Help! My 2014 Prius v only 30 to 37 mpg

We purchased our 2014 Prius v on November 23, 2014. We are traveling salespeople. We have put 5685 miles on the vehicle to date.

We live in The Kansas City metro area. The weather has been cold, but not brutal. We have driven the Prius twice to Jonesboro, Arkansas. The first time our mpgs ranged from 36 to 38 (note: 38 is the most mpgs we have gotten). This trip less than 33 mpg. In fact, the current trip of 174.2 miles is reading the lowest ever on the car's gauge at 31.8. We are seeing a real calculated mpg of about 1.5 to 2.5 mpg less than this reading.

Most of this is highway driving using cruise at posted highway speeds. In Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas, that is 70 to 75 mpg. I am not comfortable running 5 to 10 mph under the speed limit.

Please advise. We will be taking the Prius in for its first service as soon as we return to Kansas City on Friday. Obviously with the amount of miles we drive the mpg is a big issue for us. We have been driving a 2006 Toyota Sienna and honestly are not seeing huge differences in our gas costs between the two vehicles.

 

I am not comfortable driving at highway speeds of 10 to 20 mph under the speed limit when a lot of people are running 10 to 20 over. that feels very unsafe to me . Sad that my hybrid is averaging less than 10mpg more than my 9 year old minivan. I'm getting between 21 and 23 mpg in my Sienna, even loaded down with three kids and a lot of camping and travel gear!

I will check air pressure and look into the grill materials.

 

Thanks, everyone! After almost 6000 miles, I am more concerned than I was at first. Especially since our second trip from Kansas City to Jonesboro, we barely got 300 miles on a tank of gas.

Here are my answers to the questions posed above, anything further you can offer after reading this is appreciated:

- What fuel economy are you getting and how are you determining fuel economy? (trip computer or manual calculations) We have gotten between 31 and just over 38 MPG. The most the on dash calculator has shown is 39.4 and when we filled up the actual calculation was 38.2. The lowest we have seen is in the 31 to 33 range on the on dash calculator, we have not filled up since then. So basically, after 5600+ miles , averaging at the low end around 30 mpg to high end 38. Calculating at the pump based on miles driven.

- What fuel economy are you expecting and why?
I was expecting close to 40mpg. Based on EPA averages, fuelly real world averages, and other online reviews I checked out prior to buying.

- What are the approximate outside air temps?
20 to 70 over last 6 weeks. Averages around 40 degrees.

- How long are your trips?
Typically over 50 miles.

How old is your 12v battery? What is the voltage reading of your 12v battery after sitting over night? (Method Here).
The battery, along with the car are brand new. We purchased on 11/23/2014 and there were 5 miles on the ODO when we purchased. No idea on the voltage reading after sitting overnight, but will try to check that tomorrow.

Have you had your alignment checked? Any pulling or abnormal tire wear?
No. Brand new car.

- How much of it is city vs. highway? Roughly what's the average speed in overall and and of each segment? Is there a lot of stop and go driving?
70% highway and almost all of that with cruise set. If we are in city driving there is a significant amount of stop and go as we are salespeople who call on multiple businesses in the towns we visit. Our in city gas mileage seems to be ok.

- What's the terrain like of your drives? (e.g. flat, gentle hills, steep hills, etc.).
I live in Kansas. Gentle hills are the most grade we deal with on a regular basis.

- What are your tire pressures?
We have not checked the tire pressures at this point.

- Is your oil overfilled? (i.e. above the full mark on the dipstick)
Again, not something I have checked. The car has not had it's first oil change yet.

- Make, model, year, engine and transmission of previous car? (e.g. 08 Honda Civic Si 2.0L 4 cylinder, manual transmission) What did you actually get on the same trips/commute? (Please give us actual numbers, not EPA ratings.)
2006 Toyota Sienna 3.0 L V6. 21 to 23 mpg on the highway. Typically with three kids and a lot more baggage than when my husband and I travel alone in the Prius.

- What region/state are you in? (if you haven't set your location)
Overland Park, Kansas (a suburb of Kansas City)

- How are you trying to drive (e.g. trying to stay in electric only?) and how hard are you braking?
We are trying to drive fairly normally, but we are coasting more than we used to and are trying to allow plenty of time to stop and gently brake. On the highway, we are using the cruise control 90+% of the time.

- What modes are you using, if any? "normal", EV, power, eco?
We have not been using the mode buttons on a regular basis.

- Are you "warming up" the ICE (internal combustion engine) by letting it idle after powering on?
Not really, depends on the day. If it is extremely cold, yes, but otherwise, no.

- Are you driving using D or B mode?
Using D

- HVAC settings? Are you using the heater, AC, auto mode, etc.? If using auto, what temp is it set to?
It is winter in Kansas, of course we are using the heater. We are not using auto mode as it seems to kick the compressor on more than need be. We are also trying to limit the use of the defroster as much as possible.

- Are you using the factory tires and wheels? If not, please indicate tire make, model and size (e.g. Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max 185/65R15).
Yes, using the factory tires. Again, we just purchased the vehicle.

- If reporting a mileage drop, did anything significant change on your car (e.g. accident, hit a curb or big pothole throwing off alignment, oil change/other maintenance/repairs, changed tires or wheels, etc.) or your commute?
We have seen a mileage drop since two weeks ago. Nothing has changed that we know of. We did park the car for a week while we took our Sienna and our kids to Colorado. Seems to really be getting worse since then.

 

Sorry Fuzzy, some of these answers I gave in previous comments and some I just don't know at this time. Here is a little more info for you.

Please list your actual highway speed. MPG is very sensitive to speed, as illustrated in this chart of measurements for a Liftback. Note that your 'v' is rated 17% less.

I am driving at posted speed limits. In Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas those range from 70mph to 75mph. As I have stated I do not feel comfortable driving 10 to 20 mph lower than posted speed limits when many people are going at least 10 higher than the posted limits.

Also, what were the road conditions on these recent trips? Was the pavement dry or damp or soaking wet (or snowy or icy)? Is the weather calm or breezy or strong winds?

Most of our trips have been cold outside. With 6000 miles driven we have driven in wet and windy conditions but no snow or ice as of yet.

We will check the tire pressure tomorrow. We had no idea tire pressure could mean that much to our MPG.

As for oil, this is my 6th or 7th new vehicle and I have never checked the oil myself before the first oil change.

We are keeping the heat set at between 70 and 74 degrees. Never higher than that. Again, trying to use the defrost setting as little as possible and not using the auto setting either.

 

This trip was all taken in the Mississippi River valley between Memphis and Jonesboro, Arkansas night before last. It was fairly windy but also some of the flattest road s I have travelled.

When I turned off the car at the end of the night. These were the readings.