Newbies - Let's See Some Pics!

Just got a brand new 09 in Magnetic Gray. Looks pretty much like jaw444's baby above. Got it for $1000 below invoice and I'm loving it so far. Did not go for the 2010 since they didn't have any with the Nav package and they are selling for at least 2000 above MSRP.

I'm still on my first tank of gas and have clocked in 41mpg so far. Hoping to see the 50s soon

 

Welcome :welcome:

Easiest first step to improved MPG is to increase air in tires. Check side walls and never exceed Max Pressure. Many owners run 42F/40R.
Air conditioning seems to take away a few MPG for me...but when needed that's what you do.
Short trips are a killer.
How you drive will affect the MPG a lot as it does in any auto. The difference is our Prii numbers are so big any percentage impact is more noticable.
I also have an 09 and alert you to learn about the gas tank bladder before cold weather sets in. You'll learn about P&G, grill blocking in cold weather etc from the pros at this site. I've been learning for 8 months and still consider myself a Newbie

 

Thanks for the warm welcome snead_c. I filled up the tank for the first time yesterday and I was pretty surprised to see that I had to fill only 7.5gals of gas. I had driven about 360 miles on my first trip. Does that mean that I actually got about 48 mpg? My MFD was showing about 40mpg. Does it take into account the mileage from the electric motor too? Kinda confused

 

I appreciate Snead-c's post too. I'm newly priused and trying to learn. 7.5 gals is about average for me. I also am getting about 40.5 MPG on the MFD over the past couple of months. When i first got the car, the MPG was around 43 mpg i think, sorry i didn't write it down, wondering if there is a history in the car computer where i could look at the mpg over time? i've never reset it.

Anyway, i got the car in early January and gradually the MPG went down, and in May it reached 40.5 or so and has stayed there since then, very stable, fluctuating only 2 or 3 tenths of an MPG. I've attributed this to a combination of my driving conditions and my driving style/habits/needs. I drive in gridlock freeway traffic for about one hour a day. It would be two hours but i have a carpool lane sticker and on the way to work there's a carpool lane, but not on the way home. I tend to be rushed and so that is part of my driving style. So both of those things are not right for great MPG.

Sometimes the MPG goes slightly up and stays up for a while and then goes slightly down and stays down for a while. The range is between 40.1 and 40.7. I have come to suspect that this variation may be related to which gas station i buy the gas at. I'm paying close attention to that now. I have seemed to get into the higher end of the range with Shell gas and lower with ARCO, but i have only just been playing closer attention for the past month and need to watch it over time. I do have all my receipts from every tank of gas I've gotten. Since late March I've been writing down the MPG when i get gas, so I'll be able to check that when i have time. I did start writing down the mileage on the odometer and the mileage per tank in February or early March so maybe i can figure it out?)

But the last tank i got was at a Shell and the mpg has gone down by 1 MPG in the few days since i got the gas, without other obvious explanations such as worse driving conditions or driving. In fact, during that time the car was driven easily because i was off from work for 6 days. But it might be because one of my tires got really low. I filled it up, and the other tires, night before last. I drove to work yesterday and the MPG stayed where it was at 40.4. The week before it had stayed at 40.6 and its highest was 40.7. I was envisioning making 41.0 but it was not to be.

I wouldn't think these small differences mattered at all if it wasn't for the way they stay stable for long periods of time and then change and stay stable at that new level. The weather may be a factor, but the weather has been pretty consistent over this period of time. But i haven't been watching that closely. I'm in Los Angeles and the range of weather isn't very extreme.

PS i haven't seen your photos but from what you say, it sounds like a beautiful car--excellent color. :-D

 

MFD MPG is approximate for total miles per gallon (I've read perhaps 1 MPG or less on the high end). The problem with using refilling numbers is the gas tank bladder that shrinks and expands to affect the amount of fuel you can put in your tank. For hypothetical example cold weather may prevent more than 7/8 gallons from entering when the tank could hold 9/10 gallons at the fill up.These numbers could vary from tank to tank. Using the miles driven and the gallons pumped would be off. Over many tanks of pumping the problem should affect your cumulative calculations very little.
I just use the MFD as a close estimate.

There is no internal source of cumulative MPG to my knowledge.

The electric and internal combustion engine (ice) work together to produce the miles driven. Neither is recorded separately.

A lot of discussion about brands of gas exists. Fresh, clean, and 100% gasoline 87 octane (not ethenol %s if possible is all thats needed. Most contain additives to meet federal guidlines. A popular brand station (Texaco, Shell, BP, etc) that stays busy (caution never buy gas from a station that is in the process of refilling it's tanks..stirred up debris in the bottom of the tanks) is all that's needed to keep a Prius happy.

There are some really knowledgable members of this forum. Some can seem a little impatient with Newbies for not using the search functions of the site for questions that have been previously addressed. Play around with the search engine and you'll find enough to make the hours fly by.

 

I think the MFD MPG is cumulative. At least my MFD MPG has been tracking the calculated cumulative MPG for the last 6 tanks. For now it is about 3% too optimistic.

 

I'm sorry if I misled you...I reset the MFD MPG when I refill the tank so I can monitor intervals of MPG. Yes, you're right, if you leave the MFD MPG alone and only refill the tank your MPG will reflect all travel until reset.

 

They started doing this in 2006 I believe. The 2004-2005 models reset everytime you fuel up (over 3ga approx.).

 

Heres my 04 I just picked up a week ago. Shes nice and clean yet in the picture.

I'm just about done with my first tank and the MFD is reporting ~56 mpg.

 

Post deleted.

 

Oh Look - it's Sally's twin. Enjoy and welcome.

 

I got an 07 in January. it makes me smile every day. Congratulations! i know you're happy. I love the driftwood pearl.

 

I've only had Serenity since late May, 09 and am still learning how to get the best out of her. Most of my driving is on windy secondary coastal Maine roads, 40-55 mph. daily commute of ~28 miles round trip.
The 2nd pic is the day I picked her up. The first shows my first mod, a sharkfin antenna.

 

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She's a beaut.

 

Thanx. I'd been jonesing for one for a couple of years, after my '90 Toyota PU got wiped by the UPS truck (The only thing that'll kill a Toyota PU).

 

That she be. I didn't notice it when I got her, but the color is a perfect match for Coast Guard Blue. Someone at the USCG station my Auxiliary detachment is attached to noticed that is was the same color as my ODUs.
Whooda thunk, eh.

 

Okay, here goes! Just got my car today!

 

great pictures. That's a very cool car. Love the sunroof. As a 2008 owner it makes me want to run out and get a new one. But I'm still very happy with mine, having just completed a round trip to Canada (about 450 miles) on a single tank with an average mpg of 48.9. This was climbing over the mountains in 90 degree weather with the AC blasting. But, back to your car - GREAT looking. ENJOY.