[manya]

Just got a brand new Prius 2005, and am on my second tank of gas. The first tank only performed 38 MPG. I don't do much highway at all -it's mostly city. That's a far cry from Toyota's claim ! What mileage are you all getting ?
Second I also notice that the engine sputters sometimes when I stop at a light or sign. Toyota service says that they can't do anything unless the engine fault light comes on. Can others comment on their mileage and this "sputter" when the car's at a stop?

 

[Tideland Prius]

First, for god's sakes don't panic!

It's perfectly fine. Your mileage will improve as the car breaks in and as you learn the techniques of efficient driving. Note that all cars have a break-in period when new and their mileage and braking distance are affected by this break-in period. I first got around 40-42mpg back in Oct when I bought it new. Now I'm getting 50-55mpg. Relax!

Also, how short are your city trips? Trips under 5 mins or with 5kms will kill your mileage as the engine warms up and then you shut it down when you reach your nearby destination then has to warm up again when you return home.

The engine shuts off a little rough when new and when cold. It will smoothen out as the parts smooth their "rough" edges out.

 

[MikeFromEastCoast]

Most of the reviews I saw before I bought a Prius said that I would get 40-45mpg.

Interesting quote from a recent article: "no one ever gets the mileage promised in the ads" (see http://tinyurl.com/c8byq) They might have been more accurate if they said "few people" instead of "no one". My last two tanks of gas, with about 7000 miles on the odometer, got 57+ mpg. My commute, though, is 55 miles each way, so there's plenty of time for the engine to warm up. The mileage has improved somewhat for me as it's broken in. I think it was getting 53 or so when I first got it.

Also, I don't view the EPA ratings for the Prius as "Toyota's claim". It's based on a standardized test they have to do a certain way per government regulations. The EPA has a database on its site that has real world data reported by end users. I checked a few cars, and usually the mileage the average user gets is within the EPA range, but on the Prius it is about 47.6mpg (see http://tinyurl.com/cgwux) This is an indication of the inaccuracy of the required test, not due to Toyota wanting to make a false claim.

Usually, my engine (ICE) shuts completely off when I come to a stop, once it's warmed up. I generally feel a small rumble whenever it starts and stops. Maybe that's what you are hearing?

 

[JDavies]

Poor Mileage

Just got a brand new Prius 2005, and am on my second tank of gas.
_____________________________________________
Listen to Tideland: Don't panic. There's 50-60 mpg in there somewhere. You just have to give the car the conditions to produce it.
Putting around town on 10-15 minute suburban trips I get 38-40. I wrote a cry for help such as yours in my first post to this site.
Recently I drove the 200 miles RT from San Diego to Orange County and back. It's rather flat rolling country. I zeroed out the MPG reading on the info screen before leaving SD. A/C on 70..Tires at 40/38. Full tank.
I resisted the urge to get in the 80 mph fast lane like I always do. I slapped that devil right offa my shoulder! I got in the slower lanes and set the cruise on 65. (It added about 10-15 minutes to my normal driving time on this trip.) I didn't have to touch the CC more than once or twice. As I left the freeway heading for home I realized that I had just got 57 MPG for 197 miles. I saw a few hits over 60 mpg on the way. I also felt more relaxed than my usual mach-1 freeway dashes. Why is that..? 8)
The gas guage was down 3 pips. I feel much better now. Next time I'm gonna try that trip at 60 mph.
* The gas engine shut down is a litle rough when new. It's TIGHT and that's what tight engines do. Mine stopped doing that around 3000 miles.
Enjoy your new car. ~JD~

 

[markincolorado]

manya, make sure you also check your oil level. Overfilling is pretty common at delivery and it can affect your mileage...enjoy your ride!

 

[efusco]

http://www.greenhybrid.com/learn/articl ... gures.html

Read that...

Check your tire pressures. Minimum cold temps are on the door jam. Most of us boost the pressure a bit for better handling and gas mileage. I run mine at 42f/40r, others use 38/36 for a softer ride.

Check the oil level, as suggested. A severe overfill can have an impact.

Check that the parking brake isn't partially depressed...it's happened.

Other than that, I think you'll find much of what you're looking for in that article. Short trips, following close, not anticipating stops well ahead, aggressive acceleration, speeding or late braking are the killers.

You don't have to drive like a granny to get your numbers in the mid-40s to low-50s, but you may have to drive more 'intentionally'.

 

[manya]

Thanks for the comments. OK , I won't panic, will hang in there, check my oil, tire pressures etc. etc.
I DO drive like a granny ! This Seaside beauty is my baby times 2 !

 

[redwein]

I'm not sure how your mileage will go but I remember my first tanks going something like this:

1 - 38
2 - 40
3 - 45
4 - 49
5 - 52
6 on - 50 - 54

I think it was the same stuff that others have already said, breaking in, driving style, etc. I'm sure the driving style was very significant because I now find myself driving the speed limit almost exclusivesly when I used to drive 80 on the freeway and 55-60 everywhere else.

 

[Guest]

"Poor Mileage....."

Take heart!

My 05 Prius just turned 2000 miles. This morning I filled gas tank and reset trip meter. I went 5 miles and got 67.5 miles per gallon (coasted in neutral for 3/4 mile) with no air conditioning on.

You are going to have to change your driving behavior to acheive greatly enhanced mileage....and wait a little until Prius is broken-in

Toyota Prius: "Oh...........what a feeling!"

 

[Rmarchena]

Do you want to feel better?

Do you want to feel better?

If the answer is Yes, please continue with the following steps:

1.- Plan a trip for at least 1 hour, which includes highways and city with no stops.
2.- Reset the consumption after the first 15 minutes of driving to discard heating thermo mpg time in the final total count.
3.- Pulse and glide or cruise control your Prius as much as you can.
4.- Eureka...!!! You got way over 50 mpg's...!!! at the end of your trip.

If you do not discard the 15 minutes of heating thermo mpg time, your mpg will be the average of 25mpg and 50mpg, that is what you getting now.

Let me know how you did...

 

[mrv]

Tips for better Prius Gas mileage (near end of Spring 2004 newsletter):
http://www.toyota.com/html/hybridsynerg ... ng2004.pdf

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
http://www.priusonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=1079

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

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

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.


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


There is a Prius MPG calculator for the Classic Prius in the toyota-prius yahoogroup's FAQs section, but I don't think anyone has recalibrated it for the 2004+ Prius
yet, but it should give you some ideas where you might be losing your
fuel economy:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/6299


(I'm betting that your dealer didn't properly inflate your tires, and that your short trips are what is giving you lower MPG than you were expecting.)