My 2011 is getting worse mpg than my 2009

Just because the car is new doesn't mean the battery cannot be bad. All it takes is for the dealer to have left the lights on a few times and your battery could be bad. Just check the voltage after its been sitting for a few hours before you automatically dismiss the idea. It never hurts to be thorough.

 

There is a "Maintenance Mode" available through the NAV screen where you can check the 12v voltage and change a lot of other stuff:

Maintenance Mode
Gen 3 Prius

Hold Info button down while flipping headlights on/off 3 times

ECO mode changes the throttle response. Flipping between ECO & PWR will demonstrate the difference. ECO also affects the AC.

From my own experience this week (partly inspired by this thread) I've been running the same route with & without the AC. I'm finding that I can get the tank average up a bit (.1 or .2mpg) with the AC on low-recirculate & set to 77-79F with the OAT in the 80's & 90's F so not running the AC doesn't really help.

IMO the trip to the dealer is going to be a waste of time for everyone. If they find your tp is over spec then your tires will be deflated. They won't find any codes & will tell you the car is operating within spec.

There are a couple of videos demonstrating how to drive the Gen3 efficiently. I don't have copies or links but hopefully they aren't too hard to find.

 

Check the pump where you get gas and see how much ethanol is being added to it. 10% ethanol will lower your MPG by a few points.

 

Easiest test would be to swap cars with your hubby, use trip B and compare.

If you drive exactly the same and get better then there is something amiss.

I am going to bet on oil.

 

Check your air filter and make sure it was installed correctly and no plastc wrap is around the carbon filter in the top housing. Have the dealer install 0W20 Mobil one oil. 44 PSI. Roll the windows down after doing that and drive it a week. Be sure to reset all the trip odometers as it is a bear in the 2011 to clear everything out and get the correct display up on the dash that shows average MPG.

Mine is the sand color what is yours?

PS/I got great MPG from the dealer with underinflated tires to the point they were unsafe at 70MPH.

 

Something is definitely wrong - my 2010 II Prius has not gotten less than 60 mpg since April when it warmed up here. It should be coasting along with very little throttle at 43 mph.

 

I am in a similar situation. I have a 2011 Four with 2000 miles and am averaging 45 miles, mostly with speeds under 40. I did have one interstate trip and still averaged about the same. The most I have gotten is 48 and the least is 42. I live in Fla with temps in the 90's and am hoping this is the problem and milage will get better when it gets cooler.
I drive in Eco and am very careful to watch the indicators to keep it close to the Eco line but still can't hit 50.

 

I would follow all the suggestions given here, but do not let the engine "warm up". just drive it as soon as you start it. I think that plus the short trips is doing it. Try to pulse it with the mfd near the top without loosing the ECO mode then coast with a small amount of battery help especially on down hills slopes . If you are going along and you shift to neutral does the car seem to almost speed up a bit and coast for a good distance. That would check for wheel alignment problems. Something is not right. the car is capable of 55 mg easy and 65 with some hypermiling. A/C really drops the mpg a bit so try using the windows .

 

I am using whatever mode the factory set! I did not mess with the buttons to select any driving mode.

 

Something definitely sounds strange. I just got my 2011 Prius Two yesterday and have driven 300 miles and am easily getting 50mpg, with some spots of 60mpg both in city and highway.

I noticed that stop and start traffic is pretty killer though and during those periods I am around 40-43mpg depending on effort on my part.

I have never had a Prius or other hybrid before though so it might be driving technique to some degree. I traded in a V6 pickup truck and coming from a 15mpg vehicle, I probably would have been pleased as punch with your 40mpg, let alone the actual tag of 50mpg (clocked 56.9mpg during my 130 mile coast trip).

 

I'm right with you Ben. As soon as it hit 90° here in Orlando my 2010 Prius III w/5000k mi. on it went from 48mpg local to 41mpg. The computer reads about a constant 1.8 mpg higher than actual consumption. Back in Dec. when I bought it I was getting 50 mpg local.

Ed

 

Little Susie Homemaker: Did you ever get this resolved? Please contact me here or PM me. I'm in San Diego, too, and am having the same problem. I would like to know what you've done - what's worked, what's not worked, etc.

Thanks in advance for the help and feedback! -FRC

 

I wonder how much variance there is between different cars. It seems to me that many of us get a wide range of MPG. I would like to know what happened if you traded cars with your husband & saw what happened with the MPG.

As far as those of you that worry about A/C use, I just use it to be comfortable. Life is too short to worry about a few MPG compared to being cool.

