We are getting the same mileage that Don is getting here in Inland San Diego County. I am not surprised for the following reasons:
1. My wife is driving the car and she could care less about maximizing EV mode. She does 70 on the 15 miles of freeway each way and she likes her A/C. She says that the battery has never been fully charged.
2. Her 22 mile commute includes a lot of ups and downs as San Diego is very hilly. I don't think the coasting down hill makes up for the energy used to get up the hill, especially above 50 miles per hour.
3. We are just on our third tank of gas, about 1200 miles so far.

I can't imagine doing much better with a Camry as they share the same drive train. I know we did a lot better in terms of style than the Camry.

Hang in there Don.

Tom
San Diego, California
2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid
Radiant Silver - Black Leather
Technology Package
Purchased 5/26/2007

My feelings have dramatically changed. The milage is terrible now down to 27.8mpg AC on 84 blows on me directly to be able to take the heat. It is hot out 110F. THe car is just too big and too heavy and has too small a Battery and too large an engine with too poor battery management, never goes to full charge. Can't wait for the new Pirus to come out so I can dump it.

Wow... I'm floored that you are having such problems with your MPG. It's hot here (Orange County, CA) and I'm using the AC most days... though we are able to usually keep it running on low and at 70 degrees...and our MPG is still holding in the 36 range.

This is a dumb question to ask, but how are you even guaging that you are only getting 27.8mpg in as little time as you've owned/driven the car. It took us a few thousand miles and a couple months to get a clear picture of our MPG.

I mean, I just checked the MPG website... and you've entered in 27.8mjpg... and you've only driven the car 285 miles? That's almost a little nutty and comical.

That's what the display reads.

Count me as one who feels like he lucked out. I'm really liking my NAH, tho it's only the third day with it...

Sorry it's not everyone's perspective. Good luck Don.

-Gren

Gripper Don,

Did I read that right - you have 200 miles on the car? If so I'm pretty sure I know what your "problem" is.

When Toyota designed the HSD system, low emissions (hydrocarbons and CO, NOT CO2) was the first rule programmed. Good fuel economy is a second and lower priority.

In order to achieve the low emissions, the Toyota system burns a lot of "unnecessary" fuel to get the catalytic converter up to temperature. This can take 5-10 minutes depending on the ambient temperature. After the converter is hot the car then goes into it's "economy" mode.

This means that short trips are a KILLER to your fuel economy.

My Camry has the nav system so I have the MPG graph that shows my MPG average for the last minute for the last 30 minutes since I started the car.

When the car is cold I get sucko mileage for the first few minutes. After that it steadily climbs. On long trips I can easily average 40+ MPG. On short weekend errand trips I might get only 30 MPG.

I'll check my nav mileage against my Mileage as reported on the Dash by the car. I did get a laugh from some post telling me about my car cooling down between my short stops. It's 115F here and at least 150F under the hood so things don't cool off much in a 5 minute stop. As a matter of fact I NEVER see the Blue light except to start in the morning. I know that's not cat temp but you get the idea. Hel* the asphalt is melting on the roads. You dont want to touch a door handle that is in the sun. Ouch! Milage up to closing in on 300 now. I am still living with AC on low By the way the Nissan has an instantanious MPG reading as well as the tank average.

Thanks for the comments.

We are having an ongoing heat spell here in Orange county, CA... and our MPG is still holding in the steady range of 36 mpg with our using the AC on low most trips. We aren't getting near 115 degree heat (I'd MOVE from anywhere that got that hot!) but we are getting about as warm as you'd ever expect for my area.

It NEVER gets very cold in Southern California. What is the cold weather range that can start to affect MPG?

Hi Marianne

I checked you tour temp on the Internet at several places around Orange. We don't even think it's ware around here until 97F and Hot takes 105F so you folks have a way to go.

PS I wish 3/4 of the area would move for any reason, Chandler has been the fastesd growing city in the USA for 27 month in a row. we are the 5th larges city and I liked it better 30 years ago. But I lived In Marina Del rey, Laguna, Hunington Beach, Los Gatos and Near San Diego. as well as Michigan, all over Florida, Va and Texas and I be honest this is the best. My wife still things Los Gatos is the best.

Anyway we have 8 great months and 300 day of sunshineshine a year and I think I am solar powered I absolutely love it here I am only 80 minutes from Lake Roosevelt 26 miles long and a couple of hundred feet deep, so I have got it all.

THe mileage still stinks but we are still hoping!, Maybe the much delayed Pirus will have Diesel and Li-Po batteries and 85 miles per gal.

My husband was in Arizona a couple months ago... but he FROZE while he was there. He was on the Navajo reservation in Pinon. He even managed to bring home a wild puppy he found.

Fortunately, he wasn't anywhere that saw 115 degree days. I would never live in a place that got that hot. Life is too short.