I wanted to know if you found that the MPG improves after the car does a few K miles. I seem to be getting better but still low 1st tank 35 MPG calculated 3rd tank 38 MPG calculated (last tank so far)
There is certainly a point at which the car starts performing a little better. There are a few reasons for this: 1) The car is settling in mechanically. 2) The car actually learns how you drive. 3) You are becoming a better driver.
You are getting pretty low mpg for a Prius. Suggest you tell more about your driving pattern, or just review some of the fuel economy threads (or both). If you have short drives on cold engine, prefer psi at placard or below, drive very fast, brake hard, etc. then you could be getting about the right mpg. Always room to improve. Good luck and welcome.
i got 36mpg actual for the first tank. in my second one now. i believe i am losing mileage due to warm-ups (no garage), heater usage,etc. still driving normal mode. tire pressure not checked yet. also, i'm now at 425 miles. can i go for a long drive about 600 miles round trip?. the manual says not to drive at constant speeds for prolonged duration until 600 miles (break-in).
Thanks Are you my trip to work is about 9.5 miles each direction In the morning it is a lot of going up hill Are you suggesting that I drive using Power Mode especially in the morning when the motor is cold. I try to use eco mode as often as possible
Hi I am a new Prius owner as well. I got mine on Jan. 8 My commute is twice yours, 18 miles one way. I find that I start to increase the mileage the further into the commute I go. In other words, the car starts off with poorer mileage and does better as it warms up. I don't have a garage as well. And it is cold here. I don't let the car warm up too much in my driveway. Just a couple of minutes and if everything seems right, I am off. I am finding that I get better at driving my car as I go along. It takes some practice. I watch the instant mileage gauge and bring the car up to the speed I want then lift my foot off the accelerator a little bit till the gauge swings up, then apply light pressure again to try to keep the gauge at a steady rate of high mileage while keeping my speed. I try to shoot for 75, but that is not always attainable! If I can keep it above 50 for most of the time I am very happy! I am averaging 50 for overall mileage right now, with one trip as high as 58...wooohooo! I drive in Eco Drive Mode off the highway and Default Drive Mode on the highway. I like the feel of the default mode on the highway better (zippier) and I have tried eco drive mode there without much difference in the mileage. The exception was during a bad snow storm. I drove in eco all the way, highway too, and really liked the way the car handled for me especially in the hilly areas. It's been a learning experience for me, one that I am not done with. Good luck
My car now has 2700 miles on it. I have been averaging about 34mpg. I have been told the cold weather really hurts mileage. Well today it was warm (around 50), sunny and not windy. I did a 30 mile trip hoping to see great improvement. Nope. Unfortunately my area is not level and I have ups and downs. The downs don't nearly make up for any sort of uphill climb. I am pretty convinced at this point that my mileage is not going to get any better, at least not 15 mpg better. I think your terain is what really determines the kind of mileage you are going to get. Temperature may help, tire pressure may help but I think we are talking only a mile or two better. As soon as you have to step on the gas, your mileage is doomed.
I am like you Egale with the hilly terrain and we seem to get similar MPG. My climate is warmer, rarely going down to freezing so that may be why I do slightly better. BTW I received my Prius on Jan 10.
I think what you will find it is speed that kills mpg, I drive to and from work each day in a hilly tarain. You can use hills to boost mpg, remember when you come down you use no fuel, the trick is to maximize engine off. But you must stay below 46mph. Today the conditions were a bit better (uk) dry no wind lights off and I got 68uk mpg, still a long way off my old Prius II which could get 80uk mpg on a very good day. Bring on the warm weather.
I've started monitoring the 5 min consumtion gauge. always, the first five minutes is less than 25mpg (warm-up for atleast 3 mns), then it goes to about 50 mpg. I've also noticed that driving for a long distance (>10 miles) at speeds of 40-50 boosts mileage..i've seen the gauge show 75 and a couple of times close to 100mpg. But unfortunately my drive to work is about 6 miles; so by the time the mileage starts improving, I am at work!
No, I am not suggesting you use power mode. I was saying your low mpg could be all you should expect, or it could be easily improved, depending on your driving situation and what changes you are willing to make. I suggest people learn to get high mpg, then apply the techniques they find worthwhile, knowing that the car is working to spec. My commute is 1.6 miles each direction, and I can get 40 or so mpg on that. You should do much better with 9.5 miles, though not as good as those with even longer trips. Forget EV mode for now. ECO, normal, and PWR modes all offer the same power, but deliver it with varying amounts of pedal movement. ECO mode also will shut down the ICE more readily at times and will cut back on climate control while stopped. Thus during warmup, ECO has some advantages. ECO provides finer control of throttle at lower speeds, and is therefore useful in doing pulse & glide in conjunction with the HSI display. A glide requires a little throttle to remove regen from the HSI display. Regen is not the objective when seeking high FE, except for long steep descents and unanticipated stops. Tire pressure is significant to mileage. Car placard is the minimum you should ever use. Tire sidewall maximum load pressure is an upper limit (not the only upper limit, but first things first) The primary skill in city driving is conserving momentum. Beyond that, pulse and glide will beat steady speed. The primary key to mileage on the uncongested highway is speed. Between about 20 mph and full constant throttle (108ish), mpg is pretty linear. We are still discovering the warm up stages of the gen3. There is a sticky thread going in the technical discussion forum on that. It will help you understand the car on relatively short trips, and maybe improve mpg.
