Re: Happy Thanksgiving!
I drove my HCH from the Chicago area down to Hannibal, Missouri, then through central Illinois to a veteran's home to visit my great-uncle, then to my grandmother's, then back home. Lots and lots of driving. I refilled just after leaving home on the first leg of the trip, then got half a tank at $2.95 before leaving Missouri to take advantage of lower gas taxes, and then another half tank or so midway home from rural Illinois when I saw an even lower price, $2.92.
My mpg dropped from 52.2 on the prior 615 miles of regular commute through the suburbs on familiar roads, to 45 mpg on 310 miles of highway driving at higher speeds in colder weather, with two other adults and a bunch of luggage in the car. The middle leg was also 45 mpg, with a little bit of lower-speed 'city' driving, if such it can be called in rural places like the ones I visited. The last leg I managed to spend about 50 miles of the return trip behind a truck or two, not terribly close, but at slower speeds and maybe close enough to make some difference, and as a result, I just barely eked it back up to 52.2 mpg over the last 125 miles or so.
I was definitely NOT a speed demon on this trip, but we weren't in any particular hurry. Not a horrible trip in terms of mpg, all told, but I did cave and use cruise control a few times, especially during the middle portion when everything I tried to finesse went nowhere and my leg was cramping up a bit. I really do feel that cruise control eats away at least a couple mpg in most situations, but I did it anyway. Still, compared to the last time this car took a trip down to my grandmother's, this was fantastic mpg. With my mom driving, colder weather, high winds and a lot more luggage, on those same roads the car got its worst mileage ever- 38.9 mpg. So I'm pleased.
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