Hi Everyone! I just purchased a 2008 toyota prius on 1/3/11. It has 89,200 miles on it. The car had a quarter tank of gas in it, and that finished within 2 days. I don't drive that much around just 85 miles total those two days. I was wondering if this is normal? because I am not used to gas finishing so quickly on a car, And I expected better from a hybrid. I would really like to know what your thoughts are on this, and any suggestions you might have. Also, it makes this weird noise when i step on the breaks and turn it off.
welcome from a fellow newbie ! Sounds normal to me - the fuel gauge is not linear - eg.. the blocks will go at different rates. With the last two blocks, the range is about what you've experience, remember mine is UK spec - so no bladder ( search for this ). Plenty of info on here. Have a read. Welcome ! and ask any questions you like I'm loving this car !
What is your indicated MPG? The actual is a bit lower than indicated on most, but not off by that much. I would try a full tank, and then calculate your mileage to get a better fix on it. Also, if it is cold where you are, and you are just driving short distances here and there, fuel mileage will be adversely affected. As puckdrop suggests, have a look around for other suggestions and observations. Welcome!
To give you an idea, here in the UK, in my third week of ownership, temperatures between 0 and 12 Celcius, I'm getting about 500 miles from 43 litres of fuel ( the tank is 45L and no bladder in the UK ). That's fairly gently driving but nothing excessive into "economy" or "performance" camps ! My first full fill-up took 44L, so I was pushing it a bit.. I filled up shortly after the car said "add fuel now!!!!! " In my previous car ( a diesel ), i was used to getting another 40 miles or so when the warning light came on.. obviously cars differ !! And yes, the car does make various noises when and shortly after you turn it off.
As others have said, the gas gauge is iffy at best - some refer to it as the guess gauge. Fill the tank all the way and open the consumption screen on the MFD and keep it on while driving (that's what the screen is called on my 2009 at least). It is the screen that graphs your mileage for each 5 minute period, but it also shows mpg and total miles at the bottom of the screen. Be sure to hit the reset button to zero out both and then just keep an eye on miles driven, mpg and how it affects your gauge and you will have a feel for it after a tank or two of gas.
:welcome:the brake noise is normal, ignore it. read the owners manual, it's a wealth of information. all the best!
Sorry inshari, there's way too much uncertainly in the data to make any meaningful calculation of the fuel consumption. That data indicates that you're getting somewhere between 19 and 190 MPG. When you fill the tank and start logging miles and gallons over several tanks then you'll be able to start reducing the error bounds on that calculation.
Yep mine does. When the last fuel pip starts blinking there's an audible beep and the message "add fuel now" briefly flashes up on the MFD. Also, if you stop the car after this point then when you restart it also flashes that message briefly just as it makes "ready".
In a nutshell you can expect to get between 300 and 550 miles on a full tank. It all depends on your average mpg for that tank, how low you run it down, and how much you were able to fit into the flexible fuel tank on that last fill up (the tank is more flexible and can hold more in warm weather vs. freezing temps). Like stated above, if you are making short trips in freezing temps then your mpg will suffer and you may only get 300-350miles on a tank before the low fuel light comes on. Remember that most GenII owners rarely pump more than 8-9ga into the tank. It's the stupid flexible bladder that keeps you from being able to use the full 11.9ga rating of the fuel tank. Thankfully the newer models don't have it nor do the non-US cars.
