Used it for the first and only time yesterday. Even in Eco mode, it seemed to work way faster than my '01 Focus. No complaints. I don't intend to use it often, but it's nice to know that it works well.
It does help with mpg if you have the mode of the car set to eco. Put the A/C climate to auto, and it will blast you at first then settle down when it gets to the set temp. It works really well. No complaints here.
Good A/C is a must for me here in the desert. I am discovering that my current car, a 2012 Veloster, has crappy A/C. I wish there were some Prius C for rent out there, but not yet. Apparently Toyota is not allowing them as TRAC cars yet. Atleast that was the last I heard. *** Update *** just called the dealership, they are getting one TRAC car. They are going to call me when it comes in.
I love it! It works just fine. My most recent fillup averaged 59 mpg compared to the 61+ I was getting. I had more trips with the AC running and multiple PAX.
A/C is much better than my civic because it can run full power at any time, not like other vehicle , you need to bring the RPM up before you fell cold air coming out. lol
This weekend, I drove from San Francisco south bay to Santa Cruz in close to 90 degree weather. My windows are tinted, and I had the auto climate set to lo. Traffic was at a crawl -- it took over an hour to get there. The terrain on the 17 is pretty much an uphill winding road for half of the way followed by a steady decline. I wasn't too impressed with the ac. It stayed on full blast much of the way, and provided for a bearable yet noisy drive for two people. Gas mileage tanked because of the heavy ac usage in crawling traffic. Was averaging about 23mpg until we reached the decline. At arrival, ended at around 41mpg. Really happy with that. This is my first hybrid, and I am not savvy enough to drive it like one. In fact I'd rather not. In the end, I really wanted to tint the front windshield. Maybe it had something to do with the black paint and black interior. One lathis portent thing to note is that my car sat in the afternoon sun to start. The softex was piping hot to touch when I first entered the car, but unlike leather, it cooled down quickly.
i'm thinking the car being black certainly played a factor for you. also, i've done a few Santa Cruz trips before.. and climbing that hill is always brutal on your MPG.. it takes a little focus and technique to navigate both to and from Santa Cruz on the 17 to get some good numbers. also, did you roll down the windows a bit at first to let some of the heat out while the AC was on? also, did you check to see if the recirc was on? those are also possible factors why you kept needing to leave the AC on for so long. on hot days, i cycle my AC on and off depending on how comfortable I am and how much heat I can bear until I need to turn the AC back on. it's better on fuel economy to blast it on high for a little bit and cycle it off and on, than keeping it blowing low throughout your drive.
Drove 500 miles to/from Phoenix in 90 degree weather going speed of traffic (speed limit= 80 mph). Car had no problem keeping my desired auto climate temp, while getting an average of 41mpg. Around town is over 100 degrees and AC cools quickly. I appreciate that the AC stays on even when the gas engine turns off at lights.
Another perk to using the A/C: The hybrid battery likes to be cool. For those of us in the desert, when it's over 90 degrees outside, it's almost essential to leave it on (though I do have the tendency to disable it when traveling under 40 mph...that will probably come to an end once the thermometer hits 100).
Thanks for the tips. I had just tinted my windows so I couldn't roll them down. Resorted to moonroof action. I didn't check for recirc. Although climate control regulates that, I'm sure it was on recirc the whole time.
Here are proven ways to reduce the mpg impact of running A/C. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/97814-how-reduce-mpg-loss-because-c-use.html
I don't think it does.. but next time i'll check... and you should double check too. considering people that live out in the desert have mentioned their ac was strong enough.. and I personally think it works pretty well.. there shouldn't be an excuse that yours shouldn't also be up to par unless other factors were involved.
