summer vs winter

Here in Winnipeg, this summer when I was able to forego A/C until the super hot/humid weather hit, I was averaging 4.3 litres per 100km: about 66 MPG Imperial gallon.

In January, when it regularly dipped to -40, and I was stuck in stop-n-inch traffic due to the Snow Routing after our many blizzards, I was only averaging 9.8 litres per 100km: about 29 MPG Imperial gallon.

If THAT sounds bad, the vehicle I replaced, a P.O.S. 2000 GMC Sierra SLT 4x4, at -40 under similar traffic conditions was lucky to get 45 litres per 100km: about 6 MPG Imperial gallon.

The Prius is more sensitive to cooler weather than regular cars, but you're still getting better fuel economy. A local taxi operator, Duffy's, has a fleet of 5 tooling around Winnipeg, and they're convinced the Prius will pay for itself in 3 years. Compared to the Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor they're now using.

 

send some of that snow my way... [sniff... if there was a crying icon i'd use it here]

i miss wisconsin, i miss real winters, i even miss driving in snow!
thanks to all you current northerners for a) making me JEALOUS and B) letting me find out the easy way (aka through experiences of others) what to expect when we move back that way with our prius!

 

Or how about when it hits -40 the car displays "For the love of God don't leave the house until March!"

 

G:

Trust me on this: having spent the week in MUCH warmer climate, especially that nice trade show in Vegas, then spending all afternoon driving around rutted, slippery, drifted over Winnipeg city streets, a brutal NW wind reducing visibility to near zero, with a lonely howling cat in his cat box who unfortunately couldn't quite hold "it" long enough to get back to my condo, and especially dealing with IDIOT pickup and SUV drivers ... I'd happily trade with you.

You like high-rise condo's, right? Includes great city view.

<_<

J

 

wow... had a helluva day, huh?
.
_H*

 

Yep, the first blizzard always brings out the "best" in me.

Hard to believe it was +12C and raining when I left, and this morning it was -24 C with a brutal windchill thanks to the NW winds.

And no, I do NOT blame my cat for having an accident in his pet transporter. He usually travels very well, but the normal 10 minute drive from the parents house to my condo was almost 35 minutes due to the terrible roads and traffic.

Fortunately, smooth plastic material is very easy to clean.

 

4AAincl

I'm sure your coworkers just love to hear you complain about your "low" mileage.
I know mine do. NOT!
We got enough snow for my kids to make snowmen. Whoo hoo!

I'm not sure what part of Wisconsin you are in, but if you're near Madison, be sure to check out the local hybrid group events.

See this PriusChat thread
Madison Hybrid Group - Next Event January 28, 2006

And be sure to drop me an email if you want to be on the mailling list for event announcements.

Enjoy!

 

At lunch, I noticed that outside temp at 48, climate control set at 68 and recirculate on, got me cold air that wasn't uncomfortable and 50+MPG, at least coming back.

If I can find a way to keep the heat down when it hits 28, I may do all right... B)

 

Come on down. You can have the so-hot-it-hurts summers and mild winters. I prefer things like heat indices below 110, not having to shower twice a day, rain and thunderstorms, and snowbanks all winter.

Although we're going to have to do something about that whole high-rise thing... neither of us like not being able to hop out the window in case of fire.

Poor kitty! Our boys felt the same way on our trip down here... but we had to bring the litterbox, obviously.

 

Yeah, same here. My April - Oct mileage was 50.3 mpg (calculated), but this last month/tank has dropped to 42 mpg.

The temps here have been in the 30s with near 100% humidity (so you need a lot of defrost/heat/AC to keep the windows clear), and my drive to work is only 4 miles.

That block heater is starting to look pretty good right about now.

 

I am a bit concerned. We have been averaging in the high 40's mpg. I filled up with gas Monday night and it turned cold Tueday and has been mostly in the mid 20's. My average is only 36.5 with over 200 miles on this tank. That sounds really low compared to what others are getting in cold climates. We don't typically have short drives,,,they average around 20 miles when we go somewhere.

Should I be concerned about this 36.5 number?

Heat is usually on low set about 70.
Car has 4000 miles on it.

 

legendsguy-
keep in mind that your engine will take longer to warm up when it's cold out too- if your drive is like mine, you sit at about 7 stopsigns/stoplights before reaching the highway, and the engine is running the whole time because it's not warm yet. that really knocked me down recently, even being down south.

went from 51.5 to 49.1 just today, about 40 miles of driving around (more than one trip) and temps in the low 40s/high 30s.

 

You have know Idea about this until you use a block heater and a partial radiator screen. Cold is bad, very bad, your engine likes to be warm, and likes, you to be warm.

 

We must be different than most of the people on this forum. When it gets cold here in WI, every car or truck we have ever owned got lower mileage. The Prius is no different. To us, a car is just a piece of equipment that gets us from point A to point B without getting hot, cold or wet. We don't drive it much different than any other vehicle. We are both conservative drivers in any car, but we want to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We pay attention to the road, our surroundings and the speed limit. Beyond that, we enjoy the ride and put gas in when the gauge tell us to. The difference between what we get for mpg (when we check it) and what the very mileage concious driver gets is about 5 to 8 mpg. In 20,000 miles/ year, that's about $100 in gas. We'll spend more than that when we go for an evening out on the town.
Like I said, we must be different. The Prius is not as comfortable as other cars we have had, but it gets the best mileage of any car we have ever owned. It just isn't worth all the extra things required to get the extra mpg. Our mileage will go down in the winter and it will go up in the summer.

Doug

 

Yes that is true but why not add the block heater. The radiator screen is a pain and I at least think that you should have a way of monitoring the coolant temperature. You will get better milage with minimal investment.

 

I've thought about the block heater, but my wife drives the car 90% of the time,(I drive an Avalanche because I need the 4x4 in my business), and she would not take the time to plug it in or remember to unplug it. Some days it doesn't leave the garage and some days it my go for 4 or 5 short 3 mile trips. Most trips are less than 8 miles. We will take it to Virginia this weekend to look at a piece of equipment I need. We don't know if we can ride that far in it and still be able to walk, but it will only take about 40 gallons of gas to do it.

Doug