 

Little Susie Homemaker/SanDiego(07/08/2011): * The 3rd gen is a heavier and has a bigger engine than a 2nd gen - so it is easier to guzzle gas on a 3rd gen than on a 2nd gen - however, because it is using very similar technologies - all the hypermiling fuel efficiency driving tricks translate to the 3rd generation. ** The most important fuel efficiency driving trick is use low rolling resistant tires and to set the tires at maximum sidewall pressure to reduce road surface friction and increase the distance the Prius can travel via stored kinetic energy(momentum). ** The second hypermiling trick that is more important on a 3rd gen than a 2nd gen is the "Driving With Load" (DWL) technique which essentially requires accelerations be synchronized with downhills grades when at all possible and accelerations be minimized/avoided on the uphill grades. ** Unlike the 2nd gen, the 3rd gen does not have a coolant heat storage (CHS) system to improve its thermally efficiency when short trips are done sequentially within a short time frame - instead a 3rd gen tries to use the heat generated by the ICE more efficiently but it pays a higher initialy warmup penalty than the 2nd gen to heat up the catalytic converter - thus a 3rd gen is better off not idling/warming up and a 3rd gen can takes a longer distance/time to reach its most FE state than the 2nd gen design. ** The 3rd gen has a bigger interior than the 2nd gen, so your climate control(AC) setting has a higher energy impact than the 2nd gen - set your cabin cooling(AC) temperature to 80 F and make sure you are using recirculate air (optional) instead of the fresh air option(default). You might also consider getting additional tinting for your 3rd gen windows if this option is possible in your jurisdiction.*** The 3rd gen has a bigger HV battery than the 2nd gen, and, in stop and go traffic, under 20 mph, the 3rd gen tends to uses the electric motor more aggressively. When stop-n-go congested traffic last longer than 10 minutes, the 3rd gen batteries can get depleted and then the ICE will turn on automatically to recharge the HV batteries and cause fuel efficiency to drop 5 mpg or more (the impact of recharging the batteries on a 3rd gen is greater than a 2nd gen because the 3rd gen has a bigger HV battery). Its really important not to get into a positions where the 3rd gen has to recharge the HV battery; so in stop-n-go congested traffic that is likely to last longer than 7 minutes it is more fuel efficient to rely on the ICE by using very short burst of accelerations on the 3rd gen ( just over the middle point on the HSI, slighly pass eco bar) to trigger the ICE mode to get the 3rd gen moving and then try to coast/glide the rest of the way. The new 2012 Prius C will sport a smaller HV battery so its recharge penalty should be less **

hope this helps

Walter Lee
mileage log "Hyper Drive 1" @ cleanmpg.com
2010 Toyota Prius III, Blue Ribbon/Dark Grey, oem floormats
Yokohama Avid S33D ( 50 psi front, 48 psi rear)
100% grill blocking
ScangaugeII (fwt, soc, gph, rpm)
odeometer 19200 miles, overall 60mpg, avg 18 mph
(mainly congested urban/suburban stop n go traffic 0mph to 35 mph)
last tank 58 mpg
best tank 70 mpg
worst tank 53 mpg
first tank 55 mpg

 

Here are a couple things that seem to have a greater impact than I realized until sorted out.

Tire Pressures (Yokohama Avids) from the recommended 35/33 to 44/42 helped me gain about 2-3mpg if not more

Another thing I have never experienced is that mileage went down after my first oil change and had read that an overfilled oil pan can contribute to that so I had the dealer re-inspect and drop the level down to midway between the marks on the dipstick which gave me at least 2-3mpg back. Weird but definitely had an impact

Also, what many have stated about learning and mastering the pulse and glide techniques is true. When I am able to put those to use, they are good for another 5mpg.

All in all I seem to get 55mpg average in the summer and 52mpg here in the winter in Los Angeles. My worst has been 47mpg on a tank here in the winter when the oil had been overfilled and dealership had also rotated and subsequently lowered my tire psi to "recommended" values. I was immediately stuck at 47mpg during that first tank driving the same routes I always do. Then when I bumped up the pressures to 44/42 and had them remove the excess oil I shot right back up to 51-52mpg.

check your oil level and tire pressures and see if those are the culprits

best of luck!

 

I will speak to the "break-in period". I have a 2011, bought in Nov. of last year and currently have 2300 miles on it and have noticed no issues with mileage other than the normal Winter/temp. issues that we all see during this time of year. It takes a while to get the knack of pulse/glide but you should be getting better mileage than that, especially in So. Cal. Something is wrong and I don't think it's tire pressure.

 

i just purchased a 2011 feb 6 2011 prius III (150 mi.) i'am getting city 52-54 mpg. you have to clear your trip out. start with a new sheet . drive eco mode. you cant have your foot on the gas pushing it and running up to red lights and quick stops then excelerating fast. gradualy get your speed up without getting run over and decelerate a little keep speed limit and pro ject ahead for red lights give breathing room and dont rush red lights.try in different modes see what mileage you get best.

 

i just purchased a 2011 feb 6 2011 prius III (150 mi.) i'am getting city 52-54 mpg. you have to clear your trip out. start with a new sheet . drive eco mode. you cant have your foot on the gas pushing it and running up to red lights and quick stops then excelerating fast. gradualy get your speed up without getting run over and decelerate a little keep speed limit and pro ject ahead for red lights give breathing room and dont rush red lights.try in different modes see what mileage you get best.