Hi Jim,

After 157 miles I am up to 43.9 but it does seem to be leveling off a bit so I don't expect it will go above 45 or so until either the weather warms up or it gets broken in.

Brian

 

If you sit at a red light or dont move the ENTIRE 5 minute segment, you haven't gone anywhere...0 miles, 0 gal; so the the gauge will read 0. But, if you are in EV mode and inch forward and stop for the rest of the 5 minutes, you have gone .00001 miles and used 0 gal. you will have "99.9 mpg" because that's the maximum the gauge reads. I don't think it has anything to do with being in Park or Drive.

 

Well, I am surprised but as of this mornings commute the car is up to 45.5 MPG.

 

First day over 50 degrees (was 48 when I left home, 55 when I arrived at work) since I've had my Prius, and today I topped 48 mpg for the tank average (I've got about 250 miles on the tank so far) for the first time! (Well, not counting the first 75 miles or so, when it's still bouncing around.) I think it'll be up to 50 mpg or so by the time I get home this evening. What really amazed me was how much longer (as a percentage of drive time) I was running at or (very close to) 99.9 mpg! Boy, I REALLY can't wait for summer weather, I don't think it will be hard to hit 60 mpg then!

 

You are correct sir! Just set it and forget it. Leave the a/c button on and the system will manage itself. It is quickest and easiest to use the temp up and down buttons on the steering wheel. Get used to the dimples, bumps, dots and lines on those buttons and then you can quickly and easily turn items on and off without having to navigate through the MFD.

The consumption screen has a 30 minute history graph of your MPG while driving. The higher the bar the higher the FE you averaged over that 5 minute period. That graph might be overlaied with little green car indicators in each 5 minute segment. Each full little green car is 50 wH of energy created through regeneration, which happens when you are coasting or stopping, i.e. regenerative braking.

It may actually be better if you set the screen to consumption and use the right hand bar graph to gauge your driving efficiency. The Energy screen tells you what the car is doing, but how well you are doing at maximizing your FE. There is an upper limit to how much your own driving skill can help the vehicle achieve high FE, however the Energy screen is not going to give you the feedback you need to make good driving skill improvements. Instead, switch over to the consumption screen and monitor (although safely, keep your eyes on the road, shouldn't have to be said, but kind of needs to be obvious) the right hand bar graph which gives you a visual representation of your instant FE. It is easier to read a graph quickly and with peripheral vision than it is to read numercal representation of your instant FE.

Enjoy your new car!

 

After driving the car for a week I am going to have to disagree with you in regards to which display to default to. For me, the Energy display is much more functional than the Consumption display. For one thing, it provides instant feedback on current MPG and the arrows which show energy flow are much more useful given my commute. I have several long stretches during my commute where it is important to know whether the ICE is providing power or not (and I cannot always determine by the "feel" of the car whether the ICE is running) and the Energy display gives me the feedback I need. If the Consumption display works for you (i.e. easier to see, etc) then that is great. For me, I have fantastic peripheral vision so I can see the energy flow arrows easily without taking my eye from the road.

Brian

P.S. With 2 bars left on the gas gauge I am currently at 47.7 MPG

 

Hi Sweetbeet,

[by the way .. nice nickname]

That mileage is great! It pretty closely matches up with what I have gotten so far (47.7) and I cannot wait for spring & summer temperatures. I expect to get really close to the 60 mpg myself.

Brian

 

My first post here.

I've only had the Prius for one day and it's been a blast to drive. I agree that the Energy display helps me most. It's so fun seeing the instant graphic display of how I'm driving my car. I tried to get maximum mileage of my previous ICE cars, but never thought that owning a Prius would help me change, in real-time my driving habits.

I've driven 120 miles, urban and highway, and am already at 45.3 mpg. Thanks for the big graph explanation...I hadn't gotten to that part of the manual yet. Understanding those yellow bars, makes the trip even more fun. What is the vertical scale (Y-axis) units?

I know I've only really had this car for 1 day and I'm sure many things will become mundane soon, but the smart key is a trip. Does anyone ever put the fab into the slot anymore? I'm pretty much always driving with it in my pocket.

Also, I want to get Sirius in this car and it would be a shame not to use the touch screen capilities. From what I've read I can either take in into the dealer or use the installation package from http://www.factoryinteractive.com/. Looks like it's ~$500 installed. Seems kind of expenseive, anybody do this another way?

 

A couple more observations/questions from my second 100 miles.

My first attempts at P&G were fun. It sure is hard getting the car in 0 energy mode (no arrows on energy graph). Finding the electic motor assist mode was much easier (yellow arrows). Is it bad to do your gliding in EV mode? Seems I'm always trying to get this mode no matter what speed. Driving in parking lots requires no gas now!

Also, it seemed I was getting good mileage on flat terrain when the ICE was operating (orange arrows) and also feeding the battery. How can I be getting in the upper 99 mpg range when the ICE is operating at high speeds albeit flat or slightly downhill?

How cool is the smart key. I can't get over this thing. Did you know...when you approach you car from the drivers side, the power button and key slot become illuminated. Happens around 3-5 feet from the door and they stay on while in the car as to show you how simple it all is. They go dark again after you get out of range...nice touch.

 

Scroll down my web page and you'll see a photo of my 2003, NHW11 Prius getting 99 MPG down hill:

http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/

Bob Wilson