Our marathon driving was over 3,500 miles... is this tell you something ? By the way, we need advice to make it better..


Our Prius was 2006 one, owned this car for 3 months, altogether we had over 8,500 miles until today.

We travelled for the past 4 weeks with this car, uphill-downhill to Nashville, back to Florida, went again to Atlanta, GA with ...as you all knew Atlanta's traffic, to Lexington, KY, to Cincinnati, Akron Ohio for Christmas, back to Acworth - Woodstock, GA, then back to Florida.

AND again we drove back to Acworth, GA...and be good.. ha ha..

In fact, we just moved from FL to GA.

We got the best mpg approximately 63.5 and dropped to 57.3 mpg when driving around Atlanta area because everyone drives fast.

We are really happy for the results. Our record was ranged from rolling on I-75 traffic after Christmas 25 - 80 miles per hour.

My husband drove with upsetting all the time..because of the traffic in and out Atlanta area, the speed was between 70-80 miles per hour on Chattanooga area that was why MPG dropped to 57.

It could be said that our driving styles hit the somewhat --> peak 80 miles per hour for fact. We also had to go with the flow when traffic was so bad after Christmas on 1-75, I-85, I475 because people went South. This slowly driving made us up to 63.3 miles per hour for two days and returned to normal stage 57 mpg.

This depends on
1) traffic and how we drive our car,
2) who drive, habit and driving styles. I myself made better mpg than my hubby.. ha ha.. female's driving styles... He did not use pulse and glide techniques at all but speed up on accerelation ramp and on the highway as everyone does or like he drives a Mini Cooper.

My thought is Toyota Hybrid Prius is not like a Mini Cooper. However, we made the best mpg as stated above.

Great trip report!

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
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Additional information:

In driving uphill and downhill around Chattanooga area on Indian Mountains.. with speeding uphill but downing we also use "B" (breaking engine or engine break.. I forgot). This really help to obtain green cars on the G-display consumption/energy.

What I want to complain about the Prius is Lighting system --headlight -- low beam / high beam is not like Honda Element.

I love the way Honda Element Lighting system, bright with appropriate angles that we can see from the distance both right and left. This helps us to assure what we can expect from the side of the road and for safety issues. I wish 2008 Prius could improve lighting system as decribed.

In driving on the mountain when it rain etc, foggy weather.. I wasn't happy much because we really can't see well. What I did just to use flashing light to let everyone knows that I was in trouble --- seeing.. However, there were so many people did the same thing. I don't feel awkward in doing so.