[TauZero]

Been obsessively checking for info on prius, and found this news article:

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/vehicle ... 7test.html

Includes this quote, "...most buyers are getting mileage in the mid-30s in the city, and perhaps in the low 50s on local roads."

Ok, I don't have one, and in fact, I am planning on putting my name down on some lists in a month or two, but this seems wildly divergent from what I'm seeing on the boards.

Thoughts? Anyone want to cancel their Forbes subscription?

Tau Zero

 

[frenchie]

Comments from a 2001 Prius owner (the 2004 is supposed to be better) :

Lifetime MPG after 45000 km (28000 miles) : 44.8 (including short trips like in everyday life)
Short trips (with cold start, especially in winter) DO kill gas mileage.

Last tank : 54.7 (very proud of this one, which is actually the best)

and perhaps in the low 50s on local roads.

Is that something you can complain about ?

BTW, I live in France so I'm not a Forbes suscriber anyway.
:wink:

 

[Pebble Beach]

I am just mystified by articles like this. Have never gotten worse than 48mpg on any one tank and the last 2500 miles never less than 50mpg. 75-80% of my driving is highway driving. And its not flat.

Have seen even some posters talking about never getting over the 30's and just cant understand. Are people driving 85 mph with the AC on full blast at all times? I have to think that some people just dont know how to drive efficiently. Its them, not the car. Even then I dont think I could get in the 30's even if I tried to drive as inefficiently as possible

 

[john1701a]

There was an underlying theme of "we fear change" and "anything that's different is bad". I've read many articles of that nature, and it really makes no difference to me. Even negative publicity is good for raising awareness... an important aspect at this stage of rollout.

The data they provided is either poorly researched or an outright lie. Whatever the case, it is extraordinarily vague. Thankfully, many with an interest in hybrids actually do their homework. They figure out that there is something wrong with misleading reports like that.

As the many technologies in Prius continue to evolve, it will hard for even those with the most to lose from hybrids becoming popular to deny that some of those new features lower the appeal for traditional designs.

Change is inevitable. People simply grow tired of the same old, same old after awhile. Hybrids like Prius offer a very refreshing change for the better.

 

[mdacmeis]

With all of the factual inaccuracies in the article, I am concerned that their financial advice might also be factually inaccurate. As a result, I will no longer buy the magazine. How can I be sure any of their articles is accurate?

 

[Panjandrum]

Real MPG varies

Well, the actual fuel economy you get will vary wildly due to terrain, driving style, temperature etc. I live in Michigan, which is flat (bad for the Prius which does better in rolling hills), has lots of 70mph highways, and has hot summers and cold winters. I drive the car like a normal car, accelerating at the same speed as the surrounding traffic, and driving at the same speed of surrounding traffic (usually a few miles per hour above the speed limit, but nothing wild). Occasionally for fun (and on seldom-driven roads) I'll play around and drive well below the speed limit, use an insanely light touch while accelerating, etc. - and that *does* make a HUGE difference. But, I'm not willing to drive 15 or 20 miles per hour below the speed limit or cause a traffic hazard as everyone behind me scrambles to try and get around me as I attempt to creep up to 25 or 30 miles per hour without the ICE turning on.

Over the last 19k (and some odd) miles, I'm averaging 43.3 miles per gallon in our 2002. I'm perfectly happy with that.

So, if you're going to drive it just like you would any other car, you probably won't get anywhere close to the EPA mileage estimates. If you're willing to drive it kind of strangely, then you'll get closer to the estimates. We have a lot of Prius owners out here, I usually see several every day, but it's almost getting annoying. I can't count the number of times a nice long line of traffic is forced to pile-up behind a Prius driver doing 55 on the freeway (which are 70 here in Michigan). Yes, it is completely within their rights to drive 55, but it is also a traffic hazard. You get a line of traffic flying past on the left and a huge line of cars all trying to get out from behind the driver clogging up the right lane. This last happened to me (once again) just yesterday evening coming back from some on-site work in GR (Grand Rapids). It's surprising how frequently the lead car in that clog is a Prius (I'm sure I just notice it more often because I drive a Prius, but the frequency seems disproportionately high). Yesterday is was a silver "classic" Prius just like mine - I literally blew past it doing 73, my guess is they were running between 50 and 55.

I'm also kind of worried that people won't realize the Prius can "do highway speeds" if people keep seeing them being driven like this. I get asked that question often enough as it is....

Oh, on a recent drive through Indiana on route 31 I consistently achieved mileage in the low 50's. Route 31 is a 55 zone most of the way though Indiana. I drove 58. If you live in a state that still has lots of 55 zones, you'll probably do GREAT.

 

[Jonnycat26]

Re: Real MPG varies

I'm also kind of worried that people won't realize the Prius can "do highway speeds" if people keep seeing them being driven like this. I get asked that question often enough as it is....

Well, I can't do anything for you out there, but I'm sure more than a few people on the NJ Parkway would be doing double takes if they realized it was a "wimpy lil hybrid" that blew by them at 75mph on the parkway. While pulling in 43.1mpg.

 

[ephrumsirc]

For what it's worth, what I noticed still on my first tank is that the average MPG went up when I went on my "long" mountain trip, and went back down when I went back to my simple 15 minute drive to work and 15 mins. back home. So there's definitely some truth in all the posts that say you get better mileage for longer trips rather than the short hops. Kinda makes me want to move farther from my work - nahhh....

