highway mpg

Evan had some good points and another factor is elevation changes. If you have a pretty flat route and you can pretty much keep a constant speed, I think you would be able to surpass the 51 EPA. If you have a lot of hills and use the cruise control, it will be lower.


It takes some time to learn just the right amount of gas to keep your speed constant, so you might see some fluctations. On the interstate that are fairly level, at 72-75 mph, I get around 50. If my wife drives and is stopping and starting a lot, it is lower around 47-48. From my experience on fairly level highways at 65-70, it is possible to get 55 mpg+

 

I have a 40 mile one way commute with about 30 being in the 68MPH range. Had the Prius since June 1 and am averaging 48 to 53 MPG. The things that will bring my mileage down is Minnesota's love affair with putting stoplights on highways :cussing: I have 4 of these to contend with on my commute, not syncronized of course, if I catch all of them red, my average will drop 2 to 3 MPG.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(micheal\";p=\"109588)</div>

Are you sure about the use of cruise control? I thought it would be better than accelerating manually.

 

We are still getting used to Marvin, our new Tideland Prius. Our commute into Washington D.C. is alot of highway driving as well, and we are averaging 52.2 miles to the gallon so far. We only have about 300 miles on Marvin so far, so we are still breaking him in. I'm very, very pleased so far.

 

I commute 30 miles highway everyday and im averaging 49MPG. My highway MPG is actually better than my city MPG which is around 46mpg.

 

I just made the run from Chicago to Oshkosh, WI, on Tuesday -- about 360 mile round trip over mostly flat divided highway. Except for a little traffic jam in Milwaukee, I was cruising with the traffic flow (60-70 mph). The consumption computer displayed 50.5 mpg on a new car with approximately 1000 miles. I hope to do a little better after that first oil change, but am very happy with these numbers.

 

Our Aussie Prius is now 4000km old, and our last tank gave us 4.7 litres/100km (which is 60 mpg). That figure was for a mixture of city and highway driving. We have been averaging around 4.8 - 4.9 since new, so this is the best yet.
Needless to say, we are very happy with our Prius!!!

Cheers from OZ.

 

The best way to do hills from my experience (and from what others have said) is to gain speed on the downslope and lose speed on the upslope. The amount of traffic can dictate how much you can do this. I try to shoot for about a +/- 5 mph swing. By doing this, I was able to drive sections of colorado I-25 with an overall elevation increase at an average speed of 75 and 51 MPG.

The cruise control on the other hand is pretty aggressive at making sure you maintain your speed on the upslope and the downslope.

 

My commute is 50 miles one way. About 80% highway. My MPG for this tank so far is 61.3 (~350 miles into the tank). Last tank I got 61 8) . I have my tire pressure at 40/38 and switched to Mobil 1 syn after my 5k oil change. Of because you need to look around this forum for MPG enhancing tips and tricks. I have to thank PriusChat and its members for my lovely MPG! :mrgreen:

Scott

 

That's a good reason not to use cruise control on hilly driving. I still think that cruise control is better than I am in the flats.

It surprised me when I learned that I get much better mileage on the freeway than in town, which is quite hilly. Alameda, CA, on the other hand is dead flat and has a speed limit of 25 mph. It's Prius heaven if gas mileage is your thing, and the cops have a reputation for enforcing that speed.

 

Knock that speed down to 60 and see your mileage go up a couple of MPG.

 

Yeap, that's why I cautioned that it will reduce the MPG. I used to think that cruise control was better in flats too, but after some practice, I seem to be doing better without cruise than with cruise. At first though, asI was learning the car I think CC was better on flats.


In Lubbock (very few hills and only slight elevation changes on most of my commutes), I used to try to almost exclusively use cruise control (with coasting to stoplights when necessary). My average was around 55. Then I switched to trying to get up to speed and feather the gas just enough to maintain speed and I am getting around 60. This isn't scientific testing, cause I haven't done the same course back to back with both, but it has me convinced to try and not use the good ole CC.


Edit: I just noticed I am a Senior Poster! Woohoo!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY @ Jul 28 2005, 11:08 AM) [snapback]111051[/snapback]</div>

ummmm how fast do you drive on the highway?....that will make a huge difference.

 

I've gotten to take the Prius on several roadtrips since I got it in February. These trips have been anywhere from 2 hours (~120-130 miles) one way to 8-9 hours (~450 miles) one way. All highway driving, sometimes hilly terrain (Ventura/Santa Barbara; northern CA coast) and sometimes flat land (thru the central CA valley along I-5). I consistently averaged 45-48mpg while cruising at highway speeds of 65-75mph. Always at or above the speed limit. The Prius is a great car for driving, I'm entirely convinced that it loves being out on the open road.

 

You can all feel good, cause with my "pimp" tires and wheels, I get about 41 MPG average. I like it compared to my CTS getting 18 avg.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mike_m @ Jun 12 2006, 01:52 PM) [snapback]270129[/snapback]</div>

I know I've said it before, but your tires & wheels are sweet-looking!

 

I am about to take delivery of my first Prius... I'm psyched but concerned about the mpg I will get. My commute is 48 miles each way and 44 of those are on the highway. I am in south Florida and the turnpike traffic runs at 80-85 mph during rush hour. Unfortunately, I follow the traffic. I think playing the game to maximize mpg may slow me down a bit... but it isn't really that safe to be the car that everyone is passing - and without realizing it - you are again running with traffic. It is hot year round - flat the whole commute - and not much for wind on the highway. I have a heavy foot - but do not punch it to pass a car like my husband does... though he does drive slower...

Does anyone know what mpg I can expect to get at a steady say 80 mph for a 100 mile round trip commute primarly on a long flat highway? Any tips other than slowing down???

Is a Prius really the solution for me?

Thanks!!!

 

I drive a 45 mile one way commute, about 3 of those miles are city, the rest are freeway. However, for about 12 miles I am stuck in heavy traffic (don't have my carpool stickers yet, I'm either hoping I can squeeze in under the current 75k limit or that the number increases to 85k)...so really, about 30 miles fwy and 15 city. My speed is between 70-80 mph and I've been averaging mpg's in the 51-55 range. That's good enough for me.

I filled up my tank yesterday and with about 130 miles I'm at 56.5 mpgs!!!

BTW, in my parking garage at work, I counted about 12 other Prii's the other day!!