Hello...

I have been following this forum and some others for some time. I spent lots of time deliberating over a "newer car". I chose the TCH for many reasons. The main one being that we drive just under 1000 miles per week and need a comfortable, economical car. I drove a few Prius and Honda Civics (test drives). The seats were too hard and the cars just felt like noisy "tin cans". The Camry felt a little better engineered.

I am coming from a couple Passat TDI's and an older Mercedes Turbo Diesel. I can honestly say that the Toyota is a very impressive car. The technology is a little scary to me.... But, that is just the way things are headed (I guess?).

Anyway, I have owned this car for 2 weeks and I really like it. I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello.

So far I have had "tank averages" over 39 MPG at speeds under 75 MPH. I also have recorded a .4 to .7 error in the computer when calculating MPG at the pump. Not too bad. I'm not sure if this car has a "bladder type" tank like the Prius. Either way... It is good enough for me.

Best Regards,

AJ
2008 TCH

 

I don't get anywhere near 39 mpg with mine. Usually more like 35.4. But that really depends on where and how you drive it. I live in town, right near the highway, so I have a lot of short trips, but even then a lot of the miles are on interstate. Lowes and HD are 4 miles away, but 3 of those are on interstate. Longer trips allow the car to be warmed up for a larger fraction of the miles, and longer distances on slower roads allow the car to take better advantage of the electric system.

Yes, the 2008 TCH has a fuel bladder inside the steel tank. The amount of fuel that will fit in the tank varies according to how the bladder is situated in the tank. Mine seems to be very consistent, but others report considerable variance. That variance can cause error in your MPG calculation, because the full tank doesn't always contain the same volume. You can add multiple tanks together to average out the error.

 

Welcome and good luck. I'm a former mileage obsessive having completed the 12 step program, now in recovery. There's nothing to worry about, they're great cars. Any car you nurse and coax will perform better for you.
Just get comfortable with the car and enjoy it. Your stats will vary. Don't worry, the ice caps won't melt if your MPG drops.

 

That made me laugh! Thanks... I do find my self actually trying to get better mileage in this particular car. I didn't really bother much with the other ones.

It really is amazing how quiet the car is (for what it is). I can see how it would be annoying to have a rattle in the car. I did notice "the cricket" in the center dash vent (comes and goes) and the rattle in the "Vent" behind the seat over bumps. Both are intermittent and I am not bothered by them yet. After driving a Diesel Mercedes for years.... These little noises are nothing by comparison!

I have been on here and doing some searching/reading and it looks like I need to go ahead and change the fluid in the PSD.

Thank you for the welcome!!

Regards,

AJ
2008 TCH

 

The funny thing about mileage is it creates (what I call) the paradox of efficiency.
If you get 20 MPG in a Suburban, you might not drive as often... such as a joy ride or a twenty mile round trip to Home Depot pick up a light bulb, preferring to combine shopping trips.
However, if you're in a gas sipper you might do extra driving due to the cost.
There is no question that people drive more when they perceive that it costs them less to do so.
At the end of the day...what does one save?

 

Pics... Some are after I had the window tint put on. The tint is Llumar CTX Ceramic. So far I am loving this car. It has made our 3 hour daily commute much easier! I had a hell of a time finding one with leather and without a sunroof. I am digging not having the "hot spot" above my head.

I filled it again today. 38 MPG on this one. More high speed driving. I found the .7 error on this tank.

Click-able thumbs:

 

Me too.
I had to buy the car with the cloth seats and then have dealer leather (and butt warmers) added. Not a biggie, but the driver's seat is powered and (for some unexplained reason) the passenger is manual.

 

That is interesting. I did notice that the passengers seat "in ours" does not have as many options available for adjustment (electrically) as the drivers side. I would actually prefer a manual seat on the passengers side. Every time we get in the car, my wife puts the seat all the way back and takes a nap on the way to work (for 1.5hrs.). I wonder about the longevity of the motors.

 

Nice. You got one with a Black interior! I love that color combination, and I didn't even know the TCH came with a black interior. Even the dealership where I bought mine from claimed they never did.

 

The black interior is nice, I have not seen that either. Mine has gray interior.

Welcome and enjoy your car. We love ours.