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Published economy figures

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by hdrygas, May 23, 2004.

  1. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    I am not as yet a Prius owner. I am on the proverbial waiting list. I did as much homework before hand as I could. The theory of the Prius system should allow for the city milage to be greater than highway, at least as I understand the way the system operates. Consumer Reports testing reverses this with higher highway than city. When I asked them on their web site they essentially said the data is what the data is and offered no explanation. The government figures support my thesis. I would like to understand this. I do not doubt their data but I also do not understand it. Can anybody help me? What is the general experience?
    Henry Drygas
     
    #1 hdrygas, May 23, 2004
  2. krooster1234

    krooster1234 New Member

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    EPA estimates are based on a standard test, which isn't necessarily indicative of real life driving conditions. Being standard, it is however good for comparing the fuel economies of different cars. In the EPA tests, the prius gets better economy in the city than on the highway. I believe the highway test is done at 48MPH..... obviously not real life highway conditions.

    If you want a good idea of fuel economy figures under real-life conditions, this Fuel Economy part of the forums has a bunch of threads that are useful.

    Personally, I get just under 50MPG on the highway, and just over 50MPG in the city.
     
    #2 krooster1234, May 24, 2004
  3. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

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    I understand that the EPA is for comparison only. Lets me compare say a Excursion with a Prius. Are most folks getting better milage in the city or on the highway. CR uses a fixed rout to test and very carefully measures milage and gas using flow meters they install. I would imagen it is the drivers that are making a difference. Do most of the people in the group get their best milage in the city or on the highway and why?
     
    #3 hdrygas, May 24, 2004
  4. jkash

    jkash Member

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    Most people are probably getting better mileage in the city if they drive the car the way it was intended. If you briskly get up to speed, take your foot of the gas and slightly touch it back down to the peddle, you go into "stealth" mode. You are basically coasting without using gas or electricity. For an example, I had three five minute bars over 75 mpg on my way to work this morning. I drive all city streets on the way to work, and have learned to anticipate the lights and when to slow down. It is a really fun way to drive and much less stressful than trying to make all the lights.

    On the highway, the is really no way to get 75 mpg or more unless you are going down hill. I usually get about 50 mpg on the highway.

    Jeff
     
    #4 jkash, May 24, 2004
  5. jshore

    jshore New Member

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    This is exactly what I have been getting so far in my 2004 (6 weeks old)...I got about 48 mpg on a long highway trip (setting cruise control around 71-74 mph most of the time). In driving around town (with most of my trips being around 15-20 minutes drive time), I've been getting about 52 mpg. I imagine the numbers will drop some in the Rochester, NY winter.
     
    #5 jshore, Jul 25, 2004
  6. rflagg

    rflagg Member

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    I absolutely get better city MPG - the one leg of my 30 mile one way trip work commute has exactly 1 mile of highway driving, which always comes out to around 25-50MPG on the 5 minute segment it shows up on. City driving, especially when traffic is around and you have a bit of stop and go (not too much, though) is perfect for this car.

    -m.
     
    #6 rflagg, Jul 25, 2004
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