1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Bad review, oh wow

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by seasidetraveler, Oct 19, 2006.

  1. seasidetraveler

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2005
    662
    14
    0
    Location:
    CA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
  2. Shane

    Shane New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2006
    30
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seasidetraveler @ Oct 19 2006, 01:20 PM) [snapback]335206[/snapback]</div>

    Interesting article. Of course, I had to give my two cents as well. ;)
     
  3. Bill Lumbergh

    Bill Lumbergh USAF Aircraft Maintainer

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2005
    537
    7
    0
    Location:
    NorCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I also chimed in. Seems like everyone that reviews a car has a lead foot (and an agenda).
     
  4. VinceDee

    VinceDee Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2006
    198
    0
    0
    I added my opinion, too. I'm still breaking my Prius in and I get far better mileage than he did.

    What's significant about it is that now I would have to question any review he does. If he screwed this one up then no telling what else he doesn't know about the cars he drives.

    Vince
     
  5. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,075
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I added my comments too. That guy must have been towing a safe behind him! :p

    Tom
     
  6. hschuck

    hschuck Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2005
    385
    17
    0
    Location:
    bay city, ca
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Oct 19 2006, 01:09 PM) [snapback]335232[/snapback]</div>
    The wheels must have fallen off the safe.
     
  7. Silverlode

    Silverlode New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2006
    40
    0
    0
    I have an 07 prius with about 500 miles on it. Average MPG is 43. Almost all of the miles have been 15-20 minute trips to/from work.
     
  8. brandon

    brandon Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2004
    771
    9
    0
    Location:
    Manhattan, KS
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    I can't help but wonder if some of these testimonials about almost unimaginably low MPG averages are coming from people who have an axe to grind and are embellishing the details of their experience.

    For example, one poster mentioned paying quite a bit over MSRP (silly, silly person) and then getting into a wreck. Surely the accident wasn't a result of their poor driving skills, and if the perfectly competent driver got into a wreck with the car it must be the car's fault. And obviously the wreck will have a negative impact on the resale value of the Prius for which the owner over-paid, and the owner is left with a sour taste in their mouth. So, fudging a few details, the car was in a wreck, but not because of the driver's actions; it got in a wreck because - let's see, what was that sensational headline... oh, yeah - the Prius stalled. Yeah, that's it. And it can't be a good value, not because the owner overpaid for it, but because it averaged... oh, let's say 33 miles per gallon. There. Now the car is at fault for the bad experience, and not the actions of the driver/owner.

    Of course, I guess we'll never know what really happened.
     
  9. jbarnhart

    jbarnhart New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2004
    629
    1
    0
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA
    I'm happy with my Prius, but I get 44 mpg when driving from Santa Clara to Sacramento and back -- all freeway miles. I drive between 65 and 70, and there are not many grades between SC and Sac. I've done this drive about four times, and the milage is consistent. I have my tires at 40/38 and my car is a 2006 with a little over 5K miles.

    I love my Prius. It gets double the milage of my other car, but it doesn't get close to 50 mpg under any of my driving conditions.
     
  10. brandon

    brandon Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2004
    771
    9
    0
    Location:
    Manhattan, KS
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Kelsey (the author of the article) mentions that when the temps were above 50 degrees the car started in all-electric mode and the ICE didn't kick on to warm up. That doesn't seem right to me. Anyone?
     
  11. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2005
    9,810
    466
    0
    Location:
    MD
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    it's always the car's fault, and the cobalt will always get better mileage.. don't you people know that yet? :lol:

    25/34... in case you're wondering. for a 5spd manual.
     
  12. Jeannie

    Jeannie Proud Prius Granny

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2006
    1,414
    2
    0
    Location:
    Central New Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    He mentioned losing MPG when he had to accellerate to make a yellow light. That may be necessary if the light turns yellow when you're already in the intersection, but when you're still APPROACHING an intersection, the light turning yellow is not a signal that you must accellerate!
     
