Prius c has worse mpg than Gen III on Fuelly

Something does not add up, the C is the highest MPG car that is a hybrid. Not counting the original Honda Insight that is no longer made.

 

The EPA numbers for the c are skewed toward being a city car at 53/46. Whereas the hatchback's EPA numbers are 51/49, making it a better commuter car at highway speeds.

Perhaps people are doing most of their driving on highways and freeways where the hatchback has an edge in fuel economy?

SCH-I535

 

I am averaging 55 mpg freeway, and if I drive 55 MPH I can get 60 plus. Like I said, something does not add up.

 

(1) Considering the sample size and standard deviation, is this difference statistically significant?

(2) Notice how many of those GenIII units are getting 100+ mpg, one even reporting 270 mpg. Then notice that of 681 Prii in the distribution, 161 of them are Plug-Ins. I can't see a numeric average for the regular ones only, but eyeballing their graph, I'd guess it is somewhere between 48 and 49, i.e. lower than the 'c' average.

 

Also should be taken in the (average?) shortest trips made by the Prius c, since it is a more urban vehicle...

 

But yes, unless you need the smaller turning radius, or smaller parking space the Lift back is a better choice for any mix of freeway driving.

 

As noted above, Fuelly numbers for the Liftback now include Plug-Ins and this is a very recent change. The folks at Fuelly can't seem to settle on the best way to incorporate all Plug-In vehicles in their reporting.

Without the PIP, the C average on Fuelly has consistently been ~2 mpg higher than the Liftback. However, the C's numbers have been slipping this summer. Perhaps indicating longer and faster road trips that are not our strong suit?
I almost started a thread to implore owners of 2013 C's to up their game since 2012's are handily outpacing us on Fuelly. (2014's are almost non-existent on Fuelly - What's up with that?)
But I thought we'd make up the difference when our 2013s had another summer season included. That turned out to be wrong as the 2013 C numbers have slipped significantly since spring.

 

Not sure why you would believe that, I don't think there is any difference in speed or handling between the lifback and a C . Only real difference is the trunk size.

 

I think most people don't know about Fuelly. I did not until joining PC, and I checked it out but never joined, I don't have time to keep track of my fuel.

 

In my view, the liftback is the best deal for the money but for a city car, the C is pretty awesome.

 

Just remember is not called City car in Japan, its not even called a Prius. AQUA is its name in Japan. I would not let the letter C make you believe it's only suited for the city.

 

Turning radius comes to mind for me, pretty much EVERY time I'm in a parking lot. Seems all the parking lot designs these days are just as tight as they can get away with. That's what Jimbo's on about, not slalom times

 

And of course the EPA's Highway MPG. C beats the Liftback at low speeds, the Liftback has better aerodynamics, so at high speed it is easier to push through the air.

 

my last tank was my best yet!!!! And included at least 180 miles highway with about 20 miles each way going up and down mountains. 56.2 mpg calculated from fillup. 504.o miles. 8.96 gallons. and the computer said 56.9 so was fairly accurate. I get 60 to 80+ mpg in town this summer. Was only 38-50 when it was colder and the car was new. Between 40-50 mpg it easily gets 60+ mpg now. Even at 60 mph its about 60 mpg. At 70 mph still usually gets about 50-51 mpg unless you use CC. The trick I think is to drive like a trucker at high speeds, keep the bar a quarter inch above the bottom bar and def out of the red unless you must climb a big hill. I get up to 80-85 mph down the hills and slow to 65 up. and when its flat go 70 to 75 mph. Using this technique I get 53-56 mpg hwy

 

You may be right about the extra freeway miles because of summer travel. I just did a 300+ mile trip into the southwest virginia hills on 70mph roads. Lowered my average for that tank down to 53.4!

 

.28 vs .25 is not that big of a difference. Still two of the worlds most aerodynamic cars..

 

Especially when the higher Cd is multiplied by a smaller A.

 

Define 'big.'
Or even better, if the Prius 'c' was 0.25 how much would MPG improve at 70 mph ?