So,What is the MPG of a Prius at 80 MPH?

[Daytona R/T SE]

I see the little cars on the interstate all of the time going WAY over the speed limit.

I'll be doing a steady 70 in my Ram and these little buzz bombs go shooting past me like I'm sitting still.

I thought the point of hybrids was fuel economy, so what's the MPG of a Prius at a sustained 80+MPH ?

[A383Wing]

Not all that great...most if not all Hybrids get the best economy around town...on the freeway, the little gas engine is working it's little legs off!

[Troy]

The gas-tank warning light flashed after 422 miles. I drove 10 miles to the next gas station and filled up, putting 11.1 gallons into the 11.9-gallon tank. That would indicate 38 mpg, far short of the 51 mpg government rating. The car's trip computer told me it had been getting 51.7 mpg.

Irv Miller, Toyota vice president for corporate communication, says the mileage shortfall probably had to do with speed. "The government test that puts the Prius' highway mileage at 51 mpg is based on ideal driving conditions and going 55 mph," he says. I averaged 72 miles an hour on highways.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-06-10-diesel-vs-hybrid_x.htm

Others (but not specifically higher speeds on the highway):
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/hybridwatch01.html
http://www.wired.com/cars/energy/news/2004/05/63413
http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/real-prius-gas-t409.html

Troy

[Mike DC]

   
IMHO good mileage comes from stripped-down lightweight vehicles with equally small motors. 


I respect the MPG abilities of an old beetle at least as much as any of these new hybrids. 

   

[Ghoste]

The only thing shocking about the Prius actual mileage versus the posted one is that the media isn't going crazy about it.  I bet if Ford or Chrysler had a similar experience the whole continent would know about it.

[Mike DC]

 
I absolutely agree.  Detroit would not be given this kind ludicrous free pass at all.


Think of how little attention Mopar & GM's variable-displacement V8 engines have gotten in the last few years.  Imagine if Japan had come out with that innovation at the time instead of Detroit.

[bakerhillpins]

Frankly I would be surprised if ANY car produced their stated fuel economy all the time. Does it happen, yes, sometimes better. But the fact is that fuel economy is based upon driving conditions (both driver and environmental) and EPA economy numbers come from a standardized test. This is the old problem of theory vs practice. Ragging on a hybrid for economy because someone drives it at 80mph is like ragging on a Pickup when its used to get groceries. The economy sucks because its not being used at its optimum operational conditions or intended purpose.

Our minivan says we can get 28 highway. Do we. No, we get close to 24 on the interstate. But I live in NH and we are always going up and down hills/mts. When I took the van out to Chicago I got close to 29 on the highway through Ohio. But it was FLAT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_economy_in_automobiles

IIRC - Toyota had some bad #s for the Prius at one point.

[Ghoste]

Which is exactly where my point was driving from.  The EPA method of testing mileage was not a realistic method at all and I have very very frequently heard people slam American built cars for not getting their posted figures and yet the Japanese cars,well let's just say not so much.
Now I would have to add that it seems to me these complaints have lessened in recent years as the general public seems to have come to the conclusion that the mileage figures on the Monroney stickers are more or less fictional accounts that are really just useful for comparative purposes between vehicles.

[bakerhillpins]

I'm not going to discount the sample of folks that you talk to or take your point of view from. From, my POV the big 3 got that stereotype because for years they built crappy fuel efficient cars and made their mark with big trucks/SUVs. The stereotype creates a perception from the public that as a general rule they make stuff that guzzles gas and the rest of the line was such crap that they didn't care what the stickers said.

Next time someone spits out that stereotype ask them if they ever actually measured their vehicles economy? And one of the Big 3 (or is that 2 now) that they could compare it to?  I'm betting they haven't.

[Ghoste]

But you do agree that the Japanese cars are also not achieving their posted figures?

[bakerhillpins]

But you do agree that the Japanese cars are also not achieving their posted figures?

