The 35-40 Avg Mpg Club

Thank you, Aaron. I know about the variation in mileage the bladder introduces. It will all average out over time as more calculations occur.
I was just surprised to see that much of a disparity. I'm not too upset about it. If the mileage figures don't improve I'll just be optimistic about the effects proper tires will make in a few years when I need to replace the current set.

 

Thanks to dolj in another thread the disparity issue is solved and it was really simple. There was no real problem at all, just me. I was unaware that when refueling and resetting the trip meter with the hard button it reset the miles driven on the screen but not the mpg. The reset button on the screen has to be pushed to do that. The mpg on my screen was actually over an undetermined amount of time before I bought the car. The learning curve continues....

 

Not necessarily true about the SUVs. My range rover is a much better pure driver than the prius, especially oem form. It's also 100k MSRP but some SUVs are very nice and drive very well.

I drove from Vegas to Denver recently we got 38.5 mpgs I wish I could tell you the average speed, but we were often going 90 mph in 100 degree heat over mountainous terrain. The prius could use more grunt over mountains such as continental divide at 12000 feet but overall comfortable and safe trip. I use ac and drive like I would in a normal car.

 

Also went from Denver to Sedona, at around 40mpg.

I think people going too slowly in the fast lane is a major cause of accidents and can be just as deadly or more than someone cruising at 10 over.

 

I assume this has been discussed in depth somewhere before.
Could anyone point me to a thread with a good discussion of this, please?
My experience with my 2008 I-Tech is contrary to what Aaron wrote, in that the displayed fuel consumption is always too high, and that the "at the pump" results are very consistent and reliable.

 

Some of it is discussed here
What every newb should know | PriusChat

I guess the bladder is susceptible to flexibility issues due to weather conditions. It might hold 11 gallons one time and only 10 the next. Calculating "at the pump" will gain accuracy over the course of many fills but any single fill may not be very accurate.

I have always just filled my cars when the gauge got down to 1/3 or 1/4 full. I just don't see any reason to push it.

 

Aha, maybe that's why my experience is that the refilling is very accurate in measuring consumption: I have had the car only for 8 weeks and the temperatures have been quite stable, at least at the time that I refill the tank.
But why is the electronic L/100km estimate so inaccurate in my case?

I reset the display after filing the tank, and it usually starts out extremely high, like 15L/100km, then quickly drops towards 6.1l/100km, then very slowly drops towards 5.7L/100km until the tank is close to empty after around 800km.
I drive a similar 280km round trip three times per week, mainly highway driving with little traffic at the speed limit.
When I used hypermiling techniques for one week, the real fuel consumption at the pump got down to 4.22L/100km (55.7mpg) and the electronic estimate got down to 4.9L/100km (48mpg).
However, it actually makes 10-15min difference to the length of my commute to drive 88km/h in a 100km/h or 110km/h area, and I get to surf 15min less or earn 15min less at work as a result. So I keep the roof racks on (no discernible difference in fuel consumption due to roof racks so far) and drive at the speed limit, set to GPS, not the electronic speedo which shows 2-3km/h less than real speed.
Full throttle here and there to enter the highway or overtake, and so that I know the capabilities of the car, and for fun.
Driving at the speed limit like this around here means that only very few cars pass me, and I frequently pass others.

Driving like that (i.e. to get me to work or play as quickly as legally possible), the car uses close to 4.9 to 5.22L/100km (48-45mpg) measured at the pump, and the display claims 5.7-5.8L/100km (40.5-41.6mpg).

The difference between real consumption at the pump and electronic estimate is very consistent over about 10 tank refills and 9000km.

According to the display, I can occasionally make it into this 35-40mpg average club, but in reality, I have no chance. Buuu-huuu....

 

You needn't worry about this aspect of the Gen II as it is unique to the USA market. That market is the only one that implemented the flexible bladder inside the fuel tank.

In Australia, like everywhere else in the world, the Gen II Prius has a conventional fuel tank and just like you have found you can get accurate tank to tank calculations.

 

I'm driving in the Arizona desert with the a/c on full blast, lots of start and stop driving with idling in between. I'm achieving 39 mpg +/- 1 thanks to my use of the vehicle for medical sales.

 

Under those conditions I'd say you are likely doing well and the Prius is working normally.

 

Thanks. I thought it was good for those conditions and glad to hear someone else believe the same. The entire hybrid battery was replaced this February by Toyota.

I have one week old Bridgestone Ecopia 422+ inflated to 42/40. One those wear some I should improve mpg. I pulse and glide when I can.

