I was three cars behind another Prius today. He was tailgating and braking constantly for over three miles leading up to the interstate on a road with a 30 to 40 mph limit. When he finally made it on the interstate he had to be going 75 in a 55 limit going over a bridge. Frankly, this is the first time I've seen a truly aggressive Prius driver. My first thought was, that he's probably one of those posting on Prius Chat about the terrible mileage they get with their Prius.
Nearly three years ago I was on I25 north of Denver, bound for Fort Collins - speed limit 75mph. Being from Dallas, I'm used to the big pickups making the FU pass, esp when gas was under $2, but this time it was a Prius II. The Honda Insight and Prius II are closely matched in performance, even though their engines are quite different. For the next five miles or so we took turns to crest a hill then do a "take that" pass to each other 2-3 times. Then we saw a purple Camero and chilled out drasticaly....fortunately the Colorado State trooper pulled over someone totally different. I came soooo close to being busted in Colorado's first hybrid drag race in 2005.
Wild guess: 35mpg Just before the "drag race" I noticed that 5,500 feet may be the sweet spot from an altitude standpoint - engine still runs great, but less drag. Towards the end, I was focused on avoiding a call from Colorado's finest.
There was probably a conversation along these lines shortly preceding your observations. Teenager: Mom, I need to run into town to meet Kristi, is that okay? Mom: Well, your car is in the shop again, I can't understand why it keeps breaking like that, so I guess you'll have to take mine. Teenager: Awwwww, Mom!! Can't I take Dad's Beemer, the other kids'll give me a bad time if they see me in a Prius! Mom: No, your Dad said that you can't drive the BMW unless he's with you. You'll have to take the Prius or stay home. And you'd better take good care of it too, I love that car and don't want you driving it fast and pulling down my mileage average!! Teenager: (pouting) Oh, okay.....
Same here; I'm usually running 75-80 during commutes (since you'd be killed otherwise) and get about 42-43 at this time of the year.
Good grief, not trying to start an argument here but I have to say that you leadfoot types are missing out on one of the nicest aspects of driving a Prius IMHO, that being the "Zen" and serenity of driving at a more leisurely pace! I've tended to be a leadfoot much of my life (I'm 58 now) and when I bought my '97 Prelude there was no speed-limit in Montana, so I'd get on the Interstate or a good stretch of road and peg it at 90-95 all the time, and even now that there are limits, I would still cruise between 70-85 depending. I also understand traffic flow and how there are areas where driving more slowly can be dangerous......although it's plenty dangerous with hundreds of vehicles blasting along at 80+mph no matter how you slice it! But seriously, try driving sometime where you just mope along at a safe but on the low end of "safe" pace and enjoy the scenery, feel the stress melt away, check out the screen and see what great mileage you're getting, wave to the people who blast by you with middle digit extended, enjoy the ride!:angel:
Worse, he's an automobile critic and he's going to write an article about how terrible his mileage was.
There's can be so many distractions when driving. When I first got my Prius, I thought the MFD display would cause me to have an accident by paying too much attention to it. It's the exact opposite. I'm more focused on my driving, keeping an eye on the MFD, looking ahead at traffic so I'm not doing hard stops, etc. I think I'm a much better driver than pre-Prius. I still get distracted, thinking about work, I'll find I'm following the car ahead and tailgating a bit, or listening to a song and driving along with it, usually at a higher speed. All of this shows up on my the MFD with a lower mpg rather quickly and brings me right around to being present and driving, not daydreaming. Maybe I caught that other driver on a bad day and it's not their typical driving style, but it did catch my attention and make me wonder if he complains about his mileage. I know why my mpg is what it is and the reasons for it, the MFD makes for good driver awareness.
It was probably me or one of the few aggressive drivers i know. btw.. fill in your profile info. you need car info and location. blank profiles are a no-no.
I had one cut me off on route 17 ( the quickway ) in ny, exiting the shops at woodbury commons. It was a while ago and I don't remember the color. Needless to say I did not wave hello
We need an update of "Hot Rod Lincoln" -- Great song, whether by either Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen, or by Asleep at the Wheel ( ! ) :rockon: