Wife Driving

It's her car. I drive it sometimes when I can use it to go to town. I drive it mostly when we are driving together, (not sexist really, I just like to drive) I also do most the driving on long trips. The first few months it would drive me nuts that she couldn't get it into the 50's I would gloat everytime I came home and bested her mileage. She's figured it out now, and it is a matter of pride to come home higher than the last. The last tank was 58.0 We are working on a 59+ tank right now. Whose your daddy! Bragging rights!

Icarus

 

My wife used to holler about my mpg but she is only at 2400 miles total. She is now getting avg 49 mpg so is happy even for her short 8 mile trip to work.

 

Oh man! My wife and daughter have their own cars, so we're not exactly sharing, but of course, they want to drive it occasionally. After the first couple of weeks, neither of them want to drive it with me in the car. My wife's driving style ever since I've known her (about 30 yrs) is to drive and start braking at the last possible second and stand on the breaks at the lights and behind cars. It has always driven me crazy, but I long ago quit trying to change it.

But now with this car, especially during the break-in period, I stayed on her about it so much that she got pissed and will not drive it with me in it any more. Of course, last weekend she borrowed it to go to the store and the first thing she did was reset my consumption screen!

Both she and my daughter still give me grief about how much I tried to coach them when they first drove it: "ANTICIPATE!!!" they scream at me occasioanlly when we come to an intersection. They just don't get it. Fortunately, I drive the car 99% of the time.

 

This is my wife's technique too. She runs up on the back of the car in front of her, then hits the brakes to slow down. Anticipation is not part of her vocabulary.

On the other hand, we just had our 33rd anniversary, so I'm not going to try to change her now.

Tom

 

I just want her to drive it and save gas whenever possible. She was afraid to drive my "baby" and get it banged up. She usually has to fit a babyseat and two boosters in the back when she drives and we aren't totally satisfied with the arrangement so there is still some anxiety.

I love my wife and 40 MPG is better than the 20 we get in our minivan...

 

Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue. In general, I dislike my husband's driving style (he thinks nothing of tailgating, for example)--it is naturally antithetical to good Prius "technique." He recognizes that the Prius is a great car, but he doesn't particularly enjoy driving it. He's also the one that tends to inflict the most body damage on our cars, so...I keep him the f**k out of my car as much as possible.

I realize I'm not going to get him to change his approach to driving by nagging him. I imagine if he drove the Prius consistently, he would probably adapt a bit. The MFD or whatever it's called is the best teacher, IMO. There's little to be gained, and much to be lost, by nagging.

 

When I get my own Prius in 10 days, I'm certain my wife and I will compete for the best MPG average...this is a competion I'm sure I will win because I drive very conservatively (slow starts unless there's a car behind me, and stay off the brakes). She always comments on how I drive like an old man. We'll guess what? I am an old man!

When I do get the best MPGs I will not rub her nose in it though...she will have to ask me what I'm averaging. If she asks me how I did it, I'll tell her, but only if she asks. I want to stay married too!

 

After my wife drove my car this week, I was horrified to see 39 MPG on the MFD. 30 miles into the tank.

It was a really hot day, so I'm sure the A/C was blasting, and there were 4 people in the car that day.

 

Hmm... How much will gas be in ten years?

 

Can't complaint about her using the Prius (Its her's anyway).

Since she started her new job traveling 110 miles a day commuting, she has been constantly getting between 52-57 mpg. This depends on traffic, and without even knowing anything about hypermiling concepts. And mostly on Freeway traffic too, which is much better than city stop lights.

 

It's "my" Prius, but she drives it the most because she works more than a few miles away and I bike to work. Most of the times I'm allowed to drive my car are on weekends when we're out and about with the baby, or evenings when someone needs to run errands. She says "I'll go... you always seem to get stuck doing errands." I say "I don't mind honey-lumpkins, I'm at your service." Meanwhile I'm thinking to myself "sweet! Now I get to drive my car a little... and maybe boost the avg by a little."

She doesn't really take much interest in the special driving techniques, but I don't try to instruct her because, as other have said, she's more important to me than a few points on the MFD, or even a few dollars in the bank.

 

My logic:

1. Wife driving SUV (18 MPG)
2. Wife driving prius normally (47 MPG)
3. Wife driving prius cautiously (55 MPG)

For a regular year of driving with 12K miles:

12000 / 18 = 667G
12000 / 47 = 255G
12000 / 55 = 218G

255 - 218 = 37G
667 - 255 = 412G
667 - 218 = 449G

I think saving 412G per year and having a happy marriage is the best option for me. BTW the Prii gives better mileage when my wife drives it.

 

How much will diapers be in 20 years and will your wife change yours while you are in the old folks home?

 

After a week's worth of commuting with my Prius, it was sitting in our garage with the MFD showing 346 miles and 56.1 mpg (which is kinda low for my normal commuting but it included about 100 miles from the end of a previous road trip at about 48 mpg). Anyway, my wife drove it for various errands and carting the kids around all weekend. I get back in this morning and it's at 386 miles and 54.0 mpg. That calculates out to 40 miles at 35.8 mpg. Grrrrr!

I won't say a thing though. I've learned my lesson the hard way on this one. Also when I have brought this up on other similar occasions she would be pround that she got 54 mpg. I can't seem to convice her otherwise, no matter how many times I show her and try to explain the calculation. The concept of a weighted average is lost on her. Oh well, 36 mpg is still double what she would get driving her Jeep Liberty around, so it's a net positive in the end.

 

My wife has improved quite significantly since I told her she'd never be able to beat any of my numbers. She wont admit it but I know she is trying to out do me. Lately she is somehow managing upper 50's MPG on the Interstate / Turnpike on a 90 mile round trip she takes twice weekly to school, she has also taken my advice to leave the Climate control at Auto 75.

 

You learn quickly not to say anything. The solution is to buy a second Prius.