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

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.
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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)

 

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.

 

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

 

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.
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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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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...

 

I am only 300 miles south of you but have a Gen 2 Prius, so mine is not a good example. I spent a night in Festus driving home from Minneapolis this fall.

Here is my 'Who should not own a Prius' post http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/94450-considering-prius.html#post1334003

I hope you like your Prius as much as I like mine!

 

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