My TCH was a year old this week. It took me some time to learn to get the best out of the EV Mode. The day before I filled the tank I was up to 56.0 mpg on the mfd and down to 1/4 tank. It's tiring but a challenge for me that I enjoy.

The calculated mpg ended up being 54.6. I used the AC little as possible. I'm now working on a 57 mpg at slightly less than half tank. It's been cool in New Mexico this month so I have left the AC off. I thought I would take a picture of that tank to help me better remember my numbers.

I can achieve this kind of mpg due to the usual dry climate in the high desert. It's about 4300 feet elevation where I live. The highways around here are 4-lane and have little traffic.

My mpg is combined, 16 miles round trip to town plus another 11 in the city. We make this trip almost daily.

I use Chevron, a top tier gas and I keep 40 psi (cool) in the Energy S8 tires. My speeds are: highway about 45 to 50 in the right lane. In town 37 to 40 miles per hour seems to work. I use the cruise control most all time, even driving slow. I'm also easy on the brakes.

I drive 65 on any long trips.

The wife won't let me go below 1/4 tank. I don't like arguments so I go with the flow.

Nice...but 45-50 miles per hour on the highway??
Is that because of heavy traffic or ...?

Other great tools:

• Toyota Online's iGuide
• 2007 Online Owner's Manual
• 2008 Owner's Manual PDF (download link)

Nice job rburt --- looks like you'd have an easy 800 mi tank if you weren't "forced" to fill it up :-) - Seems like a waste to fill it when you easily can go another 200... keep up the good work.

Very cool. In So Cal, you need to keep up with the traffic. My father got a ticket for 45 on the freeway. He was 20 below the limit and was a hazard to the other drivers.

David Joyce
Intrus Technologies
My TCH Lighting Upgrade
My 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid

When we first moved out here in 1999, it was like going back in time. We drove to town after we got moved in to look around. We drove down White Sands Boulevard and it was us and one other car about a mile away. That was it on the main drag in town.

The town has grown a lot now that they put in the 4-lane highway 54 from Alamogordo to El Paso. Alamogordo is about nearing 39,000 population. Most of the traffic is in the evenings between 4 and 6 o'clock. It's workers coming home from the Holloman AFB located ten miles southeast of Alamo.

Up in the day we do have more traffic but its sure a lonely highway at 9 at night compared maybe to a state like Texas. The traffic does increase headed north on Friday nights. Thats a stream of traffic headed from El Paso to Ruidoso to gamble and they also have horse races. I'm not into that, I use my money to buy gas for the car.

When needed in any heavy traffic, I try to drive with the flow. Then fuss about the others causing me to loose the gas mileage I worked so hard for. Oh well, can't win em all, when we drive to the big cities like El Paso and Las Cruces.

Thanks guys for the pat on the back. I'm sure glad I married a passive type wife that also drives 45 and 50 in her Ranger pickup. In fact thats what started me driving my two earlier cars slow to pick up some extra mpg. Do remember watch you rear view mirror. I have my right mirror turned to where my wife and I can both see out back of the car for any fast traffic behind us.

My wife has dumped me off at the movies while she goes shopping. She has watched me drive the TCH now for a year. I simply tell her easy takeoffs and don't go over 40. She would be shopping in town where the max speed is 45. She has brought the car back with added mpg on the mfd. I'm sure glad she ain't no leadfoot driver.

I managed my best tank yet this past month.. just over 700 miles but only took 15.2 gallons to fill. MFD was at 48.4 (down from mid-49 range before I had to hit the laundromat after the first couple of weeks for 6 short trips.. sigh.. plus a bit more cool weather and a bit of rain, etc). Calculated out to about 46.5 mpg. This is with my normal ~16-17 mile commute twice a day, trip to/from the gym Sunday, trip home from the gym Tuesday, little getting stuck in traffic (but occasionally fighting baseball traffic in town). I should really check and probably inflate my tires some. It's been a bit since my 20k maintenance and they probably set it to the lower official recommendation....

But here in Boston I don't expect I'll ever be able to do something like 55 mpg for a tank doing real traffic! I did around that for an 80 mile return trip from Maine last year but it'll never be the kind of place for consistently getting that kind of mileage!

chestr, looks like you need to make your new goal 50 mpg on the display. At least it's something to shoot for.

If you have michelin tires, 40 psi after they have cooled down, should be ok. You may use 35 to 38 if you live in a rainy area. Rain and cool weather (low to mid 70's) can pull your mpg down some.

Being retired I can wait till it starts cooling outside in the evenings before going to town. It's like waiting for the best possible driving conditions to drive the TCH.

I think your getting excellent gas mileage for living in a heavily populated city like Boston. That reminds me of when I worked in downtown Dallas. It was a 30 minute drive from the suburbs to my job. I used the freeways best I could to save fuel. I'm now retired but have heard the Dallas freeways are packed in the evenings. Any fender bender and the traffic is stop & go up for many miles. I'm glad I moved away from that area 10 years ago. The car I drove back then was a '94 Corolla and was getting 38 combined.

While I know I'll never reach your level, I just completed my best ever tank. 736 mile and 48.0 mpg. The MFD showed 48.6 mpg. I might have been able to squeeze a little bit better mileage but had a trip where my passengers asked me to turn on the A/C. Most of the time I drive alone so it's hardly ever on.

Congrats on the 48 mph you got. I used to have a couple of my doctors in a city thats 75 miles from our home. I found that highway driving at 65 mph can sure pull down you gas mileage, especially with the AC. Sometimes it's so hot you have no choice.