New Prius - only 39mpg?

you need to finish the dealer tank and start one of you own. read the mpg threads to make sure everything is covered like tire pressure, oil level, etc. then see what you get on a fresh tank.

 

Don't worry, be happy.

Drive it normally, don't try anything fancy until you have a proper feel of the car, say after 5 gas tanks.

Just think - this is the *worse* mileage you'll get. It only gets better.

 

+1

Your mileage will go up as the vehicle breaks in. The Prius takes a little time to retrain each driver.

 

Check your tire pressure. They often come low (30-32) from the dealer. Pump it up to at least 38psi.

 

And if you do, you'll want to reset your TPMS sensor to zero it again.

 

If stops are at the bottom of hills the MPG is going to reflect that terrain. The best way to know if the Prius is doing as well as one should expect is too compare it to another car. If OP used to get 80% of EPA is his prior car, he should expect 80% of Prius EPA.

 

Agreed with both of the above along w/break in of the car and the tires.

If you have some expectations based upon EPA estimates, please read http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...uth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates.html. You can see what CR got at Most fuel-efficient cars.

 

Hills are mpg killers for both my Prius and my Insight. You do get to coast down the hill and recover some of the energy, but the laws of physics demand there will be losses. There ain't no free lunch. Bottom line: if there are a lot of hills in your commute, you're not likely to see 50mpg.

 

If you're driving around town a lot the greatest benefit will come from leaving a good buffer and using anticipation to avoid stops and braking. If you can do that you'll be able to glide and use low EV to get some great mileage.

How far are you going on each in-town trip? Short journeys hurt mileage because the car can't warm up fast enough. In your mild climate you will get faster warm-up but it still takes some time.

If you're coming down from the hills, the good news is that you'll be going easy during warm-up and should be able to get some monster mpgs that direction. The only problem is that you're descending during warm-up. The mileage hit form A/C and heat is worst when you're warming up so you should really try to keep them off during your descent. Use those slopes to glide as much as possible.

Unfortunately the return leg will be working your car very hard on the way back up, and if you're hitting the hills while the car is still warming up your mileage will suffer even more. If you're having to use assist a lot you simply aren't going to get good mileage. Try as hard as possible to keep it in the ECO zone and use DWL* anywhere you can: allow some loss of speed on uphill sections and regain it on the downhill. If it's all uphill lose some speed on the steeper sections and regain it on the flatter sections.

 

Others have offered good advise above. 50 plus mpg is reasonable, and achievable, when all the parameters are "aligned." I routinely get over 50 mpg. Tire pressure is important; as is atmospheric temperature, the absence of standing water on the road, and wind direction, .....all important. Driving up hill reduces the fuel efficiency of any car, as it does with the Prius as well. Normally, coasting down-hill helps, but if the hill occurs right at your home, the ICE may still be in the warm-up mode, so fuel efficiency will be impacted.

I have driven in LA, and if that is most of your driving, it will be difficult to achieve 50 mpg. Traffic is too fast; the constant cutting and dodging does not lend itself to steady driving habits. Other drivers will not tolerate gliding to a stop light and etc. Neither will they tolerate a steady speed on the freeway, where several car-lengths open in front of you as you try to maintain a steady, even speed.

If you are able to find a fairly level stretch of dry roadway where you can drive for a number of miles at 35-45 mph, you will see your mileage climb well over 50 mpg. With more experience you will be able to find the "sweet spot" where a fully charged battery can maintain speed and the ICE will not be running.

Personally, I like the HSI display .... try to maintain speed with the ECO light lit, and the sliding horizontal "scale" to the left of center (hard to do in heavy traffic). Try to avoid the red "power" indicator on the far right.

Good luck. Write back later and;let us know how you have done.

 

Just to throw something else in: pretend your brakes are shot. Just another way to say drive anticipating slowdowns, but still, a simple exercise to practice it

 

Sounds very normal.

I live in very hilly area -at the beginning a got 35 MPG, my best is 47 MPG and my average after approx. 13K miles is 40 MPH.

After the first two tanks you should see an improvement as well as warmer weather.

 

Congrats with your new Prius and welcome to PriusChat. I'm thinking your MPG should be a bit higher, but maybe I underestimate the hill grades you use. It might be possible that you're doing the P&G thing inefficiently; just a thought Check out some of the threads about P&G.

Have fun with your new car. For sure, the MPGs will come.

 

Very true. Any attempt at steady driving and following at a safe distance is quickly foiled by the lane cutters. Any "opening" more than a few car lengths wide is taken as the opportunity to quickly speed up to 80 mph.

 

An I.T. contractor friend of mine from LA used to always say that the use of turn signals in LA was a sign of weakness.

 

This. I reached 39mpg near the end of the dealer tank. Its not really accurate. Reset the trip on next fill-up and watch it hit 50+.

 

I noticed when I got my Prius the dealer doesn't top off the tank...about 1-1.5 gallons short of full. My first tank was in the 39mpg range but next fill I was over 60+mpg. I log mine every fill it in all my cars. Log books are a good idea I got from my autoshop teacher back 20+ years ago in high school. It will tell you when things are going wrong before they break down.

 

In some cultures, lane change signals are meant to be used only after the fact as a victory celebration.

 

...and Murphey's Law will dictate that anytime you build up some momentum from coasting down a downhill grade to help combat an upcoming hill, you will have to stop at a light at the bottom of the hill...it never fails!

Everyone has given good advice/information. I only got my Prius in January of this year, so I'm still sort of a n00b. However, there is a slight learning curve to driving this car. It takes awhile to unlearn all of the bad habits you learned through years of driving "regular" cars. I think it should be required that all new drivers drive a hybrid when first learning to drive. That will help establish good/efficient driving habits regardless of the type of vehicle you choose to drive long-term.

Hang in there...it only gets better. Your fuel mileage can't help but go up by the following:
1) Becoming more accustomed to your car
2) Warmer weather
3) Proper tire pressures (38 - 42 depending on the state of your kidneys)
4) Summer mix fuel (although I'm not sure if CA ever goes to a winter mix)
5) Patience...just keep driving and learning. It'll come.