Whenever people ask me my mileage, I hesitate, trying to figure out what they really want to know and trying to extrapolate what the car is really getting at that moment. What about you? I also want to know whether you give current or lifetime mpg, so tried to give both options for each response. If you give both, and more than one response, how about you go with what comes out of your mouth first? P.S. Generally my wife kills my mileage with her short trips, but I wondered if it was more than that. I was ecstatic when I was at my best average so far (49.9) and let her take it, and she actually had it up to 50.1 when she got back. It was a longer trip, but not that much longer and I was impressed. Of course, that knocks all my brilliance in driving down a few pegs.
i drive faster than other cars. my lowest mpg is 40. even this number seems to amaze all the suv drivers around.
I usually just say "I get about 53 MPG over the life of the car. My current tank is at about XX MPG. In the summer for my regular commute I get around 60 MPG for my regular route." But it depends upon the audience. If it's another Prius owner I just give the 53 number, if it's someone who knows very little about Prius or has heard bad things and wants to know what I get I give the whole schpiel.
sorry, missed me. i give average summer and winter mileage since they vary so much (sometimes i question this tactic since most of the people i talk to think the lower winter mileage is a hybrid only problem... :blink: ) and NO ONE seems to know that their winter mileage sucks MUCH worse than they think. btw, filled up yesterday... mileage 53 mpg...BUT my LT summer mileage being 57, but last summer it was 60...so that must mean, im getting better at driving my Prius.
I preface by saying that I put effort into gettning good results, and mention 65 - 70 on good days, 60 overall. Then I say that an average person who just drives like they always have usually ends up in the 45 - 50 mpg range.
I always gave a range when someone asks. I tell them my lowest was 40 mpg, my highest was 53 mpg, and now I'm averaging in the mid 40's. I also tell them that this is at speeds of around 80 mph and generally aggressive footwork.
I tell people openly that my lifetime average is 48MPG. If they question why it's "low" I ask what their lifetime mileage is. For those who are rational, I show them my chart showing the direct corrolation between temperature and MPG.
Still totally missed me, of course. I explain that even if my Prius got 500mpg, it is still worse gas mileage than our main vehicle.
I usually say, "Well, my best tank got me 615miles, and when it's cold about, I'll get about 460miles". It really depends upon the level of detail they want. I start there and work it down, so to speak...
I just tell them that I drive how I've always driven and have gotten 45 for the first 5k miles. Early last Saturday I was making a drive from SF Bay Area to Davis (about 100 miles) and drove 80-85 the whole way. I was very surprised that the car still got over 40mpg for that trip. Coming back home there was a lot of traffic and now this tank is up over 44. This car more than meets my expectations.
Generally I give people an option, if they want to short or the long version. Most everyone says the short, so I just give them the lifetime of 48-49. If they say the long, I say it depends on the trips and the temperature. Short trips get 40-45, with the best mileage on medium trips (15-20 minutes) at 60. Or I tell them wife gets about 45, I get 55-60.
I give the lifetime answer (48 MPG). If they look interested, then I tell them that it is usually in that 47-50 MPG range if I don't do a ton of highway driving (and if I don't let my lead-footed fiancee drive too much). I tell them if I do a lot of highway, it drops to 42-45 MPG. No one yet has failed to look at me with a jealous glare... :lol:
my new favorite thing to do is tell people i get between 400 and 500 miles on a tank. they are like "wow"... then i tell them that only cost me 20 bucks. when gas prices rise, it's 25. strange.. all these high paying adults and they can't do the match. i can see in their mind they are thinking 80mpg or something. lol.
That'd be groovy. I'm always struggling to "fit in" and be included, ya know. Seems I can never answer these polls with anything as simple as a check mark. But I have to vote just to see the results! So from now on, let's just have a generic "what Darell would say" category and be done with it. Thanks! :lol: