Less MPG than I had hoped

I have about the same mileage on my Prius as you. I have averaged the MFD display mpg and calculated the total miles driven so far with the total of all the fuel I put in. The display is averaging about 48 mph and the (more accurate) calc. of all gas put into the thing is now 50 mpg. My worst tank was 45 mpg when I was letting others drive the car to see what it was like.

The tank I am on now (200 mi. so far) is reading 54 mpg.

My mileage is mostly on interstate and county roads with a little in town. I am in a hilly area so have a lot of ups and downs. When there is other traffic, I just flow with it and don't do anything unusual to conserve. If I am alone on a stretch of road, I play with it a bit to keep the consumption at a maximum.

On sort trips of a few miles, the mileage is worse. On the other hand, mpg seems to be improving as the weather warms up and I get more miles on the Prius.

 

Simple info that might aid you:

Use of A/C (air conditioning), in hot places like Houston, reduce MPG, significantly more during slow driving. On the highway, A/C has a smaller effect.

Cruise control (CC) can smooth your speed, but a good driver can achieve slightly better MPG than the CC.

MPG does improve as you get used to the Prius. Experiment a bit.

The Prius tries to warm up the engine to reduce emissions, so short trips (1-3 miles) give low (25-40MPG) mileage.

The Prius is getting much better MPG than your last car! (48MPG vs 32MPG for me)

You can coast up to red lights and stops, but not so slowly as to be a nuisance.

The refuel light goes on early. Many people drive 20-50 or more miles after the Add Fuel indicator appears.

The tank does not fill completely when the pump auto-stops. I add 0.5 to 1 gallon after the auto-stop every time. Some people add more.

If you fill up early (with 2.5 gallons left) and stop 0.5 gal from top, you are using a 9-gallon capacity tank. You can stretch that out a bit. Just don't run out of gas, as that is really dumb.

Keep at it!

 

I see you live in Houston which is about the same temps as where I live, Ft.Myers,Fl. Most of my trips are in town and less than 8 miles duration. I set my AC to Auto at 77 degrees and it is on all of the time and I have averaged 53mph since new and I now have 3700 miles on my Prius. I drive what I consider normal driving habits in mostly heavy traffic. Try the auto AC w/ 77 or higher and see if that helps.

 

Set your MFD to display the Consumption screen and pay attention to the instant MPG bar on the right. This is the best behavior modification tool which will vastly improve your economy driving techniques.

 

Your post does not indicate if you have a generation I or generation II Prius. Is this a 2004 or 2005?

If it is an older style Prius (prior to 2004), you probably won't get the mileage that the newer models do.

Having said that, I would do the following:

1. Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Under-inflated tires can significantly reduce fuel economy.

2. Check your oil level. Many have posted here the effects of having the oil level over-filled.

3. Enjoy the view from the right lane. Leave 5-10 minutes earlier than you usually do for a destination and adopt a driving style of slightly less than moderate acceleration and long coasts to anticipated stops. (Care less what other drivers think about you. If you were not there to infuriate them, they'd find something else to blow a gasket over. Their angst is their problem dealing with reality, not yours.)

4. Combine trips in order to combat the mileage hit you'll get from numerous short, unnecessary trips.

The overall key to getting good mileage is to adapt your driving habits to the technology of the Prius, just as people adapted their driving habits to maximize the technology of muscle cars, etc.

Read as much as you can about how your Prius works . Understanding why the Prius behaves the way it does goes a long way in helping you adapt new habits accordingly.

Herb

 

I, too, was a bit disappointed when I "only" got 46.6 mpg around home then on a 3000 mile trip to florida and back, but I had reached my 5000 mile mark after returning, and now ( with warmer weather, paying attention to my driving habits, and staying around 55mph) I am averaging 50.4 mpg driving into the city and doing errands. Of course the "only" 46.6 was really great compared to the 28 mpg I was getting on my beloved Chrysler Sebring convertible before I greened up with my new Prius (which is now my beloved Prius)

 

Do you leave the car on when parked (running errands)? That'll screw your MPGs ino the ground. And don't use "B"; there's no reason to in Houston.

Fill your tires (I use 42/40 front/rear), don't completely fill the oil (three quarts at an oil change is perfect), and I'll second the suggestion about leaving the "Consumption" screen on and glancing at it when safe to do so. It's very instructive.

 

8) Allow me to say that 44-46 mpg in houston is nice for this veh. i have 17K on my 04 and i have been getting right in that range. last car was a seabring and this milage (mid 40's) is sooo much better than the chrysler. I dont expect to get 50 or better with the way i drive this car. i accelerate fast and always use the A/C set at 70-72 and im happy to get mid 40ish. i also have found the tire pressure set at 38-42 is harsh on the ride and ill deal with the loss in mpg for a nice ride. :mrgreen:

 

One more thing that might be going on with respect to your fuel economy is the type of gasoline sold in the Houston area.

I understand that Houston has some major air quality issues. It could be that special gas is sold in the Houston area to help combat exhaust particulates, such as "winter" gas being sold year round.

Just a thought,

Herb

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(exces6\";p=\"89824)</div>

We have an 05 as well. We get around 43mpg. If I drive EXTRA careful I can get a little better, but not much. It seems as tho our usual driving area will net us nothing better. Considering we were likely getting about 15 in the previous car, I can hardly complain. Truthfully, what car have you gotten the EPA estimate in?

 

Road Trip.

If a long trip on a 55MPH highway (the flatter the better) doesn't boost MPGs up near 50, something's up.

I get 'bad' gas occasionally which drops my MPGs (43 or lower would make me worry), so MAYBE that's part of it...

 

Around 45MPG is pretty normal if you're not planning on changing your driving style. The people who get 50+MPG on the forum either have great conditions or make max mileage a top priority.

I consider mileage, but like to accelerate briskly and go 70-75 on the highway, under less than ideal conditions (lots of traffic and short trips.)

If you drive a lot of highway with little trafic, the 51MPG figure is easily attainable (as mikepaul said above) just by going 55MPH!

 

2005 Prius purchased Jan 5, 2005.

Now 3000K

MPG all Hwy....cruise at 60MPH. Readout .....140 miles. 4.2 litres per 100K (65MPG Canadian)

Second readout---urban and hwy.....435K 4.7 Litres per 100K (52/63 MPG
Canadian. Sure pleased with my results.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rollerblade\";p=\"89895)</div>

WOW! Your done some hard driving to pass the 3 million mark in just over 5 months.