MPG

I think EPA mpg rating for the Prius 2005 is 60 for city; using auto clilmate control, I'm getting 40 (and happy). Very short triips, typically less than 5 miles round trip. Light traffic. Max speed 40 mph. 40 is 33% "less than" 60.

 

The EPA is a load....

It's all about driving habbits.

My Prius is just over 1 month old now. I'm averaging between 40 and 44 miles per gallon - and I'm THRILLED with it. I think it'll go even higher after about 10k breakin.

That said - if you watch your consumption screen, it's VERY clear that the prius gets it's worst (and even THAT's pretty good) mileage during the first 5 minutes of driving. I average about 25mpg during that time, then from 10 to 25 minutes it hovers at around 50mpg. So someone who drives a lot of short distances (say a short drive to work) is CLEARLY going to get worse average mileage.

Bottom line - the EPA can't really take into consideration "YOUR" true driving situation - so it can't POSSIBLY be accurate.

I'd love to see my Prius hit that magic 60 - but I'm not holding my breath. The car is MORE than meeting my mpg expectations.

Yoda

 

I get 47mpg and I'm very happy. My old and busted 1990 Buick got 10 if I was lucky. I too have a very short commute.

Fact is, almost ALL cars get worse real-life MPG than EPA testing. Because the EPA doesn't take the car out in traffic, it's done in a testing facility.

Pointing out hybrids in the EPA tests is like pointing out that Dell computers may get viruses. Well, all computers might be susceptible to viruses, that's a general property of computers- but it's also a good way to scare the common person away from Dell, isn't it?

That's all it is.

 

the last tank in my Classic I did 47.7 US gallon.

 

Wall St J today said EPA is considering adding some tests with full blast air conditioning and also another test at a more agressive highway speed, to try to get EPA ratings closer to drivers' experiences. Auto makers don't want this, but several other groups do.
I can see merit to a separate test for gas consumption from air conditioning or heating, but don't think it should be averaged in with driving.
It should be rated in gal/hour of AC use under some standardized conditions, which should include time spent waiting in traffic as well as moving.
My guess is Toyota's air conditioner system is pretty efficient, with separate electric motor driven compressor - gas engine used to recharge battery efficiently.

 

The EPA is not too far off as I now have about 6500 miles on Prius and I just traveled 230 miles today at about 65mph and averaged 55.4MPG.

 

My AVG is almost always 45 MPG. Half of the distance I drive on highways. And I am happy with it

 

The point of the EPA mileage is so that you have some sort of level reference to compare cars. For example, we ourselves as Prius owners see different results under different conditions. We get anywhere from 35-65MPG. But if we did the same tests, we would get the same results.

So, the EPA does the same tests so we can compare the Honda Civic with the Ford Focus with the Nissan Sentra, with the Saturn Ion, with the Toyota Corolla, with the Toyota Prius and decide which is better for our needs.

The EPA MPG is not there to help us budget our monthly expenses, or determine how much a trip is going to cost us, though it could give us a baseline.

 

Well. Did a test this morning. Warmed up the car outside the garage. And then refilled gas tank. And drove to work like normal. Found to have close to 60mpg for my commute. My normal commute reads normally 45mpg.

My commute is only 6 miles and 10-15 minutes. So that first 5 minutes in the Prius is the killer for me.

Like many have said, if you disregard the first 5 minutes, then the Prius should get somewhat closer to EPA ratings.

 

FWIW, in an '05 with 2000+ miles on it, 2 weeks ago I went on a 220+ mile trip into the western "mountains" of Maine and got 56.4 mpg. a few days later on a 180 mile similar trip got 55.x mpg. This was mostly rural hilly driving at 15-65 mph, some dirt roads (15-25mph), mostly secondary roads.

Our best mileage for a trip was a 25-30 mile pizza run into town. We got 64.x mpg on that trip. It was hilly and a few miles in town on electric @ 25 mph. On that trip I just wanted to see what it would achieve and drove appropriately.

