New Prius Plug in less than impressive

I have to concur w/an earlier post that it sounds like the OP did a lack of or poor research. The OP paying for the advanced model PiP didn't buy him any more fuel economy than the base PiP.

Yep, Model S is $57,400 before tax credits, for a base model w/o options. It doesn't even come w/nav (which his PiP has)! It's part of a $3,750 package on the base model. And yep, Mitch672 is right about the Model S being unavailable now and having to wait.

He should be comparing the Prius of the base PiP to the base model S + $3750 tech package.

 

You successfully stonewalled every single question asked, so we can't help any better, since we don't know more than when you first posted.
You seem to have spent $12,000 on something more than a PiP lists for. Did any of that 'something' advertise better mileage than a base PiP?

We have two separate issues with your range. (three if you count oral promises by marketing as significant)

So far every manufacturer has over estimated their final EPA range.
Chevy said 40 miles for the Volt, EPA said 35.
Nissan said 100 for the Leaf, EPA says 73
Toyota thought they would get 15 miles, EPA said 11
So clearly the vendors are not yet good at predicting EPA all electric range. (these numbers are all on the windows sticker)

More troublesome is why you are getting 8 miles, sadly we know no more about your commute than when we asked for details.

If we look at the EPA highway sticker numbers for your one way commute, it favors the Volt even if you get EPA numbers. (lets assume electricity is free as you are PV at your end, and her employer is paying for it at the other end)

2006 Prius 55 Miles - 0 miles electric / 45 = 1.222 gallons of regular * $4.17 = $5.10 one way commute
2012 Prius 55 - 11 miles electric 44/49 = 0.9 gallons of regular * $4.17 = $3.74 one way commute
2012 Volt 55 - 35 miles electric 20/37 = 0.55 gallons of Premium * $4.31 = $2.33 one way commute

So in theory (using EPA numbers) the Volt is the 'cheaper' car for your commute, as it will be for any commute 'near' 35 miles.

(If your round trip commute had only one opportunity to charge, then the EPA numbers make the PiP slightly cheaper than the Volt)

Your numbers 55 / 61 *4.17 = $3.76 are extremely close to the EPA estimates for your commute.

Without details from you, I cannot think of any more we CAN do for you.

 

The goal was 20 km, not 20 miles. Someone was conveying incorrect information. And that was a goal, not a guarantee.

Again, what were you expecting? With my shorter drive and recharging at both ends, my average as of 762 miles is 112 MPG. So there's a strong interest in making sure people really know & understand the details of what they are purchasing.

 

I'm not going to make much of a contribution to the OPs stated "problem", but here's my anecdote: my wife's PiP arrived about a month ago, and I mostly just do the care and feeding of cars (my miles are powered by pizza). However, we picked this car because it looked to be a good fit for our needs and it is working out smashingly. We're at 110mpg, about half the driving on electrons, and getting wiser about use (and better results) all the time. (Many thanks to the folks posting here, it's great reading material.)

 

Hi All
(Hi Dorn)

We just got our new 2012 Prius Plug-in (Woot! I'm envious)---It's Cool--BUT---It only gets about 8 or 9 miles on battery power,and is showing only 61 miles to the gallon on average. (Many have wondered about this 8 to 9 miles of EV you are seeing, when you reply to this thread, if you could give a "typical" trip your wife takes with the car (speeds, HVAC use, etc) it would help the many, many engineers and PHEV enthusiasts help you determine if a problem exists with your car or with your expectations....or both!)

My wife drives this car to work on a 110 round trip commute (OK, first problem/expectation adjustment, while you will get improved MPG's with the plug-in, a 55 mile, one way commute isn't ideal for the PHEV, still, you will get improved MPG's over a non PIP mostl likely) ( she charges the car both at home and at work (That helps a great deal)----this car is loaded and cost $44,000.00--I am less than impressed. (But is SHE happy, if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy) I drive a 2005 Prius with leather seats and get 49 mpg and the car is paid off and runs as well as it did the day I bought it! (That is good to hear! Myself, I've had my car for 2 years and am averaging over 59 mpg. I hope to have my car for well over a decade....)

Is this a correct average for this car or are we doing something wrong? (I don't know if it is "correct" or not, but likely it is. You mentioned in your second post that your wife got the car for the benefits of the HOV sticker [and I assume that makes her commute more bearable]. Is SHE happy with the car? Is it meeting HER expectations? Do you commute? Is it a shorter commute? Would she be willing to swap cars with you for a week so you could try your hand with the car?

When I go to Fuelly | Share and Compare Your MPG and look at the Plug-In Prius numbers, I'm quite envious. My mileage gets "tanked" on the weekends, when I take a bunch of short (5 miles or less) errand style trips. The PIP wouldn't be ideal for my daily commute (70 miles with questionable ability to plug in at work), it would improve my mileage overall. But, on the weekends, it would be g.l.o.r.i.o.u.s.

