[Guest]

I have had my 2005 for nine days and I love it. My question is about mileage. So far (in 500 miles) I am averaging 42mpg. Is this normal for a new Prius, and how can i get it higher? I really try not to use the AC (it's still quite warm here in California) and to go light on the accelerator. I mean, 42 is great, but I was expecting more.

 

[mrfredsporty]

dont be so concerned about it. set your climate control to the temp you like and forget about it.also your car is not broken in yet. in addition ive found that a steady speed of about 45 to 65 gives the best results. when i drive down the beatuful natchez trace it get about 60 mpg. when i drive at 70 on long flat stretches i get about 47 mpg. dont do a bunch of crazy save a penny mileage things. just drive it and youll soon know how to get the bst mileage.it is a great car and has engineering way beyond most vehicles

 

[GKarschnick]

I suspect your driving style will change. I've had my '05 for the same 9 days. I got 50.8 on the first tank and am showing 53.0 for the first 175 miles on the second tank. I have always been a "smooth" driver, so I think that accounts for most of it. My wife drove the car yesterday for the first time and while she thought she was being "smooth" and conservative, her milage was averaging around 45. I display the energy screen most of the time and it will teach you how to drive in the best gas saving mode.

 

[neprius04]

milage

8) Once the engine is broken-in say at approx.7,000+ you will see you gas milage improve. I currently have just over 16,000 on my 04 Prius and I am real pleased with it's gas milage.

Ben

 

[neprius04]

milage

8) Once the engine is broken-in say at approx.7,000+ you will see you gas milage improve. I currently have just over 16,000 on my 04 Prius and I am real pleased with it's gas milage.

Ben

 

[kevinkal]

I picked up a brand new 05 Prius Monday night. Here are my MPG observations:

I started with 6 miles on the Odometer leaving the dealership where the average MPG read low, something like 35...
THen I drove 60 miles home and the average MPG went up to 52 at the time I pulled into my driveway.

Monday night and Tuesday night, I was familiarizing myself with the car features without driving anywhere, but rather turning things on and pressing buttons. In doing this, the prius decided it needed to start the ICE and charge the battery a bit. It did this multiple times during my familiarization. The MPG dropped during this familiarization time. I recall that it dropped from 52 down to 46 roughly.

This morning, I took the prius to work, 42 miles.
After a 5 minute warm up, the information display showed that the gas milage never went below 50 mpg all the way to work.
Half the trip was spent in nasty bay area 101 traffic. And DAMN I was impressed! By the time I got to work, my average MPG had gone to 52 MPG! And, that was with a good 20 minutes of stop and go traffic. Also, during a single 5 minute period in the stop-and-go traffic, the MPG was plotted on the info screen at over 75 mpg!

Now.. to validate that the information display's mpg calculations are correct I'll have to fill up the tank a few times and divide miles by real gallons.

 

[melgish]

Be sure and check out http://www.greenhybrid.com for their real mileage database.

If you want something to compare to, or if you're looking to start logging your own performance, here's my current spreadsheet to get you started.

 

[ehurtley]

My spreadsheet

Since you posted your spreadsheet, I guess it's time to post mine again. Every day, when I'm done driving for the day, I record miles on the main odometer, and MFD mileage. Every fillup, I record as a second entry for the day, plus I include Trip-A miles, gallons, and cost per gallon. I then have to manually edit the 'running total' mileage columns to include the new fillup data. (I then 'autofill' downward with the new formulas.) I'm sure if I knew how to write macros better, I could have it automatically do all of the editing. (Since the 'same day but after fillup' and the 'day after fillup' rows end up screwy without manual editing as well.)

Values in bold are ones where I forgot to record the data. And, I'm about to go on vacation for a week, so I'll have a week of no data. (I'll just use the data from the day I leave for each day, it will get confused on the 'today's mileage' column, but won't mess up the long-term data.)

 

[efusco]

This is an article I wrote that should answer a LOT of your questions:

"Why don't I get the EPA Mileage?"

It's a little lengthy, but well worth your time as a new Prius owner. There are several very informative links and articles included as well.

 

[mrv]

Yes, there is a breaking in period. I'm still unsure if it's for the
car, or the car training the driver to drive more efficiently...

Some further reading:
* http://www.priusview.com/tips.asp

* Prius Fuel Economy: Explaining the EPA Ratings
Toyota explains what the EPA ratings actually mean, and lists ways to
improve your MPG
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toy ... sage/71431
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Pri ... ssage/2742

A brief description of the EPA test cycles is here:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml#estimates

* Can I expect to get over 50MPG in the new Prius?
(see question #6): http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/prius/faq.html

* Prius Fuel Economy Factsheet:
http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/p ... conomy.pdf


More MPG tips are in the Prius User's Guide:
http://john1701a.com/prius/prius-userguide.htm

Gas Mileage Tips from the EPA:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml

There are also more MPG tips in your Owner's Manual.

