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My European Sport Sedan with a very sophisticated AWD system, gets over 30MPG in the warmer weather. It does get worse in the winter, but still very good. It obviously is much safer than any of the other cars mentioned on here, due to its stability/handling as well as being an AWD car. It is so much more sophisticated for our region. It is also very fun to pass all the SUVs on the road and the ones tailgating me getting on off ramps get blown away, which is always funny. They would of course just flip over if they tried to keep up. The turbocharger works flawlessly as well, for accelerations needed to avoid all the SUVs on the road and I can cut the SUVs off with ease due to the handling as well as accelerate away from them, especially on the twistys.
Plus you can hook up to the back of it to go skiing in the borough while drinking single-malt.
I ran a lot of numbers and figured out there was really no way to make back the hybrid premium given our driving patterns and the Pittsburgh climate. Diesel was a bit better bet, but financially it turned out the best approach was just to get a reasonably efficient gasoline car at a good price.
I considered buying a (used) Fusion Hybrid and reached the same conclusion. Buying a used hybrid and chopping off the steepest part of the depreciation curve does improve the economics of the whole thing, but it's still a hardly a break even.
You have to be pretty diehard about using less gas to want a hybrid. The things seem to be designed specifically to the mileage tests and not so much the real world. It's not just Pittsburgh conditions; it would take several years anywhere to make back the price difference between a similar gasoline car and a hybrid. Financially it won't make sense a lot of the time, but it does use a little less fuel.
Of course it all depends upon how you drive too. I drove a new Focus on a highway trip. It wasn't the special 40mpg version, but I was surprised that it didn't get better mileage than about 31-32mpg at realistic highway driving. My own 12-year-old Integra gets about the same with that same kind of drive.
Not exactly true. I drove a Kia Sportage for the past 2 years and had no problems. Even with that huge storm we got. I have a Kia Soul now and I can't even get up my own driveway when there is 2 inches of snow. I don't know it could be me but I cannot get it up that hill...
I just bought a Honda Civic Hybrid and am also having a strong case of buyer's remorse due to my trailing fuel efficiency being far less than promised. I average in the mid-20s for city driving and have only reached a peak of 42 miles per gallon while trying every trick in the book on a highway road trip. I specifically paid a premium to buy a hybrid figuring I'd be filling up my gas tank less when in REALITY I'm getting comparable fuel efficiency to my belated Mazda3.
Hybrid vehicles suck.
Is it new and still in the break-in period?
Or is it quite old and in need of maintenance?
There's no way a Civic Hybrid should be getting mid-20's MPG under normal conditions.. my gasoline automatic Civic ('99) gets mpg in the mid to high 20's in all-city driving during the winter.
There's no way a Civic Hybrid should be getting mid-20's MPG under normal conditions.. my gasoline automatic Civic ('99) gets mpg in the mid to high 20's in all-city driving during the winter.
I should think "winter driving" means something quite a bit different in southern California than it does in Pittsburgh. It should also be noted this thread used to be in the Pittsburgh forum and daily driving in Pittsburgh means climbing lots of steep hills.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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My friends with Prius get similar... you don't mention whether it is new or used. The early Prius' were terrible on mileage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Velvet Jones
.... I had an old Rabbit diesel for years, that thing would go anywhere.....
My Rabbit diesels also get really rotten mileage in the cold of winter (~43 - 44 MPG). The entire car cost me $35.00 and runs on free fryer oil. It is very cheap to fix (seldom needs it... 300,000 + miles and going strong)
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianTH
... best approach was just to get a reasonably efficient gasoline car at a good price.
I think my $35 was a good price, but would like something a little cheaper next time. (Tho I shouldn't need a next time... I bought a few spares while they were so cheap and ez to find.)
Maybe you should take the bus in the winter. It is nice to leave the driving to others. I live in the boonies, so my Rabbit has to ply the backroads winter and summer. (and Mtns everyday). I WOULD like to have the acceleration of a Prius, I just have to settle for ONLY going fast DOWNHILL.
Gas mileage depends HEAVILY on your driving style. If you are driving primarily in city stop and go traffic, and you "race" or accelerate hard between red lights, you'll never get optimal mileage. Driving on hills in dry, wet, or snowy weather will also greatly affect. Driving from the city to Cranberry is an uphill ride, and I get 26 to 28 mpg's in that direction, whereas coming home, I can darn near get 31.
I hear people complaining all the time that their cars don't get the mileage stated. And it's funny we are talking about Prius......I've laughed so many times while commuting, where I'm going along at say 65 to 70 mph, and I get passed by a Prius doing upwards of 80. My first thought is "what's the point of having one if you're going to drive it that fast" and my second thought is "I can just hear that driver bitching that their Prius isn't getting good mileage"
I drive a 6 speed manual, and one huge key to gas mileage for me is shifting before 3500 rpm's
As an extreme example did you see the Top Gear episode where a Prius got worse gas mileage than a M3 BMW? They raced the Prius around their track as fast as it could go and followed it in the M3, which of course was loafing. End result Prius 17 MPG, BMW 19 mpg.
If you want the best mileage try and import a VW Lupo diesel, that car can get 80+ mpg if the driver has a light foot.
We just bought one, and have about 300 miles on it now. I'm pretty disappointed w/ our gas mileage so far - we're getting 35mpg. I'm almost exclusively driving it around town (we went on the freeway once - which actually boosted the mileage considerably from what it was).
Any tips for getting good mileage on hilly city pgh area streets? It seems like the gas engine almost always has to be on because we're forever going up hills...
We have an '06 Prius - bought it new in March, 2006, and it now has approx. 96K miles on it.
Like every car I've owned, the Prius had a breaking-in period. Actually, it seems to me that it had two - the first between 500 and 1000 miles, and then a second around 5000-7000 miles. And like every car I've owned, when first started, the Prius does better in warm weather than cold weather.
Like every car I've owned, the engine works a bit harder going up a hill. But every hill I've every gone up, I've also come down, and the gas mileage coming down is usually very good.
I'm in Northern Virginia, and this winter has been mild. Since I last put gas in the Prius, the low temp at night has been in the upper 20's, and the high during the day has been in the 40's. The mileage I'm getting on this tank so far is 47 mpg. And for me, driving in this area, 47 is pretty good for January - 43 would be a more typical number for this time of year.
To maximize gas mileage in any vehicle, things like proper tire inflation, no jack rabbit starts, gradual stops, and a feather-light touch on the gas pedal can all help boost gas mileage.
The very best gas mileage is usually attained when you can maintain speed between 35 and 50 mph, on flat or gently rolling roads. On a trip through central New Hampshire (including a few hills/mountains), I averaged 62 mpg over a 250 mile trip.
Hybrids generally get slightly better gas mileage in cities than highways - at least, that's what the EPA says should happen. But I've found that my best gas mileage comes on long-distance trips, going at speed limit plus 5 (anywhere from 60 to 75), and the Prius generally averages close to or slightly above 50 mpg. Running errands and other local driving, and the mileage is often in the 43-47 mpg range.
We just bought one, and have about 300 miles on it now. I'm pretty disappointed w/ our gas mileage so far - we're getting 35mpg. I'm almost exclusively driving it around town (we went on the freeway once - which actually boosted the mileage considerably from what it was).
Any tips for getting good mileage on hilly city pgh area streets? It seems like the gas engine almost always has to be on because we're forever going up hills...
I'm shocked at your poor mileage. I got 31mpg highway driving on my 260 he Saab 95 aero. Which is good for a heavy car with a 4 cylinder turbo
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I don't know it could be me but I cannot get it up that hill...
