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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...
found a prius forum... very disappointing info, if anyone was interested. running around doing short trips in the south hills in the winter is not going to do anything for increasing mileage.
apparently the prius "likes" warm weather and flat-ish terrain.
Short winter trips eat up gas quickly. When its very cold outside and you start your car, it spends more time in "warm up mode," idling a little higher and running very rich until it reaches stoichiometric (the point where your engine is fully warmed up and running at its highest efficiency). The colder it is, the longer it takes for your car to reach stoich. In addition, we are on winter mix gasoline right now, which also causes a slight mileage drop.
Driving up hills put a much greater load on the engine which uses much more fuel than coasting along a flat surface, so if mpg is a priority try to avoid them (but thats nearly impossible here in Pitts..... lol ). Your best bet is to consolidate your trips and make sure your tires are inflated to the recommended psi. A fuel perks card from Giant Eagle or somewhere wouldn't hurt either.
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.
Where they really shine is in warmer weather and stop-and-go traffic situations. That's why you see so many in LA, Miami, Dallas and DC. Driving uphill puts a greater load on the engine, but coasting down hills boosts your mpg. We usually see a significant leap in mpg when the weather gets warmer.
By the way, I bought one a few years ago after we had a big snow storm down here. I work for a small company that handles vital deliveries, so we don't close for snowstorms. We had a kid with a pick up who was supposed to do our deliveries, but he called in and said he couldn't come to work due to the snow. My boss owned a Prius, and she not only handled all the deliveries, she then drove over to the kid's house to make sure he was ok. I couldn't believe some of the snowy streets that car handled. After that I decided I had to get one too. I love it, but then again down in my neck of the woods we have ideal weather for a car like that and we have hills that are gentle rolling bumps rather than steep Pittsburghian hills. And to be fair, when I drive up to Pittsburgh I usually take our Maxima.
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
Where they really shine is in warmer weather and stop-and-go traffic situations. That's why you see so many in LA, Miami, Dallas and DC. Driving uphill puts a greater load on the engine, but coasting down hills boosts your mpg. We usually see a significant leap in mpg when the weather gets warmer.
By the way, I bought one a few years ago after we had a big snow storm down here. I work for a small company that handles vital deliveries, so we don't close for snowstorms. We had a kid with a pick up who was supposed to do our deliveries, but he called in and said he couldn't come to work due to the snow. My boss owned a Prius, and she not only handled all the deliveries, she then drove over to the kid's house to make sure he was ok. I couldn't believe some of the snowy streets that car handled. After that I decided I had to get one too. I love it, but then again down in my neck of the woods we have ideal weather for a car like that and we have hills that are gentle rolling bumps rather than steep Pittsburghian hills. And to be fair, when I drive up to Pittsburgh I usually take our Maxima.
The old adage about one car being better or worse in the snow is an old wives tale, ANY car is only as good or bad in the snow as it's driver and the tires it is equipped with
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A fuel perks card from Giant Eagle or somewhere wouldn't hurt either.
