Is 44 mpg hiway possible?

We drive 70 miles from southern Orange County to San Diego and easily get 45-50 mpg. Last week end we were in a hurry so I set the cruise control at 73 and we got 48 mpg. Two weeks before I went the speed limit (65) with no cruise control and we got 46 mpg. There are a lot of hills along the way which can really affect the mileage. This car is fun to drive and you can expect great mileage.

 

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Dang! Nice numbers all 50+mpg's! Never have made it to the big 50 yet
I feel it's there though. Just have to keep trying!
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48 mpg the first 150 miles in mixed driving. 52 mpg the next 50 miles. Dropped to 50.5 mpg on 5 mile trip today. Short trips drop the mileage more than anything. Go easy on the accelerator, coast downhills, keep the short trips down, and you can average 50 mpg no problem.

 

You should do a lot better than that if you're the only passenger and you drive the speed limit. I can do better than 50 mpg traveling to L.A. from San Diego.

Get get as bad as 44 I'd have to load the car up with passengers and cargo and then drive 75-80 mph.

 

I drive 65 miles each way to work and back. I have to negotiate some fairly steep grades and I also have to deal with Los Angeles traffic. That means that during the morning rush hour, traffic is going between 70-80 mph. I still average between 45 and 49 mpg. So, it's very doable to get 44 mpg with your Prius. I do better than that on a daily basis in one of the more hostile driving areas in the country .

 

you can average around 70mph and still get 44mpg... i'll even say 75.. because there is this mysterious super MPG spot around 72... which i can't prove.

 

Driving out to a regatta in Omaha last summer I got 49 mpg on the way out and about 46.5 mpg on the way back. I set the cruise at 75 mph and just went. I was driving from Denver to Omaha so the first leg was downhill and and the second up. Those were the two worst tanks I had all summer.

 

I drive about 45 minutes each way to work. I consider anything lower than 49mpg unacceptable. On a calm day I can get 52 mpg easily. If I get a tail wind i've seen 63 mpg at 65mph.
My drive is pretty flat though.

 

I just did a trip to Lake Shasta. Trunk was full to the point where I couldn't see out. Total of 4 passengers. Total weight of at least 800lbs. We started in Federal Way, Wa and drove at least 80mph and up to 90mph at times except going up on the mountain where I probably averaged 75mph. Average mpg going to Lake Shasta was about 38mpg and coming back I averaged 43mpg b/c I only stayed at 80mph.

 

I drive for about 40 minutes each way each day and even with a huge hill right before home, we average about 51.5 mpgs with driving 55-65 mph. Our car is new and hasn't broken in yet. I think we would get more but the 3 mile hill at the end of the day really kills the mileage for us. When we move, we are going to flat land...

 

But you get a 3 mile hill to drive down in the morning, so you're almost guaranteed to get really high mileage during much of the warmup period for your engine. I bet the hill is really a net-zero effect.

 

Yes. You can easily get 50mpg if you drive at 65mph. Colder climate will reduce it by a few mpg's. If you drive at 80 mpg, you will probably get 42-44 mpg.

 

44mpg is easily attainable if you drive faster than 80mph.
I've even gotten it under 40mpg by running 90mph, don't try this at home kids.

 

Hello Dirtbag,

My situation was similar to yours a year ago. IN april 2007 I was faced with a new job, 45 miles from home, mostly highway. Also, my 13 MPG truck didn't cut it so I bought a 2007 Prius.

Fourteen months later: I have 31,000 miles on the Prius. I average over 45 MPG, higher in warm weather. I live in CT where we have moderately cold winters and warm summers. I have done nothing to the Prius except change oil, filters and rotate tires every 5K as recommended. I push 75MPH on the highway, which is gently rolling hills from my home on the coast of CT to Hartford.

My son and I figured out that I have saved over $5000 over the past year compared with driving the truck, at about $3.95/gallon!

Still glad I kept my 2000 GMC 4WD pickup, but now I only have to put gas in it every 2 months or so!

Daniel

 

Interesting to read that the Prius gets better mileage in warm weather than in cold weather! With the HCH, it seems to be the exact opposite. We have little problem getting high 40's mileage on the highway--tend to be mid forties in warm weather.

 

Perhaps it's your use of air conditioning?

 

I read most of the posts, but here is an approximate mileage schedule. Of course temp., time of year (due to crummy winter gas), and hills, etc. will affect final mileage.

55 MPH = 55 MPG
65 MPH = 50 MPG
75 MPH = 45 MPG
85 MPH = get a lawyer (couldn't resist,sorry)

Bottom line is 44 MPG is almost a given on your commute. Take the plung and get the Prius, $8 gas is coming fast.

 

Yes, this is very possible,,
My last road trip was 150 miles one way and I got 53 MPG on that trip and 52MPG on the way home.

I also just got 59MPG on a 16 mile drive in the suburbs

 

I'd say that schedule is approximately correct if you're using the cruise control. My current strategy for slightly higher highway fuel economy is to set the cruise control but to override it with some accelerator pedal while going downhill. This way you can accept some speed deviation in order to convert your potential energy at the top of the hill into kinetic energy as you descend.

This is a more efficient conversion than converting the potential energy from altitude into potential energy in the battery via regenerative braking, and thus serves to marginally improve your FE.

 

No doubt! The wife is not comfortable if the AC is not at 72 or lower.