As a one word answer, Yes.

Fundamentally, all cars will miss the mark, Its just the nature of Theory vs Practice. At least that was the point I was trying to make.

[Ghoste]

Then I think we were both trying to make the same point. 
I just had the add-on that no one seemed to mind (in the past anyway) that the Japanese cars couldn't make it.  I understand what you are saying about it being because of a perceived quality issue with American cars even though I respectfully disagree about the superior quality of Japanese cars.  I realize that puts me in a minority around here but thats my opinion. 

[bakerhillpins]

I understand what you are saying about it being because of a perceived quality issue with American cars even though I respectfully disagree about the superior quality of Japanese cars.  I realize that puts me in a minority around here but thats my opinion. 

Not sure that's entirely true.

I didn't intend to imply that I believe Japanese cars have superior quality in this day and age. I do hold that opinion about the big 3 in the 80s and early 90s. Right or wrong that is my perception. Frankly, if I wasn't tied down with other monetary obligations the wife and I would be looking at the Ford Fusion hybrids right now.... but that is another discussion all together. 

[68charger383]

Batteries cut out at I believe 20 mph on the prius, so best mileage is driving around town.

My friend avg about 46 MPG in his car. city/hwy driving

In CA they were giving out drive alone carpool stickers for cars getting 45 MPG +. The Honda Accord claimed something like 46 MPG the first year they came out which qualified these owners for the carpool stickers. However, I think the best it could do was 35 MPG...So CA DMV started asking for the stickers back. These owners (who bought the car primarily for the car pool use stickers) weren't very happy with Honda 

American cars usually don't meet their window sticker mileage claims. I remeber the PT cruiser which claimed something like 18/24 but was really getting 13/18 new out of the box. So I think all cars are fudging the CAFE #s a little bit.

[ds440]

From what I hear it boils down to driving habits.

I have a Japanese car and it was rated at 24cty/32hwy.  I get 30cty/36hwy consistently.  Most of my driving is highway and I can assure you...I don't drive at 65mph.  The only change I've made to the car is a K&N filter and the car has 200,000 miles.  When my wife was looking for a new car we tested and compared hybrids (I'm one of those guys who had an American car that was an ABSOLUTE LEMON! The car was so poorly built it was criminal. ).  The realities were that the savings in gas were lost in the higher price of the car.  In the long run it was cheaper to buy the non-hybrid.  PLUS, the car we ended up purchasing wasn't a hybrid and it gets 38mpg highway (admittedly on cruise control).

It just seems to me like there are too many variables to definitely say *this car* gets *this mileage*.

Personally, I think with the ingenuity, engineering abilities, work ethic, and natural talents within this country, someone - somewhere - can and will develop a better solution than the Prius.

[Tilar]

I'll stick with my 95 lumina that gets a solid 30mpg running 70 on the highway, Or my 3/4 ton suburban getting 14 running 70 on the highway over the piece of crap kia that I rented out in Omaha this weekend. That thing felt like I was riding a buckboard wagon.

[Ghoste]

American cars usually don't meet their window sticker mileage claims. I remeber the PT cruiser which claimed something like 18/24 but was really getting 13/18 new out of the box. So I think all cars are fudging the CAFE #s a little bit.

See there is what I'm talking about. 
But you are right all cars are not hitting their numbers but it has little to do with a deliberate attempt by the mfg's to mislead than it does the fact the method to determine the mileage as mandated by the EPA is flawed.  I'm sure the mfg's (domestic AND foreign) are not about to complain to the EPA about it but the tests are flawed.

[bakerhillpins]

But you are right all cars are not hitting their numbers but it has little to do with a deliberate attempt by the mfg's to mislead than it does the fact the method to determine the mileage as mandated by the EPA is flawed.  I'm sure the mfg's (domestic AND foreign) are not about to complain to the EPA about it but the tests are flawed.