The more aggressively I drive the worse the mileage. Go figure. Just like any other vehicle driven aggressively. Use the cruise control and get a few mpg less than foot control.

It takes a bit of learning to get the best mpg from the Prius. Don't learn and get fewer. It's still pretty good mpg though.

 

Wow! 56mpg! That's great! I think the highest I've gotten has been 48 and that was mostly stop and go traffic with the AC on. My worst was 43 and that was aggressive city traffic with the AC. When I first got the car (it now has 2500 miles on it) I tired to accelerate slowly and be a "good Prius driver" but now I just drive it like I've driven all my cars and I only get 1 or 2 MPG less. Pretty darn impressive, if you ask me.

 

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Less or more? Do you mean cruise control gives you less MPG?

 

I can always get better mileage without cruise control. I will gain a few mph on the downhill and lose a few on the uphill. The acceleration from the cc is a little too aggressive for best mileage performance.

 

Yes, I've found that cruise control gets me fewer mpg. There's a reason for this. Cruise control maintains a steady speed, using gas to slavishly maintain speed. If you drive more or less steady throttle, no matter what car you drive, you'll get better mpg. When I write "steady throttle" it really isn't that, but it's close. The reality is that speed goes up and down and so does the throttle, but not slavishly like with cruise control. Obviously, we need to maintain something close to cruising speed to avoid getting rear ended.

Watch your LCD in cruise control and out of CC under similar conditions. One of the first things I noticed was that the ICE was on all the time while in CC. I've never gone into warp stealth while in CC. Under foot throttle I enter warp stealth frequently at 65+ mph.

Don't take this to mean I don't use cruise control. It's great to rest the foot or on a long trip on the interstate, but it isn't best for mileage. It's just one of many tools we have with the Prius, we can choose to use it or not as we wish.

56 mpg might change with the advent of our summer weather. Those trips saw an outside temp of 50-60 degrees. The heat was on and the fan was on low. A/C and auto fan I'd expect will change things. We can't run electrical equipment for free, there is a cost.

 

In four tanks, I've yet to get less than 54 MPG. Typically in the 55-57 range. I have a 20 - 30 minutes commute each day (depending on the route taken - each is approximately 16.5 miles). Maximizing MPG surely takes a more active driving style but, hey, it's a lot more fun.

Aside from slight rattles coming from the hang-on handles (wonder if they can be tightened), I have been thrilled with the car.

 

People frequently accelerate rapidly from a green light and continue to accelerate toward a red light (racing from light to light) - then wonder why they get poor fuel economy (and rapid brake wear). Those same vehicles idle at stops while the Prius is "off". I always smile at those who accelerated off the starting line, only to be beside me at the next stop. Others are now advocating "running the green light", i.e., driving by thinking ahead and anticipating what comes next.

Prius requires a different approach to driving - thinking and driving for the long term. At 9500 mi I'm averaging better than 51 mpg with my best tank at 56 mpg. I am able to drive with cruise control at 41 to 51 mph for 18 mi of my commute. I must transition to a highway for 12 mi at greater than 66 mph. The MFD shows 55 to 73 mpg for the 18 mi with cruise control. Fuel economy drops to 45 to 50 mpg when I make the transition to highway speeds at 66+ mph.

The consequences of substituting oil for knowledge, while throwing fuel and money to the wind should be a "no brainer" and eliminates most criticism about Prii fuel economy.

 

Well I'm getting concerned.

I just finished my first tank and only averaged 35 mpg. I'm in New Orleans so the AC runs most of the time and my commute is only 10 minutes, but I was hoping to get at least 45 mpg like everyone else is getting. According to the MFD my second tank is doing about the same. I don't think my driving habits are that bad, so is the AC hitting me that hard or is it because most of my trips are only 10 minutes each?

I don't think I've read anyone doing as poorly as me, but I'm not sure where the problem is.

Advice appreciated.