I use S a lot in the mountains too--on the downhills at least. Once the pack is full, I use L if engine braking is still required. On the climbs, I let D do what it wants to, which is usually to dump the whole SOC on the first rise, and then guardely assist from there on out.

I'm still of the mindset that moderate hills (say 8% or less) followed by moderate downhills are better for economy than flat roads. When you get into hills that are steeper than that, the ICE has to tap into the power band too far to ever catch up on the DH.

 

My hilly-terrain economy often improves (sometimes greatly) when I disallow excess battery regeneration on downhill runs, thereby extending my coasting range well into the next uphill. Simply prevent drag caused during 'regen' by applying slight throttle on downhills (watch your gauge) and into the ensuing uphills. I use this technique whenever I have 6+ bars of battery power in reserve.

Lifetime average on my HCH: 47.2 mpg, 50% city driving, a zillion hills, and lots of AC. Why exaggerate, when the truth is so good??? I remember when I had my Insight I and got sub-par fuel economy (low 50s when most could get 65-70+ rather effortlessly). Looking back, I now understand that the reason for my poor fuel economy was my lack of understanding (despite plenty of reading) of fundamental Honda hybrid driving techniques. It's easier to blame the car, but less gratifying.

 

I, too, travel in the Appalachians, and agree the hills make a big impact. However, the "lead foot" impacts more. There are areas around here that make it hard to get mpgs in the 50s, but you should be able to average in at least the low 40s if you drive conservatively and use coasting to help bump your mileage. Taking advantage of the downhills will really help mitigate the damage done on the uphills.

 

I don't know what I am doing wrong. I've got a 08 HCH and the best that I've gotten is an avg of 34 MPG, mind you I hardly do any freeway driving, but wish I could better. Any thoughts from the enthusiasts out there on how to get better gas mileage?

 

My experience has been that an HCH cannot get the mileage stated when driving exclusively in a city setting, especially when running errands, i.e. the car being shut off and started a number of times per trip.

I have to drive at highway speeds every few days or so or else my battery will slowly discharge with city driving to the point it becomes a continuous charge-discharge useless cycle.

Maybe the HCH class action settlement has some grounds, based upon what I've seen, anyone who drives exclusively in the city will probably never reach 40 mpg unless they use some serious tricks.

 

I love the HCHII, but what I think is missing is a separate electric drivetrain. I think it would help greatly in those errand running days. I can't imagine what it must be like to drive up to 30 or 40mph on electric alone. Honda needs to re-think it's mild hybrids because Toyota and Ford are going to start causing people to forget that Honda even has hybrids. With a full hybrid system mated with Honda's extremely efficient engines, they could really blow everyone else away.
Just my opinion.

Jess

 

I can easily stay above 40 MPG in the city. I try to avoid using assist, I avoid regen when my SOC is foreseeably good so that I can extend coasting, and I take advantage of the 'sweet spot' of 40+ MPH as often as possible. Keep AC on 'Auto,' when in use, and drive as strategically as possible. Plan errands and trips to avoid short runs, when possible. And check your tire pressures!

 

Same with my car EPA 25/28/32 but if your doing mostly errands its closer to 19. Luckily I drive a lot so the average is over 30, actually 31.24 last fillup.