First would like to say hello to everyone on the forums. Just purchased a hybrid and cannot wait to share and get information with everyone on the forums.

I am getting 27mpg in the city!!! I should be reaching close to 40 easily! I am driving like a grandma!

I purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid last week. MPG are listed as 40city / 38 hwy.
It was never owned, it was a fleet vehicle. 31,000 miles.

It was just serviced, oil change, oil filter, tire rotation, the works.
I have not gone through a whole tank of gas yet, still on over half a tank from Carmax. It is regular unleaded fuel.

I have been driving in the city around Boca Raton, FL and I am currently getting 27mpg in the city!

This is with A/C off and if it is on it's in ECO friendly mode and on low. I am accelerating from stops and lights very lightly and moderately. I do not drive over 40-45mph in the city. I am very disappointed with the mpg in the city considering I should be getting close to 40. Mostly flat road with low wind speeds. Temps in the 80's-90's+ F.

On the highway, I am going 60mph with cruise control I was averaging 36-38mpg which is about where I should be, however, my primary concern is the city mpg. I start and stop a lot because of traffic and the distance between lights is short.

Also sometimes I will try to put the A/C into ECO mode when I press the button, the green light wont light up and it won't show it on the A/C screen.

Anyone having the same problem? And ideas? please help.

 

That sucks too. At 60 MPH on a flat road I get 42MPG. 45-60MPH should get you the best mileage overall. The ICE is running at ideal speed, the car is not stopping/starting and you should get the best MPG. your highway mileage is what I get in slow speed traffic with no A/C.

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

 

It's the basic laws of physics, starting up from a dead stop causes an inefficient fuel usage. Stop and go red lights will kill your mileage. Cruise on open roads around 40-50 and you'll do better. Read my signature to find other mileage tips and discussions.

 

"I am driving like a grandma!" This is not your grandma's car, so don't drive like one! You need to learn how to drive your car to maximize it FE. You have to 'coax' high MPGs from your car through specific driving techniques.

"I should be reaching close to 40 easily!" Not necessarily. The vehicle's EPA estimate is lower than 40. Most drivers get less than 40. It all depends on how your drive your car. My wife typically averages about 29-31 mpg (a/c on all the time and drives the car like you would drive any car - I typically exceed 40 mpg. I rarely use the a/c and use techniques that work well with the TCH.

By the way, I live in the same general area as you and we are lucky to have warm weather, long, flat roads and ideal speed limits for excellent FE. But again, its all how you drive.

A few tips to get you started... coasting as much as possible prior to stopping and keeping your speed under 41-42mph (to maximize EV mode usage) will give you an immediate FE boost. When in EV mode, you need to feather the throttle as much as possible. While many suggest 'grandma' starts are the best way to accelerate from a start, I find I do better with more forceful acceleration once the ICE kicks in. You will have to figure out what works best for you. Good luck!

 

Weight matters, the more the car has to carry, the lower the mileage.
AC on or off is a bit of a fallacy, the drag you get at highway speed with windows open negates any savings by leaving it off. The AC in this car runs off the battery, it is not tied into the power output of the engine (I'm not an engineer, so I might not be describing it accurately), so if you are driving at a high enough soeed, such as highway and frequently coasting to regenerate, the battery will keep recharging to replace any power consumption from the AC, so the engine need never turn on solely to recharge. Dont fear the AC.
The level of ethanol or other additives (MBTE) in gas can reduce your mileage. So will traffic and red lights. The car is very inefficient for short trips (mainly in colder climates) as each trip with a cold engine requires a period of engine warming.
The best way to use less gas is to combine or avoid unneccesary trips, car pool or take public transportation.

 

Correction to my post:

I stated that the EPA numbers were lower than what you listed. I stand corrected. In 2007, the TCH was rated at 40 mpg/city and 38 mpg/highway by the EPA for the 2007 model. In 2008, the way these figures were re-calculated and changed to give a more realistic number typical drivers could expect to receive. These links has more info:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/22825.shtml

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ratings2008.shtml


FWIW, the 2010 Camry Hybrid EPA figures are 33 city and 34 highway.


Haroldo's comments about a/c are right on the money for highway driving [at higher speeds]. In the 50-55mph range, I find I get better FE with the a/c off. For city driving, the a/c noticeably reduces FE on very hot days.

 

Are you taking short trips? A hybrid has to warm up (even in hot weather) before it will achieve maximum MPG. My Prius averages ~50 MPG at city speeds in warm weather but only 25-30 for the first 5 minutes.

JeffD

 

I live in South Florida, also. The short trips are what kills my FE. I occasionally get to take a longer trip, but the great majority if trips are short. The first 6 or 7 minutes of each trip are "warm up". During those minutes the ICE runs constantly, and the mileage is "shitty" (that's a technical term, you understand ;-). After warm-up, it works pretty well. The problem is that, in town, the trips are rarely long enough to make up for the warm up.

If you want great gas mileage, move to a place like Texas. Flat land, warm weather, and many miles between neighbors.

 

At 31,000 miles, if it is less than 36 months old, I would get to the dealer to get it checked out. You may have an older computer program, or one that for some reason is flawed, and the car's computer needs to be flashed.

Even if the car is out of the 3/36 warranty, I would still have the dealer look at it; any costs could be covered under the hybrid or emissions warranty.

The dealer will basically download an updated version of the software intended for your car, and load it into the computer's memory. Good luck.

 

Wow! Thanks for all the replies and information, I really appreciate everyone's input.

Things to consider:

I am making short trips 4-7minutes in city so that could be a great deal of why im not getting the best in city.

Over the past few days I have "understood" the vehicle a lot more and am now typically recieving 27-30mpg in city.

I have stopped accelerating slow, and have found that accelerating up past my speed and letting it coast gives me greater mpg.

I have a couple questions I was searching on the forums and counldt find them so I appologize if they were already explained hundreds of times.

What is ICE? and Could you explain "feathering the pedal"?

I assume feathering is getting to your speed and just lightly pressing or tapping the pedal to use the battery to power the car.

Thanks for the tips about taking it to the dealer Joe, had no idea that is free of charge.

And have you all ever tried premium gas? did you get better MPG? I am using regular.

THANKS AGAIN, great information from all of you.

-Ted

On the Highway I am doing great.. 38mpg.



Over the past few dayWhat type of gas are you all using