I think flawed might be too strong a word, the way I see it, it's just about impossible to control all of the variables that effect mileage in order to get a single pt cty/hwy mileage rating for a sticker. Do I think they have the best possible testing strategy out there? I don't know enough about how they got where they are to make that judgment... Do we have any guys from the MFGs testing departments?

Even tire pressure effects mileage and that can be effected by daily temp swings.

[Rolling_Thunder]

All I know is my Tacoma gets about 22mpg on the highway at 75mph...      not too bad IMO...   taking it on a trip to Texas next month...   

My Charger will hopefully get around the same mileage (low 20s)

[Brock Samson]

 The prius is an intercity car not a highway car as previously noted... BTW: they introduced the new one today...

http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/

and if ya haven't noticed the Honda version called the insight,.. also a new version looks allot like the Prius...

http://automobiles.honda.com/insight-hybrid/

again these are not innerstate haulers but small commuter vehicles... is suspect the market forces will dictate MPG efficiency beyond what the State mandates...
the Chevy volt (a true plug in) is due on line soon and all these cars mark the sea change of the automobile..
(sorry for using that word but it's appropriate in this case) 

http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/default/fuel/electric.do

BTW: our gas prices went up over 20 cents a gallon in the last two weeks,.. and due to what I ask you?..

I am curious if there will ever be a car optimised for "highway travel" as the little hybrid commuters are for traffic.

[Mike DC]

   
I don't think anyone has ever been saying that the Americans (or the Japs) were the only ones missing their mileage marks. 



The point being made was that the trendy new hi-eff Japanese Hybrids are DRASTICALLY below their well publicized figures the majority of the time. 

The point is that the Jap brands have been saying, "Don't buy another 35 mpg gasoline car when you could have a 60mpg hybrid!" and then delivering a 40mpg hybrid after all that extra money and engineering compromises. 

   

[bakerhillpins]

BTW: our gas prices went up over 20 cents a gallon in the last two weeks,.. and due to what I ask you?..

Ours went up 30 cents over that time. Isn't it obvious? Its summer and the oil companies need to make more profits... 

Part of me suspects that they are trying to get the $ per barrel to go up via speculation again. Reverse physiology, raise the price of the end product for no reason and investors will start to drive the crud price up! 

[Mike DC]

The speculation factor is more or less a middleman between the oil companies and the consumers.  I don't see much reason for the oil companies to want them getting a bigger cut.  The oil company gets the negative effects of higher prices without even getting the extra money that it generates.

[Todd Wilson]

Frankly I would be surprised if ANY car produced their stated fuel economy all the time. Does it happen, yes, sometimes better. But the fact is that fuel economy is based upon driving conditions (both driver and environmental) and EPA economy numbers come from a standardized test. This is the old problem of theory vs practice. Ragging on a hybrid for economy because someone drives it at 80mph is like ragging on a Pickup when its used to get groceries. The economy sucks because its not being used at its optimum operational conditions or intended purpose.

Every new vehicle I have had was right on the money as far as the stated MPG with the exception of the 2007 Caliber. Its in town MPG rating is way off. It hits the highway MPG everytime. The 95 Ram,2000 Neon and 2003 Stratus were all on the money.


Todd

[PocketThunder]

Frankly I would be surprised if ANY car produced their stated fuel economy all the time. Does it happen, yes, sometimes better. But the fact is that fuel economy is based upon driving conditions (both driver and environmental) and EPA economy numbers come from a standardized test. This is the old problem of theory vs practice. Ragging on a hybrid for economy because someone drives it at 80mph is like ragging on a Pickup when its used to get groceries. The economy sucks because its not being used at its optimum operational conditions or intended purpose.

Every new vehicle I have had was right on the money as far as the stated MPG with the exception of the 2007 Caliber. Its in town MPG rating is way off. It hits the highway MPG everytime. The 95 Ram,2000 Neon and 2003 Stratus were all on the money.


