The 35-40 Avg Mpg Club

I love driving my Prius FAST! I love driving any car fast, but I was pretty amazed by how sporty my little car can be. I didn't even know there were other Prius drivers out there who enjoyed speed as much as I did. I always sort of felt like a black sheep for not gliding and whatever else you might do to improve your gas mileage.

I just recently read an aweful article about Prius HATERS. People who get annoyed by Prius drivers coasting and driving slowly, particularly in the HOV lanes. My first thought was, "well clearly ya'll don't know me!" But this is a serious thing if people hate people simply b/c of the type of car they drive (and then the speeds they choose to drive them at). I know Cali is studying how allowing High MPG vehicles into the HOV lane affects participation and speed in the HOV lane. I'm curious about what they might find.

Yay! For Heavy Footed Drivers!!!

 

When I bought my Honda Insight in Sept 2000, my work commutes averaged 50mpg - now it's 85 with a few times at 100. If this was a Prius II, my stats would likely be going from a 40mpg work commute to 68mpg - sometimes getting 80.

I'm not proud to say I've been in five fender-benders - three of them easily avoidable if I'd not been speeding...never got the ticket/blame in any five, but four of them were during my aggressive driving days.

I've had my hybrid for over seven years, but drove aggressively the first three. Again, that's when 4 of the 5 collisions were. Also had an O2 sensor problem back then, but none since. I can tell you of 2-3 times in the last couple of years, if I'd been speeding I'd been in a collision.

Yeah, I got upset with racers and took them on in the past...dream the 20-something idiot studs would foreclose after racing hybrids. These days, I just drive around rush hour and occasionally pass them when they don't look ahead for bottlenecks.

Some of you that mention the Prius-bashing threads in other sites...do you take their vitrol that seriously? How many hybrids are going 50 in an HOV lane when the pack is going 70+mph? Do you belive it when they say most Prius drivers are gay? Then there is mention of the toxic batteries and the Dust to Dust "study". That's the typical mainstream auto Prius-bashing thread - seen plenty of em'.

I'm happy for everybody that gets a Prius, but boasting about doing 35 to 40mpg is kind of like being in an obesity or foreclosure club.

 

Here in Miami, people drive like idiots, and one needs to go-with-the-flow to stay alive.

I'm a new Prius owner (2nd tank), but owned a 2001 Honda Insight (purchased new) for 80,000 miles. I've also owned Corvettes, 4x4's, all sorts of vehicles.

I don't drive a crazily as I used to, but I don't obstruct traffic, either. Driving the posted speed limits (or near to them) can keep the money in your wallet instead of in the Court's coffers, and I kind of thought that was the object of having a fuel-efficient hybrid to begin with ? If people have money to burn, I wonder why they bought a Prius to begin with ? Carbon-footprint guilt ?

In every arena there are extreme cases, and I am sure they have their arguments for their position. But there are a lot of us who are more middle ground. It's a choice whether to try to maximize fuel economy while not obstructing others, or just being happy with a neat car that gets great mileage even with a foot in it ! I love to drive, and I'm going to continue to have fun driving, and occasionally pass those hypermilers...and maybe wink...if they are cute.

Oh...since I AM gay, I find it amusing that somehow my choice of vehicle would identify me. How stupid. I also own a number of military vehicles and a Freightliner....and they just didn't cause me to "switch". I had often heard that a VW convertible was a "chick's car", but that is equally stupid (maybe the flower vase is questionable.....). With all of the issues we face in our world today it astounds me that people have nothing better to talk about than to create and perpetuate such an idiotic rumor. My masculinity has never (yet) been effected by my choice of vehicle....my muscle cars didn't make me more a man, nor my Prius less one. Guys can be so stupid sometimes, and so insecure about their OWN masculinity they need to sling these purposefully emasculating comments ! I don't take personal offense, I can laugh at a joke, and certainly can laugh at myself. Now...if my Prius was a perrywinkle blue.....:nod:

 

I like exploring the performance limits of what ever I drive. Prius is no exception. I don't exceed speed limits as a habit but I like to get up to them as soon as I can. I like to corner on the limit too, why slow down more than is needed.
I don't race to a red light, that won't get me home any quicker, I will try to hit the white line as the light goes green so I get a head start on the car already at the light.

There is one stretch of road where I like to coast down the hill and try to get up the other side of the valley with minimum fuel use, it does involve exceeding the speed limit a little but reduces my fuel consumption, I like to have all kinds of fun.

I think it is important to show people the Prius doesn't need to be slow to get great mileage.

I am seriously thinking about racing my Prius in hillclimb events. It would compete as an under 1600cc vehicle and for a stock standard car I think it will do well.

 

...with pink polka dots! LOL!!!

Interesting thread...I guess the only thing I can add is that on road trips where the speed limits are set at 65 mph, I set the cruise on 72mph, and still get great MPG in the low 40's range. I know it's all been said before, but now that the weather's getting warmer around here, my MPG's have gone up, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what it will continue to increase to.

