Prius Milage Question.?

rainnskittles

We have a 2007 and we avarage 47 mpg in winter and 54 mpg in summer on a per tank basis. The difference is that the heater runs of the gas engine. My question is: why are the newer ones advertised at only 48 MPG. Have they modified the newer ones?

Joeschmoe

After 2006, the EPA started using new testing methods to reflect more realistic driving conditions. That's why the old EPA rating for the Prius was 51mpg highway / 60mpg city, and the new EPA rating is 45 highway / 48 city. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calcu...umn=1&id=22016































The car's the same, it's just the EPA's MPG testing methodology has changed.































I also get about the same fuel consumption as you in my Prius. Hope you are enjoying your car as much as I enjoy mine. :-)

mrvadeboncoeur

They are the exact same car. The EPA fuel economy testing procedure changed for the 2008 model year. ALL cars are measured in a laboratory under a specified driving pattern by the EPA. The new 2008 testing procedures adds in extra testing for higher speeds/acceleration, colder temperatures, and AC use, which the older tests did not. ALL cars, not just the Prius, had their MPG go down in 2008.































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















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















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































US 2004-2007 EPA ratings were: 60MPG city, 51MPG highway, 55MPG combined.















Under the new EPA testing schedule, the 2008 (and the 2004-2007 have been revised to be): 48MPG city, 45MPG highway, 46MPG combined.































Toyota, like all other manufacturers, are REQUIRED by law to publish the EPA test numbers on the window stickers. So don't blame Toyota, blame the EPA for having such outdated and unrealistic tests. (The EPA just added some new tests for the 2008 model year to help with the MPG inflation that ALL cars, not just the Prius/hybrids, used to have. All cars' reported 2008 MPG have dropped, by about 15-20%.) The EPA tests are done the same to all cars, so that you can compare one car against another under the same driving cycle. Governmental test cycles are really only good for comparing one car against another (standardized tests), and not what you can expect in your real-world driving (as your idea of "city" driving may not be what the government test uses as "city" driving).































Your average fuel economy is same/better than what other owners report: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG....ta&model=Prius and http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/m...-priushsd.html