1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Rental car mileage

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by a64pilot, Aug 11, 2008.

  1. a64pilot

    a64pilot Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2008
    771
    62
    0
    Location:
    Albany Ga.
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Sat. I rented a Prius to try before I buy kind of thing. Wife drove it home while I flew home. She got 48.7, 2 lane highway. I expected not to get real good mileage, figured there would be a big learning curve, but I get about 60 around town / 2 lane country driving mix without trying very hard, just driving intelligently. I can get 80, trying, but it annoys the wife. I have even got 100+ really trying on a 5 min. segment, but could not maintain it as I was using a lot of traction batt. to do it. The car is I think a package 5, not touring. It has 5700 miles on it, and I put the tires at 45psi all around. It still does not have a harsh ride, much smoother than either of our other cars, less sporty, but smoother.
    She is commuting 50 miles to work, one way. mix of city, country and 4 lane. So far 50 mpg. avg for her.
    Is this kind of mileage normal? Or is this rental car getting much better than avg. I ask because I keep seeing posts of 38 and 40 mpg etc. for people that haven't learned to drive one. My wife for example just drives it normally.
    Will the touring package get less mileage due to a higher rolling resistance of the wider tires? If I buy a new one can I expect this kind of mileage after break-in of course?
    With the feedback provided on what is going on with the drive train, and a little understanding of how it works, this eeking mileage out of it is addictive isn't it?
     
    #1 a64pilot, Aug 11, 2008
  2. clayton4115

    clayton4115 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2007
    60
    2
    0
    Location:
    brisbane australia
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    once past the break in period you should be able to get 50mpg even more it all depends on how gentle you are with her.
     
    #2 clayton4115, Aug 12, 2008
  3. JimboK

    JimboK One owner, low mileage

    Joined:
    May 1, 2006
    2,817
    187
    49
    Location:
    Chesterfield, VA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Assuming your rental car driving conditions are comparable to those seen with ordinary driving, there is no reason not to expect comparable fuel economy. Many factors can contribute to sub-40 MPG results, including (among other things) short trips, stop-and-go with the AC or heat running, and driving like an idiot. Obviously, none of those apply in your case.

    There may be a little break-in effect; many here report one. There really is no way to prove it without taking two cars identical in every way except mileage (one brand new and one well broken-in) and driving them a good distance on a test route under identical conditions -- driving technique and weather among the most important but hard to keep constant. Or by taking the same car, testing it when new, and replicating the exact test conditions a few thousand miles later.

    Just one piece of driving advice: When you take delivery of your own, don't try to force it to run on the battery. It may seem a little counterintuitive at first, but that actually hurts fuel economy in the long run. You might actually get a 99.9 MPG five-minute segment but you'll pay for it later as the engine has to work harder to recharge the battery.

    The only head-to-head comparison of the standard model with the touring model that I'm aware of was by Consumer Reports. Their tests indicated the touring model got 2 MPG less than the standard model.

    And yup, you're right about the addiction. ;)
     
    #3 JimboK, Aug 12, 2008
  4. Celtic Blue

    Celtic Blue New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2008
    2,224
    139
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    The highways around Albany should be conducive to good mileage on 50 mile commutes, so I don't think your numbers sound unreasonably high. (I wouldn't be surprised if they were 3-5 mpg lower on any given vehicle either.)

    We are still on our first tank of gas and are getting better mileage as we learn how to drive it. My wife got 55 mpg on a 15 mile radius trip yesterday at city highway speeds. I previously had gotten 50 mpg several times on shorter trips with interstate mixed with stop and go and hills. (AC running throughout.) Current average with shorter daily commutes thrown in is 46+ and climbing.

    There is a learning curve to this car and I suspect it has a lot to do with the perceived break-in period with regards to mileage. Longer open road stretches would give one a chance to explore the vehicle performance more without focusing so much on situational awareness (traffic.)

    Another thing that effects break-in mileage is new tires I suspect. When I replace an old worn set of tires even with the same brand/model the new set typically gets worse mileage for a few fills.
     
    #4 Celtic Blue, Aug 12, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)