I also suggest reading the following article (with plenty of citations
for source data):
http://www.bluewaternetwork.org/reports ... ehood2.pdf
"FUEL ECONOMY FALSEHOODS: How government misrepresentation of fuel
economy hinders efforts to reduce global warming and US dependence on
foreign oil" by the Bluewater Network, 2002

 

[ChasSuitt]

Don't be discouraged.! NO ONE gets the EPA estimates... in ANY automobile.

You have one of the world's most advanced automobiles. ENJOY !!

-Charles Suitt- Dallas TX

'04 Tideland Pearl - Pkg 8 - BG - BO - PV - P4

 

[Guest]

Just a couple of thoughts. Break in milage on the "ICE" will have "O" effect on gas milage as engine runs at a reduced fixed rpm most of the time. And after six months and 4200 miles of driving I have found that my milage has dropped from trhe "regular" 49.5 of first 3,000 miles to now a regular 46 mpg. Which I consider "not too shabby" I have driven it exactly as I drive my other two cars.

 

[shawn]

Thanks, I really appreciate all the tips. I am not really worried about it, I was just curious. Lots of good reading-thanks.
Shawn
(formerly guest ShawnandScott)

 

[melgish]

Re: My spreadsheet

Since you posted your spreadsheet, I guess it's time to post mine again.

Good stuff. I don't have the patience to record every day, other than the MFD MPG that I post on the white board behind my desk

If you use named ranges (not that I am) you can have your graph automagicly adjust itself when the range changes... that way you would only need to change one place.

If you use the INDIRECT function you could work out a way to make the rest automatic too.

 

[Roger V]

I am new to this forum, and have an '04 Prius purchased 10/29/03. I turned over the 30,000 mile mark this morning just having left my dealer after the car was serviced. I filled up, and updated my overall mpg since purchase, having kept all receipts. The result: 52.6 mpg, covering all types of driving conditions. I do try most of the time to drive with fuel conservation in mind, but once in a while I use the power mode entering the freeway, etc. I keep an eye on the computer, so I know when I am getting the best mileage. In another message someone suggested accelerating rapidly from a stop and then leveling off at cruising speed. I believe you can do better by gradually picking up speed and easing back on the throttle when you reach the speed you want. I rarely drive over 65, except on a recent trip to Las Vegas, where I cruised at 70 out on the highway. That trip got me 51 mpg, just like they advertise. Most of the time, I find cruising in the 55 to 60 range delivers the best mileage, based on what the computer is showing. Funny thing about the computer is that I rarely am able to match what it shows at the time I fill the tank. I think it is because the tank is actually an expandable bladder, so it is hard to get it filled to the same point each time. Over time, with many fillups, I think it averages out. Finally, I am very pleased with my Prius, and think it is a good value and fun to own and drive. I am a professional chauffeur, and have the opportunity to drive lots of different cars, which I enjoy. But, when I park the Maybach 62, I also enjoy the trip home in my Prius.

 

[Guest]

Something that happened to me after my first service check and oil change. My milage dropped off from a steady 49 mpg to a steady 44.5. After reading several posts here I checked my tire pressures and found Toyota had set them all at 26psi. My "door" placard says 35 front and 33 rear. which when done has gotten my milage back up to 49. Amazing!

 

[billvon]

I mean, 42 is great, but I was expecting more.

That was true of my Civic hybrid as well. When I first got it, I got 40-45mpg (rated at 48.) Now I'm getting 42-55mpg. Part of that is me learning to drive it, but another part is just the normal breakin of any car (rings get seated better, cylinder walls get smoother etc.)

 

[NoSam]

Day 9

I'm on day nine, too. Love the car. And 42ish seems to be my MPG. 220 miles and half of that on the freeway at 65+. Love the smart key, NAV, and the Bluetooth for my phone. Consistently around town, I'll expect 50ish MPG. The manual says 600 miles for breakin period. you should keep the hard acceleration down to a min. Brakes is 200 miles.

 

[edward15]

I have had my 2005 for nine days and I love it. My question is about mileage. So far (in 500 miles) I am averaging 42mpg. Is this normal for a new Prius, and how can i get it higher? I really try not to use the AC (it's still quite warm here in California) and to go light on the accelerator. I mean, 42 is great, but I was expecting more.

I also live in Los Angeles area; my MPG averages 42-45 (lots of freeway driving). Keep in mind the faster you are driving the worse the MPG will be; I find it hard to get "great MPG" unless you are driving at slow speeds. Also once you find the "feather" position (like coasting or going downhill) of driving your MPG may increase.

 

[paul16451]

I've had my Prius for a week and a half now, driven it a couple hundred miles and my average has not yet gone higher than 46.0 mpg and that was only for a few seconds. Most of the time it hangs between 43 and 44 mpg. . I'm hoping that will change when I put a few more miles on it.