Hello all, I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong area or if my answer was somewhere in the stickies. I currently drive a 328i and I'm planning on giving that to the wifey since her drive is an excruciating 4 miles (thats actually rounding up) to work. We're planning on possibly purchasing a new Prius - either 3rd gen or V. My current drive is approximately 31.4 miles. 5.3 miles of city and 26.1 miles of highway (210 Highway in CA - 5 miles of which is climbing up a mountain, I am unable to find the grade but I believe its between 5 to 6%). With my current work schedule I am rarely caught in traffic, 3 times last year due to jack-knifed semi, flipped over Lexus and a car chase (Gotta love Los Angeles). My question is... would we be saving if we got a Prius VS a Civic/Camry or like vehicle? Will I even be close to getting anything in the 46 range? My current driving habits have clocked in 23.2 mpg in the 328i. I'm usually driving around 30 mph in city and 70-80 mph on the highway depending on traffic conditions. Thanks in advance.
Yes. - What goes up must come down: the descent helps recover some of the fuel economy lost to the tough grade. - You have a long commute which means mostly with the engine warmed up. - You're in a hot climate so warm up is relatively rapid. - You're in steady traffic so you don't lose as much mileage to A/C.
Thanks for the warm response! Keeping it under 70 sounds a bit hard for someone with a lead foot! Renting one seems like a great idea. Thanks again guys!
Well I have a Prius V and love it. I have owned over 22 vehicles and I love this one best. I have a heavy foot and have been told I am the only Prius driver in Boston who flies past the Mercedes and Lexus in the fast lane . I get mixed averages depending on where I drive to, but even with my fast pace driving I average 41/42mpg... Plus I love my Prius so much I put over 7K miles on it in only 3 months... I just love to drive it. Good luck in your decision.
you'll do better with a prius than a prius v, although the prius v gets as good or better than advertised. are you trading something in, or just adding a new vehicle?
To get the best mpg's with any car, you need to learn how to slow down and enjoy life. Connect your iPod and just chill, don't worry about others that are trying to beat you. Renting to see if the Prius works for you is the best option. Even with my hard driving test I got about 45mpg.
Missed that you were looking at the Prius V, but according to Fuelly you should easily see 41 to 45 mpg's.....
Sometimes a lead foot will lighten quite a bit once the bug for higher mpg catches on. Trust me. Going from over 700rwhp to a Prius and I'm still playing the mpg game after almost 7yrs of Prius ownership.There is little incentive to slow down in most cars since the mpg difference between slow and fast is not staring you in the face. With the mpg readout so visible in the Prius most people tend to adjust their driving habits. Learn how to use gliding techniques and your uphill commute will be no big deal because you recoup much of what you lost coming back downhill. Just paste this graph to your dash.
I sometimes wonder how much better I would have gotten in my Baja using the same techniques as the Prius.... Maybe not as great, but better.... There is a benefit in driving in the right hand lane (aka, the slow lane). Better mpg's of course; but a better peace of mind...
Gen III Liftback owner here. I have a 12 mile (one-way) commute with a 1.5 mile 6% grade climb (and similar descent on the other side) that is about 80% freeway. Non-commute mileage is mostly interstate as well. The worst tank i've had was like 44mpg calculated. I don't try very hard to get good mileage. On the highway I generally drive 75-80mph, depending on conditions. A/C on when it's muggy outside. About the only effort I put into the car is checking tire pressure every week. My wife is a lead foot and the worst she can do is 44mpg indicated by the HSI. edit: my commute commuteprofile by bendertj, on Flickr
I get 42 going 70+ mph in traffic with sticky (non-eco) tires on my Gen 2. 44-46mpg shouldn't be a problem on a stock car.
Just thought I'd give you guys an update. I ended up getting a Prius 3. So far I put around 400ish miles on it. Averaging 44ish to 48ish for my daily drive to work. Was shocked to see my refueling cost was only 36 dollars, usually its 60+! My last trip to work and back from work was around 50 to 54 - good thing about getting to work early is the lack of people on the residential streets, so I could actually just take my time and drive off the electric motor.
Welcome aboard and good luck with your new ride! Like others here, I find that I have adjusted my driving habits to the feedback the car gives me, so my MPGs have been slowly rising as Learn to drive it.
