Mileage to expect for commutes

Depending on the weather and your driving style, you should get between the high 40s and the low 50s for mileage. I have an 08 touring that is not broken in yet, and on my daily 23 mile commute at 65 mph I get a bit over 50 mpg. On a windy day it drops down to the 47 or 48, and in a snowstorm it may drop down to the low to mid 40s.

The touring has a much better handling suspension. More controllable. think of the standard Prius suspension as similar to an old Buick, the Touring is more like a newer Audi. Some say the touring has a slight MPG hit, but I've owned both and get the same mileage on both. For my tastes the Touring is a much better suspension and a bargain for the small extra price.

 

I commute 30 mi each way - 10 mi @ 65 mph on freeway, 20 mi @ 48 mph on a lightly traveled 2-lane highway.. I earn 48 mpg in the coolth of winter and 55-62 in the warmth of summer. I use hypermiling techniques whenever possible - pulse and glide, cruise control, not using the AC, etc. I refill the tank every 2.5 weeks. I keep complete records on a spreadsheet (Currently at 30.9k mi).

 

I drive 40 miles one way much like you do except constant rolling hills. 3 miles at 45 mph, 3 miles 12% grade at 35 MPH, 3 miles at 45 MPH, 11 miles at 55 MPH, 18 miles at 65 MPH and 2.5 miles at 35 or less MPH. My killer is the 3 miles of 12% grade going home. I still average 49.2 doing miles driven divided by gallons purchased for a true gas mileage. All of my driving is rolling hills that are hard on mileage no matter what you drive. I do not trust the screen for mileage but do use it to help me retrain my gas (lead) foot. If you drive fairly conservative to average you should beat my numbers. On vacation in the flat lands near SC beaches I average about 53 MPG even though i was running the air conditioner constantly, The air conditioner probably drops my MPG about 2 MPG on my commute. I noted this drop in mileage after comparing the before verses after I started using the air every afternoon on my way home. I will learn more this fall as I had my car just 3 months but have 9500 miles on it.

I do not tailgate but I watch my instantaneous mileage to keep it above 55 MPG as much as possible. My speed will vary but I maintain 55 MPH if the speed limit allows it. I will hit 78 in a 70 speed limit if I am maintaining 55 or more on the instantaneous MPG. I flow with traffic on multi lane roads if traffic is slightly heavy or maintain the speed limit if someone is behind me on a 2 lane road> Plus I will coast to stop signs and red lights using the "B" on the shifter.

Hope this helps you.

 

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Yes definately get that car! You may thank us later! :usa2::canada:

 

I like the fact that you are getting fairly straight-forward and conservative responses so far.

Your initial mileage will not be as good as you would have hoped if MPGs are your thing. Still, you'll never have seen anything like it before.

When you get the car, just spend some time enjoying it and "worry" about maximizing mileage later.

Given your commute, you have the option of getting mileage as low as the upper 40s and as high as -- well, as high as you'd like. By driving 30 miles, you'll get to experience the higher-end mileage figures, because you'll be able to get the car properly warmed even on cold days.

If you read up on how to increase mileage, and you are willing to follow a few basic instructions, you should find that it is hard to get the car below 50 MPG (except in the dead of winter). If you keep your car at 45 to 55 in the first zone, and you learn how to anticipate lights and drive in a coasting-type mode through town (the 35 MPG zone), you'll find you will get incredibly high mileage going just before you hit the final 65 MPH zone. If you are a lead foot, you will kill all of your MPG gain in less than one minute. I suggest you slow down for the last stretch and keep the mileage in mind.

On flatlands, where the temp is fairly high (above 80), you should be getting close to 60 MPG when driving 60 MPH. Drop to 55, and you'll see 65 MPG (after the engine is fully warmed). If you go up to 65, then MPGs will drop to 55 -- if you use some hypermiling techniques. If you just for 65 to 70 mph, you will see very low MPGs.

Winter really could kill your mileage (it put a damper on my experience), but the length of your commute should allow you experience less MPG drop due to the ability of the engine to fully warm.

 

I now have about 1000 miles on my Prius. I just returned from a trip north to the mountains--about 150 miles--mostly highway. Going up--which is somewhat uphill, I got 55 mpg on the readout. Returning, more downhill, I got 60 mpg. I used the AC for short times on returning. Averaged 55-65 mph. My tire pressures are 38/36.

In suburban driving, I average about 48 mpg--short trips to the store. Longer trips on local roads (non-highway), I average about 52 mpg. Using the AC will drop these numbers 2-3 mpg. I'm looking for further improvements after 5K miles or so.

 

I've driven the prius 1000 miles as well and what I have found is your commute would probably be ideal. Your highway stint would definitely warm up the engine to 70 C in less that 4-5 minutes. What I've found, the quicker I get into stage 4 of engine operation, the better. I don't have a link for how to get into stage 4, but basically you raise the engine temp to 70 C then come to a stop and let the ICE turn off. This can be either done before you get on the highway or when you go through town. But I don't see any reason you couldnt get 55+ on that commute through the summer as long as you follow some simple techniques that have been posted, especially by efusco's hypermiling tech's.

Brandon

 

It really depends what car you would compare it with. I get great mileage with my Prius and great joy in driving. I know I am saving money on gas and feel better about not giving money to countries that hate us.

 

This summer I am getting between 52 to 55 mpg per tank. I now have over 10K miles and I wonder whether my Prius is officially broken into or not yet?

 

I have a question regarding hills. My highway mpg is better than my city mpg, and I am assuming that is because I live at the top of a very large hill. Every place I go in town, I travel about two miles downhill, but then have to drive a steep two miles uphill to get home. Lots of these in-town trips take place - the effect is smoothed out over a long highway trip, and therefore is the reason for my better mileage on the road (I think?)

Am I correct in assuming that the mpg I save going downhill is more than wiped out by the extra work the engine has to do going back uphill? I.e., is going down a hill two miles (coasting) and then back up for two miles more work for the gas engine than going 4 miles on a straight-a-way?

 

I'm sure its preferable to live in a flat area, as opposed to hilly. But in a hilly area, I think its better to live at the top like you do, you'll be using less energy in the morning when your engine is least efficient (you'll be going downhill with the ice idling), and similarly, your engine will be warmer and more efficient when you drive home uphill. That's my situation, I live higher up, i think thats better than living at a lower elevation and commuting up. But it would be more efficient with it flat.

 

Both my wife and I drive the Touring Model and we both average between 45 and 52 MPG on 60 % city and 40 % highway driving. Go for the Touring as the handling, cornering, shorter braking distance and "feel" of the road is worth the extra cost over the Standard Prii.