40 mpg

My first tank of gas on my Prius IV purchased 10/28, I averaged 54 mpg. Not sure what to tell you about your experiences.

 

I use only the so-called PWR mode as I found, for me, that my average mileage DIPPED @ 1.5mpg in ECO. Stepping into what felt like a "wet sponge" did not give me the "feeling" of driving a properly running car...so I stepped harder on the pedal. In PWR the cars' responses feel about like a normal car.

Before our temps dropped I filled her with probably 80% metro driving and it CALCULATED out to 50mpg even. The readout on the IP varies +/- @ 2mpg from actual. On a high speed, 660 mile round trip with 3 people the car averaged 43.2mpg with temps in the mid-upper 20s F. DFO

 

Welcome aboard! Please fill out the survey here and post to that thread. We might be able to help you gain a few mpg.

 

If you drive hwy only with speeds 75mph or more, then it's expected.

 

Nah, even then it should not be that low. I drive mostly freeway and at 70mph I can still average 50mpg in a GenII.

I'll wait till the OP fills out the survey before speculating but I'm going to point my finger at short commutes anyway.

 

Yes short trips, wet roads, temps in the 30's - 40's, low tire
pressure, I keep ours at 44 PSI max sidewall pressure.

That will make a big drop in mpg's.

During the summer we average low to mid 50's, in the wiinter mid 40's mpg's.

al

 

you live on socal. thats the mpg i got when i first got my car. if you start driving in the slow lane then your mpg number will go up by quite a bit.

 

Is your 40-ish mpg calculated by you or what the computer says. Often, calculated mileage is less than what the display shows...

Even here in cold Connecticut, it's hard to get less than 45mpg (on the computer), unless we are taking short trips, where the coolant doesn't warm up... The first ten minutes of driving are the lowest, for fuel economy.

 

I can second that remark. My wife has been driving, short trips (10 to 20 minutes), cold, and stop and go----36 to 40 mpg. She might be gone 3 hours but I will bet that car doesn't go 5 miles in any one segment then is stopped for at least 30 minutes. Rinse and repeat.

Initally I thought the mpg was poor but the more I looked at her driving the mpg looks pretty good. Here's a typical segment

1) Cold start drive to workout---3.5 miles.

2) Car sits for 90 minutes

3) Cold start drive to store--3/4 mile.

4) Car sits for 30 minutes

5) Cold start drive home 4.25 miles.

36 mpg looks reasonable to me under those conditions.

 

It seems that every third post lately is about poor gas mileage, from new owners. Too bad the newbs won't read even the first page of posts in the fuel economy section. Barring that, perhaps Toyota should stop selling Prius between November and March, for purposes of good marketing.

 

I've been seeing some low number this past few days because of the rain. That combined with short trips or long freeway runs have really dropped my mpg. But I expect after the rain is done, it'll be back to normal

 

The weather in sunny Southern California has been (abnormally) very cold and wet. And as the people on this board know, the cold weather isn't good for our Prius's MPG.

But you have to add that we are using our heaters, which I've been told will slightly reduce the MPG.

Also, I think the the front windshield defroster (the button on the right side of the display) also reduces the MPG. My front windshield was fogging up, so I just pushed the defroster button. I've found that rather than use the defroster, move the air direction thingy for defrost mode (basically to direct air to the front windshield). For California, that is sufficient as we don't have frost. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I think this helps your MPG a little bit.

Otherwise, wait for February (maybe late January) and it will get warmer and your MPG will naturally increase.

I think the most important thing for us Southern Californians is to drive safely with the idea of preventing some other guy from slamming into your car, as us Southern Californians don't drive very well in the rain.

Mike

 

check tire pressure, make sure you do not have bad gas, maybe needs a bit more break in ?

 

I think part of the blame might be salesmen too. When I took a test drive (salesmen knew I've had a Gen II for a long time), he kept emphasizing 50 mpg.

Well, I suspect the majority of car buyers don't know anything about how the EPA test is conducted and I suspect many of those never even tracked their mileage (or did it properly) w/their previous car, in the same conditions. People w/short city drives, esp. in cold weather are going to be setup for disappointment.

The EPA really ought to include another number (and test cycle) that includes the above.

 

IMO the problem is primarily advertising coupled with the expectations that creates. "Your mileage may vary" used to be the term thrown around....

Today, not JUST the Prius, but with all automobiles the EPA estimates, if at all positive, are used as advertising or sales leverage...

Toyota definently pushes The Prius get's 50mpg EPA line....

Seasoned owners can come back with the knowledge that there is a gap between real world operation and the results as obtained by EPA mileage testing BUT that isn't going to help a newbie owner who bought The Prius after watching commercials touting 50mpg, and/or after doing a test drive with a salesman telling them how much they were going to enjoy the 50mpg...

I would say to any NEW owner, it IS winter..and for most of us Hybrid owner or regular ICE that means a direct drop in MPG...

I'm driving a standard ICE 2010 Honda Fit...and if it makes you feel any better...I'd love on it's best days...to get what a Prius gets on it's worst days...so cheer up..and I'd wait until spring and summer before I made any definitive conclusions about what MPG your Prius is capable of obtaining...

Better weather and break in and experience...can make a world of difference.

 

wow.. this is upsetting...

 

Fortunately I knew to expect lower mpg in winter. I'm getting about 39mpg. I need to inflate the tires--what psi have you folks used successfully? These are the original/dealer tires on a new 2010.

 

I run mine at factory specs of 35/33 during this cold weather. When it warms up it should be at 38/35. When I first bought mine, they were set at 30/30 and it did ride smooth. I did 50.1 mpg in my last tank.