My average on the first tank hoovers around 45 MPG. I'm one of those "geeks" that keeps spreadsheets on my car, so I'm going to compare actual MPG to the computer's average MPG and see how close they are. I'll keep you all "posted"

 

[moocatdog]

Potential Prius owners,
The Forbes article is nonsense. I have 7K miles on my '04 and drive it as I would any other car. I keep up with traffic, don't worry about "stealth" and don't obsess over planning my routes for maximum efficiency--I just drive it. The lowest mileage I've received on any tankful of gas is 43.5 and that was in the dead of winter. Now, as the weather continues to warm, my average mpg has climbed to 51.
Drive happy,
Moo

 

[mdacmeis]

Re: Real MPG varies

I live in Michigan, which is flat (bad for the Prius which does better in rolling hills), has lots of 70mph highways, and has hot summers and cold winters.

Flat!? LOL...not where I live. The hills actually kill my mileage in this part of Michigan, even on the freeways. Michigan is not flat. Maybe in some areas, but so are other states. Not that we have mountains, but we do have some significant elevation changes.

Lifetime average is 47.x over 1700 miles, driving mostly 75 with cruise on the freeways.

The timing and content of all these recent articles makes it appear that someone like GM is trying to discredit the car. To bad they simpy did not further develop the EV-1 and give Toyota some competition.

 

[walkingtall]

With 8k since january, I've been in the range of 45 (winter) to 52mpg. My usual 14 mile drive into work is from suburban Maryland into WashingtonDC on local roads - speed limits vary from 35 to 50, lots of traffic lights...I still get 48 to 50mpg. On 150 mile trips to PA to visit family, using cruise control and driving ~70, I STILL get 48-50

 

[Daniel]

Instructions for achieving 30 mpg in an '04 Prius:

1. Find a home ten minutes from where you work, in a city that gets down to 30 degrees below zero in winter.

2. Wait for winter.

3. During the coldest months, start the car, set the heat to high, and go back inside for 5 minutes.

4. Return to the now warm car, and drive 10 minutes to work, keeping the heat on high so the ICE never shuts off, even at stoplights.

5. Avoid longer drives, which would allow the car to warm up and actually begin functioning like a hybrid. A 15-minute drive to the shopping center once every couple of weeks is okay, and won't raise your mpg too much, averaged over the entire tank.

I suppose you could achieve such low mileage in other ways as well, as for example by attaching a big roof carrier for significant added wind drag, or perhaps dragging a dead horse or two behind the car.

Please only use horses that died naturally. I do not advocate the killing of horses in order to verify that Forbes might possible have actually achieved the reported mileage.

 

[oldfox]

Hey Jonnycat26 - There is no way one can get up to 75 mph on the NJ Pike Way too many toll booths if one can manage 30 your doing good :wink: :wink:

I live in the mountains of Western NC and my last 5 tanks of gas have averaged 53 or 54 mpg. Just got back from a trip to Cashiers and Highland and averaged 56.7 mpg. No, I don't drive 70 very often esp thru these mountains. The Key is Anticipation - Anticipation :!: :!: At every posssible light, intersection, hill and Dale

 

[BIF]

... The Key is Anticipation - Anticipation :!: :!: At every posssible light, intersection, hill and Dale

Why, yes! I find myself doing this. Try to slow down as little as you have to, particularly for lights that are about to go from red to green.

Contrary to what you might think, I find that I get better gas mileage when I have FEWER regen symbols. This is true regardless of whether I'm driving on a highway or side streets.

I try to time my approach to intersections such that I don't have to come to a complete stop, if possible.

I also try to keep from getting behind the rush-hour "brake-light Bettys"...you know, those who drive 10 or 15 MPH below the speed limit, and ride the brake the whole way, as if they're unsure of when their turn is.

As for my last tank of gas, I got 47+ MPG. This was a worst-case scenario for me, because I had to let my car run while it had the tint installed, and because I've been using the AC an awful lot lately. I also drove with the secondary objective of charging the battery, as opposed to acheiving stealth. I did this just to see what the impact on fuel economy would be.

Of course, my primary objective is always to drive safely and get to my destination in one piece and without causing injury to anybody else.

 

[zorcon]

Expect low mileage when Check Engine light is on

When you first buy your 2004 Prius, a manifold coating needs to be burned off (takes about 300 miles) which erroneously makes your Check Engine light come on.

If the Check Engine light is on for any reason, the car enters a fuel-enriching "fail-safe" mode, which reduces your gas mileage signicantly. I only got about 25 mpg while the light was on. There is no reason to enrich the fuel mixture for this particular condition (emissions out of range), but the computer isn't that smart, so it does this for any Check Engine condition.

It's been about 6 months now that the light has been off. I get 55-60 mpg on the highway and an average of 38 mpg in the city. I read an article on CNN this week that says that seems to be what most Prius owners are getting in the city.

Although 38 is far below the EPA rating, 38 is still not bad, and with the Prius near-zero emissions, you're helping make this a cleaner planet, which is why I bought my car.

 

[artman67]

Re: Expect low mileage when Check Engine light is on

Although 38 is far below the EPA rating, 38 is still not bad, and with the Prius near-zero emissions, you're helping make this a cleaner planet, which is why I bought my car.

Currently 53MPG in town ( all I drive )
About a 10 min drive to work

I am on my second tank of gas
189 miles since I reset the average

just the facts