After nearly 10 years driving the Gen ll Prius, I must say that I am not coping too well having changed it for the Gen III - often press the 'Start' button instead of 'P' Toyota having changed the layout and too many buttons and options! Bit disappointed to see the mpg has dropped from my normal 58 - 60 mpg to around 51mpg and wondered if the hybrid battery is charging properly. When braking going downhill, the CHG on the display moves right over to the left, but when just going downhill without braking the CHG barely moves more than a 1/8". Lot of hills where I live. Also, the battery never seems to fully charge, although Dr.Prius indicates it is as good condition and similar to the Gen II. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
what year and how many miles? the battery sounds fine, but there are a million other things that can cause lower mpg. how long have you owned it? how many miles have you driven at 60mpg, and how many at 50? do you measure mpg when you fill the tank? has anything changed in your driving route? had any work been done on the car just before the change?
The post is about changing from a Gen II to Gen III. Only driving it for about a month. The brakes were in very poor condition, as mentioned in one of my posts. The 60 mpg was the Gen II which I had been driving for almost 10 years. Dropped to nearer 55mpg in Winter. The 50 odd mpg is the Gen III. I never fill the tank, so clearly not 100% accurate. Use is similar and the final question is not applicable.
thanks, how many miles? 'mentioned in one of my posts', if you are posting in more than one thread, you are going to confuse people trying to help you.
Thanks for your interest. The post was nothing to do with fuel economy and I was just passing on some info. about replacing brake pads. It was also a few weeks back. As for the mileage it is around 63,000.
got it. 'any thoughts appreciated' made me think you were looking for help. sorry for the 'senior moment', all the best
"Bit disappointed to see the mpg has dropped from my normal 58 - 60 mpg to around 51mpg and wondered if the hybrid battery is charging properly." As there are a huge number of posts/people from the US on this site, perhaps I should mention that a gallon in the UK is larger than in the US. I gallon (UK) equals approx. 1.2 gallons (US) so my 51mpg is nearer 42.5mpg(US)
If the newer Gen 3 pack is in near same condition as the older Gen 2, what's that sound like to you? When batteries get old they behave differently than when they were new, know? Besides the possible aging hybrid battery, some Gen 3's have other issues to be aware of. EGR circuit (many threads here on that one ) and depending on how and where the Gen 3 was driven some others to watch out for. Crankcase Oil use, engine misfire, cooling system electric water pump and brake booster / actuator pair. There are many threads about them all. That's why it's hard to answer a question about regen and lose of mpg with the observations already shared about your Gen 3.
