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Ha, well not all the time, but often. Anyone else here drive a Prius? I'm only leasing for 2 years (just started the lease). But, at 50+ mpg, it's going to be hard to go back to a "normal" vehicle.
I used to drive an SUV and never really concerned myself with gas mileage because I knew that it wasn't good (18 city, 21 hwy). Now, I'm nickel-n-diming it when I drive because the dashboard computer shows you what mileage you're getting as you drive.
Ha, well not all the time, but often. Anyone else here drive a Prius? I'm only leasing for 2 years (just started the lease). But, at 50+ mpg, it's going to be hard to go back to a "normal" vehicle.
I used to drive an SUV and never really concerned myself with gas mileage because I knew that it wasn't good (18 city, 21 hwy). Now, I'm nickel-n-diming it when I drive because the dashboard computer shows you what mileage you're getting as you drive.
I have a Prius and I've gotten rid of all of my normal cars except for a minivan that i use on weekends. My monthly gas bill is only about $50 that's 2 fill ups a month at most with daily driving. Gone are the days I have to fill up every 3-4 days.
Even if I drive like 80-90mph on the highway I still get atleast 45mpg with a heavy right foot.
The old Prius was a base no-frills model that my family bought at the peak of the summer 2005 gas price scare. 2005 Priuses were in rare supply that summer, enough so that most dealers were charging $2k over MSRP for new ones. One dealer was even charging 2005 MSRP for a used 2004 Prius. We were lucky enough to know a dealer who was able to get us a new 2005 at MSRP that summer.
Since then, the Prius has helped me learn how to drive in a careful and more fuel-efficient manner, thanks in large part to the center display screen telling me my MPG at all times (the display has since moved to the dashboard in the current generation Prius).
My current Prius is the 2013 Plug-In model, which my family bought instead of another base no-frills normal Prius because Toyota and the federal government were providing generous incentives. The Prius PI wouldn't work for many Americans because they live out in sprawlsburg and need to commute long distances. But it works for us because we typically only take short trips day-to-day that are well within the PI's 13 mile range (the warm weather range; it goes down to 9 miles in the cold winter). So instead of looking at my car's MPG display, I often monitor the battery level display instead and try to squeeze as much distance out of each electric mile as possible.
I also go on longer trips that require hybrid mode, and my mileage depends on factors like traffic conditions and temperature. I recently discovered that I can get somewhat better mileage if I warm up my car's ICE (internal combustion engine) first on local roads before going on the highway, rather than firing up the ICE as I jump onto the highway. I first attempted this not out of a desire to save gas, but because I felt it was better for my car's engine to warm up the oil at low speeds. I was getting about 60-70 mpg with my old method on a 13 mile one-way trip, but I've gotten about 93 mpg with my new method on the same trip.
On very long road trips, if I could charge up every night at the hotel, the PI averages about 59 mpg consistently. If not, then the PI averages about 52 MPG.
As for filling up with the PI: it depends on how I drive and how often I drive. If I do a lot of long trips, I usually need to fill up once a month. The tank is at half-capacity right now, and it's been over a month since I last filled up. Note that the PI is down 1.3 gallons fuel capacity to the normal Prius because of the larger battery.
I drive a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu with a V6 and I think about fuel economy all the time. With about 90% of my driving in town, I average between 22.5 to 23.5 MPG. Use to be better before all local gas stations switched to 10% ethanol blend. Found a station with non-ethanol. Was out of gas when last I passed buy. Will try again later. I can go 270 miles before my gas light comes on. On the highway I average about 32 MPG. If I was an inconsiderate jerk like some hypermilers I could increase my MPG. I coast less when there's traffic behind me, come to a full complete stop at stop signs, increase my cruising speed in heavier traffic, don't tailgate, and don't take curves or turns at high speeds. I use a combination of cruise control, watching RPM for shift points of auto transmission to get to lowest RPM in gear, and I try to coast as much as possible without being inconsiderate to other drivers. Not bad MPG for an old Chevy POS with over 100,000 miles.
I first thought of fuel mileage when I owned a Jeep. Ten years ago when gas first and rapidly hit $4 a gallon, my monthly expense on gasoline topped $400 a month (I drove about 1800 miles a month then, and got probably 14-15 mpg).
I have not gone to a Prius, but that Jeep was the last vehicle I bought regardless of fuel mileage. I have a minimum acceptable level now.
I'll buy a Prius when it can accelerate 0-60 at or under 8 seconds and cost $20,000. Until then, I'll buy the best quality and most fuel efficient car I can afford once my wife's car is paid off.
Now, I'm nickel-n-diming it when I drive because the dashboard computer shows you what mileage you're getting as you drive.
Not a Prius, but I drive an Insight. The dashboard computer definitely influences how I drive. I will often reset it & make a game out of a trip where I'll set a mark in my head depending on traffic, weather, etc & then see if I can beat the mark. Driving a hybrid is never boring for me! My wife on the other hand doesn't even look at the computer, & she thinks I'm silly.
Due to cost, my next car will probably be a non hybrid sub compact. I hope I can install something that will show my current gas mileage, or better yet the trip mileage.
Lots of cars show MPG, including almost all trucks.
There were cars in the mid to late 70s getting over 40mpg, Honda made some. Nowadays, getting 40 mpg or higher isn't a big deal and with a lot of newer cars including some upscale models, 50 mpg is soon to be realized.
Prius cars are nice and they sure made an impact on a lot of people. The only thing that gets me sometimes if when instead of driving the car the person is so concerned with fuel economy that they become a danger to others and impede traffic. There is a reason why the jokes come up.
That said, if you want a hybrid the Prius is very refined for what it is and can't complain about that.
I know what you mean, OP. I rented a sweet Prius for a few weeks and I became a bit fixated on watching the display showing battery charge and fuel efficiency.
But I was still surprised that I needed to fuel up with gas just about as often as I did with a normal car.
No worries. Enjoy your sweet ride!
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