city mileage vs EPA
Active Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 173
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
Re: city mileage vs EPA
Weather had a VERY adverse effect on my Prius. The combination of winter fuel and wind really hosed me on many occasions. However, unless I could set the cruise at 39 on a flat country road, my best mileage came on the highway at 70 MPH.
My TCH is proving to be a much different creature indeed. If I set the cruise at 40 and just let it do the work, I can boost the numbers in a big way. I am still a newbie on the TCH though, only about 400 miles as opposed to 63,000 on the Prius.
My TCH is proving to be a much different creature indeed. If I set the cruise at 40 and just let it do the work, I can boost the numbers in a big way. I am still a newbie on the TCH though, only about 400 miles as opposed to 63,000 on the Prius.
Active Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 205
From: Two miles N of the technology 'center-of-the-world' in 1903, on the Outer Banks of NC
Re: city mileage vs EPA
While that might be the most fuel efficient method in a prius, I have found that in my TCH, the best FE is by staying on the highway and driving between 55 - 65 MPH. I have tried 45 MPH no stops, and tried "city" driving, but the best FE numbers I have ever gotten were from "light highway driving". I don't know why the TCH would respond so differently than a prius, but it looks like there might be a diference. It might be the fact that the Prius is lighter, making the FE numbers better for slow driving, or it could have somethnig to do with aerodynamics, but either way, I think slower highway is the best for a TCH.
I believe that your observation is very accurate. There is something different ( a further refinement of the HSD? ) in the TCH vs the Prius that makes it a much better performer on the highway. It may be that the 2.4L is a better match for the weight of the TCH than the 1.5L is for the weight of the Prius. It may also be an improvement in the design of the PSD as well.
Currency-to-hydrocarbons
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 343
From: Minneapolis, MN
Re: city mileage vs EPA
I've tried every trick in the book on my TCH to get the City FE that it's rated for. There's no way with my short relatively hilly commute (5 miles) and the time of year. I do, however, beat the HWY FE quite handily by just driving the speed limit. I've done it with the CC on and the CC off. It seems that CC on gives me better FE overall. Maybe because my speed keeps creeping up when the CC is off.. 
Am I disappointed? Maybe a little. When I read this site and others before I bought my TCH, many people made it sound like the EPA FE ratings were actually much lower than they were experiencing.
Am I disappointed? Maybe a little. When I read this site and others before I bought my TCH, many people made it sound like the EPA FE ratings were actually much lower than they were experiencing.
Dazed and Confused
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 732
Re: city mileage vs EPA
For me it is more of a matter of on the phone or not on the phone. When I am on the phone my speed creeps up and I get terrible mileage (around 38 MPG) but when I am not on the phone, I get about 41-42 MPG. I guess the next time I take a call, the first thing I should do is set cruise control.
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cwerdna
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Aug 15, 2009 01:23 AM
