Prius v Power Mode for Pulse & Glide? (= 50+mpg?)

I've had my Prius V for a year now. I drive mostly in ECO mode, but occasion I use normal mode (non ECO, PWR, or EV). Typically, I've been able to get 53mpg in spring and fall, 49mpg in summer, and about 51 in winter. I believe the summer drop is due to constant use of A/C (it gets 110+ here in summer) which pulls traction battery down quickly and engine runs more to bring it back up. The winter drop is due to use of heat which will run engine a bit more than usual. And consequently, the spring/fall times I'm not using A/C or heat so it is best indicator of mileage. I generally drive gingerly on accelerator and will use coasting at least a 1/3 mile before approaching a stop, when possible. The territory here is relatively flat so there are no hills to spoil the numbers. I also keep my tires about 3-4lbs above recommended pressure (if I'm taking a long trip I'll lower the pressures back to recommended). Nothing more to offer.

 

I'm driving purely on PWD mode now. Really fun to drive. No noticeable loss of MPG. Acceleration is nice. One time I found myself at 90mph fairly quickly with no stress to engine. My only gripe is the REGEN braking. I find it a little dangerous at times. Like I said the algorithm changes when on PWD mode. Normal mode without pressing any button the regen brakes fine in my opinion. But when on PWD it has a hard time "sticking". It's like the car wants to maximize regen. Sometimes I have to quickly switch PWD off just to have quicker brake functions. So to remedy this I just make sure to press on the brake firm and early to make sure I have safe braking distance. If I have lots of passengers or carrying heavy load I still use PWD but I switch it off when I really need to use the brakes. Other than the regen braking issue I find the V really fun to drive and still averaging 47-48mpg. I'm glad to hear that some owners can see good mpg and I'm not sure why others are not.

 

i have not noticed that, but have never gone 90mph. or maybe v regen is different.

 

What do you mean by "sticking"?

So there's too much braking action? Apply less brake pedal pressure or release the brake pedal. If there's still too much, cancel as much as you want with the accelerator.

So there's not enough braking action? Apply more brake pedal pressure. If insufficient regen capability is available, the friction brakes will be applied automatically.

 

I find the braking feel totally normal (compared to the 40+ other cars I've owned) except when I force it into max regen mode with the gearshift lever. But I only do that when coming down a steep and long hill with nobody behind me.

 

Your not getting 47mpg on days @ 90mph. I'm a courier out of Pittsburgh in my Blue 12' v, and I'm getting 35mpg over the last 1534.2 miles mostly long distance this week and always in power mode cause the cars too fat to drive without it. Next time I'm in MD, DC or VA I'll reset the trip and show what this thing gets on flat driving. Max I've ever seen was 41-42

 

Not sticking feels like I have to apply more pressure to the brake than without PWR mode.

I don't go 90mph regular or else I would get a ticket. It was just one time I accelerated the car and then noticed I was at 90mph. I quickly slowed down and move to the slower lanes to avoid a ticket.

I read somewhere that Toyota made 30% improvement to battery performance to the newer models. If I can find that article I'll post it. That might explain some things.

 

Here's the link to that article.

Toyota Uses Smaller Li-ion, NiMH Batteries for New Prius (2) | NIKKEI XTECH

"Toyota improved the regeneration performance of the NiMH battery by changing the composition ratios of cell materials, compared with the former Prius released in 2009. The battery can be charged at up to about 20kW at the time of regeneration, and the amount of electricity that can be charged per unit time was improved by 28%."

 

There is no max regen mode. If you are referring to the B position, that adds engine braking, not regen, so if anything you get less regen and you definitely don't get extra regen in B mode.

That being said, B mode is perfect for long steep downgrades whether there is someone behind you or not. Where I live, there aren't any of those so B mode is never used.

 

Interesting observations here. We also have a 2010 liftback and leave it on ECO mode...and get good MPG results.

Our 2012 v...not so great when in ECO mode. I'll try PWR mode out and report back.

Maybe the 'sweet spot' for the v is PWR mode...due to the extra vehicle weight, etc? Anyway, I'll give it a shot.

 

I have to try using power mode on my commutes to work. I had a change of jobs recently and now my commute is shorter. I usually get between 40-44 mpg going to work and alot of it is uphill highway driving. Going home, I get anywhere between 50-55 mpg. Think I'll try power mode tomorrow going to work and keep in eco mode on my drive home like I normally do.

My previous work commute, I was getting between 49-50 mpg on a full tank and getting 490-500 miles on a full tank. Now, I'm just barely getting 44 mpg (all calculated by fuelly) and around 440-460 miles to a tank. My previous commute was also all highway driving, only a small portion was uphill driving and the majority of it was level highway driving.

 

I did my brake flush and that greatly improved that "squishy' feel of the brakes not being responsive. Apparently the brake flush re-calibrated the system or something. So now I'm driving with more confidence in the braking than before. Feel less hybrid and more normal after that service.

Also Toyota extends warranty on all new hv batteries.

Toyota Extends Hybrid Battery Warranty To 10 Years Or 150,000 Miles

The new chemistry may be much more stable and longer lasting than the old chemistry. I can confirm if my car is on the new chemistry for sure, but I do feel like my car especially in PWR and EV mode has much more power and acceleration and I use it as often as I can like when braking or accelerating.

I got latest results from my oil analysis using all K&N and will post it soon.

After being a new Prius v driver for a few years now I am really enjoying the power it has especially when using K&N and Sea Foam gas treatment combined.