Todd

Do you drive 55 in a 55?  65 in a 65, etc... religiously?

[Todd Wilson]

Frankly I would be surprised if ANY car produced their stated fuel economy all the time. Does it happen, yes, sometimes better. But the fact is that fuel economy is based upon driving conditions (both driver and environmental) and EPA economy numbers come from a standardized test. This is the old problem of theory vs practice. Ragging on a hybrid for economy because someone drives it at 80mph is like ragging on a Pickup when its used to get groceries. The economy sucks because its not being used at its optimum operational conditions or intended purpose.

Every new vehicle I have had was right on the money as far as the stated MPG with the exception of the 2007 Caliber. Its in town MPG rating is way off. It hits the highway MPG everytime. The 95 Ram,2000 Neon and 2003 Stratus were all on the money.


Todd

Do you drive 55 in a 55?  65 in a 65, etc... religiously?

Pretty much so. I dont speed and if I do its only a few miles over. Never more then 5mph over the posted limit. Usually 2-3mph over on the interstates. If its a 2 lane blacktop I stay on the speed limit.

In town I am always on the limit.


I have never had a speeding ticket in my driving career.


Todd

[moparstuart]

Frankly I would be surprised if ANY car produced their stated fuel economy all the time. Does it happen, yes, sometimes better. But the fact is that fuel economy is based upon driving conditions (both driver and environmental) and EPA economy numbers come from a standardized test. This is the old problem of theory vs practice. Ragging on a hybrid for economy because someone drives it at 80mph is like ragging on a Pickup when its used to get groceries. The economy sucks because its not being used at its optimum operational conditions or intended purpose.

Every new vehicle I have had was right on the money as far as the stated MPG with the exception of the 2007 Caliber. Its in town MPG rating is way off. It hits the highway MPG everytime. The 95 Ram,2000 Neon and 2003 Stratus were all on the money.


Todd

Do you drive 55 in a 55?  65 in a 65, etc... religiously?

Pretty much so. I dont speed and if I do its only a few miles over. Never more then 5mph over the posted limit. Usually 2-3mph over on the interstates. If its a 2 lane blacktop I stay on the speed limit.

In town I am always on the limit.


I have never had a speeding ticket in my driving career.


Todd

thats no fun , your a goodie two-shoes

[Todd Wilson]

Frankly I would be surprised if ANY car produced their stated fuel economy all the time. Does it happen, yes, sometimes better. But the fact is that fuel economy is based upon driving conditions (both driver and environmental) and EPA economy numbers come from a standardized test. This is the old problem of theory vs practice. Ragging on a hybrid for economy because someone drives it at 80mph is like ragging on a Pickup when its used to get groceries. The economy sucks because its not being used at its optimum operational conditions or intended purpose.

Every new vehicle I have had was right on the money as far as the stated MPG with the exception of the 2007 Caliber. Its in town MPG rating is way off. It hits the highway MPG everytime. The 95 Ram,2000 Neon and 2003 Stratus were all on the money.


Todd

Do you drive 55 in a 55?  65 in a 65, etc... religiously?

Pretty much so. I dont speed and if I do its only a few miles over. Never more then 5mph over the posted limit. Usually 2-3mph over on the interstates. If its a 2 lane blacktop I stay on the speed limit.

In town I am always on the limit.


I have never had a speeding ticket in my driving career.


Todd

thats no fun , your a goodie two-shoes

Yeah but I own 7 vehicles and dont want my insurance to go ape shit in cost! HEHE!   Its funny when I travel  people will blow by me on the interstate. We come up on a city or have to slow down and there they are. Ahead of me a little ways and thats it. I even see that in town here. Zipping in and out of traffic and there they are 2 cars ahead of me at the stop light.

9 out of 10 times that car will be no further down the road then I am yet they have wasted fuel,put their selfs at risk of a ticket and or a wreck from the fast/erratic driving.  And then they will piss and moan that their car doesnt get good MPG or wont hit the MPG rating on the sticker.

