40 mpg

jhinsc · Dec 31, 2010

Read my commentary on some of your answers in red below. To save space, I deleted some that required no comment.

adaptor said: ↑

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- What fuel economy are you getting and how are you determining fuel economy? (trip computer or manual calculations)
40-41 MPG. 10 Gallon fill up. 400-410 miles per fill up. Computer reads 42-43 MPG.

- What fuel economy are you expecting and why?
45-50 MPG. Some people are reporting 500+ miles per tank in similar conditions.

Same as you, I would expect to get at least 45-50mpg.

- What are the approximate outside air temps?
I live in Los Angeles. 40's to 60's.

Might try grill blocking for temps lower than 60.

- How long are your trips? Varies. All over town. 300+ mile trips up North. Similar mileage on every fill up.

Not enough specific information. On one trip around town, is it 5 miles, 15 miles, 50 miles? Do you drive 100 miles in 5-10 mile stints in one day? It makes a difference to know how long each trip is.

- How much of it is city vs. highway? Roughly what's the average speed in overall and and of each segment? Is there a lot of stop and go driving?
Both fairly even.

- Make, model, year, engine and transmission of previous car? (e.g. 08 Honda Civic Si 2.0L 4 cylinder, manual transmission) What did you actually get on the same trips/commute? (Please give us actual numbers, not EPA ratings.)
2001 Saab 9-3 Automatic. Not sure. Maybe 18-20 mpg.

If you're not sure, then how do you know if it was even that high? EPA rates the Saab at 18/26, 21 combined. If weren't getting avg EPS mileage in the Saab, then you can't expect to get it in your Prius either, based on your driving habits.

- How are you trying to drive (e.g. trying to stay in electric only?) and how hard are you braking? Normal.

I assume you're driving as you always did before, meaning you're not taking advantage of techniques that increase your mpg's. It doesn't matter whether you're driving a hybrid or not, good driving technique will increase your mpg's in any vehicle. I've always been able to meet or exceed EPA estimates in all my vehicles. It does take some concerted effort to do, especially if it means changing your driving habits. After a while, most will become second nature.

- What modes are you using, if any? "normal", EV, power, eco?
None. Power mode when on freeway occasionally.

Try ECO mode - I know it sucks driving with it but it does help and you will get used to it.

- Are you "warming up" the ICE (internal combustion engine) by letting it idle after powering on?
Yes.

Aha - that's part of the problem! In SoCal, just push the power button, shift into D and go. No warm-up needed, especially in SoCal.

- Are you driving using D or B mode?
Not sure.

You should know this - it makes a difference! Based on your "mostly flat, some hills" description of your terrain, use D all the time.

- HVAC settings? Are you using the heater, AC, auto mode, etc.? If using auto, what temp is it set to?
No AC. 75 degrees when not just using vent.

On colder days, 40's to 60's, a 75 setting will suck heat from the HCE, therefore it will want to run more, decreasing your mpg. Try 65 for first couple miles, then increase to 70.

The car has about 2400 miles now. The best MPG for a trip according to the computer is 43.7 on a 238 mile trip (freeway), but I've never driven more than 410 miles before it tells me to put gas in.

How fast were you going on this trip? 70? 80? Slow down for higher mpg.
Click to expand...

I will take a guess and say you're getting as good mpg's as possible based on your driving habits. Still pretty darn good compared to the Saab!

adaptor · Jan 1, 2011

jhinsc said: ↑

Read my commentary on some of your answers in red below. To save space, I deleted some that required no comment.

I will take a guess and say you're getting as good mpg's as possible based on your driving habits. Still pretty darn good compared to the Saab!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help. I'm driving smarter and my MPG has already increased to 45. I just gotta get used to cruising and not accelerating so much.

vday · Jan 12, 2011

Just celebrated Prius's first birthday
Just over 17.6K Klm just under 11 k miles and average MPG of just over 40 (17.3 klm / l).
No issues at all just one oil and oil filter change
Love the car

40 mpg

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