Just purchased a 2011 Prius II two days ago, been driving around getting used to the car and breaking it in. Love it so far, just hit 57.4 mpg!!! (on the computer readout anyway) Not too shabby for driving in the western foothills of Maine! Been experimenting with the EV mode some, I only wish I could get above 10-11 mph in EV mode. Any tips on this?
Great numbers, welcome aboard! Forgetta bout EV. Only use it for backing out of garage/moving really short distances. It will hurt your mileage more than help.
Welcome--from one Maineiac to another.:tea: You'll find as it get's warmer here, your economy will improve nicely.
Welcome to Chat. I got my 2011, III in late December. I'm new to the Prius and I've discovered, as many have, is it's more than simply transportation. It's a wonderful car with advanced technology that has really impressed me. Driving in the winter has cut mileage, but the other day the temps reached 61F in SE Pennsylvania, and I got 62 MPG! I couldn't believe it. I stop for gas every other week, and fill it with 6 gals! Enjoy the ride!
Welcome to PriusChat to yet another Mainer. (I'm actually a PFA married to a Mainer.) Don't try to drive in EV mode (at least for now). It's mainly for avoiding an unnecessary warm-up cycle when moving the car a short distance. If it's dropping out at 10-11 mph it's because it's cold*. The car has limits on power and speed in EV mode. It's 10mph during warm-up and 25mph once fully warmed up. What matters more is that once it's warmed up enough to allow you to EV at 10mph the engine can shut down when not needed which helps reduce gas consumption. The winter limitation is that with heat on it will keep running the engine until the car is fully warmed up which can take quite a long time, so if you can stand to turn off the heat when stopped at a light you'll improve mileage. When spring comes (anywhere between March and May ) you'll find that the car will warm up faster and you'll get consistently better mileage. * Although mild for this time of year.
I love driving in EV mode. I pretend I'm stalking pedestrians in my stealth killing machine. And then I remember she has a noise maker.
Thanks for the replies everyone, I can se how the fuel economy would improve with warmer days, It only makes sense the ICE would need to run more to keep the cab warm. "She shud do betta shotley afta mud season....ayahh." lol. I do have another question, will an automatic car wash affect anything? I mean the manual warns about the Hybrid battery getting wet, but I am sure Toyota engineers made sure the battery is watertight from underneath. The reason I ask is because the local car wash has a high pressure spray as you drive in that cleans the undercarriage, that works great to remove that nasty brake line eating calcium stuff they use on the roads nowadays. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.
I have to agree dr. rock, temps here in Maine reached the mid 50's recently, and hit 59 mpg with the Prius, I am really impressed with this car.