During my daily commute I try and stay in the rightmost lane or middle lane depending on what highway or parkway I'm on, and maintain my speed at around 2 to 3 mph above the limit. I'm still being passed like I'm standing still, and often times it can be quite scary...especially if I get swarmed (fast drivers coming from behind in a group that decide to go around you from every direction all at once...). It's a strange feeling because I used to drive a WRX and always got stopped for speeding, and never noticed how fast or slow others were driving or how I affected them. Now I've changed my driving habits, and I notice everything!

 

I don't know how to drive to get below 40 mpg!
I usually use Cruise Control, even on my 45 mph stretch during my 50 mile commute. I try to drive speed-limit + 5mph, even on the interstate. West Virginia speed limit is 70mph, so I drive 75. In Virginia and Maryland its 65, so I do 70. Cruise control gives me a stress-free drive. I accel/decel using the Cruise stick instead of the brake/gas pedals. I usually accelerate smoothly from a stop, no lead-footed driving. I've tried pulse/glide, and find myself constantly tensed, feeling the engine, watching the mpg gage and the speedometer, and checking my mirrors to see if I am p!$$ing off anybody around me. I don't block my grill or put 45 lbs in the tires. All that for a couple mpg more? Not worth it. Spring/Summer/Fall mpg always at 52, and Winter at 47. How can I complain about that? Sometimes on longer trips I have cruised at 80 mph, flowing with interstate traffic, still getting close to 50 mpg! I love my Prius!

 

Our Prius averages 38.5 mpg.

Our daily drive is a short one, only about 5 miles downhill. We can coast most of it (though it's a freeway, so coasting will get you killed, of course).

Then, at the end of the school day, the Prius has to make it UP that hill, most likely before its had a chance to warm up.

So,....38.5 mpg it is, until it gets used for trips having longer mileage. (It does get more "normal" mpg when it's on a more "normal" trip than the daily home-to-school-and-back deal.)

 

In Kansas City, I usually average right at 40 mpg, but I drove to Denver a couple of weeks ago and was startled to see my trip computer showing an average of 47.5 mpg...this was mostly on freeways driving at 75 to 80....does the altitude improve the mileage that much?

 

I drive 80 miles to work everyday on I-20 in West Texas. Altitude change is very little, so it doesn't affect MPG much. Curis control always set to 73mph.

upwind = 37-38 MPG
sidewind = 42-44 MPG
No wind = 46 MPG
downwind = 50-52 MPG

I guess my MPG is a little lower than it should be..

 

I can join and am not to happy about it
I try to do better!!

 

Your 46 mpg case is about right for 73 mph. When I used to have a ~24 mile one way commute about a bit under 20 mins of it was highway and my speeds were between 65 - 75 mph, usually in the upper 60s, my lifetime average was 46.x mpg.

 

Ouch. Not sure if I'm allowed to post on this thread but it caught my eye. Our 2008 has only twice in our 7 years of ownership, and 150k miles, has only gotten under 40 mpg. Normally we get about 45-57 but I'd get 50+ most tanks if I were the only driver. My wife isn't necessarily a lead foot but she isn't willing to do some of the hyper-mile things that I do. And I don't even do all that I could.

Our driving is mostly city driving where we find we get the worst mileage. It is accelerating from a stop where we use the most fuel, and a combination of stop signs and traffic signals are what kills our mileage.

Still we get the 45-47 mpg on almost every tank of gas, and we check the car's mpg rating against calculated miles and gallons at the pump every time.

It's almost certain we will be buying a 2016 next year. The main thing I want to see is the absence of the flying buttress console. To me it's about claustrophobia. That console design restricts my leg movement. There are a couple of other things I'd like to see different as well but those I can live with.

By the way today I replaced the tail gate lift switch because the rubber grab bar was deteriorating. That was the first repair the car has needed in 7 years and 150K miles. We haven't replaced the brakes yet either.

 

great job digging up this thread, i never saw it before. very interesting!

 

Refilled my new purchase for the first time today after 343 miles. I know I'll get better as I relearn driving a Prius but I was a little disappointed at the difference between the onboard mpg and the "actual miles driven divided by the gallons into the tank" mpg. Car said 45.0; gas pump said 38.7.

That said, I still have a lot to learn. Like what I should realistically expect to get going 70mph on the high desert in 103 heat with the air on 100% of the time. That and there was too much traffic to really play around with the driving style. The main thing was keep up with the guy in front and don't impede the guy behind since it was 50% one lane each way with a double yellow line.

Wondering, too, if maybe the tires on it might be the problem. Maybe the diameter is off a touch which would throw the mpg off on the screen.

Anyway, I'm still ecstatic with the car. Rock solid handling, quiet and comfortable. And 38.7 still beats the heck out the 24 I've been getting in the same conditions driving our 2002 Buick Rendezvous.

 

70 mph on a two lane road? definitely look into your tyre specs.

 

Highway 395 up through the Mojave Desert.. Most of it is one lane each direction but they are separated by an "island" about a lane wide that is marked on both sides by a double yellow. Very smooth asphalt now. It's a lot safer than it used to be.

 

no concept of something like that around here.

 

Congratulation on the new ride! You might already know this but, you can't really get an accurate mpg number from doing the math at the pump on the second generation. (Assuming you have a 2nd) That's because it has a fuel bladder. Happy travels