First tank of gas
So, I have just topped it up for the first time. Could only put 8 gallons in the tank even though I thought I’m going to run out anytime now, and the spec says the tank is 11.9 gallons. Well, there was a catch…
Turns out I was pretty much fooled by the bar graph type fuel gauge: it has 10 bars (squares actually) and it turns the bar off as soon as the level drops just below the mark that corresponds to the right edge of the square, not the middle of it as you intuitively tend to think. This is really not very precise: 2007 Prius has a 11.9 gallon tank (say 12 gallons for ease of calculation). That would be 1.2 gallon per the bar. At ~47mpg that can get you about 60 more miles! In any case, I don’t think the inaccurate fuel gauge is a big problem if you are driving in suburbia where there is a gas station on every corner. This might be a bit of a problem for a long-haul trip. Well, I’m going to find out in a about a month about that.
In any case, it’s be a while since I was able to top any vehicle up for $18, so I am very pleased with the performance of my new Prius.
I was happy when I got full tank on 20 bucks straight! I love my prius 😀 but in case you didnt get my other post, I love your forum, shoot me an email, and I’ll give you the tips you want. I’m at 48MPG now, and creeping up back to 50 hopefully within the next few days.
If you have AIM, you can catch me on there 24/7. My name is the1trigger
Hope to catch you soon.
Dave
A couple things I have noticed if you are interested!! I bought a Prius in January 04′ and the best mileage I could muster was 54.2 in the summertime on 11 gallons of gas(almost ran it empty). On a one way trip from Harrisburg Pa. to Atlantic City NJ(about 170 miles) I averaged 57.7 with the cruise control on 65..600 miles on a tank several times. Wintertime mileage is much lower no matter how far I drive(high 30s to mid 40s).Love the smart key and blue tooth !!Can live with the beachball handling,mediocre nav,and muffled but powerful stereo. Its all about mileage anyway.Plan on trading up in early 09. Hope it gets 70 plus !!
i love the 08′ though i just caught wind of the 09′ and though there are those who think that the prius is nothing but an eyesore, i feel its an iconic symbol of a revolutionary movement. i hope that it gets 70 mpg. i live in the bay area and there are prototypes for a 100mpg prius driving around town. from the looks of it they are 07′ models with beta engines. exciting! though as i recolect, its a shame that we arn’t all driving ev-1’s.
I drove from Newport Beach, CA to San Jose, CA on $31.00 worth of gas last week. I gassed up the Prius in Newport in the morning, drove around the beach for about 1 hour and then drove north on HWY 1 to the 101 to San Jose.
It was incredible..I was amazed at how I was able to get from Newport Beach to San Jose on $31.00 worth of gas. That was about 500 miles of driving.
I was down to my last gas bar on the Prius when I arrived in San Jose.
I know this is an old post, but I didn’t see anyone mention it in comments. The prius has a bladder, that’s why it varies depending on heat levels and how much the bladder expanded/contracted.