Prius MPG

[Magician]

So... about a month ago I bought my wife a used Prius...315,000 miles and she's been averaging 50mpg... and climbing as I've gave her a few tips to do better... she's not doing what I call major hyper-miling... but driving somewhat efficient. I'm curious why the top 10 list doesn't have more Prius's... or at least higher mpg's than what's logged. I can't believe my wife is more efficient than most of these logging their mileage...??? oh.. and the gas we've been putting in the car is really close in calculation on fuel economy.

BTW.. no mods to the car yet, but I will be installing a grill block and more panels underneath the engine bay along with insulation to help retain the heat as much as possible without causing the engine fan to run. I don't want to lose too much MPG in colder temps.

Any ideas why not really any higher mpg's with the Prius shown on the top 10 or so list?

I'm pretty sure I could get 60mpg driving my wife's car and not drive like a granny...

[S Keith]

Most people just drive them comfortable in the knowledge that their lack of effort will still be rewarded with 40+mpg combined.

If you're using your mpg readout, it could be inaccurate. If you're doing per tank fill-ups, you need to record distance and fuel over 5 fill-ups. The bladder in the pre-2010 Prius makes them notoriously inaccurate when trying to do a per tank mpg calculation.

Out of about 100 Gen 2 Prius drivers I have encountered, most get low to mid-40s.

Watch for oil consumption. Check it frequently until you get a handle on how much you're burning. If the warning light ever flickers on and off, add oil immediately. Do NOT overfill.

[redpoint5]

I get 50 MPG when the display says I get 52.

Not sure why people would be more prone to ignoring a flashing CEL or low oil pressure light in a Prius than other vehicles. Both require immediate shutdown of the engine.

[Daox]

There isn't a ton of wiggle room with the Prius. It already automates many hypermiler functions (EOC, driving at high engine load), and those it doesn't (driving without brakes) it negates with things like regenerative braking. Therefore its a lot harder to get massively higher MPG than the EPA rates it for. Thats kind of the beauty of the Prius. You don't have to try to get great mileage out of it. Sure, I can probably get 50-60 mpg in my 2004 Civic, but I can almost not think and get 50 mpg out of my 2004 Prius. Just set the cruise and let the Prius do the hypermiling for you. Granted, you can put the extra effort in and eek out another 10 mpg. But, with the car itself, you're most of the way there just by owning it.

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I get 50 MPG when the display says I get 52.

Not sure why people would be more prone to ignoring a flashing CEL or low oil pressure light in a Prius than other vehicles. Both require immediate shutdown of the engine.

It's pretty amazing. In my experience, most Prius drivers are not "car people". They see something intermittent on the dash, and they think, "Hmm... car feels fine. I'm sure it's nothing."

Encountered a young man who had the red triangle. Went to Autozone, no codes. Continued driving for 2 weeks with it in and out of limp mode. Finally, he heard a gunshot go off in the cargo area. It ran better after that moment, but once stopped the car wouldn't start anymore.

[vskid3]

On a 250 mile, mostly 70-80MPH highway trip yesterday, I averaged 52.9MPG on the display (which is generally about 2MPG over the pump) in my '05. Only mods currently on it are LRR tires at 44PSI up front and 42 rear. I don't baby it, either, if I need full throttle to help facilitate a lane change, I give it full throttle.

I got several 60+MPG tanks when I first got my Prius. Part of it was a commute that was nearly perfect and the rest was me trying to see what my new toy could do. Now, like Daox said, I just drive it and get ~50MPG.

[S Keith]

I should probably clarify that my experience with Prius mpg has been limited to the Phoenix area, where A/C is used 8 months out of the year...

[oldtamiyaphile]

My Prius only does the shopping 1-3mile trips, so it's mileage would be at least a bit higher in 'normal' use.

[Gasoline Fumes]

I find hypermiling in a Prius frustrating. The car makes too many decisions for me. I struggle to get more than ~55 MPG trip mileage in a fancy, high-tech 2nd gen Prius, but can get 70+ MPG tanks in an old Civic Wagon all summer without even thinking about it.

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes

I find hypermiling in a Prius frustrating. The car makes too many decisions for me. I struggle to get more than ~55 MPG trip mileage in a fancy, high-tech 2nd gen Prius, but can get 70+ MPG tanks in an old Civic Wagon all summer without even thinking about it.

What kind of driving are you doing? A Prius can be tricky above 40mph, outside of just keeping average speeds down while using cruise control/driving with load, but below there, P&G is easy and gets really good mileage.