For example Mazdas new cx-7 gets 18 mpg city...Tribeca gets 18 mpg city...Santa fe gets 19 mpg city ...My 04 Durango got 13 on a good tank!! And me and most hihy owners can get 26 or more city,I'd say thats pretty good!

 

You're right. Most midsized SUVs get mid to low teens in pure city driving.Our Pilot gets 13-15 mpg in pure city driving and it is slightly better than average mpg wise. Granted it has a bit more interior room than most midsized SUVs, but no way would it ever approach 20 mpg city!It does get a decent 22-24 mpg in pure interstate(65-70 MPH) driving-still that is 3-4 mpg less than the HH.
Luck,
Charlie

 

My much sleeker, 800 lb lighter Volvo V70-T5 (247 HP) with performance stats equivalent to my 4WD HiHy (which feels faster and more responsive to me) gets about 19 city and 25 hwy MPG - 23 combined. In equivalent conditions, I'm getting over 29 combined in the HiHy when corrected for the 3.2% under-reading odometer. Another happy camper!

The most impressive difference in the drive is the fantastic ride quality and quietness in the HiHy compared to the Swede's stiffness (which, I admit, makes for a lot more fun in the twisties, but it sure does eat up those noisy gumball 235-45-17's). I do miss the Volvo's great seats on a long haul, though, but not enough to ever take it again on our twice yearly FL-CA trips. And we can safely visit our son in S. Colorado at 8000 ft in the winter for the first time.

Pete

 

My cubemate has a 2006 HiHy and gets consistently 29-31 mpg. He has owned a Civic Hybrid (2003) and two different Priuses before, so he is an experienced hybrid driver, but not particularly a hypermiler. So it can be done under the right circumstances.

 

At the end of the day, I believe folks' dissatisfaction with the HiHy fuel efficiency is primarily due to a mismatch between reality and expectations. This issue is particularly exacerbated by the "have-your-cake-&-eat-it-too" approach by providing more HP in addition to increased fuel efficiency.

The EPA estimates for the AWD HiHy is 27-31 mpg. The reality is about 25 mpg for most folks. If we split the EPA estimates down the middle and say "overall" number of 29 mpg, the difference amounts to about 16%. This is discrepancy between EPA estimates and reality is typical for all types of vehicles, not just the HiHy.

HiHy owners can exceed 25 mpg, but it takes "work", and that's another reality that doesn't meet expectations for many people. The "strings attached with footnotes" can be a bit irritating for first-time hybrid owners, such as myself. My first tank was about 24 mpg. But, after some "work", my FE numbers exceed 27 mpg. My last 8 tanks all exceeded 27 mpg.

What I've found is that "just changing your driving style" isn't enough. It's just not realistic to drive 55 mph on the freeway. What I've had to do is change my driving routes to put me in driving environments where it is more natural to drive more slowly and with less acceleration. So, for example, instead of driving mostly on the freeway for my work commute, I drive mostly on the expressway, where the speed limit is 50 mph. Also to compensate for the potential degradation in acceleration, I use 91 octane, which helps maintain equivalent acceleration even though I'm "lighter" on the accelerator.

The second adjustment is finding a compromise between "working" on the FE and just enjoying driving the HiHy like any "regular" car. What works for me with this regard is to apply light acceleration/low-moderate top speeds approach during the weekdays, and driving normally on the weekends.

At the end of the day, for all the HiHy owners out there that are getting <25 mpg and feel dissatisfied, try making the change to your driving style and driving routes, and you'll find your overall happiness with the vehicle much higher. I know that knot of annoyance in your stomach. I had that too. But after making the appropriate adjustments to operate the vehicle in its "zone" of FE happiness, at least for my work commute, I'm a pretty happy camper...

 

Unhappy people?? Want mine?? Il trade you with some cash. I have an 01 V6 and it get 15-17 in town and 19-21 on the highway. I would love all the power of the HH and get 10 - 15 mpg better!

 

I do not think it is due to unrealistic expectation. Unsatisfying is what driver companies like toyota having better products. The dissatisfaction comes from mismatch between ETA mpg and real mpg. There are two ways to gain fuel efficiency. One way is to use electric power for low power cruising, which toyota has adopted. The other way is to use that power to help acceleration. First only works when the driver is careful and the second is very robust with a bit lower EPA mpg numbers. As most other companies, toyota put short term financial interest ahead of consumer interest. If toyota has adopted the second design, EPA mpg would be lower, real mpg would be higher.

I live in the north, I would really love the second design and an EV switch.