Prius ranks at top of Consumer Reports survey

But wait, I thought the CR1632 battery in the keyfob is covered under 8yr/100k

 

The vast majority of Prius owners DO NOT get 50 mpg overall. People like to say that because it sounds good, and it's a nice round number, but the truth is that most Prii get around 44-47 mpg overall. I've averaged about 45 mpg overall, which is great, but my wife's 2012 Mazda 3 gets 37-38 overall, and has gotten 47 on a trip. In order to get 50 mpg overall you need the perfect storm of conditions ... Warm but not hot Temperatures, moderate average speeds, flat terrain, limited stops, and a limited few LRR tires. I'm not talking about a tank here or there of 50 mpg overall, I'm talking about 50 mpg over 20-25,000 miles overall. Very few average non-hypermiling drivers get anywhere near 50 overall without trying REALLY hard. My winter mileage here in cold, rainy and snowy eastern PA with snow tires is in the very low 40's, and changing the tires from the original 33Ds to the Conti ProContacts with Ecoplus yielded an immediate 3-4 mpg hit overall ... From about 47 overall to 44 overall.

If I'm in the 37-38 range with a Mazda 3 .... Who needs to spend $7k+ more on a Prius that gets a mere 7 mpg more ?

REV

 

The report is great to hear!

DBCassidy

 

You have done fantastic with the Mazda; better than most. According to Fuelly, the average for the Prius is 48MPG, and the average for the Mazda 3 is 31MPG. That's just 2/3rds the efficiency of the Prius.

Your point remains though, the Mazda 3 can make much more sense for drivers that have efficient driving habits and don't need the extra space.

People with inefficient driving habits will find that the Prius gets closer to EPA figures than non-hybrids. With efficient habits, the opposite will be true.

 

The Mazda numbers are skewed lower for 2 reasons ... First ... The 2.5 liter engine is included in the stats because it's also a 4, and second ... There's no breakout for the Skyactiv engines. If you look at individual cars you'll quickly notice that there's a whole crop of 25/26 mpg cars ... Which are the older (non-Skyactiv) 2.0's and the 2.5's, and then there are a bunch around 35 mpg, which are the Skyactivs. That's how the average gets to be around 31.

There's a 10 mpg difference in the exact same car Skyactiv vs non-Skyactiv.

I wouldn't have bought the old one.

You have a point though .... When I first got the Prius, I was around the 48 mark, but after the first tire change .... It went to 44-45, and in winter it takes a big hit, for understandable reasons. Ironically enough, in my wife's commute ... Winter hasn't really affected the 3 at all. It's still in the low to mid 37's, due to her commute being about 30 miles ... Half highway, 1/4 rural, and 1/4 city. Not only that .... It's an absolute blast to drive, and has really nice materials inside .... Unlike the Prius's hard plastic and noisy interior.

I'm trying to work a trade right now on a 2013 3 hatchback touring with sunroof and Bose system. It's $19k after rebates and discounts ... Down from $23k and change, but they're lowball ing my Prius at $11,400, and I won't take that .... I'll just keep it. I told them to call me on the 1st of the year when they need those last sales for 2013 .... Exactly like I did with the first 3. We bought it at 9oclock Jan 2,2013. It was their last sale for fiscal year 2012.

REV

 

Aren't all new Mazda 3s using the Skyactiv engines? I was under the impression that it was standard since about 2012. Anyhow, the Mazda 3 was at the top of the list for my next car, but I can't sleep in the back, and Skyactiv wasn't available until 2012 or thereabouts. I like to buy my vehicles at least 4 years old, so that rules them out.

The Jetta TDI wagon was on the list too, but VWs lack of reliability steered me away... and that is how I arrived at the decision to buy a Prius.

 

In 2012 there was both in the 2.0, none in the 2.5. I think in 2013 they may all be skyactiv, even the 2.5's.

They are spectacular cars. When i got 47 mpg on the trip, i actually got back out of the car to try to put more fuel in. I thought it must have clicked off early, but it didnt take anymore, so it really WAS 47.1 mpg.

I was quite happy with that.

REV

 

There's plenty of "self acknowledgment" in owners of Prius so any results have to be taken with a bit of salt. However, considering how long the Prius is out there's no question that Toyota has gotten the hybrid formula better than any other car maker. I'd rank my 4 month ownership as "highly satisfied".

I think folks that don't want another hybrid were lulled into thinking that they'd have a car they could drive "normally" and still get 50mpg and a hybrid just isn't like that. I can knock 10mpg off my normal mileage easily by just switching to Power mode and ignoring the hybrid gauge. But I get a kick out of getting the best mileage I can (just short of hypermiling) so I'm enjoying the experience.

This self-bias turns up in a lot of Consumer Reports reviews so I always watch out for it.

 

Yep,

After 5 years running, I would go out and buy another Prius.

DBCassidy

 

Consumer Reports are boneheads when it comes to reporting MPGs for Prius liftback...

Years ago (2009), they tested Prius liftback and came up with the stupid '44 mpg overall' figure which they have stuck with for 4 1/2 years now....

Great, everyone around the country gets to see, in shining lights .... oh, the Prius only gets 44 MPG, not so close to its 50 MPG EPA rating.

Millions of logged miles on Fuelly - Track and Compare Your MPG show 2010+ Prius liftback gets over 47 to 48 MPGs averaged out. My lifetime is over 51, easily accomplished.

So, thanks for the best value listing, but no thanks to Consumer Reports for their inaccurate, (35 city, 50 something highway, 44 overall mpg) 'rating' for Prius liftback. Boooooooooohhhhh

2010+ Prius has logged over 20 million miles on

Toyota Prius MPG Reports | Fuelly for 47.3 to 48.3 mpg average.

