Just filled up for the first time with most of the driving being my normal commute. While waiting for my HiHy and reading these boards and elsewhere, I had become convinced that my personal commute is a good fit for the hybrids - roughly 40 miles, about half of it on surface streets. I *do* gain/lose 3000 ft with my home in the foothills and work being "down the hill" in the Denver metro area - that part of the commute is on limited access roads - not strictly freeway but most without traffic lights and speed limits that vary between 45 miles per hour in the twisty portions to 65 in the straight-away near the bottom. I was very pleased to see a calculated mpg of 28.6 for my commute route. I'll admit that my personal challenge is to *not* use the power available as I climb the hill in the evenings.

I've tried a little bit of the P&G but usually too much traffic around to do this effectively. I've had more success with accellerating slightly above where I want to be, fully releasing the gas pedal and then lightly pressing to maintain speed and attempt to stay in electric mode (this is what I believe is referred to as "feathering") Unfortunately, even once in the metro area, my commute is anything but flat - rolling hills, some gradual some not so I can't always stay in electric for long.

My goal for this next tank is to pay more attention to the KW guage and try to keep it as low as possible when the ICE is active - below 50Kw if possible - we'll see how that works.

By the way - I have a base model with the option package but do not have access to the calculated mpg - have to rely on filling the tank to compute. I can do rough estimates in between based on miles traveled and the fuel guage but that is only for estimation purposes.

Shiloh,

Does your battery reach full before you reach the bottom of your descent to Denver ?

R2-E2, 2G Prius.
Highway/City/Husband/Wife MPG: 56.5, as of 12/2005, 26K miles

Jac Nasser, Ford President: "We are planning to launch a hybrid version of
this car [P2000] within this year [1998]. We will also make FCEV available in
2004."

Eric - I think it's "almost" at max but not quite... I'll have to check the next time I go down the hill.

Wanted to add a few tips since I seem to be getting a better mileage -

Background -- I have an RX 400h with close to 1k miles at this time.
The vehicle apears to be most efficient at the following speeds -

30 miles per hour -- Most of the time you should see the vehicle drive on Electric ( provided the battries are close to fully charged ).

45 - 55 miles per hour -- If your batteries are charged it will use gas with motors assisting the engine. You should see anywhere from 37mph to 58mph real time readings.

I use the RX when the drive is atleast 30 minutes and has a mix of city and hwy ( 60 - 40 % ) mix.

I was getting 34 - until I drove it like a sports car for 2 days which brought it down to 28. Hopefully I will be able to keep 34 the next time.

Hope this helps.

In reply to some of the opinions expressed on this thread..
My 6th fillup produced an mpg of 25.87...
My mileage at this fillup was 2387..
While all engines 'perform' better after 'breakin' it is barely improving with greater mileage. Lets face it, even after appropriate DD reasearch the HH is just a 'green SUV,'
admitedly well made and quick , but not a terribly 'fuel efficient' vehicle, witness CA not allowing either the HH nor the 400h in the 'fast' lane.
Perspective is also 'tempered' by what one drove prior to their purchase of a hybrid...
If you transitioned from a Tahoe (10-12 mpg) then your happy...if you transitioned from a prior more fuel efficient vehicle i.e. Tundra @ 16.8 mpg then one is somewhat disappointed...

Just filled up last night - 2900 total miles on the vehicle - calculated MPG came in at exactly 30 mpg ... that's what I expected when I purchased it so I'm happy.

You *do* need to look at the types of roads you typically drive *and* your driving style - both affect the mpg. I wasn't doing much of anything drastically different from my own "typical" style of driving, but then again I've almost always accelerated gently, anticipated traffic changes and slowed down before the guy in front of me woke up and hit the brakes, etc.

For those of us without the "fancy smancy screeen" to tell us the average mpg - it seems to me that each 1/4 tank shown on the fuel guage equates to roughly 4 gallons so if you're at 120 miles at 3/4 tank, 240 miles at 1/2 tank etc then you're approaching the 30mpg mark.

The Honda Accord Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, next year's Camry, etc., won't be allowed in the Carpool lane either.... CA's rule is 45mpg or above will be allowed. So any SUV would have a long way to go to reach 45mpg.

Having said that, it would be nothing more than a "green SUV" if it got 16.8 like the Tundra, and had to work super hard just to get 20mpg. But if my prior auto only got 16.8 mpg and I regularly got 26mpg with my new one, that's a significant savings! +9mpg?? That's a 55% increase in fuel efficiency. The only way you'd approach 30mpg in a Tundra would be if your commute was downhill both ways, yet the HH and RX400 can get 30+ routinely if you do a little adjusting of your driving style. I'm much more of a "green driver" than my fiancee is, yet she was disappointed that one tank on her HH only got 28mpg.

Like you said, keep it relative. Any SUV getting 28mpg is pretty amazing. It's still an SUV.... size, weight and drag will always be its downfall. Yet with new habits forming, she's starting to make the 30mpg tank a habit as well. I doubt that's possible in a Tundra, Tahoe, Explorer, Expedition, et al.

Shiloh,
I'd luv to get to the 30 mpg mark but here in the flatlands it seems more 'distant'
perhaps in the foothills of CO you've got the opportunity we 'flatlanders' dont have...
looooooooooooog downhills.
I am averaging 'bout what is posted here 26 mpg not great (I had hoped for the 30 mpg and 500 miles tank distance) but alas! we take what we can get...

Ender21,

While I do not dispute much of what you have posted, it boils down to a matter of perspective....In comparing my Tundra, Big, Lumbering, Heavy Handling there is no argument the Lighter more Agile and Spritly HH has the advantage. However, here is where the 'perspective' kicks in...I routinely received 400 miles per tankful with my Tundra...I receive 400 miles per tankful with the HH...I had hoped, thru all the 'hype' I might add that at the very least I would be making LESS STOPS

Sorry, got cutoff...
If the 19+ gal tank of the standard Highlander would have been utilized, perhaps I'd be a 'happier camper.'
Please dont misunderstand, the HH is my fourth Toyota product, and I have great respect for the company, BUT they could have thought out the purchasers mentality a little bit better, witness the cigarette ashtray which could have been a coin dispensor (like the one in my Tundra) The lack of the vaunted 'tire pressure sensor,' which in this vehicle is 'crucial' to achieving higher mpg. Green? well maybe, but the 'cat's meow it's not...just my 2 cents worth..or I should say MSRP worth.....