are asking two separate questions 1) will this hurt my Prius? and 2) What mileage will I get doing this?

    The car will protect itself from you.

    Low 40s MPG on short trips seems doable, at 65 I would expect 48 MPG and 70 will be mid 40's. The Gen 3 should be slightly better, but I have never driven one.

    What you will find is that you have a 5 MPG drop in the winter, and a 2 MPG drop in the summer compared to spring and fall. (This year I had no winter)
     
  7. ItsNotAboutTheMoney

    ItsNotAboutTheMoney EditProfOptInfoCustomUser Title

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    For those short trips, it depends on just how many short trips there are, how they're spread out and what the base is for each.

    The OP's climate is pretty good for EV since there aren't many cold months where they'd need heat, and it's not too cold so heated seats would help a lot.

    However, assuming 35mpg in a liftback (short trips, spread out) and 15 miles EV in a PiP every day, at her current gas prices of, say $3.20, it would take 8 years just to get the $4,000 differential back (including the tax credit) and that's with electricity free and ignoring any additional insurance cost.

    Only if the OP could do many more than 15 EV miles each day would it begin to make any kind of sense financially.

    Even if they can afford to spend the extra $4,000, I think they would be better first seeing what $4,000 can do to improve the efficiency of their home. Home efficiency measures usually provide return on investment so allow you to keep building on the efficiency improvements. They can revisit PHEV or other altruistic efficiency spending later.
     
  8. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Ya can't beat data. Rent one for a week of test driving under your conditions and watch the MPG meter.
     
  9. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Ironically, you may want to consider you own name. What its the purpose?

    If it's really just a matter of $4k, than the choice between a regular model Prius and C comes into play.
    .
     
  10. cindyh1

    cindyh1 New Member

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    Thank you all. I won't be getting a Prius C so there doesn't have to be a debate on that. I was factoring how long it would take to save back the 4-5 thousand from a car to a Prius gen III.
    We don't have horrible winters at all but we get plenty of cold enough to have to use the heater weather. We don't have many rental placed around either but I am trying to find one. That will be the only true test.
     
  11. samsprius1

    samsprius1 HEV Fanatic

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    I think the Prius Three is your best value! If that's what you want?
    If it's about money get a Yaris for 14 Grand! New body this year,38 MPG
    all day long! You can buy a lot of gas with 9000 Bucks!
    2012 Toyota Yaris Models and Prices
     
  12. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Short trips of under 5 miles are a killer. Unless you have really trained yourself, it is likely that you will average about 40 on those trips, especially in temperatures under 45F.
     
  13. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    You'll want to factor in maintenance costs. The Prius will need less maintenance compared to conventional cars. In any given situation it should also be more fuel efficient. If you use the car for business you'll turn a profit using the IRS mileage rate.
     
  14. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    This is only true about the brakes, but other than that, everything else is exactly the same.

    Unfortunately, the dealerships generally tend to charge more for any repairs on a Prius, even when it is not justified. Like the $400 charges for a 12v battery. So, I'd guess the TCO would be higher for a Prius than a comparable small car.
     
  15. cindyh1

    cindyh1 New Member

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    Maintenance costs were my next question so thanks for the info. From my train of thought no matter what non hybrid I considered the Prius will do considerably better regarding fuel efficiency. If I can get 40 in town on short trips that is far better than any non hybrid will do. Barring buying a really cheap car such as a yaris I don't know of any other car that will come close on mpg. I do not think a Yaris would be nearly as comfortable to drive but not sure. There is definitely not as much room.
    Car dealers make me mad when they try to lie and I go out the door. :)
     
  16. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    You can also take a look at the maintenance records of the '10 Priuses at Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity - Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

    Yep, on your second point.
     
  17. rebenson

    rebenson Member

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    cindyh1, It sounds like you would do well in driving with the Prius. Short trips are going to cause a significant hit on MPG because of the way the prius does needs to warm up. Best to park in sun whenever possible.

    I also own a corolla and I think it gets great mpg. But nothing like the Prius.

    You do not need to baby the car to realize good MPG. It really is pretty forgiving and if you drive with the display showing recomomy you will do well just keeping it out of red for too long.

    I have driven to your area (many years ago when I covered St. Louis as a sales territory). I think it would do well on the trips, as long as you keep it in reason.
    I personally find myself driving without the cruise control because I like driving the vehicle, but that's me...
     
  18. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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  19. revhigh

    revhigh MPG Enthusiast

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    I get my best mileage on the highway. Right about 57-58 MPG calculated. I stay right at the speed limit and use cruise control. The Prius comes with 25K free maintenance.

    REV
     
  20. cindyh1

    cindyh1 New Member

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    Thanks again for the info. I really appreciate it. Now all the 2011s are hard to find the way you want them. Sad I waited or wishing the 12 would have low interest soon