As far as the 2007 Caliber not hitting its in town milage I am not sure why. The sticker shows like 25 and its squeeking 18-19  but my wife drives it daily as its her car. And she drives like a wild woman going to shit.  It gets the highway mpg everytime but I do the highway/trip driving in it.

With all that being said  I do live in a small town. There is no freeway rat race commute. Most people here in town can be to work in 10 minutes or less.


Todd

[68charger383]

I have a 2005 corolla CE with a 5 speed. I saw the arguments about how my $12K corolla is better than the $26K prius since you would have to drive the prius 250K before the breakeven point for the cost difference. This argument was of course when gas was at $2.25 a gallon and before it went up to $4.50 a gallon

My corolla stated it got 41 MPG hwy on the sticker. The best I have gotten in the car is 36.8 MPG. However, I have never driven the car at 55 MPH or even 70 MPG for a tank of gas. So it could possibly get the 41 MPG if I did drive it at 55 MPH, but I won't so I'll never know. All I can tell you is at 75 MPH + the best you can do is 36.8 

[Silver R/T]

These cars are over-rated. When they came out, they were advertised at 50+mpg, now billboards says ...up to 46mpg...
I don't think it gets even that much. You have to remember those are lab tests not actual mpg you'll get when you drive one. They didn't include other important factors when calculating mpg on these ugly pos.

[Silver R/T]

BTW: our gas prices went up over 20 cents a gallon in the last two weeks,.. and due to what I ask you?..

Memorial day weekend, many people will be traving. Very nice way to get few extra billions $$ by raising gas prices.

Ours went up 30 cents over that time. Isn't it obvious? Its summer and the oil companies need to make more profits... 

Part of me suspects that they are trying to get the $ per barrel to go up via speculation again. Reverse physiology, raise the price of the end product for no reason and investors will start to drive the crud price up! 

[Mike DC]

   
The anomaly outside the long-term norm is the current low price since the economy tanked last fall. 

I'm sure everyone will act surprised & indignant when it comes back up again.  But it's obvious that right now is temporary price and the higher one is the normal figure we can count on. 





     

[b5blue]

THE FIX for speculator driving prices up is to force them to take delivery of what they bought! Have you noticed if we use more gas...the price goes up, if we use less gas...the price goes up! Anyway I've never seen a Prius go 80! (Anyone know what the word Prius is/means?)

[Todd Wilson]

THE FIX for speculator driving prices up is to force them to take delivery of what they bought! Have you noticed if we use more gas...the price goes up, if we use less gas...the price goes up! Anyway I've never seen a Prius go 80! (Anyone know what the word Prius is/means?)

That would take care of things in a hurry if they had to take delivery!


Todd

[A383Wing]

(Anyone know what the word Prius is/means?)

GAY!! 

[b5blue]

  Priussy's

[Brock Samson]

 FYI:
since i posted that last time gas here went up an additional 16 cents... It's quite obvious here in San Fran we are being (not so gently) persuaded to give up our vehicles in favor of public transit,.. the politicians of course, are chauffeured driven in Lincoln limos and given a healthy stipend to cover their transportation costs...
There are more hybrids here every day, most recently Ive been seeing allot of the SUV and midsized sedan hybrids here, in Wacky Cally - it seems at a third of my stops behind vehicles they're hybrids, so if it's true that the rest of the USA follows the coasts (with us nutty wacky way-out there San Franciscans leading the way...    )
You will see allot of these hybrid vehicles - sooner then later...
I don't know if i mentioned this in an earlier thread, but i went to a kids car wash at a local progressive school recently and when i arrived there were half a dozen prie (  ) in line being washed at this high society progressive school. so anyhow, they were all one of three colors,.. white, black or a gunmetal gray and all had the same free carpool lane stickers on their lower rear quarters, (all hi-mileage economy cars are given these free pass stickers on their flanks which has only helped to increase their popularity) - anyhow,.. at the end of the wash line,  after their interiors had been entirely cleaned and detailed the owners couldn't figure out who's car was who's,..      it was really funny cause they didn't know their lic. #s and had to pull out their registrations to check...
my charger sure made a splash in that crowd..  all the kids wanted to wash it but couldn't reach above the fender and finally the parents had to take over... They did a really horrible job using laundry soap and dirty towels and of course, I had to do it all over again to my standards incl. another waxing to replace the wax the Tide had removed,..
but I wanted to support the school and it's kids and overall I had a great day fending off the cougars who really loved my car... 

