Posted by Michelle Steiner on May 18, 2006, 8:58 pm
> Some - okay, maybe all - of the problem is I never fall in the 55 mph
> range on the roads I drive on. More like 65 to 80+ mph speed which
> takes a toll.
If you set your cruise control for 65, you should average about 50 or so.
--
Stop Mad Cowboy Disease: Impeach the son of a Bush.
Posted by Kevin on May 23, 2006, 4:34 am
I've only driven my Toyota Camry Hybrid for a few hundred miles of
combined city and highway driving, but my average is 42 MPG which is a
few points above the advertised MPG.
Bob Wilson wrote:
> > > "Bob Wilson" wrote:
> > >
> > >> Also, if you get 44 mpg you are doing about average (ignore the claims of
> > >> 60mpg on the sticker). That watered-down gas with ethanol takes its toll
> > >> on
> > >> a high mpg vehicle as the Prius.
> > >
> > > You might want to look at the hybrid mileage database. I'm driving the
> > > earlier model, NHW11, a 2003 model:
> > >
> > > http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/1506.html
> > >
> > > I'm only getting 50.7 mpg after seven months and 8,920 miles with my
> > > used Prius. Your mileage may vary but we've got a FAQ describing how:
> > >
> > > http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/prius-faq.6645.html
> >
> > Bob, check the CR link:
> > http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars
> > /high-cost-of-hybrid-vehicles-406/overview/index.htm
> In the Consumer Reports original article, they did their math wrong. It
> looks like they corrected the online version, at last.
> > There's also a federal one that points to 44 mpg as the reported norm for
> > the car from its owners (probably the ones complaining they should be
> > getting the EPA 50-60 that appears on the car's sticker).
> From an earlier posting 21 days ago:
> http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml
> City: Represents urban driving, in which a vehicle is started with the
> engine cold and driven in stop-and-go rush hour traffic. The driving
> cycle for the test includes idling, and the vehicle averages about 20
> mph.
> Highway: Represents a mixture of rural and Interstate highway driving
> with a warmed-up engine, typical of longer trips in free-flowing
> traffic. Average test speed is about 48 mph and includes no
> intermediate stops or idling.
> My trick is to maximize my City MPG by driving a fuel efficient city
> route and speed:
> http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/
> Scroll down to the route map to see the change. Also, note there are
> some speeds that should be avoided.
> > . . . Most on the
> > greenhybrid forum tend to fudge their figures I find. If I were fishing, I'd
> > claim mine was bigger than yours in a fishing forum.
> Back in early January, I had just finished 3,000 miles but didn't get my
> hypermiler star. I looked at the data and realized my very first entry,
> my very first 251 miles at 75+ MPH had an MPG of 39 MPG. I verified that
> MPG on another, shorter segment. So I asked the community if I could
> drop just that first tank. Their answer was 'NO we must have all of the
> data.' So the data remains:
> http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/1506.html
> I got my hypermiler start three weeks later, the end of January. But
> apparently I am one of the folks who "fudge their figures" inspite of
> the "bad" data being still in the hybrid database.
> It is easy to toss out accusations that the GreenHybrid.com posters are
> just lying but I would observe that most folks are not getting EPA
> numbers and STILL reporting their numbers. They are not claiming as good
> as the EPA sticker yet their reward for honest reporting is "fudge their
> figures."
> > If you are in the 50's in mpg's, you're doing pretty good.
> I've made a study of the Prius and found what works and what doesn't.
> Because of this my most fuel efficient route is also the shortest, 9.8
> versus 13 miles. The shorter distance compensated nicely for the slower
> speed so my commute time has not changed.
> > . . . Where I'm at in
> > CA, we've got the watered down ethanol stuff that takes a toll on mileage.
> We have it in Huntsville too.
> > My last trip to LA put me in the 39 mpg range going over the Grapevine at
> > 4400 feet. I was going to the dealer for service. I told him I was getting
> > 44 mpg thinking he would say "We need to improve that." Instead, he said
> > "That's pretty good." hmmmm....? No doubt the new hybrid Camry will
> > present disappointing numbers to their owners from the sticker.
> You are free to look over the FAQ and see if maybe you can do better:
> http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/prius-faq.6645.html
>
> Bob Wilson
> Apparently a Fudge Chef
Posted by B. Peg on May 23, 2006, 3:21 pm
> "Kevin" wrote:
> I've only driven my Toyota Camry Hybrid for a few hundred miles of
> combined city and highway driving, but my average is 42 MPG which is a
> few points above the advertised MPG.
You suck.
...but I mean that in a good way... ;o)
Wish I could do better in my Prius, except I have this damn lead foot
attached to me and if I didn't go with the flow I would be shot at - or
become heir-apparent to various finger messages from other divers. I
especially enjoyed the "Don't exceed 55mph while new warning from the dealer
as I left to pulled onto I-5 northbound (Yeah, like doing 55 on that won't
get you crushed by a semi in short order).
Enjoy the Camry Hybrid.
Oh, did I say "You suck." ;o)
B~
Posted by =?iso-8859-1?Q?mark=5Fdigital= on May 15, 2006, 9:05 am
> I'm considering purchasing a Prius. Are the repair costs any higher than
> for a regular vehicle?
--------------------------
It depends on how you look at it. The probability of failure for the usual
high ticket items are slim to none. Some items found on a typical vehicle
either don't exist or are very simplified. For instance, there is no
separate starter, and the transmission has only 13 parts versus 300.
I found maintenance to be relatively inexpensive. The carpets haven't held
on to stains steam cleaning couldn't get out or a simple wet cloth couldn't
get out. So far the only irritating thing has been the fuel door not wanting
to open enough and sometimes I have to solicit the help of another to grab
the door as I pull up on the lever inside. Oh yes, the first set of tires
lasted only 33,000 miles but the replacements have gone 40,000 and still
have a lot of life left. They're a different brand, a little less expensive,
and a little louder.
Every person I've either had approached me or me to them simply are very
happy to have made the jump over to this hybrid. No regrets whatsoever.
mark_
Posted by mrv@kluge.net on May 15, 2006, 2:02 pm
Sam Inman wrote:
> I'm considering purchasing a Prius. Are the repair costs any higher than
> for a regular vehicle?
You can get the US scheduled maintenance guides for any Toyota here:
http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/
The vast majority of the the 6 month/5,000 mile services is just an
oil/filter change and a tire rotation. There are many people who DIY.
(Interval is longer in other countries.)
If you're talking about unscheduled maintenance, note that the Prius
rates very high in Consumer Reports for both a new and a used vehicle.
XML site map
> range on the roads I drive on. More like 65 to 80+ mph speed which
> takes a toll.