Mazda 3 4 cyl is doing 31.2 to 32.3 mpg over 5 million miles Mazda 3 MPG Reports | Fuelly

(ok, Mazda 3 has 2.0 , 2.5 L .. who could tell what one really gets)

AND as said before, Prius Two is only $2,770 more than a Mazda 3i Touring 5 door automatic. Totally invalid to compare Prius Two to a base model Mazda 3 with trunk which might be $7k less, idk and don't care....

and Prius actually has a usable back seat unlike the zero legroom leftover after scooting Mazda 3 front seats back.

 

The difference between my 2012 M3 @ a discounted 17k and the discounted prius at 24k is 7k.

The 5 door M3 is about $1500 more than the sedan and if you take away the roof and bose you save another $1800. Your numbers don't take into account real wold pricing or real world mileage.

My overall average is about 37 vs 45 mpg, so my post works for me.

I know what I paid and what I get mpg wise.

Not only that the M3 is about 3 times quieter inside, has far better materials, and is much more fun to drive.

REV

 

Comparing the Corolla and Prius is yesterday vs. todays' technology. HSD is the heart of the Prius, Corolla does not have.

Corolla, IIRC, has sold only 30 million since inception. Prius has to catch up to that number.

Prius was a gamble that has paid off in big ways for Toyota. Other car makers dissed the Prius as a short term vehicle.

Prius has demonstrated to the world of incredible staying power and market growth. The technology with the Prius can only evolve to FC / hybrid design for their near future product line. The Corolla continues to serve Toyota well as a cash cow and for the near future will continue to do so.

That is the power of a legacy. Prius is adding to its' legacy on a daily basis.

DBCassidy

 

Toyota says you might have the 40-millionth Corolla ever built - Autoblog

 

Back in 1966, I went with my dad to buy a new car. In the showroom of the dealership there was a Corolla, a Corona and a Crown. My dad bought a white Corona. I wish I could find the Polaroid he took of me standing next to it when we got it home. I guess I'm carrying on with a Toyota in the driveway by charging the PIP out there.

Oh, and there was a new Checker in the showroom, too. He didn't go for it.

 

My lifetime average is 44mpg (75k on the car).

Long cold winters, plenty of hilly highway travel, no real "City" travel. Close to 50 in summer, low 40's in winter. Other area owners I've talked to get the same.

I'm talking actual, long term, calculated numbers here, not the optimistic car read out.

This is Prius life in northern new England, we are extremely happy with the car and would buy another if something happened to this one. (We'd get a v though for the more dog friendly cargo area )

 

That's Prius life for most owners who are HONEST in their reporting.

I think many use what the Prius computer says, which is automatically 2-2.5 mpg high. I'm still happy with 44-45 .... Nothing else can come close for an overall average, but I must admit .... The electronic novelty, outrageously boring nature of the ride, poor/cheap interior materials, and very loud road noise is starting to get to me. I doubt very much if there will be another Prius in my garage, unless things change drastically. The new hybrid Accord seems to be a very viable alternative, and doesn't have those shortcomings, but for more money, and the new M3 gets very good mpg, is fun to drive, and costs a bunch less.

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remove please

 

Geez, can't you even report your fuelly # accurately? 115 fillups, 46.5 MPG, not the 44 to 45 you keep repeating.

We can only hope another mfr. comes up with a 'more fun to drive' hybrid because Toyota is not in the business to make fun to drive cars. None of the major rags say Toyotas are fun to drive, MotorTrend, Car and Driver, etc.... I have no reason not to believe them. I rented a 4 cyl Camry SE 2013, and it wasn't all that, at all. Ford Fusion Hybrid is known to be a much snappier drive than a Camry Hybrid which is fairly boring. Nice, but a bland drive.

Most Toyotas are for people who want the most reliable car on the market that lasts about forever. These types of buyers are not much interested in driving dynamics, sexy black interiors, etc ... that you'll find in Hondas and BMWs.

Hurry out and buy a Mazda 3 please. Seems a tad arrogant to imply people are lying about their fuelly logs. I have every receipt from fillup at the station and log the tank miles, etc .... the only innacuracy in my reporting would be from the ODO/tripmeter innacuracy (the cars's own innacuracy) and pump innacuracy. I know 55 on my gage means 52.x actual. No biggie.

 

Look at the date of the last entry ... There's a lot of data that's in my phone that I haven't transcribed. I KNOW what mileage I get to the tenth of a mpg.

Regarding another mfr making a better/fun to drive hybrid that gets 50 mpg .... They just did .... Honda.

I know you're a diehard Prius fanboi .... Lots here are .... But that shouldn't preclude an honest discussion of other vehicles or options ....

Regarding buying a Mazda 3 .... I did .... A year ago ... It's how I'm so familiar with what I write and have observed. Potentially going to buy another, but that's up in the air for awhile.

REV

 

What is your evidence that Prius owners are more dishonest about reporting their fuel economy than other car owners? Is it based on your own experience alone? Fanboys exist with every market, and on average, people will be just as likely to report inaccuracies to portray the vehicle they chose in a positive light.

The person you quoted lives in VT, which has exceptionally cold winters. Any car driven in those conditions would get lower than EPA fuel economy. While the EPA formula is not perfect, it's the best tool the consumer has to make an informed decision about what to expect their fuel consumption to be. Since every driving situation is unique to the driver and conditions, it's impossible to have a perfect estimate for everyone. The 48mpg reported by Prius owners is very close to the EPA estimate of 50mpg at just 4% off. I don't believe the government is grossly misrepresenting the Prius, or that owners are more prone to lying about their fuel economy than any other car.

My TSX (Honda) computer says I get 2.0 mpg better than reality. There is no incentive for manufacturers to under-report mileage, so they over-estimate. This is the case with nearly every model of car; not just a Prius phenomenon.