Realistic Gas Mileage & Experience..So Far!

Real World MPG

My 2002 Prius nearing 4,000 miles, purchased last Fall.

Traveling to and from work - - 7 mile one way cold weather trips a tank will see = 36 MPG. I nurse the vehicle trying to improve MPG but these cold morning starts with a cold lunch hour trip and cold start returning home 7 miles 36 MPGis a fact of life. I watch the display and see 36 MPG. -- It is fine I love the vehicle, it is it's nature of design.

If I throw in a few longer trips allowing the vehicle to warm up I can see (per fill-up) 39 - 42 MPG. More warm engine driving up's the MPG.

If I fill up and start into a 150 mile round trip on back roads I see 44-47 MPG. Hay.... leaving the gas station (warm engine) and taking the back roads home (7 miles traveling at 25-35 MPH) I get home with the display at 59.9 MPG.

Took my first New Jersey Parkway (interstate limited access highway) trip to New York City last week and got 46 MPG for the 220 mile + round trip. 98 % highway at 65 mph.

My experience is the type of driving and weather make a big influence short cold (20 F) trips really drop the MPG.

My 99 Toyota V8 Landcruiser in comparison sees 15 MPG in the same cold weather short hop driving and up to 17 on city/highway 15-17 MPG range ... VS ... the Prius 36-47 MPG range.

To say my Prius has been getting 38.5 MPG (average to date by actual gas and miles math) is due to the cold weather we have been having since my purchase and my using the Prius for short/cold weather/hops.

I do love the vehicle!!!

I've just driven 590 miles from Sevenoaks, Kent, UK to Honfleur in Normandy, France, back to St Omer with some sight-seeing trips then back home. The trip mpg was 61.7. My grand overall mpg at 9890 miles is 50.7 The car was bought in September 2001.

My trip included french autoroutes which only have British and Dutch vehicles, the French are too mean to pay the tolls so I could really run it with the meter hovering at 75mpg and not have to worry about slowing down. Their autoroutes are mainly contour-following roads, UK roads are cut and fill to level them out. I tried econ-running on the UK M20 motorway on the way home and had big trucks running up my backside all the way - too dangerous.

I'm thinking about putting cruise control on and am dithering with the CoastalTech or Toyota switch replacement versions.
James

> I got my first oil change and tire rotation at the weekend. I'm pleasantly surprised that the gas mileage has gone up about 3 mpg to about 50.

If you previously had too much oil in the pan (more than 1/4" above the full mark on the dipstick), that would definitely impair peformance resulting in lower MPG. 1/4" below the full mark is what I recommend.

Tire pressure increases (whether from the dealer service or the natural inflation that occurs from warming temperatures) has a direct affect on MPG too. More will result in higher MPG. 42/40 is what I recommend, or 44/42 if you want optimum MPG performance.

Summer formula gasoline also makes a difference, since it's more efficient than the winter type. The switch-over for most areas (I think) is April 1st.

Temperature itself is a huge contributing factor. The MPG in my Prius skyrockets when the in climbs above 55 F. Even without LRR tires, I can still get around 50 MPG. Of course, my Prius is well broken-in now at over 50,000 miles.

cold ... is gone ... MPG is here in time for spring

MPG vs. tire pressure is a tiny issue comparing it to ice cold mornings starts and warm-up. On a 15 F degree morning The MarvMobile (Prius) could be rolling on rail road tracks on solid wheels but the engine would still run warming up all the SLEV stuff under the hood.

This morning with temp in 50s I was on battery stealth driving by the first traffic light.

Tire pressure and rotation need attention as with any vehicle, but the big MPG factor is spring and nice warm weather. MPG rises with the warm weather. Vehicles MPG hovers around 50 MPG last couple fill-ups. But I didnt buy it only or primarily for the MPG. I feel that if we are to overcome the current technology i.e. fancy Model Ts with power windows we need to support new concepts be it hybrid / fuel cells / electric what ever

I drove a VW turbo diesel in Northern Europe for a few years and got as good or better overall MPG. But Diesels stink.

Keep an eye the Prius display and system status computer to play MPG roulette. Play the heel and toe drop it into B on the down hill leg. Keep it in electric 100MPG.