Your wife might use the radar cruise control, which most people with the Advanced Tech package love more than anything else. She's got a great car, I hope she is enjoying it.)

Cheers (Prost!)

Dorn ))

While you may "bristle" at some of the replies here, most of the folks on this site are here to help. I think you are looking at it from "your" perspective (you wouldn't have spent ~$44K on a PIP prius had you known what the real world MPG's would be for your application), but this doesn't sound like it is your car, it sounds like it is your wife's daily driver.

Is momma happy? If so then Dorn =

 

Very tough crowd. If you would have bought the volt they really would have hung you out to dry.

 

Unless he needs 3 back seats or cargo room, the Volt would have been MUCH 'better' for his commute. (The Leaf might have been even better, given PV at home and 'free' at work, but perhaps work is free BECAUSE it is only 11 miles of charge, we don't know)

 

It is true that the Volt could be worse than the PiP for that route. However, we have Volt drivers here posting 40+ miles of EV and 50+ MPG on gas, basically if they drive their Volt like most of us drive our Prii.

Like others have said, now that you have the car, see what you can do to make the most of it. For example, you might have a better outcome if you use the PiP for pizza delivery and have your wife rack up the miles on the '05. Well, better outcome for fuel economy, but maybe not your marriage

 

100 mile round trip commute for myself, charge PiP battery at each location. I have learned that in traffic the EV mode and PiP battery regen works great. I ususally get about 15-17 miles out of each charge. With alot of stop and go...there is alot of regen that takes place. At speeds of 45-50 mph and above I turn off EV and utilize HV. I get right around 70 MPG round trip from Inland Empire to Orange County (California) and back.

 

This is a thread about expectations. Yours don't seem to be met.

Yep, the PiP is not a good car for your usage. You will get marginally better mileage. There is no real advantage over past Prius.

You could have bought a v5 Prius and that would have given you Lane Keep Assist and a sunroof and probably about the same MPG.

It doesn't sound like any of your driving would be good for the PiP, unless you stay inside the gated community. Going 55 on rolling hills should use HV not EV.

You paid for a HOV sticker.

Now me, I drive 5.9 miles to work all under 50MPH. I bought this car so I don't have to use any gas at all Mon-Fri. I knew what to expect out of this car when I bought it. I was expecting 11-13 miles on electric. I am getting about 13-14 on average.

The HOV sticker to me is a bonus.

So the New Prius PlugIn to me is more than impressive.

 

If you have a shorter commute, trade your 05 with her 12 PHV for a week. See how both do.

 

You are not alone. A lot of people would be better off with a traditional Prius MPG and price wise, but they buy the Plug in for the sticker which is perfectly understandable. That sticker is tangible for a lot of people who need to commute on freeways.

But just because your expectations are not met (which we don't know what they were) it is not really fair to say this is not an Impressive car.

Yes, that is your opinion, but you should understand, your opinion is going to insult the people here who are impressed by the car. That will lead to some negative responses to your post.

I can't convince you to be impressed by the car, and you can't convince me to be less impressed.

In the end, this thread if futile, but it was nice chatting with you

 

Possible solutions:
1. put the HOV sticker and PluginPrius badges on the '05
2. trade in the PiP for a LEAF (assuming she can charge at work, that would have been the car to buy, would it not? Cheaper to buy and operate, completely tailpipe free, etc.)

Hopefully some of your electrons are coming from the nearby wind power. Or put up a chispito of your own--my grandparents have lived in (old, downtown) Rio Vista for 75 years, and you can almost always count on wind in that area. And quiet, except when the bridge opens.

Again, an anecdote, but my wife's PiP is now at 118 mpg and headed north: for some it is exactly the right tool, & more than simply impressive. More like a complete game-changer. (This from someone who basically detests cars and wanted to dislike the PiP.)

 

I will sell my PIP Advanced immediately if I can get a Tesla S out the door at $49k, in fact, I would be in line now!

 

Thank you for posting more information.

 

TERRIBLE idea. The HOV stickers are tied to the car and its VIN.

The 05 Prius is no longer eligible for any HOV stickers. The yellow CA HOV stickers expired last year. The yellow ones came a card w/the make and VIN of the car they're tied to that you're supposed to present to a "peace officer" upon demand. I'd imagine the green ones (for the PiP) are exactly the same way.

Besides there being (intentionally) visible marks thru the stickers if removed, someone who tries this and uses the HOV lanes solo will get pulled over and get slapped w/a HOV lane violation ticket. (A minimum fine of $381 per Caltrans High Occupancy Vehicle Systems Home.) If one's going to do that, may as well not bother screwing w/the stickers and just cheat in the carpool lane anyway. The penalty's the same... or possibly even worse w/the sticker games due to the unauthorized transfer.