getting 21mpg

1. Have you checked the oil level; overfilling the oil can cause poor MPG.
2. Are the brakes dragging? Emergency brake not disengaged fully?
3. Check (or have checked) wheel bearings.
4. Tire inflated to 35 PSI or higher? What type of tires are on the car?

Even if the hybrid system is completely inoperable, the mileage just from the ICE shouldn't be that bad.

 

If the emergency brake was left on when he got the car up to 90, it's shredded now!

 

I am under the impression if you reboot the car system (by disconnecting 12v power and reconnecting) the car takes a little while to readjust the software. But I am not expecting 21 MPG. Make sure you hit the reset button on the video screen to make sure you are not carrying over old data averages from the past. Each fill-up we hit that reset to make sure the MPG we are seeing is for the current tank.

 

the only true measurement of mpg's is at the pump. and even then, it takes a few fill ups, averaged out to get a decent reading. especially gen 2 w/bladder tank. why not give it some time before panicking, and spending money chasing ghosts?

 

Don't warm it up before driving it. That will make your mileage worse. The whole time it's idling (which isn't very long in warm weather, but might be a while in a northern winter) it's getting zero mpg. If you're going to burn gas, make it do something.

I'll toss in another recommendation to check the 12v battery. It could be running the engine extra as it try to charge a weak accessory battery. But with such low efficiency and no trouble lights, it seems like it may be an accumulation of several things like low tire pressure, low 12v battery, dirty engine air filter, wrong engine oil. Also, check the cabin air filter That can affect mileage if it's extra dirty.

 

no, just regular dino. the weight is on the oil cap or in the o/m.

i think the gas tank is around 12 gallons, but the gen2 has a rubber bladder inside the tank, so, it doesn't always fill properly.

 

Simple idea from my simple mind. Have you reset the mpg on the touch screen? The fact that you say it is always hovering around 21 mpg might be an indicator that it is reflecting poor gas mileage over multiple tanks as achieved by the previous owner.

When you fill up the tank the miles driven on the current tank resets to zero but the mpg. does not. If you haven't reset it already, fill the gas tank and then reset the mpg reading to zero by touching the reset button in the lower right corner of the display. Then test drive it and see if the mpg actually changes..

 

So I'm confused, you pressed the reset button for the test drive and now the Average MPG displays 21 MPG?

You don't have to wait for the thank to be empty to fill it.

 

If you pressed it when you got the car, it should have gone to zero.

 

Not special, as Bisco already pointed out. Just the right viscosity. Throwing in 10w30 or something like that will negatively impact fuel economy to a degree, but wouldn't account by itself for what you're seeing.

 

Does anyone find it odd that checking the engine oil isn't on this checklist?

 

But it’s just weird seeing checklist without even a check for oil level.

 

Yeah there's something not adding up here. Hopfully get's figured out.

Also, it's a fool's mission, assessing mpg trip-by-trip. OP should fill the tank, reset trip meter, or even better (more bullet-proof): note the odometer reading. Drive carefully for a tank, refill, note the distance travelled and gas needed to refill, do the mpg math. And what with the second gen bladder tank, repeat the process a few times.