 

I did go through a phase where I decided that, now that I knew I could get 66.4mpg (UK) by driving carefully during my commute, I was gonna drive my Prius II T-Spirit "like I stole it". For a whole tankful of fuel. And I did. And it was good.

The nicest bit was still getting over 60mpg (summer, of course!), while leaving almost everything behind in an urban setting. What was funnier was upsetting some "prestigious" marques that fervently believe that Prii cannot possibly go that fast. And should always be overtaken - illegally, if possible. Were they in for a major surprise! Yes, I drove pretty enthusiastically, but I didn't act like an idiot. I always cruised at high warp where possible, and of course always exploited any slight downward slope in the road, to fly along (over 42mph) with the ICE turning over, while getting between 65mpg to 99mpg. I still do this everyday on certain parts of my commute. Curiously, I've noted a few weird drivers who take considerable exception to having a Prius in front of them. Why do some motorist hate Prii?

It doesn't help that my Prius has a private plate which gives the erroneous impression that it was built in 2003. It's actually a 2008 model. So the registration plate acts like a red flag to a Bull - and a surprising number of rather weak engined cars seem to think they can take it on at the lights, then watch "The Spaceship" suddenly go straight to warp speed when the lights change. And get very, very upset. Can't imagine why.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed my month of madness. I was and still am careful enough to ensure the ICE is warm enough before engaging warp capability. And I dropped to impulse speeds whenever a perceived danger loomed ahead. And IF I did see something faster and more powerful than me bearing down on my position, I still got out of the way! A few cars however, would tear past you, engines screaming, pull into your lane, then slack off, forcing you to slow down to their now reduced speed - usually on motorways. Silly and dangerous. I would usually pull out and warp past them as soon as it was safe - and leave them on the horizon. That usually worked - I think the astonishing torque from the 67hp electric motors makes the Prius look like it has twin turbos. They usually avoid you after that.

There are lots of people in London who DO NOT drive slowly in a Prius. Now I know why.
These days, I'm not exactly breaking the sound barrier on my commute any more, but I still use certain useful elements from my "Month of madness" almost daily, in my Prius piloting regime.

However, I still have an eye on that fuel gauge and the MFD. I still like saving fuel, but not fanatically so. I've definitely stopped cruising like a snail. And for those days when I just want to drive at the speed limit with nary a sound (it can be awfully quiet and relaxing that way), I stick to the slow lane and let everybody else pass. I do not like holding up the traffic!

The Prius is NOT a slow car. Some of us just drive it that way, because we want to

 

Well, the last week of July, 2015, we drove from High Point, NC, to New Smyrna Beach, FL, with a fully loaded 2009 Touring Edition including a Sears X-Cargo car top carrier mounted on Thule rails. We were going 75 to 80 MPH on I-95 much of the way. Calculated MPG averaged 28.0 on the return trip, four adults, loaded for bear. That's still better than a minivan... We used to own a Sienna.

Normally, I get 38 to 42 MPG in the Touring Edition, depending on season, with average loads and no carrier. I don't scrimp on heat, A/C, or acceleration. I bought the car for its overall economy, not to hug trees or save the earth. My wife gets 44 to 46 MPG most of the time in her package 3 2009. She doesn't use the A/C as much as I do, but has a lead foot.

 

When I bought my 2004 Prius last July I could easily get 50 mpg. After a hard, cold winter the mpg has dropped to 46 mpg. I'm still trying to see why. I can with vigorous hypermileing I can get 50 to 60 mpg on the highway.

I have found that I an more easily get better fuel mileage at the speed of 75 mph than at 70 mph. So the Prius likes to run fast. The problem, is that hypermileing usually means slower speeds. That means I must force my foot down to accelerate to that speed.

Not a bad problem to have to deal with. I'll take 50 mpg any day, and it always surprises anyone you talk to about how small a price you pay for a tank of gas!

 

With the very high cost of fuel in the UK, my Prius "Spaceship" makes for the perfect commuter vehicle. I do delight in telling people that I've saved over £4,000 in fuel costs over the last two years! You can see the disbelief on their faces. With austerity nipping constantly at our heels this side of the great divide, it's nice to be able to hop aboard "The Spaceship" and fly anywhere I want, without obsessing over the exorbitant cost of fuel. Believe me, I've been places I'd previously avoided due to fuel costs! I'm glad that era for me is over.

As for those silly people who still delight in putting down Prii, by creating ridiculous myths....well, it's their loss.
Obviously, they delight at haemorrhaging money to burn hydrocarbons in a frightfully inefficient manner. As the saying goes, "There's one born every minute"


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