I had Prius IV for just under a month, and I am averaging about 40-42 mpg, and I am happy with that, now let me explain my previous car was a infinity G35S, in which I average a combined 15.8 mpg, so 40-42 mpg is a hell of an improvement. my question is to those whose previous car was a high performance car, is 40-42 mpg a good average that you are willing to settle for, or is that too low. and what are you averaging in your mpg?
I'm not part of the ex high performance gang, but you are right, you are getting a hell of an improvement. But that's about what I got for the first month or two, and it's gradually gotten better as I've learned to drive the thing. So now I'm getting about 47 or 48--not up to 50--I still think I drive a bit too fast for that. Things may go back down a bit in the winter. But if you are having fun learning to drive a spaceship (I did), then I think you will like the car.
It's all about what you are willing to settle for (to a point). Your daily commute may not allow much more than that, and many people have a hard time coming to grips with this fact (see any one of a number of threads related to Low MPG's HELP!). My commute is pretty good (not ideal) for good MPG's, and as my little footer below shows, I'm trying to maximize it. I've altered my driving behavior some to improve my mileage, but I was already a hypermiler before the Prius, so the changes weren't too dramatic.
IMO, your average is pretty good compared to what you got on the G35s. Although i would still try to achieve 50mpg since that's what the car can achieve on average. I came from a BMW 535i twin turbo w/ 350hp and driving a prius hybrid changed my driving lifestyle. I felt always in a hurry driving my bimmer averaging 90mph on freeways and 50+ on side streets. Yep i was one of those A-wholes in a bimmer. Now, the prius is just the complete opposite. I'm lovin' the 52mpg average!
I was averaging around 51mpg for most of the summer but now that classes have started again, I have to drive on the freeway and then up a hill to campus so I've dropped down to 45-46mpg. Kind of a bummer since I know I can get up into the high 50s but not being able to P&G along with going up a huge hill every day makes it not do able.
I have had my Prius 3 weeks and average 43 MPG I too am happy with this as my last car was a 330 HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Hemi that averaged 13 mpg. My commute is only 9 miles each way of stop and go traffic and have not tried freeway driving yet. I keep mine on Power mode most of the time.
My previous car was an Avalon so I was getting about 20mpg in town and 28-32mpg on the highway. Now with my Prius, I get an average of 49.6 mpg after 4 1/2 months of highway and in town. I seem to have almost equal amounts of city and highway miles. I love my Prius and wouldn't go back to anything else!
I live in the "high desert" country, and rain is less frequent. I normally average 50 mpg (calculated) without much effort. My G3 is a IV and has 25,000 miles. Today, I am midway through a 2500 cross-country trip. For two days my average fuel efficiency was just obove 50 mpg (calculated)(75 mph, Interstate). Today I drove all day in a drenching rain. My speed averaged about 60 mph or less. My fuel efficiency dropped to 44 mph (calculated). By late afternoon, the sky cleared, the pavement was dry, and my (indicated) fuel efficiency increased from 47 to 54 mpg. Same gas, approximately the same terraine (generally level) and the same traffic, although I did increase my speed back to 75 mph. I am convinced the rolling resistence caused by water on the road is the culprit. I could not help but notice the additional pedal pressure that was required to maintain speed. Which caused me to think about the Volt, Leaf and other EV's. There is no way their range will be 40 miles, 100 miles or whatever, when driving in the rain. I am pretty sure the A/C, the wipers, radio and etc, are all a negligable impact.
Rain is definitely brutal on gas mileage, especially for a Prius. You have all that extra resistance to push through and the rain will work against your engine getting to its optimal operating temperatures.
With over 36,000 on our Prius, I can attest that rain, wet roads, which is the way its is here in the rainbelt northwest about 8 months plus a year, will lower your MPG 5-8 MPG, much more than AC when its 80 degrees alfon
That's great that you're enjoying your new Prius & almost tripling your MPGs. You'll be able to pick up a lot of great info here on how to modify the car & your driving to get even better, if you like. In the last 4 years I've been able to increase my summertime tank average MPG from mid 50's when I got the car to low 70's this summer. Engine block heater, grill blocking, increased tire pressure are simple things to modify on the car. Getting to know your car & learning to use hypermiling strategies more effectively, experimenting with different route strategies, all make it a fun challenge to keep raising your tank avg. Don't get discouraged, weather, vehicle setup, & fuel play a big role in MPG. I learned that the hard way last winter; with a rooftop ski box, E10 winter fuel, snow tires & snow covered roads = low 40's MPG! Welcome & have fun!
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