I have a 2007 Prius with about 52000 miles on it. My 93 year old father gave it to me last April. Back then when I got it it had about 33,000 miles on it. It has had three oil changes since I took it over. The tires are kind of heavy Michelin's. From April to until about two weeks ago my mileage was between 53-54 MPG. Then one day about three weeks ago it dipped to about 52 MPG when I needed a fill up. I always check the MPG when it is time to fill up. The last fill up I thought all was well again as the MPG was back up to 54 MPG. That lasted two days and then it dipped back down to 51 MPG. This morning driving to work is the lowest I have ever seen it @ 48.8 MPG. The days have been cold for the last month and I have been using the heat so is the drop in MPG a correlation with 30* outside temps and heat usage? My Dad changed the battery last year. Andrew
It's the cold, just make sure you keep the tires inflated and the filters clean and look forward to warm weather LOL
It's the cold, just make sure you keep the tires inflated and the filters clean and look forward to warm weather LOL
48.8mpg in 30* weather and you are concerned?!?! Im getting 42.2mpg right now Today its about 15*f outside. I use a block heater, my grill is blocked, my tires are 42f40r.
When it is cold outside, you turn the heat on. If the temperature is set to high, the gas engine is going to kick on way more than it should to allow the heat to circulate causing a noticeable drop in mpg. If you can leave your heat temperature closer to the outside temp you should notice a rise in mpg.
My 07 Gen2 has dropped more than normal this winter here in Western Oregon, to around 40. I had been averaging 45to 46, up to 51,Summer. My hybrid battery just failed at 127K, and my dealer said the small battery was bad as well. I wonder if there is a correlation? I get the car back today, and am now $3300 poorer, but we will see if the mileage goes up. That huge chunk of change should negate any fuel economy advantage I have seen with the Prius. Too bad.
Let's test that assertion. It will depend very strongly on what car you compare it with, but lets take 30 MPG (year round average) for a reasonably efficient conventional car for comparison. At $3.30 Oregon gas prices your savings to date would have been about : 127000 * ( 1/30 - 1/48) * 3.3 = $5238.00 Conclusion. You're correct, the early hybrid battery failure with $3000 replacement, cost you well over half of your gas savings. (To be fair though, the 12V battery would need replacement on just about any car after 6+ years, so I wouldn't include that in the costing). Of course people who's prius replace more of a gas guzzler, or who live in places with much higher gas prices, may come to a different conclusion though.
Thanks for the tips and research. I worked with Toyota on a case number for this, and was able to negotiate with their West Coast Customer Satisfaction Manager them to pay 80% of the hybrid battery cost. I still paid for the 12v battery, as expected, so my bill went from $3300 to $801. I only paid labor to install the new 12 v battery. I was pleased. Beaverton Toyota helped me to get this done by Toyota. I will report on the changes in the fuel economy if any after both batteries changed. Thanks. Mike
I averaged 24-28mpg all winter here in nd. But temps here were 40-60 below zero. It's 30-40 out now and I'm averaging 43.8
