My New 2011 First 400 Miles MPG

Congratulations, it will get even better as you get to know the car! Yes, speaking as an mpg addict myself it definitely is addicting.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Gen-III Prius' HSI overstates mpg by about 5%, which is extremely annoying. You can see this by hand calculating gallons in vs miles driven when you fill the tank (best not to trust that it was completely full when you got it, so starting with the first tank where you filled the tank yourself).

 

Great mileage! I'll bet you are actually looking forward to going to the gas pump now, knowing that you can go about 550 miles per tank and only need to put in 10 gallons to fill it up.

The gas mileage game is addictive and (for the most part) will make you a calmer driver. What people mistake as "smug" is really a sadness when you think of how much more money other folks are spending to drive the same distances as you.

Enjoy the savings!

 

Congrats! It's such a great feeling.

 

I post here as a Gen 2 driver, but my 09 had an argument with my wife's bumper, forcing me to rent a Gen 3 from Hertz.

First think I did - pumped up the tires from 30 to 47 psi.

First week: trip from BOS to Princeton NJ and back - all highway. Got 53.4 MPG on the tank, "click to click". Since I drove "with the people" at easily 70 MPH, I conclude that the Gen 3 is good at highway.

Second tank is tougher - its my usual commute, and it isn't as good as my trusty Gen 2.

I'm getting 66 on the display so far, under circs that usually allow 70.

Will post updates

 

Congrats!

Keep it up

 

don't know what I'm doing wrong but my month old Prius 4 with solor roof only getting about 39 mpg... dealer says it should get better after a couple thousand miles

 

The dealer doesn't know what they are talking about.

Fill out this questionnaire and we can help you figure out why your mpg is so low. I'm going to put $10 down that says it has to do with frequent short trips. After filling it out please copy and paste it in a new thread and we'll help you from there.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-answer-these-questions-esp-if-youre-new.html

 

Except it will get worse first as winter takes hold in New Hampshire. But still, longer trips like that, he should get over 50 mpg, if he's currently getting 58. Those are awesome numbers!

I was worried I would get bored by the weaker engine and slower acceleration in my Prius, but playing the video game of MPGs more than made up for it. I was already driving in a reasonably relaxed style anyway. When you think you got this down, then add a scangauge or similar and learn the startup stages for the 'advanced' mode

 

- Have you read This Thead Yet? Yes

- What fuel economy are you getting and how are you determining fuel economy? (trip computer or manual calculations) 36-40 manual

- What fuel economy are you expecting and why? 48-50

- What are the approximate outside air temps? 70-80s

- How long are your trips? few miles

How old is your 12v battery? What is the voltage reading of your 12v battery after sitting over night? (Method Here) car is month old

Have you had your alignment checked? Any pulling or abnormal tire wear? should i at 512 miles on car

- 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? mostly suburban

- What's the terrain like of your drives? (e.g. flat, gentle hills, steep hills, etc.) mostly flat some hills

- What are your tire pressures? as received from dealer few wks ago

- Is your oil overfilled? (i.e. above the full mark on the dipstick) no

- 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.) 1997 toy t-100 PU Automatic, 6 Cyl, about 17 mpg

- What region/state are you in? (if you haven't set your location) North new Jersey

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

- What modes are you using, if any? "normal", EV, power, eco? eco

- Are you "warming up" the ICE (internal combustion engine) by letting it idle after powering on? Not really

- Are you driving using D or B mode? sorry don't understand D or B

- HVAC settings? Are you using the heater, AC, auto mode, etc.? If using auto, what temp is it set to? mostly auto at 71.degrees

- Are you using the factory tires and wheels? If not, please indicate tire make, model and size (e.g. Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max 185/65R15). As received from dealer 2011 prius 4 solar roof

- If reporting a mileage drop, did anything significant change on your car (e.g. accident, hit a curb or big pothole throwing off alignment, oil change/other maintenance/repairs, changed tires or wheels, etc.) or your commute? No nothing

 

Thank you for answering the questionnaire.

Can you be more specific about "few miles"? How many? Also elaborate on "mostly suburban". Are we talking mostly city driving? How much highway? Is there are lot of stopping, idling and/or stop and go?

Do check your tire pressures when the tires are cold (tires have sat for at least 3 hours after driving). We have no idea what they are now based on your statement.

What do you mean by "not really" at the end? When you power on, do you go immediately (not even waiting for the ICE to turn on) or do you sit there for awhile it the ICE running?

I suspect your expectations are set too high based upon EPA estimates. From the sounds of it, your short trips are killing your mileage. Please read http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...uth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates.html to learn more about the EPA tests.

As for D vs. B, are you shifting into D or B? Where does it remain for your driving?

 

I would do the exact opposite of everything you are doing because that is horrible MPG's. Unless you take frequent short trips or have quite the terrain.

 

I agree with cwerdna:
"suburban" driving covers a lot of possibilities, which include high speeds (in my area people commonly ignore limits and drive say 55 in a 40 zone, which costs more gas getting up to speed, driving at that speed, and getting back up to speed after any slowdown). If there are frequent stops/traffic lights/turning traffic to slow down for, you might burn MORE gas than you would on the highway.

"a few miles" can cost you because the car won't ever warm up fully. If it is possible, combining trips and starting with the longest leg of the route first could help.

Tire pressure can make a difference.

I'd also look at AC use. If it's 70's and at least below mid 80's AC isn't that necessary and costs a surprising amount of gas. I'd suggest either not using it until at least mid 80's and, when you need to run it, set it at 2-3 degrees below the outside temp shown on the center console. Then it won't run as hard.

But the biggest factor is how you drive, and people vary a lot in that area and are resistant to changing.

If you're not happy with the mpg you're getting, you'll have to change something. As cwerdna's article explains, the EPA estimates are just estimates of mpg under average, defined usage in average, defined conditions so fuel economy of different vehicles can be compared, at least under those conditions.

Also consider that the same effects were probably happening with the PU you had before, it's just that (a) you didn't have the displays to constantly show you what you were getting, (b) they were buried under its generally low mpg, and (c) your expectations were lower.

 

As stated above, short trips really hurt MPG. Short trips with havy AC use REALLY kills mpg.

Watch the video and see how much the AC drops mpg when first activated. This can continue for over 30miles worth of driving if it is really hot outside and you have your AC set low like you do.

 

Keep up the good work! :cheer2:

To keep your MPGs up - Make sure to check and maintain your tire pressure up and grill block your Prius now. Prius' are very sensitive to rolling resistance and driving temperature drops..