gen 3 los angeles/orange county CA mpg thread.

51-53 MPG displayed. 49-51 MPG calculated. No carpool.

30 miles one way to work. Stop and go on two freeways for 25 miles, then 30 MPH speed limit on city streets for 5 miles more. Slight down-hill to work, slight up-hill back, using the same route. Takes 45-60 minutes there and 90-115 minutes home. Average speed: about 22 MPH. Some 70 MPH, and some stopped for 30 seconds or so at a time. Mostly 30 MPH on the freeway.

 

I get 45 mpg displayed, 43 calculated. avg speed about 70-75

My commute is 31 miles on the 210 fwy to San Bernardino with no traffic. I try and do the P&G method but the freeway has a couple inclines and thats when my mpg takes a hit. I had my car for a month and already put 2000 miles on. I actually got better mpg on my second tank while I was breaking it in but I also never went past 65 mph. I am not getting anywhere close to the avg a lot of people on here get but I am still really happy with it.

 

I get between 52-54 MPG displayed. I haven't done the second fill up yet to do a calculated MPG (I thought a calculation after the first fill up would be inaccurate, so I didn't bother).

My commute to work is surface streets from Santa Monica (about 10 minutes) to the 10 East (about 10 minutes), then off the freeway to mid-Wilshire (about 10 minutes). There are slight hills, up and down, but nothing drastic. Most of the freeway driving is stop and go, with speeds going up to around 50 MPH, max. Total of about 12 miles, one way. Takes between 20 minutes (fastest) and 1.5 hours (slowest), depending on the traffic. Average speed between 22-25 MPH. For some reason, I get about the same MPG going to work as I do going back home (if you believe the display), though it appears to be more downhill going home toward the ocean.

Dumb Mike

 

I have to drive about 2 miles in bad street traffic then about 35 miles on the 405 between Lawndale and Irvine.

Indicated: 50-56 MPG
Calculated: 47-55 MPG

I usually drive 65-70 MPH. Speed seems to make a big difference. If I get mired in "slow and go" traffic, the indicated MPG goes way up to 56 MPG typically. I also get about that if I find a slow (55-60) 18-wheeler to follow.

I frequently have to flee the 405 for streets in Huntington Beach. This doesn't seem to harm MPG much if at all. I guess it's all about the engine being warmed up, because by contrast the street traffic leaving home... I'm lucky to see more than indicated 30 MPG for that part.

 

After a year of ownership, my avg calculated MPG is 48.5. Within the year, I've changed from stock 15" rims to Scion tC 17" rims back to stock 15"s and now running OEM 17"s. My best tank was a calculated 54 MPG during break-in cycle with my worse so far being a calculated 45.5 MPG (but this tank I've yet to finish will be worse than that since it's displaying 44.7 MPG right now).

Commute is roughly 35-45 minutes in the morning, doing about 90% flat surface streets in the beginning of commute of about 40-45 MPH. The last 10% of freeway driving kills the MPG since it's basically a full throttle sprint. Return commute is complete opposite, with the freeway blast in the beginning. Needless to say, I get better efficiency on my commute home. As it is, I drive my Prius like a regular car, using P&G only when there is light traffic around me. I try to keep with up traffic as best as I can. I'm not shy about taking my Prius up to 85-90 MPH if needed.

 

Nice to know that I am getting around the same MPG as you guys. I thought I was driving it wrong...

 

Or maybe we are all driving our cars incorrectly. I'm sure none of us are getting maximum MPG, but I don't think all of the MPG saving techniques work well in our traffic situations.

Dumb Mike

 

Maybe we aren't but personally I am still very happy about the MPG. There are quite a few traffic situations and road rage that I deal with almost every day but its worth it...

 

I'm with you.

Dumb Mike

 

My mileage varies between 47 and 58mpg (HSI) depending on my driving habits or conditions. I'm not working this summer so my trips vary a lot by tank. For the most part though, I'm somewhere around 50 +/- 1mpg.

 

I have had the car for 1500 miles or so. My average mpg for life is 50.5. I had the best mileage 56 mpg on the first fill-up. I had to travel on freeway, so I stayed in the slow lane for engine breakin from Northridge, the 210 to 15 to Pechanga/Pala and back.

Have a theory it is not the AC that kills mileage, it is the heat, the engine is not as efficient do to heat/cold pools of ICEs. I went from Northridge, 405 to 805 to 8 to El Cajon Averaging 60 mpg along the cold ocean breezes this is thick air and you should get worse mileage. Then back along 15 to 210 to 118. I average 52.3 and was below 50 until I got to SanBerdu in 108 heat. There is a downgrade from the new 210 to about Pasadena where I get good mileage.

My worst tank was 44 mpg where I went from Bishop to Sabrina Lake and from Big Pine to the top of the grade. Climbs kill mileage.

 

I got an extraordinary 70 MPG indicated over about 25 miles a couple nights ago. I think what did it was:

1. It was very hot when I got to Pasadena that evening, and was still 85 F that night when I left. I don't think my car ever cooled off. If there was a warm-up cycle it was very short.

2. Long descent first down the 110 through the canyon, and later through downtown Los Angeles when I was forced off the freeway for several miles due to a lane closure somewhere. Both at relatively slow speeds.

 

Sorry guys I brought up an old one,
I am really jealous how you all get about 50 MPG in Los Angeles
I got mine about 1.5 months ago and I have 2100 miles on var, I've averaged 40-41 MPG so far,
I usually drive around West Side, 50% city and traffic, I believe I drive calm, friends laugh about my driving skills, (old-grampa style) But no way I could get anything better than 41 MPG.

Last weekend I drove up on PCH all the way to Neptunes Net restaurant (about 50 miles from Santa Monica), I averaged 50 MPG on round trip (100 miles) but then same tank went back to 40 MPG after few days.
Looking an advise.
Thanks

 

I know you think you might be driving calm and like an old grampa, but the likely culprit is your driving style. Research some driving tips in PC, find the youtube video about driving for mileage in a Prius, and you'll see improvement. Beyond checking for proper psi in tires, by chance you didn't change from the original wheels and tires? Or make any other changes from original specs?

 

Not to worry, it just takes seat time. I believe their is mileage questionaire around that gives a lot of good tips. Many of us have our own techniques that seem to work in A-B-A tests.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson