Prius is definitely capable of getting consistent 70 mpg with a 840 mile range. I did it! (for a very small sample) In the last couple of months the county has been replacing old sewer pipes. This has caused traffic to slow down to comply with the 25mph speed limit. Thi probably annoys most drivers but I was delighted! I have now driven these sections of roads several times and produced 70mpg bars. numerous times. Now all one has to do is find the perfect road, not too flat, not too hilly and one can drive for 840 miles straight at 25mph in only 33 hours. Please nitpickers, I rounded off the fuel tank to 12 gal!
I have intentionally decided to take a route to work that allows me to travel roads primarily sub-40mph. This allows me to P&G and stealth extensively to achieve mileage in the 70+ range over the summer.
Since many of us can't even consistently get 8 gallon fills from 1 pip there isn't much chance of getting "consistent 70 mpg with 840 mile range." Put in a regular 12+ gallon tank and it would be possible. But with an 8 gallon (effective) tank, 70 mpg = 560 mile range. I agree though about getting terrific mileage at the speeds mentioned once the vehicle is warmed.
Andy - shall I say you have the good fortune of having weather on your side! Here in the NE, it's been cold as heck and with my daily 10 mile commute (backroads = 25-30 min), I'm struggling to get to 50 mpg. I must submit that I do need to refine my technique and have patience. But still, the 7- mpg that you quote is quite remarkable!
