When I went up north (200+ miles each way) I was crusing at higher speeds and the average trip mpg was just under 41mpg. (50 degree weather over mostly flat terrain.

Let's just say that the speed limit was 65 miles per hour and I made good time.

At 1900 RPM, my '95 V6 Camry is doing 55MPH. At 75 miles per hour, the RPM is over 2500. I will take a "test" ride in a '97 V6 and check the tachometer, but I would be amazed if the gearing is that much different between the model years. The cars have to weigh nearly the same. The '07 has a 3.5L vs. my 3.0L. But I will be amazed if the gearing is that much different. That alone would account for a big mileage difference.

I'm looking HARD at buying a Camry Hybrid and test drove one yesterday. Not long enough to make a good call on what I can expect from MPG performance. My situation is unique in that I drive each week a round trip of 400 miles on the highway (200 one way) and it takes me 3 hours now, driving at 80 miles per hour. Yes, I have a great radar dectector. So my question is this, to you current owners, what has been your experience in driving a long distance at a constant 80 MPH? What can I really expect to get in MPG?
Thank you,
James Twoquack

I rarely drive under 80MPH on the freeway unless some "traffic regulator" slows me down and I often get 33-34.9MPG.

twoquack,

What do you drive now, and what mileage does it get?

I have a coworker with an '07 SE V-6 who drives from Austin Texas to Columbus Texas daily and he "claims" he gets about 32 MPG. He is not a slow driver and I am sure he is driving between 75 and 85 most of the time.

I, on the other hand, drive from Houston Texas to Columbus Texas and try to stay between 65 and 70 miles per hour most of the way. I get around 35 to 40 MPG depending on the wind.

I just drove from Houston to Dallas and averaged 43 MPG going to Dallas with a tail wind and 38 MPG going from Dallas to Houston with a head wind. Both trips were driving about 65-70 miles per hour. I did get 46 MPG for about 75 miles on the trip to Dallas after refueling 75 miles out from Dallas.

I am sure the V-6 gets great mileage on the highway, and would be an excelent choice for a "fast" driver. Remember the '07 V-6 cars have a new transmission that is supposed to be very smart and adapts to your driving style.

The 07 also has a 6-speed Automatic. This makes a huge difference as evident by the engine's significantly lower rpm at highway speeds compared to yours.

On our first long trip (500 miles each way) in our '07 Camry Hybrid, we got 37.6 mpg stopping once after four hours on the road, with another four hours after the stop. There was no traffic. The drive involved ascending from sea level to 7,000 ft., and then down to 4,500 ft above sea level. We were driving in the desert up and down hills was at 75 miles per hour, and the temperature was HOT (above 90 F). On our way back, I thought we would get much better mpg because we would descend 7,000 ft. WRONG. There was no traffic and we drove (again) for four hours at a stretch before stopping for food. Again, it was hot. Even when driving down hills the gas engine was running. After we entered the Los Angeles area again and were driving at 65 miles per hour with much cooler outside temperatures, we still were using the gas engine on downhill stretches of the road. Usually, the needle enters the 60 mpg area when driving down hills, but not this time. The engine never was above the midpoint on the "Engine Temperature" guage. Was this poor performance because we had driven so long without stepping on the brake? Was it because the outside temperature had been so hot during most of our drive? Was it because most of our drive was at speeds exceeding 75 miles per hour? Overall, we still got 37.6 mpg on the entire trip, but I expected more. Does anyone have an answer?

I also find that driving slow doesn't necessarily give you good mileage. I think accelerating fast then maintaining speed conservatively gives me the best mileage. I know there's those pulse-glide techniques that can probably do better but I find this maximizes my miles per hour/mental effort ratio.

When I drive at a constant 75-80 miles per hour, I get 38ish MPG, maybe better if the terrain is flat.

Steve Villatoro
www.stevenvillatoro.com
“An enlightened guide to small business mastery.”