[PA Prius]

I was talking to a supposed reliable source earlier today. He said that according to Toyota the nationwide average for the Prius is 38 mpg.

What I found even harder to believe is that he said Toyota dumped 8,000 Prius here at a local automobile auction (largest in the U.S.) over a 2 month period about a year ago.

Can anyone verify either of these as true of false?

PA P

 

[Hep]

I was talking to a supposed reliable source earlier today. He said that according to Toyota the nationwide average for the Prius is 38 mpg.

What I found even harder to believe is that he said Toyota dumped 8,000 Prius here at a local automobile auction (largest in the U.S.) over a 2 month period about a year ago.

Can anyone verify either of these as true of false?

PA P

You need better sources. Both of these are absurd. Consider them "verified" false.

There is still a 6 month wait for a Prius in Minnesota. And how anyone could average as low as 38 mpg is beyond me.

I suppose there could be used Prius showing up at auto auctions from car rental companies, but it wouldn't be in that quantity and it wouldn't be "dumped" by Toyota.

 

[firepa63]

False

 

[DanMan32]

There is still a 6 month wait for a Prius in Minnesota. And how anyone could average as low as 38 mpg is beyond me.

Quite possible. Constant trips less than 5-10 minutes in length with AC or heat blasting.

 

[efusco]

If there's any truth to it at all I think it would have to be Classic Prii he's talking about...there certainly haven't been 6k 2G Prii 'dumped'.

 

[Hep]

If there's any truth to it at all I think it would have to be Classic Prii he's talking about...there certainly haven't been 6k 2G Prii 'dumped'.

But why ship them all to an auto auction in Pennsylvania? I smell an urban legend. I may need to check Snopes.com on this one.

 

[Phish Phood]

The only time I've had MPG that low is when I did a 300ish mile straight stretch averaging high speeds continued onto uphill stretches mixed in with some snow driving (30mph) with chains. These days even without "trying" for good mpg I'm getting about 45mpg and I ain't driving like a granny...

 

[richard schumacher]

There is still a 6 month wait for a Prius in Minnesota. And how anyone could average as low as 38 mpg is beyond me.

Quite possible. Constant trips less than 5-10 minutes in length with AC or heat blasting.

I managed to get 38 MPG with 5 minute trips and A/C on max when the outside air temp was above 100'F.

 

[richard schumacher]

I was talking to a supposed reliable source earlier today. He said that according to Toyota the nationwide average for the Prius is 38 mpg.

What I found even harder to believe is that he said Toyota dumped 8,000 Prius here at a local automobile auction (largest in the U.S.) over a 2 month period about a year ago.

Can anyone verify either of these as true of false?

The "reliable" source would be the best one to do that. Ask them to document their source. Betcha a nickel they can't.

 

[mrv]

I'll note that 8,000 Prius is about the monthly sales total of NHW20 Prius in the US over the last year, so it is an absurdly large number.

Which auto auction place?
http://www.niada.com/Auto_%20Auction/st ... lvania.htm

I'd be willing to guess that they'd likely be vehicles returning from leases or maybe trade-ins, but more than likely from the rental car fleets (Enterprise/Budget/etc.) where people wouldn't know how to drive them...

 

[Roger V]

Have you noticed that it is always someone who heard about a problem from someone else, but none of the people involved actually own a Prius? A few weeks ago a guy told me that he knew someone who drove a tow truck, and had claimed to be seeing many examples of fires, stalls, etc. involving the Prius. Pretty flimsy evidence, if you ask me! In the nearly three years that I have been driving a Prius on LA/OC metro freeways, I think I've maybe seen two or three at the side of the road, for whatever reason, and never one on fire.
If Toyota had "dumped" cars, their dealer network would have been up in arms, and it would have been in the news media, just like the few cars that stalled and caused the recall.
As to the mileage, if that were true, there would have to be a lot of owners getting mileage down in the twenties to offset all of us up in the mid-fifties.
Guess you have to reconsider how "reliable" your source really is.

 

[Hep]

There is still a 6 month wait for a Prius in Minnesota. And how anyone could average as low as 38 mpg is beyond me.

Quite possible. Constant trips less than 5-10 minutes in length with AC or heat blasting.

I've had tanks worse than that when the temps are in the negative teens and I'm making many short trips. I just wouldn't be able to sustain that as an average unless I left the car idling for hours with the A/C on every day.

 

[Roger V]

Anybody can at times have a low mileage tank, but what the original poster was talking about was a national average of all Prius owners. I think my personal worst was somewhere around 47mpg, but my lifetime average on two cars is 54.5, so there would have to be two owners averaging just 21.5 to result in the four cars averaging 38mpg.

 

[Astrowoman]

I've had TANKS as low as 36, but it seems unlikely the national average could be that low. OTOH, running errands in city traffic with lots of stops and hills, if that was all you ever did with the car, at least given my local driving conditions, you could do that poorly. It's just that half the folks would have to do WORSE than that if it is really the mean and not the mode...

 

[DanMan32]

I believe the trigger to my comment of average was Hep saying

And how anyone could average as low as 38 mpg is beyond me.

I was just pointing out that an individual could get averages as low as 38.
I do agree that a national average of 38 though is absurd.

 

[RealAle]

And also keep in mind that if you duplicate the same driving circumstances on a non-Prius, their tank average would be 15 MPG or less instead of 38 MPG.

 

[Hummius]

"me three"

i have to say that to get 38mpg for a tank i would have to

A) go 70+ on the interstate the entire tank

or

B) drive like a complete maniac.


The pri routinely delivers 52-55 on the MFD in mostly city, some short <60mph highway, driving even if i don't bother to pay super-special attention to technique, and accelerate at a reasonable pace.

I realize that my generally mellow driving habits regardless of vehicle help that, but 38 is ... well, it would be totally very short trips around town.

Maybe in the winter i'll get 38? But on cool evenings lately the car has warmed up quickly & gone about it business without any massive spike in fuel useage.



I think its hybrid bias. The articles proving it gets 35 around town, or proving that a jetta gets better mileage, or whatever. In my opinion those type of reports are simple bias.

The question becomes what is the motive?

nationwide 38mpg? there's no way. if i had more time over lunch, i'd make an average from the mileage threads and post it, i bet its about 50.

 

[Hummius]

this is food for thought, and not meant to go all 1984 and big brother, but...

state-mandated mileage stickers on cars. like an odometer that can't be reset, make a mileage computer thats the same and get them stickered once a year with your tags. no charge.

I bet that would raise the nations MPG 10 or 20%.

 

[ChasSuitt]

:roll: QUOTE: "...state-mandated mileage stickers on cars..."

With EVERY government-mandated program comes a huge, inefficient bureaucracy gobbling up tax dollars. My taxes are much too high now.

P.S. Hummius, it would help if the PriusOnline folks knew your location and which Prius you own.

 

[Hummius]

:roll: QUOTE: "...state-mandated mileage stickers on cars..."

With EVERY government-mandated program comes a huge, inefficient bureaucracy gobbling up tax dollars. My taxes are much too high now.

P.S. Hummius, it would help if the PriusOnline folks knew your location and which Prius you own.

I'm sure i've posted approximate locale and package before. '06 pack #4, western MN.

it was food for thought, chas, the point being that part of why the pri delivers such good mileage to many in the real world is awareness of mpg. Simply putting readouts in cars for avg/lifetime and tank mpg right alongside oil pressure and the like could/should also have a notable effect on average real world mpg.