  13. chimohio

    chimohio New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2006
    460
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jeannie @ Oct 19 2006, 05:31 PM) [snapback]335261[/snapback]</div>
    Maybe he's originally from the south - that's what the driving manual says down there, at least when I learned to drive anyway. :lol:
     
  14. Rancid13

    Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2005
    2,452
    3
    0
    Location:
    Los Alamitos, Orange County, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    <snip>"fuel consumption gauge, which drops from 99.9 mpg to a more believable 25 or 30 mpg."<snip>

    The only time my fuel consumption gauge reads 25-30mpg is either 1) while driving at a steady speed in the first 5 minutes after the car has been started after sitting cold overnight/all day 2) while accellerating, until I've reached my desired speed 3) the battery is down to 2 purple bars and any the car is busy charging it back up while I'm driving around

    <snip>The Prius can do 20 or 30 mph on battery juice alone, <snip>

    Mine will do ~40mph on battery juice alone, for up to a few miles, depending on how light I can keep my foot on the gas pedal. I tend to only do that on the 35mph posted speed limit streets though...

    <snip>"Clock lots of time on the highway at 55 mph, and the engine will yield gas mileage in the mid-40s.<snip>

    I can get the same kind of mileage if not better travelling at 70mph. At 55mph it's not unusual for the fuel consumption gauge to read 50-75mpg.
     
  15. VinceDee

    VinceDee Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2006
    198
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jbarnhart @ Oct 19 2006, 01:56 PM) [snapback]335248[/snapback]</div>
    I mostly do city driving, but I regularly get 55-60mpg when driving on the freeway. 44mpg is what I get as an average overall, so far (city and hwy). I have my tires at 44/42. Maybe that would make a little difference, but there must be something else.

    Vince
     
  16. PA

    PA Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2006
    427
    27
    1
    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    At the bottom of the article he says his extensive testing (I'm sorry, "considerable seat time") consisted of a 4.5 mile commute (which you'll notice is short enough to measure in tenths of a mile) and a mix of less than 1 mile & 12-15 mile trips. So, he got 34 warm-up miles per gallon, in temperatures ranging from near freezing to about 20 degrees above freezing (which I suppose explains why he wasn't running the A/C). Of course he got such low mileage. Actually, when you look at it, he did pretty well considering the limitations his testing imposed on the vehicle. It's just a shame he put "Real-World Mileage" as the title when the testing was so constrained.
     
  17. jdjeep98

    jdjeep98 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2006
    211
    0
    0
    Location:
    Wilmington, DE
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA @ Oct 19 2006, 07:49 PM) [snapback]335319[/snapback]</div>
    I was going to say something about the 4.5 mile commute, too. I wonder what his regular car gets on that 30-50 degree 4.5 mile trip... I bet it's nowhere near its sticker mileage, either. 4.5 miles isn't enough to even warm up any other kind of car. Sheesh! If he only commutes 4.5 miles, he should get one of those little electric commuter cars!

    I'm currently commuting about 30 miles each way through southeastern PA and I've been averaging 51 or 52 each month.
     
  18. VinceDee

    VinceDee Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2006
    198
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jdjeep98 @ Oct 19 2006, 05:00 PM) [snapback]335324[/snapback]</div>
    I drive my wife to work every morning, a grand total of 3.2 miles....round trip! And yet I'm still able to get the aforementioned 44mpg. That's why I don't understand how he could have gotten such crappy mileage.

    Vince
     
  19. barbaram

    barbaram Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2006
    911
    70
    9
    Location:
    Trenton, NJ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    The very last paragraph was indicative that the guy wasn't driving trips that were long enough!

    I've been driving my 10-12 minute trip to work most of this last tank and it really does make a difference when the car is driven for at least 20 minutes.
     
  20. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2004
    2,077
    296
    0
    Location:
    York,Pa.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    We are now in Az. on our cross country trip. I always get 48-50 mpgs with my Prius, BUT this trip I have gotten just terrible mileage. Coming across the midwest I got only 38 mpg's and all time LOW. Admidtadly we were bucking heavy headwinds, rain, low temps but I never expected mpg's to be this low. All across to Utah we only got 38-42 mpgs. Now since we are in Az. it's back to mid 40's. I wonder if the gas has something to do with it. I noticed what I always considered regular (87 octane) on east coast is E-85 in the midwest. So I always put plus in it since the Prius needs 87 oct. minimum. I hope on our trip back east along the southern route the mpg's come back to at least the high 40's