2023 Prius Ltd Awd MPG

I'm guessing you're doing far superior to those not driving a smart hybrid like yourself.

And yes, I have pretty ideal (flat) roads where I live. And can avoid the highways most of the time.

Maybe if your hills were larger and more spread out, they would be more manageable. And if you're driving in traffic, that makes it even tougher.

 

I am in sport mode all the time! This car rolls better than any of the others I’ve had Gen two or three! I am not a mileage geek, but my trip averages 48 frequently!

 

Well, if you really want a reliable way to show crappy MPG, do what I did: start your trip with drained battery and then go on a 15-mile drive climbing from 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet on a windy mountain road where you have to slow down to crawling speed at every switchback. I think I got about 17MPG for that segment! However, the trip ended 80 miles later at 5600 feet, so that number increased a LOT by the time we got home!

I do agree in general though, the biggest impediment to good MPGs on the Gen5s is they are now way too much fun to drive inefficiently!

will

 

1st tank refill (for me) since new. Approx 500 miles on LE AWD. Computer reads around 57 mpg overall. Fill-up after 361 miles 6.r gallons mathematically is 56.4 mpg. This is mostly highway driving. Mild NE weather, but AC for defrost.

 

The mpgs drop off real fast at highway speeds. I'm at 8k miles now still averaging mid 40s on the regular. Waiting to get the letter in the mail about how they over-rated it as we have with other vehicles.

 

You'd have to share your definition of "highway speeds". I'm guessing the factory estimates are based on fairly modest highway driving.

 

Highway test cycle doesn't go above 60mph and averages 48mph. It's more suburban/country road. The high speed test goes to 80mph, but its results just go to figuring out the adjustment factor for the window sticker.

The city and highway tests are based on drive patterns from the late 50s or early 60s.

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml

 

I'm going to write up a full report on my 5,200 mile road trip once I finish it, but one very surprising datapoint is that for a leg of my trip driving up the east coast from DC to NYC where survival tactics require driving inefficiently (lots of sudden speed changes, driving 70+ if not in stop/go traffic or you'll get rear ended, and lots of swerving), I got a reported 52MPG on a tank of gas! It was purely HV mode too on my Prime, the battery was drained before fueling and so the entire tank was in HV mode. No real altitude change and probably a slight tail wind if I remember, but still, 52MPG, wow!

will

 

FYI There were some tests on the Autobahn with the prime (similar to awt) over a round course of 185 miles.
When trying to use vmax as much as possible (depending on traffic and regulations) they averaged! ~82mph with ~28mpg.

 

wow thats bad...,

 

It sounds like alot but given what was done with the Prius (accelerating up to 110mph where possible) its still better than gasoline cars and probably on the same level as a diesel.

 

That's pedal to the metal driving on German autobahn

Not really a fair comparison, but the most similar car they tested is a mild hybrid Mazda3 E-Skyactive X 186 hp which got 13.4L/100 km (17.5 mpg) in the same conditions, using 56% more fuel. The Prius model is the PHEV with 19" rims, battery always depleted beforehand, AC on auto, two average adults on board.
In their 90 kmh (~56 mph) test, the Prius got 3.7L/100 km (63.5 mpg), the Mazda3 4.5L/100 km (52 mpg).

 

That's around what the instant mpg display showed when I had the 2005 up to 90mph.

Good efficiency at speed is tough. An engine at its efficient peak at those speeds may not be efficient at lower ones. Reduce the air drag too much, and lift can happen, reducing the traction at the tires.

 

Dang my Ioniq gets 52 mpg at almost 90 mph when gliding across Idaho and Utah on the interstate

 

Wow, this is an interesting read. I live in the Cascades in Oregon (though at Columbia River level so flat as well) and I get 55-60 in my 2018 Prime in pure HV mode. That's at 70 on the freeway, too. I don't think I've ever gotten in the 40s. Last time I went to Seattle I averaged 63mpg on the trip. That included a fair amount of driving around the city as well but that is entirely in HV mode. Around town I'm obviously using EV mode so I try to factor those miles out and reset the odo when I do trips. I drove to the SF Bay Area last May and averaged 57 on the entire trip. And that was keeping up with California traffic on I-5, where 75 makes you the slowest car around. My initial thought is that the AWD is mostly responsible. That adds a lot of drag to the system plus the added weight. Kind of a lose-lose situation. Personally I wouldn't get AWD on a Prius since 1) It's pretty limited in usage and 2) the car is just too damn low to the ground to use in most situations where it would really be useful.

