Ditto john's findings. At exactly 100,000 mi now in 37 months I'm averaging 47.9 mpg according to the GreenHybrid database where I've entered every tank and every mile driven.
Mr Incredible, your daughter sounds like my friend, is she 47 years old and lives in Perth? Only kidding, but seriously my 47 year old friend from primary school days and recently re-acquainted is the hardest person I know on a car who actually has a drivers licence. My son is tough on his car but he is still learning and with him it's more about inexperience. It seems some people never question that they always seem to be stuck behind someone. "Why does EVERYONE ELSE drive so slow?" The answer is still a mystery to them . Why do I get speeding fines? It is those lousy cops fault! Well no, dah. One thing I feel is some people try too hard to get good economy, and you see it on here all the time. Remember it's more important to slow slowly than to accelerate slowly. I find creeping up to speed is counter the aim. By accelerating slowly you have poor consumption longer, accelerate reasonably briskly then when you hit the speed you want to do, lift off the throttle then reapply only as much as you need to maintain speed. Every now and then try lifting your right foot a little, you can often reduce consumption without reducing speed. Anticipate stops by watching way down the road, lift off when you know you have to stop. See if you can glide up to traffic lights without using the brakes until you're below 10mph, that's hard. Good luck everyone who drives normally in a Prius.
I do my best without being unsafe. I have learned to speed up to a good speed then try to glide and coast if possible to a stop light. unfortunately many lights are within 1/4 mile of previous stops, so there's really not much that can be done.
I live in the middle of the city of Chicago - it is impossible to drive more than two/three blocks at a time without having to stop at a red light or a stop sign, or just for traffic in general. yes, I do use my heat and air conditioning and radio...I average 32 in good weather and 24 when it is cold enough for that silly yellow triangle to come on the dashboard. I have asked two Totota places here about mileage and they tell me not to use the heat or the a/c or the radio...that's not the kind of car I want. Since my last car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee which got 10MPG, I feel a little better about this one but it sure isn't what I expected to get.
Is there something special to do when my car will be left in an unheated (but covered) space in Chicago for the next two cold months?
If you drive it (or leave it in READY) for at least 30 minutes at least once per week nothing special needs be done. Be happy. Your MPGs are reasonable for short stop-and-go trips in winter. Another car would be getting around 20 MPG.
Well, had it 3 weeks or so and it was bought primarily for my dad (84 years old) and I have been using while I am home for Christmas. Now my dad is the most uninterested person you have ever seen in a car, I have never in 30 years of buying cars for him, managed to get any kind of enthusiasm for anything I bought. Initially he got 42 MPG (UK) then the second tank was 45 and the last week he has been enthusing and talking about going downhill and accelerating slowly and managing to get it to 65 on this particular road, it is most uncanny, maybe I should call a doctor because it is certainly unique for my dad. His last tank has given him 47 a significant improvement on the 28 average from his last car (Merc 190) The Prius seems to affect your driving in general and I wondered if any members with a Prius and something else had noticed an improvement in the "something else" after getting the Prius.
You should get 47mpg with your eyes closed driving like most normal people with no modifications, that's probably 50/50 highway city. You can do better easily on the highway by not doing 70mph
