Trying to maximize highway mpg

Highway going about 78mph gets about 41mpg... I drive mostly highway but it is hard to find a good non hybrid car that get good highway mpg but they get worst city.... I average about 42mpg on a tank when driving 90% highway.

 

25k miles per year is a pretty good argument for hybrid.
Something like a Cruze or the small FORD could be competitive if highway MPG is sole factor.
The interesting question would be who does best at 75 MPH I don't think EPA ratings give us that very well.

 

Depends on HWY speeds. At 65 mph I get right at 50 mpgs. At 60 mph I get 55 mpgs. At 55 mph I get over 60 mpgs. This will be lower in the winter, but it will be lower for any other car as well. However, that being said, if you want to drive faster on the highway, you should look at the full-size Prius as it has a better HWY mpg.

Note: I drive 24k miles/ year.

I'm guessing you meant MPH not MPG... it's rare the car that does well at 75 MPG.

 

Yes fixed thank you...the "edit" function is not working well again so I have to be on Mozilla to edit.

 

If you're looking at strictly highway miles I would steer clear from the Prius C. I'd suggest a look at the Hatchback, but that's just my opinion.

As far as pulling out the hybrid components, that'd be impossible as the engine needs the hybrid components to run (Atkinson cycle engines are very fuel efficient but lack the power to run themselves at lower RPM's/speeds which is why it's not used except in hybrid cars and also some turbo driven engines too* I believe). You'd render your car useless if you went that route.

As far as a car being bigger/roomier I didn't feel like this was the case with the Cruze. I'm 6'3" and it's critical for me.. I test drove all of the similar sized cars (granted I did NOT drive a full size Prius hatchback, as I was looking for a smaller car for city/college use). The C doesn't have a center console that connects up to the dash like the hatchback does, that missing column inside adds a lot of valuable room (to me anyway). I'm sort of comparing apples to oranges here but when I looked at/drove the Cruze, Sonic, Jetta, CRZ, and Prius C (when I was looking to get out of my full size GMC Yukon) room was very noticeable and in the C there is plenty of it to go around.

How fast do you go on the highway? It's somewhat important as the higher you go, the faster your efficiency will tank (in any car).. If you go 60MPH, your MPG's will net a lot higher than driving at 80MPH.

In fact, a super tiny compact car (FourTwo comes to mind) or even the "larger" subcompact cars like the Prius C don't sound like the ideal cruising car for highway use (think driving with semi's and other drivers who cannot help but text/<enter variety of dumb things here> while driving, using their peripheral vision to "see" around them.. idiots..) a somewhat larger car would be more ideal-ish in that sort of scenario (to me anyway).

I've got very limited highway seat time in my C but I have driven it around 80. It'll get up to speed without issue and cruise there comfortably. 43MPG's over the course of 95 miles one-way if I remember correctly. Plan passing cars ahead of time though, 99HP doesn't lend itself well to throwing you back in your seat.

Also, I'm in Florida. Our largest version of a hill or steep climb amounts to the Skyway Bridge. It's flat here so I cannot comment on hill climbing power but I have heard/read that the Prius C leaves something to be desired when driving up hilly areas.

(YMMV, please feel free to correct any mistakes I've made).
*I feel like I've read somewhere that with modern technology that's since gone by the wayside so take this with a grain of salt. I had heard this from a mechanic buddy of mine (I'm not an engine guy at ALL) and did a little research on the subject. At the very least it had troubles back in the 1800's when it was first invented as far as my research has pointed me.
HowStuffWorks &quot;How an Atkinson Cycle Engine Works&quot;

 

You shouldn't have any issue holding 70. Cruise will do it for you.

 

A hybrid does better on the highway even if its hybrid components are inactive while cruising. Having the electric assist means you can get away with having a smaller gas engine. Instead of an oversized (for the highway) 2.0L, you can have a 1.5L while keeping the acceleration of the 2.0L engine. Of course, displacement isn't everything, and the engine on the Prius is a very efficient Atkinson-cycle engine as Steve mentioned.

 

As a proud Prius C owner (about five months now) I wouldn't have any other car for the driving I do 97% of the time. But I'm just gonna say this: get the diesel. I've owned an 84 Rabbit Diesel, 97 Passat TDI, 2011 Golf TDI and a 2011 Jetta TDI. On the open road at highway speeds they pull strong on inclines and cruise effortlessly. More importantly, they accelerate around slower traffic or changes in speed easily, without having to stress or concentrate on regaining speed. And in real world, high speed, highway driving, I've gotten better highway mileage in them than I've gotten in my C. But don't take my word for it - go on some test drives on the highway in both. See which one feels the best and then check the trip computer's MPG.

 

What made you go from a TDI to the Prius C? Just curious.

 

The minute I test drove it I just fell in love. I love the light, nimble feel - reminds me of my 87 Honda Civic base model. I also love the way it glides along in traffic - the quaalude of the car world. It only took a few insanely high MPG trips to rope me in and from then on it's been one of the most engaging driving experiences ever because I find myself trying to outdo my best.

I miss the torque and pull of the diesels as well as the strong feeling on the highway. But I don't miss sitting in traffic watching my awesome highway mileage steadily drop and paying a premium for diesel fuel.

Sounds like my next car will be a diesel hybrid.

 

I do not recommend any of these.

You can improve aerodynamics by removing your right mirror
You can save weight by removing the spare and jack, and getting a AAA card.
You can improve aerodynamics by buying thinner tires.

 

A gallon of diesel is not only more expensive, it's also more fuel than a gallon of gasoline. It's denser, and has 11% more energy per gallon.

According to FuelEconomy.gov, the diesel with the best highway rating is the Cruze, with 46 mpg. That's equivalent to 41 mpg of gasoline. The best VW diesel gets 42 mpg (37 mpge). Neither of these beats either the Prius or the Prius C (48 or 46 mpg, respectively).

This discussion would be more intuitive if we bought fuel by the lb or kg.

 

Even with a 2002 Prius with 180k on it I will get 62 mpg with the cruise set at 55. With the cruise set at 60, I will consistently get mid 50's. At 70 mph things change and I am good for only 45 mpg.

 

if you can stick to 70 and under you will get over 50mpg in the Prius C or Prius hatchback for that matter.

 

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Mathew: I say go for it !!! I just bought ne on Sunday and I drive like you many miles per year. I just pumped my first time and guess how much it came out to be after driving my first 460 miles? it was $27.54. Last month I sold my SUV where I was pumping $60 every four days. Now figure out how happy I am. !!!!

The only thing, do yourself a favor, get it with cruise control. !!!

 

For mostly freeway driving, I would recommend the regular prius. It's got more power, gets better mpg on the freeway and overall more cabin space.