Hybrid owner obsesses over every last bit of mileage By Gary Richards, Mercury News I woke up grumpy in the pre-dawn darkness Thursday, and not because the puppy bolted up at 2:30 a.m. to play. No, I was upset over something dogging me for months -- the poor mileage I've been getting in my 7-month-old Prius Since summer, despite all my driving tricks and countless tips from other hybrid owners, mileage has fallen to under 50 miles per gallon, usually in the 43 to 47 range. A few times, as low as 41 mpg. I WANT 50-PLUS MPG! EVERY TRIP! Read more.
Sheesh, didn't he learn anything in that class? High speed like that is one of the biggest killers of mileage. I usually go a little bit slower than than flow of traffic, just to get that extra edge in MPG.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ml194152 @ Nov 22 2006, 10:56 PM) [snapback]353365[/snapback]</div> Is it my imagination, or does that headline sound like something you'd see in The Onion?
No, i think the headline would be something like "SUV owner beats Prius in mileage contest" And then in the first paragraph we'd see Darell's name!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jkash @ Nov 21 2006, 04:22 PM) [snapback]352727[/snapback]</div> OK! I drive at 60 mph and I get 55+ mpg. I drive at 70 mph and I get 42 mpg. I drove 180 miles from my mountain cottage to the NJ coast....DOWNHILL all the way, and averaged 42.1 mpg at 70 mph. The slower you go the better mpg you'll know! I read in here somewhere that the EPA is revising (lowering) the milage estimates for hybrids next year. This should soothe your troubled mind somewhat! Happy driving!
I can't complain about MPG's when they are TWICE what we get on our 4-cyl Camry. I don't het have numbers for my new 2007 TE, but on ite predecessor 2004 Prius: Around Dallas: 40-45 MPG mixed city driving; Freeways and Interstates: Usually cruise at 70 MPH and get 47-55 MPG. I do find that uphill/downhill and wind direction and velocity have a noticeable effect. Side winds especially cut my MPG's down quite a bit, even more than headwinds. These numbers are the result of hand-calculating over two years and are approximately 2% lower than the MFD numbers. Setting your expectations above what is practically achievable only leads to frustration. The EPA ratings are not practical, but only theoretical.
