Motor Trend this month had a small blurp about a long term TCH they have for evaluation. I sort of hate this because having a dozen people take turns driving a hybrid will not give it a good test as there is a learning curve. At 4000+ miles they are averaging 32mpg. Of course in that they are testing the acceleration to 60 and other performance factors that we all want to know but if everyone that gets in this test car has to see "what it will do" then the FE results won't reflect on what a new owner should expect.

Hopefully on future reports they will discuss trip FE and give an indication of what the car can do.

 

I disagree since most people (and their families) will be driving their Hybrids somewhat normally and not like the FE watcher on this site who are trying to match or better each others MPG numbers.

 

I disagree since most people (and their families) will be driving their Hybrids somewhat normally

You may be right, but if 31mpg was all I got there is a lot of other cars I'd rather be driving.

 

I think even 31-32 from a car the size and capability of the Camry is rather good. I am doing better, but my main goal was to get 32 or better. The only other class car that will get 32 around town is going to be a Yaris, Civic or something else in a smaller less capable class. Some may argue with me on that, but at the end of the day to geta full size family sedan with decent power and acceleration and still get 32MPG or better.

 

I think even 31-32 from a car the size and capability of the Camry is rather good

I agree there too. It's just not good enough to get me away from luxury or sports cars. I consider the TCH at 39 mpg to be an exceptional value for me. At 31 mpg I'd just rather be in a BMW 330, G35, IS350, ES350, or better yet my old FX45.

It took a lot to get me away from those options and the TCH delivered.

 

If you want an eye opener go to the Toyotanation site an look at the gen5/gen6 Camry forum and the crappy mileage folks with 07's and I4 motors are getting (16MPG - 26MPG).

The 07 V6 guys/gals over there are getting better mileage (18MPG - 28MPG) then the I4 folks.

I think the Camry Hybrids in general are doing outstanding!

 

While 31mpg city is pretty good for a car the size of the TCH, that was only part of the reason I bought mine. I was pretty set on getting a Prius for the gas mileage until I drove one. I was not impressed with the ride or the visibility. I thought the Prius was too sensitive to cross winds, and was not happy about the blind spots. The TCH has a more refined ride, better visibility, and to me more comfort. I was hoping to get 38mpg commuting to work. I am estatic that I'm averaging 44mpg! If it wasn't for all the short trips on the weekend, the mileage would be even better.

I hope to have my TCH over 10 years and 100K miles. I still have my old '86 F150 after 20 years and 250,000 miles. I have high hopes the TCH will go as far!

 

Hey WVGasGuy (Joe), I couldn't agree with you more precisely about how you needed the exceptional MPG's to get you off of the luxury/power/handling of other cars. 31 just wasn't going to make the case for me either but 39-40 does the trick and Toyota does a good job with the gauges and the feed back of getting you into the mind set to appreciate high gas mileage.

There is definitely a learning curve to getting the most for your money out of the TCH and letting a dozen people drive it over a period of time is not going to make a case for the car.

 

31 mpg may be good for a vehicle this size but I would not have bought it, if that's what I expected to get. When I did my cost justification, I came up with a need to get at least 35 mpg. After driving it and reading all the posts here my expectations are quite a bit higher. Now I target 44-45 on the highway and 36 in town.

If 31-32 were what it got, I would have bought a Highlander Hybrid which should be worth 28-30 mpg if not driven aggressively.

 

For those of you who havent seen this review its really very favorable. After 4,000 miles Motor Trend loves the TCH, praising its handling, comfort and, yes, its mileage. The editors even said that they expect the mileage to improve as the car is broken in. They also chastised other carmakers for their unwillingness (or inability) to deliver similar value.