fridapaz said:
Hi friends
I've had my Prius for just a week. I drive it almost exclusively in the city, save for today when I drove only 120 miles round trip on the highway. The navigation system tells me that I averaged 43 MPG over 150 miles of driving. That sounds low to me. What do others think? :shock:
Four big things:
1. The EPA estimates are VERY optimistic. VERY few people get 60 mpg on a regular basis, and 50 is a safer average. (Of both highway and city.)
2. During the first few thousand miles, the car is still being 'broken in'. You will get lower mileage during that time.
3. Remember, the EPA estimate for highway is 50. Taking into account that the EPA estimate is high, and that you will get lower-than-expected mileage for the first few thousand miles, 43 isn't bad.
4. This car drives differently than most other cars. It will take some getting used to for you to get high mileage. (Technically, most of the things you do to get high mileage in the Prius also apply to other cars, it's just more obvious on the Prius, with both its computerized tracking of mileage, and the fact that you pay attention more.)
My Prius is now 73 days old, with a lifetime average of 47.65 miles per gallon, in 3138 miles. It's only been in the past 500 miles that I have been able to consistently get 50 mpg or higher as an average for the day. (I have only 20 days that I have exceeded 50 mpg average for the day, and of those, half are in the last 20 days.) Assuming my trend holds up, then according to my calculations, I will pass 50 mpg as a lifetime average sometime in December. (Of course, the colder weather will probably reduce my mileage, so it may take a very long time, if ever.)[/list]