2600+ mile trip -- some reflections
We recently completed a 2600+ mile trip from WV to FL including Key West (photo posted). I doubt that mine was the first TCH there, but I posted the pic for fun.
Now with 12 tanks and over 7000 miles, I've posted my mileage - it's just over 40 MPG by the computer but my manual calculations are about 1 mpg lower. I'm averaging 600 miles per tank, but I run it low (only to zero once) and always fill it to the top of the filler neck so I know I'm filling it to the same place every time.
The ECO mode could not keep up at times with temps over 100 even with the thermostat set on 65 (when you click below 65 to the "lo" position, the ECO mode automatically turns off.) Without ECO, it was more than cool enough so I switched back to ECO as often as possible.
Speed kills ... gas mileage, that is. Going 80 miles per hour on I-95 is just keeping up with traffic and not getting in the way, but it hurt my mpg. However many of the mpg losses were recovered going to and from the Keys where the speed limit is 45-55 miles per hour and where EV mode was possible at Key West and exploring various Keys.
NASCAR is right..drafting helps mileage especially when traveling behind an 18-wheeler with a box trailer - and you don't need to be that close to gain some mpg benefit. (This is not a recommendation and comes with the usual caveats: it's not safe to tailgate and other threads indicate how expensive the windshields are to replace.)
Had my first 5000 mile service in Orlando at Central Florida Toyota. Everything was done quickly and professionally. They had 11 new TCHs on their lot - mostly titanium, white, and desert sand - no blue or green - and only 1 was fully loaded with NAV.
Speaking of NAV, it worked well with some quirks - even small roads on places such as No Name Key were shown, but it kept referring to the FL Turnpike as a state route number and never liked our alternate routes. The POI info was bad at home and was just as bad in FL including Orlando and Miami as well as smaller towns. It's frustrating to know a McD or BK is 1/2 mile up the road but having the POI indicate the closest one is 6.7 miles away.
Otherwise, the car ran flawlessly and got good mileage despite a (small) trunk and back seat full of luggage with two large passengers. I think the TCH is a "keeper"... at least until a Hybrid Avalon or a decent-sized and affordably-priced plug-in with lithium ion batteries comes along.
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