jim256

Are you switching off the compressor (AC Off) when you can? Auto will still function, but with only ambient air for cooling. On the other point, ECON does slow throttle tip-in, but full throttle will still be full throttle if you need it. It may take a change in driving style to lean on it when you need it.

MissyBissy

Have been turning off the ac and driving in eco mode. I'm now hovering at 39.1-39.6 depending on hills.

Arty101

I'm lucky to get 37.0 mpg (calculated) even with the warm/dry spell in the west coast.

MissyBissy

I'm going to do the math after the next fill up - at this rate it will be another week or so. I switched driving habits mid tank and went from 30.75 mpg to 34.9 mpg calculated. The tank I'm on will be the one that lets me know how I'm really doing. I've noticed my short morning trips to the gym really seem to kill my mileage - not sure why.

ElliotB

MissBissy, until the engine warms up, FE is weak. This is normal.

lesz

Aside from idling, short trips may well be the biggest possible mpg killer because, until the engine reaches normal operating temperatures, the amount of fuel consumed is dramatically greater than it is once the engine is at normal operating temperatures. If you set the information display to show current mpg, watch and see how much lower it is for the first few miles after each (cold) restart.

CurryPot

Coldish here too. You can see how my MPG drops in winter at http://www.fuelly.com/driver/currypotter/es300h

I now have 19 months of tracking. Compared to the IS250 AWD I had before, my gas bill for the year is about $800 cheaper with an average 15k ish miles per year. I drove that car carefully too.

My last tank sucked because I had other things on my mind. Back into saving mode. If I hit red lights in the first mile of leaving home, I turn off the aircon when at a stand still. That kills the engine. Quite shocking how much that helps the MPG.

Also, I have decided to stay warm this winter in my $50k car, so the MPG can drop a little bit. It will be back in the spring.

MissyBissy

Can I use this as my excuse to not go to the gym????

lesz

Or you could find a gym that is much further away so that you don't have to make any short trips.

Arty101

You can run to the gym and totally save on the gas .

MissyBissy

I only run if something is chasing me. Like a giant flying snake. Or a bear. Or a minotaur. Or if there's donuts at the finish line.

jollick

I also use fuelly.com, my last tank I got 32.5 mpg, still not bad for a car this size. I tried your suggestion on my way home last night and this morning. I turned the heat off while sitting at a light and the ICE stopped running. I will give that technique a try on this tank and see how well it helps my mpg. thanks for the suggestion.

jakepdx

I'm about 1k miles in on my 2014 300h and average between 29-32mpg. I'm in the northwest where it's been colder than usual and I do a lot of short trips, so I'm hoping it will improve as we get warmer weather and I'm also going to take a few longer trips and will monitor how it (hopefully) improves.

For a while I was thinking there was something wrong with my car, but the dealer let me take another 300h for a test drive and it got slightly worse mileage during a 10 minute test drive: about 28mpg.

jollick

Here is a link to a very good video on Hyper-miling. It is Prius based but the techniques can be used on any car.


Wayne Gerdes "The Prius King" presents his workshop live @ Toyota of Yakima! Lucky Prius owners and hybrid enthusiasts learned first hand how Wayne gets 86mpg by 'hyper-miling'! Wayne expertly makes suggestions and explains the best way to drive your hybrid car to maximize for he best gas mileage possible. This is a must see seminar for anyone interested in improving fuel economy.

Get comfortable and enjoy over 1 hour of the most useful information on this subject by a true expert.

"PRIUS KING" Wayne Gerdes has been featured on CNN, MSNBC and is in the Guiness Book of World Records!

ElliotB

Interesting video, thanks for the link.