Been Awhile...But Good to Be Back!

[Matt Herring]

Wow...it's been months since I made my last post. Sorry for disappearing for a spell but life will throw you some curve balls once in awhile. I've been keeping my eye on the site...updating my fuel log regularly...but just haven't been active due to my time being pulled in various directions. Hopefully, I'll be back in full moving forward.

Here's the update...

I traded in my 2009 Prius for a 2010 Prius...couldn't pass up the deal and my payments are similar. Went from 5.99% to 1.9% on my loan, received employee pricing on the Platinum Warranty Package ($300 discount from what I paid on the 2009), first car payment was made for me by the dealership, was handed 2 free years of oil changes and got a new 2010 Prius to play with for the next few years.

My only regret was not finishing my last tank in the 2009...was at 65.6 mpg (MFD) after 428 miles and was inching up on my all-time high of 66.0 mpg. Hopefully, I'll be surpassing those numbers in the new 2010.

Alot of work to do to dial in the 2010...it's a completely different experience than the 2009. For starters, the ability to drive in EV beyond the 41 mph threshold of the 2009 is a huge plus. It will go up to 44 mph in EV before the ICE kicks in.

The handling is much better in the 2010. It's a heavier car than the 2009 and you can tell when driving. It just feels more sturdy than the 2009.

I'm not crazy about the new MFD in the 2010...so much smaller and difficult to use right now. I'm sure I'll get used to it in time...but will have to rely on my SGII much more now. That being said, also have to find some new XGuages for the SGII. My favorite XGuage with the 2009 was GPS which was an ultra-sensitive display of throttle position. That XGuage does not work in the 2010...so I'm in search of a similar XGuage to program for the new car.

On the down side, the strength of charge on the 2010 is much more difficult to keep at an efficient level than the 2009. I regularly drove around with 5-7 bars in the 2009. So far, I'm routinely in the 3-4 bar range in the 2010. This could be due to a couple things:
1. I've been driving in ECO mode only which most likely saps the battery.
2. I've been driving with EV mode alot (less than 26 mph)...which definitely saps the battery.

Getting used to an efficient mix of EV/ECO and ICE driving will improve my mpg but it's a work in progress. With the warm months ahead I'm looking forward to seeing what I can get out of this car. Delving into the PriusChat files all day today to soak up the info.

[Matt Herring]

Here's the latest pic of my HSI after 190+ miles. I didn't think I'd be doing this well this early but I'll take it!

FYI - Not sure how the 2010 Prius measures Average Speed but I know I have not been putting around at an average speed of 19 mph as the HSI indicates. Maybe it measures all times while in drive which includes any rolling of the tires. My SGII indicates an average trip speed of over 40 mph?!?

[NeilBlanchard]

67+mpg is awesome!

[Matt Herring]

It's crazy how greedy one gets when watching the mpg go up. When I had my 4runner it was 20+ mpg (28 on a good day on the highway) and with my 2009 Prius it was 60+ mpg (66 mpg all-time best tank). But now that I see 65-67 mpg on my HSI already...I want 70!

[tasdrouille]

Hey Matt! It's good to have you back. Now you'll be an even tougher competitor in the next economy run!

[Matt Herring]

Hey Martin...good to be back! Missed all the chatter on here and it's good to see so many new people around (as well as the old ones too). Looks like you are still putting up great numbers in the Jetta...not surprised at all!

Hope I can make it to an upcoming economy competition...had a blast at AMEC last August. Just need some time in the new buggy to figure it out!