[mpg_numbers_guy]

Nice car!

A couple thoughts:

- I read somewhere that accelerating in EV mode isn't as efficient as using the gas motor, and that accelerating with the instantaneous fuel economy being around half your current speed is most efficient, because having to recharge the electricity used in acceleration is less efficient than using both gas and EV to accelerate. Read this over on the PriusChat forums but haven't driven my mom's Prius enough to determine if this is the case or not. Would assume if true or not, the same would apply to the Rav4 Hybrid since the hybrid systems are similar.

- Tire pressure is the main mod that helps fuel economy on a Toyota hybrid besides watching the efficiency instrumentation.

- Hybrids take longer to warm up so fuel economy will be lower in the winter and on short trips. Partial grille blocks help during the winter even more on hybrids than on regular gasoline cars.

- Pulse & Glide is more for low speed driving where aero doesn't affect things as much. Steady speed is better on highways. P&G helps for speeds < 40 MPH.

- If I remember correctly, the Rav4 has a pretty good drag coefficient (Most Toyotas seem to be pretty good; our '04 Sienna minivan was 0.30) which is great for fuel economy.

- Shifting into neutral with the engine on is fine in any automatic or CVT transmission equipped vehicle. Turning the engine off and doing engine off coasting is bad in an automatic or CVT transmission vehicle, unless the vehicle is programmed to do it automatically (i.e. Prius glide mode). However in a hybrid the best bet (in most cases) is just to coast to stops and down hills with just your foot off the pedal in order to get that little bit of regenerative braking.