I'm starting to see a consensus that wives bring down mpg? (Sorry ladies).

I don't think it's wives, necessarily... just disinterested spouses! My wife thinks I'm nuts when I come home with a slightly damp shirt from not using A/C... but I'm having fun!

This past weekend, my wife used the car. The first thing my son said was "Dad, whatever you do, DON'T look at that mileage gauge!!!. It wasn't THAT bad. She dropped me from 51.4 to 50.0 (on a 550 mile tank). She did better on a later drive. There is hope!

My wive averages under 30mpg with our Prius. When I drive it, I usually average over 60. She tells me not to look at the computer screen, or resets the computer before I get in the car.

She laughs when I tell her she can't drive my HCH2.

Well, in our house, it is the guy that brings it down. I get around 50mpg per tank and when he drove the HCHI he got around 30 so I won't let him drive the HCHII.

Elliot and Jessica's spouses must work for Consumer Reports

Steve

STOP terrorism - Drive a HYBRID

Vehicles:
350 miles a week ------------ 2006 HCH II, Magnetic Pearl, w/NAVI (born on May 25, 2006)
350 miles a month ---------- 2003 Mazda Tribute ES-V6
350 miles a year (for now) - 1986 Mercedes 560SL

Around 30 in a HCH or Prius?!! That would be almost hard to do.

I allowed the most lead-footed, inefficient driver I know to try driving my vehicle on the up-hill leg of my trip home from a cold start, just to see how bad it would average. Result was about 35mpg. So yes, 30mpg is quite low, unless we're talking about stop-and-go traffic with AC running.

Unfortunately, here on Long Island, I am not much of a help...

Today, in both directions, the HOV lane stopped.

Pretty much the problem is if people are exiting the lane, and traffic is dead stopped (morning due to an accident, afternoon due to stupidity), the people have to stop in the HOV lane to try and exit.

We need to redo the lane or eliminate it all together...

It is easy for my wife to get low FE on a Prius.

First, her A/c is always on.

She works less than a mile from the house (although in 3 weeks, she is changing jobs and will have a 3 mile trip).

When driving down our street in the morning when the car is not warmed up, the FE is always about 24 or 25 (again, with the air on). Her 'return' trip is the same.

Interestingly enough, when I drive down the same road with my HCH2, I get 50mpg with the engine cold.

I find the HCH2 much, much easier to get high FE.

HCHI, in that car I got terrible city mpg but overall I got 48.8 so no complaints from me. His driving was stop and go with the A/C as we are in Phoenix, AZ.