I did this same trip again this week but this time I did it with the A/C off (it was 3am and 66 deg outside) and the cruise control set at 65 or 55 depending on the speed limit. This time the tank average was 47.7 mpg. (It was 43.4 when I switched from 65 to 55 at 32 miles)

 

Everyone's "I get better" will be different depending on where and how they drive. The short "1 mile to the store" trips will kill you (and just wait until winter for you more northen owners. No TCH has seen winter yet ). It will probably not run on electric only (or primarily) AT ALL.

My first 5 minute consumption block (first 5 bars for you TCHers and maybe you can see a rise in each subsequent 1 minute bar, I have no idea) is consistantly about 60% of my current tank average. That is about 30 MPG non winter, 20 winter. When it is freeze your A$$ cold, I have seen 20 MPG or a little lower. The engine doesn't even shut off at red lights especially if you have the heat on since you can't pull cabin heat off a cold engine.

Thus if all I ever drove was 1 -2 mile 'cold' trips, I'd average 30 MPG or so.
If I hop on the interstate (and we DO have hills) at 67 MPH a long trip (hundreds of miles) I get about 48 MPG.

• Therefore: Prius highway mileage is better than city mileage<

Well, if 95% of my driving was 67 MPH on the VT / NH interstates, yes.

However, my driving pattern is mostly local, 25 to 45 MPH, with stops (not every 200 feet city block stops) but long enough to get the ICE warmed up (8 to 10 miles or a bunch of linked trips). I frequently average 53 or 54 MPG (SUMMER!) between fillups (500 to 550 miles).

• Therefore: City mileage is better than highway mileage<

A steady 50ish for an hour with very few stops gets over 55 MPG easily.

• Therefore: Highway mileage is better than city mileage<

I once got 99.9 (the highest it reads) for almost 7 miles on local roads, 25 to 40 MPH, with some stops. ICE was warmed up, I had stopped for gas on the way home. I was VERY suprised.

• Therefore: City mileage is better than highway mileage<

So, it is all in how and where you drive.

 

My experience is a little different. I've got a 25 mile commute to work (Cleveland) that can be almost all freeway or I get get off the highway after 10 miles and take a more direct route through nearby suburbs.

I've found that once properly warmed up and recharged, I am better off driving through the suburbs for a FE standpoint (it does take a few minutes longer). There are some long stretches where I can use EV mode solely. It's genreally downhill to the city and the streets are 35 MPH. Going 40-42 in EV mode does not hinder or slow down the traffic. My trips are always "off the charts" (over 42 MPG) taking this way.

I've filled up twice, and by hand calculations I am getting 41.7 MPG over the life of the car (approx 1,100 miles). Shorter trips on the weekend where the car isn't warmed-up properly (my words) lead to some decrease in my MPG.

I guess my point is that the type of commute matters as much as anything (city or freeway). Also, the drivers willingness to maximize the fuel efficiency of the car while driving.

I am driving to Columbus this weekend to watch my beloved Buckeyes and will report back on my FE. Its 124 miles each way and strictly highway driving.

 

I completely understand that YMMV. Believe me I do. I am on my second hybrid, so I have a little background on these issues.

My point is this: regardless of the individual driving scenarios, a COMMON THEME has been that a LOT of TCH owners are reporting that it is easier to achieve good mileage on the highway than the city.

My question is: why is this true?

There are a lot of possible answers, but my personal view is that if this is NOT a break-in issue, then I think Toyota has programmed the HSD system to use the battery LESS than it COULD in order to extend the life of the hybrid battery.

Let's all discuss it and see if we can come to a consensus about what we all think is causing this phenomena, which is contrary to the EPA ratings and especially contrary to the original MPG estimates that Toyota came out with, which was 43 City and 37 Hwy.

 

I've driven on long trips and in the city and noticed that there's better fuel efficiency on long trips. On one long trip I drove close to 400 miles, driving at 55 mph (to break in), and the reading at the end of the trip was 45 mpg. On another trip, also breaking in at 55 mph, driving for about 730 miles, I got 55 mpg by the time I reached my destination. I drove through some flat roads and also some mountainous roads. I used cruise control the entire time, except when it was impossible to do so. Driving in the city really cut down on the mpg...dropping from 45 mpg down as far as 29 mpg.

 

Highway mileage is still averaginig about 41-42 per the Nav screen. We are over two weeks into this tank with wife driving several short trips 4 miles each way. Tank average has been maintaing about 42.3 over most of the 330 miles so far on this tank. A/C on all time with temps about 90.

 

I have yet to take a really long highway trip. My drive to work is 25 miles on the freeway. I find from the Nav screen that I get 44 to 45 mpg on the freeway. My conditions are to use cruise control set at 65 to 68 mph depending on traffic flow. I also am not using the A/C.

My mileage in town is quite variable. For very short trips, I may not even get 25 mpg. If the engine is warm and no hills, I generally get 36 to 40 mpg.

My feeling that the reason the EPA is off, is that they don't maintain a fairly constant speed. If you are going up and down. The acceleration on the freeway can dramatically reduce the mileage.

I stay in the second lane and let the speeders have lane one.

 

I have not had the car very long yet, so I was fooling around today and noticed that at hwy speeds the little battery symbol shoots arrows to the wheels along with the engine some times. Has anyone watched this close to see if there is a "best speed" to go to use the batterys help the most?

 

Has anyone watched this close to see if there is a "best speed" to go to use the batterys help the most?

That's a tough one. I typically use the NAV screen rather than that dash view, but the situation you describe can happen at about any speed. It really depends upon the slope of the road.

If you're on level road and doing 70, 60 or 50 you can get it to do that.

To get the battery to drive the wheels more than the ICE you'll need to use the "pulse and glide" we have discussed. That is allow the car to accelerate, let off the gas and very gently reapply the throttle. The battery will most of the time (on level) keep the car at or close to speed until you approach a grade. You'll learn to do this with time.

Watch the instant FE gage next time you're driving and if you moving along at say 50 or 60, just let off and try the "P&G". You may notice you're going the same speed but with a 10 to 15 mpg instant readout advantage. That's when the battery is doing it's work.

 

I was doing 70mph+ at times today and the MPG gauge was sitting pretty near 60mpg...very interesting indeed. And this was NOT going downhill..pretty level. Also, if I was slightly pressing the accelerator on an slight incline at say 65, it would still at times be at 60mpg. I drove about 450 miles today from Boston to DC.