Seen the VW video ads that try to appear like an unbiased mileage test? The videos feature show far more shots of the Jetta and exclaim its higher horsepower and "fun to drive" (obviously unbiased). They chose to do this "test" at freeway speeds from Auburn, California to San Francisco, where the Prius is at a distinct disadvantage -like matching Yao Ming vs Woody Allen, not in film directing, but basketball. The highway mileage was very close, though the used Prius got far less highway miles than mine. Of course the VW TDI was new and no doubt had light oil and high tire pressure. They avoided any city driving that would give the Prius the lead, plus failed to mention that the Jetta spews out six times more sulfur particulates than Prius, or that the Prius fuel cost was actually less on the trip. Of course they never showed the VW driver filling the car with his little latex mitt so he wouldn't smell like diesel all week. VW owners also claim much lower mileage numbers than the ad. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot this was an unbiased test and it must have been YouTube and the networks that put the VW dealer's name under the video.
Nothing new. Standard advertising tactics. Tell the part of the story that defends your position realizing that the average person will not do the appropriate research to find out the rest until they've bought into your stance and are forced to learn it first-hand.
Ads and rumors work pretty well though. A guy at my work asked when he saw my Prius, "So what kind of mileage do you *really* get?" expecting that it would be lower than the EPA or advertised numbers. When I responded, "Consistently between 53-54 mpg average per tank, highway miles" he was surprised. Ok -- I was surprised as well. I thought I would only get 50 mpg tops.
I'm not getting it. I get better mpg on the freeway than through the streets and I'm doing the hypermiling, pulse and glide, etc. tricks.
I always do better on the highway as well (if I keep the speed low) -- except through my neighboring subdivision where I can travel 2 miles at 100mpg average almost the entire length. Either I haven't learned hypermiling correctly, or the landscape/heavy traffic just isn't conducive to hypermiling. Seems like I have a lot more uphill climbs than downhill glides no matter where I'm going ... or people who go slow down a hill in front of me and speed up the next hill. Constant stop/starts that require quick acceleration to the next light at 55 mph. You name it.
Yeah, I would like to find out how a VW does at "sane" highway speeds. I don't know how all these various ads and reports get the Prius at 40mpg highway - last I checked, my Prius gets 45mpg at 85mph. Otherwise, below that speed, its 50mpg.
There appears to be a flaw in your technique as I never get as good on the highway as I do on country roads. The best I've ever done on the highway was 76.6 from Milwaukee, WI to Chicago, IL and on to my house in Elkhart, IN. I consistently got low to mid 90's mpg and one tank at 101 mpg(867 miles) while driving nearly exclusively on country roads this past summer. I too would like to see a "test" between the two vehicles in the city. I think the Prius would eat it's lunch.
it's biased of course. But VW TDI get amazing mpg. My friend has one..his lifetime MPG is better then my prius..at 49MPG! he does alot of hwy miles though
I have both a 06 JettaTDI and a 07 Prius. In regards to highway driving MPG, the Jetta is equal to the Prius.
