Prius owner speaking, so take as you like. But I too have much lower gas mileage than I would like because of the short nature of my commutes. I doubt it is longer than 4 miles from home to work. But I still get better mileage. The car really shines on the weekend when I'm out driving around. That is when I get my averages up and when I'm happiest with it. But I wouldn't trade a longer commute for better gas mileage. No way.

It has been said:
Hybrid drivers come in 3 flavors, greenie, techie and cheapie. Pick any 2.
2005 Prius, Melinium Silver over gray, package 5 (AI)