Cruising Range?

Why doesn't it add up?

 

You cannot assume you will get to use every last drop available in the tank. Manufactures play it safe by leaving a 2ga reserve so your car may say you have xxx miles left but with the approx. 2ga reserve you usually have many more miles left. unfortunately the low fuel light will be blinking the whole time and you never really know how much fuel you have left. It becomes a game of chance.

Because the c has a smaller tank i am not sure if they use the same 2ga reserve as the larger Liftback model.

 

PriusofDoom, you will notice whenever you fill up it's usually at least a gallon short of the 9.5 capacity. That's the reason for the difference in cruising range. Between my last two tanks i seem to get at least 425 miles before the low gas indicator starts blinking.

 

I got 524 miles on 8.394 gallons of gas. The cruising range indicator actually showed that I had 0 miles left to drive for about 20 miles so it is not accurate. My average mpg was 62.

 

This winter I went through a fair portion of SC with the MTE at 0. It also makes for a very anxious drive. It's probably the least reliable calculation the car displays.

 

Wow nice MPG! That's like what my friend with his plug in is getting.

 

I noticed that as well, I currently am on my first tank of gas and I have 2 bar indicators left on my gas and the cruise range says only 40 miles. Obviously that does not add up when I am averaging 57 MPG.

I wouldn't rely on that for accuracy over the gas gage.

 

I had two bars left on my first tank and about 40 miles to go according to the cruising range. I filled up and got about 9.3 gallons of gas according to the pump. I don't understand how that is even possible... The manual says that when you are on your last bar and it begins blinking you will have about 1.2 gallons left.

Anyone have any explanation for this?

 

There are some pumps that are purposely overcharging people, or the pump could just be off. Since you pumped more than capacity with some in reserve, it is the only explanation I can figure out.


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I'd like to weigh in on this even tho' I don't yet own a Prius C--my dealer has been awaiting allocations to satisfy my desires--I did recently buy a 2012 Mazda3 Sport GT which has a similar display!

Dealer filled tank 1st time & range indicated 285 miles~wth? I figured dealer really didn't FILL IT UP completely! Got about 400 miles on that tank so I was pleased. 30mpg.

2nd tankful clicked off at pump at around 12 gallons (supposedly holds 15.9 gallons). Anyway, I squeezed in a little more, maybe up to 13.5 gals. Amazingly I was able to go 500 miles on that tankful w/30 mi remaining. 32 mpg--manual says high of 28mpg--so--yay!

OK, filled tank for 3rd time a couple days ago & pump quit at 11 gallons--I knew this was bogus, so I painstakingly squeezed in a little at a time <til gasneck filled up each time> and kept going & going until I was able to get 15.6 gallons in the 15.9 gallon tank. Ergo, I think the range is accurate--only about 20-miles left & zero bars showing. But, according to the dealer, I should have had at least a gallon reserve. NOT if the gas tank only holds 15.9 gallons it doesn't. So, I'm still somewhat concerned whether there is any reserve at all. Hmmmm~

Ergo, I'm hoping the Prius C really does have some reserve over & above the 9.5 gallons depicted in the owner's manual. Good Luck! Hope to be joining y'all with either a RED or Habanero III or IV soon.

Ty-K

 

On our 2010 Prius when the pump first clicks
off I can still pump in another 2 gallons up
to the top of the filler neck.

I am sure your Prius C is the same, so; its
more like a true 11 gallon fuel tank or so...

 

correct me if im wrong but do not go past the first click off as a practice. the reason appears to be that it will overfill and go into the charcoal reserve shortening its life by a lot. i may not have said this very eloquently, but i believe every modern manufacturer backs me up on this. i now never do

 

yep, that's what I've learned as well.

 

I'm sorry, but what is a charcoal reserve? I have never heard of this.

 

there is a government mandated evap system that is essentially a canister filled with charcoal pellets that prevents overspill into the atmosphere. so, if you overfill the tank some of it goes in here instead of the air. if you fill your tank past the one click positon your tank is overfilled. the gas can expand and end up there. you can find all sorts of epa sites warning not to do this. i stopped overfilling many years ago not because of the epa but, rather, i didnt want to waste gas or money. it can also lead to poor idle and even stalling.
smogtips,yahoo answers,answers.com, etc.

 

Pump shut-offs vary quite a bit from pump to pump. If you have a slow flowing pump the first click is fine, but if it's a fast flowing pump you can keep on clicking to your hearts content. As long as you don't start lifting the pump nozzle out of the tank as you are filling it YOU CANNOT OVERFILL YOUR CAR. The automatic shut-off will not allow it to go above the nozzle.

 

as you mentioned havenocents, as long as you dont lift the nozzle further up to squeeze more gas in. for me, as long as the pump isnt burping and seems to be running ok, i stick to one click. that is just me.