I buy a Prius, and what happens? Reality: Hybrid Cars’ Fantasy Mileage Ratings Drive Into the Sunset –
Good news: I’m not a horribly inefficient driver; bad news, 48/45/46 aren’t even close to what’s on my window sticker. The EPA decided to test more like people drive (speeding, etc), but with the 2008 model year.
Oh, and tank #2: 44 MPG by the calculator, 46.8 by the car computer. Hmmm.
GD, I still get 75mpg with my motorcycle… :)
Yeah, im pulling about 50mpg.. 1988 honda shadow 800cc.. and i drive it like i stole it…. what are you riding jared?
“Oh, and tank #2: 44 MPG by the calculator, 46.8 by the car computer. Hmmm.”
Well, “at the pump measurements” aren’t very accurate unfortunately. Sure the pump’s meter is very accurate since it is used to calculate the amount of fuel you purchased, but the problem is you can’t be sure you are fueling your tank to exactly the same level as before. Every pump will stop fueling at a different level depending on the tilt in the pavement, the type of handle, how the nozzle was inserted, and countless other variables. I would say that 44 to 46.8 is within the margin of error.
Having said all that, the Prius is looking less interesting to me…
I agree with Oliver. How many miles have you logged? New engines take time to break in. It can take up to 10K miles (I’ve heard some say 20K miles) to completely break in and start giving the best fuel economy.
Our mileage on a recent road trip averaged 53.5 mpg. The 60mpg on the old EPA estimates was done under optimal conditions that don’t exist in the real world. Still, even at averages that fluctuate between 46-53mpg, a couple of real advantages stand out for me. First, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic no longer means I’m burning through that tank of gas I just put in the car; in fact, it means I’m getting higher mpg because I’m coasting on the electric motor without even kicking in the gas engine. And second, our Honda Accord gets the whopping 23 mpg, so it costs twice as much to go half the distance, when compared to the Prius.
We schlep drums for our drummer son, who will soon be driving himself. The Prius comfortably accommodates a full drumset with a few extra percussion instruments and two adults. Hard to find an SUV with comparable MPG, which is the only other vehicle that we’ve managed to shoehorn everything into.
It’s still better mileage than our other car (a Jetta) and the myriad of gadgets still makes it my most favorite car ever :-)
Something tells me to go with the calculator.
Wouldn’t it be surprising if, several years from now, some investigative journalist digs up the information that the algorithm used to calculate Prius mpg was modified to compenstate for perceived irregularities in American driving habits or somesuch? Or that it takes idling into account and therefore gives full measure only to gasoline consumed while the car is moving, whilst discounting gallons consumed during idle–all in order to give the driver the “real” miles per gallon while moving? Just a (humorous) thought.
–Mike
http://www.michaelabanks.com
I’ve had a Civic Hybrid for 5 years. Sticker said 46/51 city/hwy. I average 35-40 city in the winter, 40-45 city in the summer, & 45-50 on the hwy/interstate. The car’s computer is always about 3-5 mpg better than my calculator, so it’s not just a Toyota thing. I’d go with the calculator.
By the way, they also revised down the mileage of all the other cars as well, not just the hybrids. So the SUV that previously said 14/18, not says 11/16.