The top story in the e-mailed e-zine "Wired News" http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,...topstories_html "Hybrid Mileage Comes Up Short" talks mostly about the Honda hybrid and the gap between EPA mileage vs. actual. They quote Consumer Reports as saying the "Toyota Prius averaged 35 mpg". I've never gotten below 46MPG myself!
I just sent the author an email telling him to check this site if he wants accurate information. I informed him that after two months my car is averaging 50 mpg, half of the time with the AC on. Perhaps if more folks email him, he will post some of the responses. Jeff
I also emailed the reporter noting my mpg and stating that I got 45-48 mpg doing 80 mph in cruise control driving xcountry! I get about the same mileage driving here in town. Waiting to get the over 50 mpg - someday I hope.
I did likewise, including my current tank stats which are 390 miles and 59.8 mpg. Hope they get the message that with time, practice, warm weather, and good Prius driving techniques, the epa estimates can be matched or beaten.
That 35mpg from Consumer Reports was for driving in the city, not an overall average, and definitely not for 80mph with cruise control. Your rebuttals will have to be a bit more targetted than that.
Er, you have a Prius, right? City mileage is higher. Going 80 mph is a sure way to LOWER your mpg. In this warm weather, I typically get 45-50 mpg at 70-75 mph on the highway, and 55-70 mpg on regular roads with traffic lights and so forth. Did about 70 mpg just this morning on my way in to work (22 mile trip including 6 highway miles).
I sent Mr. Gartner this reply: <quote> 2004 Prius Currently 1700 miles Lowest tank mpg...44 Highest tank mpg...52 Combination city/highway driving Get your facts straight........ <end quote> Will probably fall on deaf ears.........
I pulled out the May 2004 Consumer Reports. On page 54; first paragraph: "A lot of the Prius's appeal is its 44mpg overall fuel economy..." So I'm thinking this guy made his "facts" fit the story, or maybe was quoting a review of the 2003 or earlier Prius? Anybody have an older CR review?
CR did give the City Mileage in their tests as 35. The highway was around 50 as I recall. The 'combined' was 44.
Nobody seems to have noticed this quote on page 2 of the Wired article so I'll quote it here: "many Prius owners get close to their EPA-rated mileage". The article is not really denigrating Prii but rather the EPA methods. It's really not such a bad article and reflects the experiences of the "average" driver. You have to keep in mind that as a whole the Prius Chat members are not average drivers but are Prius Enthusiasts. The average driver doesn't have the patience (or is intimidated by the drivers behind him) to creep up to speed using EV mode after stopping at a light. In my experience if you try to drive your Prius like a "regular" car in stop and go traffic in the city with the lights a few blocks apart you'll get closer to "regular" mpg and 35 mpg is not far off under those conditions. Where the Prius really shines is in "slow and go" traffic with speeds ranging from 5-40 mph -- under these conditions it's easy to get 99.9 mpg for 10 minutes or so until the battery needs charging and you'll drop back to about 50.
Boloney. I drive my car like a regular car and get ~50 mpg. Much of my driving is on I-25 doing 70 to 80 mph. Much of my driving is in the foothills area around where I live. Just took a 5 hour round trip to Taos (2,000 ft. elevation changes) with 3 people in my car and still got 49 mpg. By the way, here's the response I sent to the writer of that article: Dear Mr. Gartner: I’m asking myself why your information about hybrids deviates so much from my own experience as well as the stated experiences of those who write on the 2004 Prius forums. I was a little disappointed just this afternoon at the gas pump with my 2004 Prius on discovering that I only got 49.2 mpg (408 miles, 8.3 gallons) with this tank. My last fill-up showed 52.0 mpg (484 miles, 9.3 gallons), and the one before that was 51.3 mpg (459 miles, 8.9 gallons). From what I've read on the internet, my mileage is fairly typical. I'm really curious ... What prompted your article. Did a lobbyist from someone in the Big Three give you some selected data then make an offer you couldn't refuse? Why don't you take it upon yourself to rent a 2004 Prius for a month or so and then report back to us. It would be interesting to read about your gas mileage experience after mixed driving of a reasonably broken in Prius, i.e. one with over 1,000 miles on it (I got as low as 41 mpg when my car was new). So, you ask, why does Ken object to a skewed article like this? The answer is simple, it’s important that demand for this car remains high; it’s important that Detroit gets the message. We need Detroit to build good, medium size, reasonably priced cars that get over 50 mpg (like the Prius) and spew out 90% less pollution (like the Prius). You give me an American car that's like a Prius and I'll buy an American car. I want Detroit to succeed, but I also want to see Detroit start acting responsibly. The big three has the capability of building such a car; they’ll do it as soon as they realize that hybrid is the path to the future, if not the stepping stone to the fuel cell car. Sincerely, Ken
I started to read the blog of the guy with the low mileage Civic hybrid, then the link died with a "can't find /" message. The guy must have some problem with the car (even though the dealer said no) or his driving habits are not suited to the car. I rented one in Dulles for 3 days last June and got 49+ mpg, probably 70+ % was highway between Dulles and Alexandria, but the rest was very short, mileage killing, trips on surface streets.
