Just traded in my 98 Passat for 2007 Galaxy Grey HCHII and have driven about 80 miles at 48.6 mpg (although I work at keeping the speed below 65). The ride is great and the car is extremely comfy.

Wanted to let you know this site has been very helpful both pre and post-purchase. Hopefully I can contribute something meaningful to someone such as many of you did indirectly through all the posts and info!

Rgds,
Kip

Sweet, another Galaxy Greyer. I don't like the color that much, but I did tell the dealer any color was fine. And it is "fine", but in retrospect, maybe I should've demanded a Magnetic Pearl.

Congrats slacker6 and Welcome!

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And Soybean, give the color a chance. I didn't like it at first either -- great it's dirt colored, I thought. Now, I find it relaxing and dynamic.

It truly changes colors depending on the light levels outside. It can be all shades grey, silver, and clay. It seems different every time I look at it. I should really do a photo-study on it.

Ian

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html
Retired
http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

Agree, it wasn't my first choice (magnetic pearl as well) but it was the last non-nav car on the lot. I was out the door for $20,800 including tax, tag, title, mudguards, etc so I can work with the color in that respect

I don't think it will show much dirt so that is definitely a plus! I was very apprehensive initially but when I picked it up, I thought "hey, it actually looks pretty good".

Now if I can just find some very lightweight wheels that look better than the OEM's.......

Yeah, I have indeed heard that it hides dirt well, so I'll probably appreciate it later, after the "it's a new car so I clean it all the time" phase is over.

But it's a tiny, tiny complaint. I love the car. LOVE it.

I accomplished this this morning on my 20 mile commute:

Good grief, I have work to do! I think the mountains here in Asheville, NC are not going to help but I hope to get around 50 on consistent basis!

I thought that mountains would be really hard on mileage, but they aren't that bad. The biggest thing is your speed. If you're fighting wind resistance and altitude gain at the same time, it's a double wammy. Keep the climbs slow and glide as much as possible on the downhills.

I'm still trying to work out if it's better (given a choice) to take a shorter, steeper climb or a longer, more gradual climb. However, the longest, most gradual downhill that you can glide is best for sure--unless you're in a hurry.

BTW, welcome to the site!

Today was a unique situation, though. As soon as I pulled out of my development, there was a cement truck in front of me. Awesome, I thought. An excuse to drive 35 miles per hour to work. NJ drivers are very aggressive and the roads are congested, so even in the right lane I try to keep up just to keep traffic moving. This only yields 55 mpg. But with that truck taking the blame for slowness, I had to take the opportunity to try being a slowpoke, and it worked wonders!

I'm sure you can get 50 mpg without too much trouble.

Congrats on your new HCH!!!

Thanks, I had to go the HCH route because there are four Prius owners at my office. I am definitely an individualist in that sense

This site is loaded with great information!