 

You are not alone!

I've had the exact same car (with 19" wheels and fixed glass panel) since June. Initially, I was getting around 47.5 - 48 mpg with mixed city driving and one sizeable hill on my daily commute. Since 2008, I have been obsessed with driving habits and techniques that yield the maximum MPG results. Since taking it on a long road trip from New York to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in July, I have noticed the MPG's dropping steadily. All scheduled services have been attended to (tires rotated, oil change, etc), and if anything, the way I drive has been more conservative in response. For comparisons sake, my big SUV has been improving in MPG since buckling down on driving habits over the same time period that my MPG on the Prius have plummeted. It is important to note that this started BEFORE the temps started dropping here in upstate NY.

I am now getting about 41 MPG - creeping towards 39. This is absurd and waaay off from the advertised rating!

For further reference, our dealership provided us with a base model Rav4 hybrid while we waited for delivery of our Prius, and that thing was getting about 39 MPG (over the course of 4 months) with all things being equal in driving route and habits.

-- so what do you say to someone getting an atrocious 41MPG who has had this model since June, with over 4,000 miles on the tires (aka broken in) with tire pressure constantly checked...?

I'm getting the same disappointing results, my friend. I'm over 4,000 miles and I do have hills to contend with, but I drive ultra conservative, usually alone, with no cargo whatsoever. Since really dialing in my driving habits in a futile attempt to counteract the plummeting MPG's, I have noticed my big SUV improving in MPGS while my Prius has dramatically declined to 39 - 40 MPG.

Completely opposite results here

 

@SpiderJJ: Ugh, I agree that must be frustrating. I certainly have times (even long ones) where the MPG is in the low 40s too, but I can usually blame it on something like altitude changes or cold. With both my Gen1 and Gen5 my MPGs can vary by 5-8MPGs going to Colorado Springs vs coming back and the net altitude change is only about 1,000 feet over 50 miles. If I fuel up some place other than home with a decent change, then I'd get one good tank number and correspondingly bad one. For your daily commute though your net altitude change is 0, so it shouldn't be a factor.

Unless the car has a build issue, I'm trying to think what else may be different. A big one for me with my Gen1 many years ago was getting all four tires re-aligned. I don't think I did it for the first 10 years and probably hit a curb or two over that time. As part of getting new wheels I did get both front and rear wheels aligned and wow! I got an instant increase of about 8MPG! I did have outward signs of trouble though, I was wearing tires unevenly.

Is I'm heading into the first winter with the car I am certainly seeing MPGs (and m/KWh) drop too. On my big road trip I was getting low 40s when it was below freezing (and above 5,000 feet) and easily lower 50s at sea level with comfortable temperatures.

There are just so many variables! While pretty arbitrary, are you getting good "eco scores" on that MID page? That is at least a bit of info on the driving aspect. If so, then you can feel good on your driving habits and focus on other aspects.

will

 

My mpg has been dropping as the weather has turned colder. In 40 degrees @ 70 mpg highway, in LE AWD I average 50 mpg flat down from 56 or 57 when it was warmer.

I also need to note my tire pressure has decreased as it has cooled off from @ 39 to now 34/35. I'm going to bring the pressure back to 39 and see if that changes anything. My 2nd Gen and 3rg Gen definitely had a mpg hit in the winter. I'm expecting even worse when I put on steel r 16's.

 

Remind me again how the 2wd prime is similar to a LTD AWD?

I stand planted that the 50mpg number is somewhat inflated or was achieved on flat test track in optimal conditions. Don't get me wrong I love the car and couldn't really care less. I can only laugh at those whom claim they're getting these stupid numbers. (actually I already ignored most of them.. )

For me it's fact at this point that those numbers aren't achievable, and I have tried. Certainly it's not happening here where we have undulating terrain, and average freeway speeds of 65 or higher. I also just did another 1000+ mile road trip over Turkey day, averaged like 43ish on that. Had a lot of fun in the passes though...