And er, another related thing (rant) I've noticed is...
  Our most beloved Governor - Uncle Arnie?..  the Terminator?.. used to make such a big show about driving an H1 Hummer everywhere,.. remember when he had the first one delivered etc... well now,.. he's gone and backed all these clean air and hi-mileage inituatives here in Calif... just like he reveresed all his talk about the kids first when he was running for office, anyone remember his campaign promises to increase all public school funding and hire more teachers?.. anyone?.. Buller?..  welp, in case you didn't know the first thing he did when he actually got elected was to slash the school budgets even further... & just FYI: He's cutting them again this year - the fourth year in a row..

[Brock Samson]

 a few mopars were in attendance.. 

[chargerboy69]

FYI:
since i posted that last time gas here went up an additional 16 cents... It's quite obvious here in San Fran we are being (not so gently) persuaded to give up our vehicles in favor of public transit,..

Strat, I believe that will be happening everywhere. 

Right around Christmas we were paying $1.29 a gallon.  Today it is $2.46 a gallon.  As the current administration has said on high gas prices "the problem is not how high that gas prices have risen, but that they went up too fast. 'I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment".  It can be quite difficult to force us to purchase these econo-green shit boxes when gas is $1.29 a gallon.

[Daytona R/T SE]

Ok, Back to the original intent of this post...If these Priouses Do NOT get optimum mileage at 80 mph, but the owners (at least around here, anyway) Consistently drive them at high speeds, then it seems to me they are not using them as intended to save fuel (and hence the planet ...cough cough -- group tree hug -- cough cough) So they MUST be buying them as status symbols-- You know, the whole "I care more about mother earth than you do" "thing"

Kinda like buying a 600 HP Viper to deliver pizzas in town ... 30 mph and you never get out of first gear, but man you LOOK cool.

[Ghoste]

I know someone who has a pair of high powered sports cars but cuts his lawn with one of those reel type mowers because "it doesn't pollute the air like your gas powered one".  Saving the planet and looking cool for the ladies, how perfect is that?  Still, I wonder how his tune would be if he didn't have a postage stamp sized yard?

[b5blue]

REAL Greeners don't even have lawns! They Zeroscape with with weeds/wild flowers/scrub bushes and such! I wonder how much carbon emission a car that lasts for 40-50 years saves buy not having been replaced 5 times?  Did we confirm a Prius will run 80mph? If so what was the mileage?

[bakerhillpins]

Kinda like buying a 600 HP Viper to deliver pizzas in town ... 30 mph and you never get out of first gear, but man you LOOK cool.

Yea, but remember, image IS everything! 

[Ghoste]

Madison Ave proves that out everyday, whether you want to be the cool looking pizza delivery guy or the eco-minded presidential wannabe (remember Gore getting out of his SUV a few blocks away from lecture sites so he could drive up in a Prius when he was promoting his fictional novel?), it's the image that sells.

[Mike DC]

 
Being green is a religion.

[Troy]

Did we confirm a Prius will run 80mph? If so what was the mileage?

Why wouldn't it do 80? Yes, I've been in one at those speeds but have no clue what the sustained mpg is. It's not good (well, not nearly as good as people think/expect) - that much I know for sure.

Troy