FuelEconomy.gov official ratings posted - 58 City/53 Hwy Prius Eco - 54 City / 50 Hwy for Prius

Remove the dash panel and machine a slot in it?

 

TLDR- Did anyone figure out how the Eco gets 3 MPG better on the highway than the standard gen IV? It would have to be aero improvements since weight doesn't affect steady speed travel much.

 

The speculation on here has been that the slightly lighter weight of the ECO barely slips it into the next lower weight class, so that the conditions for EPA testing are more favorable than they are for the next class up (which is where all the other Prius models fit). So probably no aero differences (other than no rear wiper) and most likely not much actual difference between it and the other models with 15" wheels. The Touring models with the 17" wheels probably get somewhat lower MPG. And greater weights cost some MPG.

Remember that EPA ratings are just a lab test, they are not "what you will get": people get lower or higher MPG's on the road.

 

Don't forget the IR cut glass - the results of the SC03 test (air conditioning) are used to set an air conditioning offset to fuel economy on both the city and highway results, and SC03 includes a solar heating system.

 

Consumer Reports MPG numbers are more similar to what you will see in your own real-life driving.

Tested mode: 2016 Prius Three

CR's overall mileage, mpg 52
CR's city, mpg 43
CR's highway, mpg 59

 

And of course Fuelly.com has what 36 real owners really get in 110,000 miles of gas mileage.

2016 Toyota Prius Mileage

 

CR figures are what you would get if you were constantly running 10 minutes late and treated the pedals like on-off switches. I could just about achieve their fuel economy figures by entering a road race.

 

isn't that how most people drive?

 

The first people to post on fuellly.com may be more concerned with the fuel economy of their car than the average person and therefore drive more conservatively.

 

I find that this is typically true, but I'll eat my hat if CR ends up with a higher fuel economy than the average of 100 or more people on Fuelly.

 

I do now!

Bob Wilson

 

I think the same can be said for ALL people that post on Fuelly.com

 

Right, real owners really driving their cars in real life can't possibly be as accurate as a car magazine, I see.

 

I've had my 2016 for 4 months, have 6K+ miles on it. I think CR is too low, see attached photo of the mileage diary of my car. Just regular driving to work, trips around the state, etc.

Mar & April I had Michelin X-Ice snow tires. May and June I went back to the Nano OEM tires at nameplate. Amazing!

 

well done!

 

Hello members I have a 4th generation Prius 4 (I love the car , should have switched years ago ), why am I getting better MPG's on the highway (55mph) than in the city. I always drive in normal mode. And I try to stay in the Eco areas.

 

City test and Highway test are just simulations of two drives made in Los Angeles in the 1970s. They are not representative of your driving. They are just standards every car must pass.

Detailed Test Information

 

How are you scoring on acceleration and braking? Those may be the keys.

 

55 MPH is a very efficient cruising speed; more efficient than stop and go driving in the city. If you can time lights and traffic to avoid using the brakes, city driving will be more efficient due to lower speed. Drive 70 and and you might get worse than city MPG.

I get better fuel economy in stop and go traffic in my Acura than steady cruise on the freeway due to driving the average speed of traffic rather than riding the bumper of the person ahead of me.

 

what are you getting in each instance, and how are you measuring it?