I think it really depends on the terrain, traffic and the driver more than the car. A good way to test the car is to trade with someone who has the same so you can see if it's the car or the situation that makes the difference. If you have hills don't expect good mileage from any vehicle. Cars with bigger engines will have an 'easier' time going up the hill, but will be using more gas anyways, even on the highway, so the peaks and troughs will be less noticeable but your overall mileage will be worse. This is the reason mileage can vary so much in a Prius, because it has enough power to get really low MPGs and enough economy to get really high MPGs, but it all depends on the environment, and certain other factors like tire pressure and the condition of the car in general, but as long as the car is in good working order and maintained then it should be able to attain high or low MPGs depending on what you and the environment demand from it.

 

There is no way that someone who "babys" their Prius should be getting 35 mpg. It is true that the mileage varies but quite a bit depending on the driver an local conditions but a Prius that is only getting 35 mpg is being driven hard.

 

A majority of < 5 mile trips could be considered driving hard, but sometimes just unavoidable. My mileage drops considerably when running my Saturday errands here in DC. Lots of hills, lots of stop 'n go traffic, max A/C with 95-100+F heat.

Seems to average around 30-34 MPG.

When I drive out to our corporate office - about 41 miles, my average shoots up past 50 MPG driving well above the speed limit. I'd probably consider myself to be a hard driver and still average over 44 MPG.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

I think the reason you hear that so much is because people's driving environment is so different. Just like on this thread there are those with less than 5 minute trips with frequent hills while others have long commutes with flat terrain. Plus, people's driving style before (and after) getting the car can be very different as well. One person's babying it, could be another person's blasting around.

 

I'm sympathetic. We started out with what I, too, would characterize as disappointing mpg: only in the 30s for city driving -- somewhat higher on the highway. Our strictly city stop-and-go driving around here, plus cold winters (Evanston, IL), may be important factors. In recent months, as the car engine nears its first birthday and we're starting to develop a driving style, mpg has gone up significantly, and we're now in the low 40s in the city -- still not great, but definitely moving in the right direction. On two recent highway trips we've gotten well into the 50s -- slightly above the EPA estimate. Consider switching to synthetic oil at your next oil change ... it's not cheap, but it may help.

Cheers ...
Jon Z. in the Midwest