Yaris Hybrid

[timberwolf]

The swing between summer and winter mpg is greater on a hybrid and it will come as a nasty shock to some new owners.

[Cyker]

It's a lot like diesel in that respect; Long journeys lower the effect, but doing short journeys in winter in a diesel can halve the mpg!

That said, I had a 400 mile round trip on my Yaris D4D this weekend and I look on par for a high 70's/low 80's mpg :D

(As an aside; A303 at 6-7am - A stunningly beautiful drive! Sun hidden by lots of fog which made the twisty bits interesting but when you climb above it it's like driving on clouds! M4/M5 on the way back, dull dull dull...!)

[timberwolf]

Ah. All my cars have had petrol engines, and many of them have been with an automatic gearbox and from what I can recall there didn't seem to be that much difference between summer and winter mpg, maybe 3 to 5 mpg.

[Ethanedwards]

Offset a little perhaps because when you buy fuel when it's super cold it's a gnats chuff more dense so you get more in your litre.

I hope! We all have our issues..my other car running LPG needs to be run longer (to properly warm up) before it switches over so that the hot water fed vaporiser can provide enough gas to the motor. Otherwise it stalls. Swings & Roundabouts.

[Parts-King]

With a Hybrid it's all about keeping the engine OFF so if you can do without the heater in the winter, til the car warms up, then all the better. If you are prepared to use EV when you can and be very gentle on the accelerator, it is possible to get fantastic MPG, if you drive it like any other "normal" car, then it goes without saying, you will not get the best from it

Kingo

[mcdrivingschool]

Parts-King which Lindop Brothers do you work at? I pick my Yaris Hybrid T4 up tomorrow from Lindop brothers Wrexham. MPG has got to be better than the Focus automatic I have now.

Summer V winter MPG never noticed a difference in the focus but the golf TDI is better in the summer until you put the Air Con on then its worse than winter MPG

Martin

[Parts-King]

I am in Queensferry

Good luck with your car. The Hybrid A/C is electronic so you wont have that problem on your car

Kingo

[Askho]

I have just taken delivery of a T3 Yaris hybrid. Mainly urban use, shortish journeys, but have taken it out on a couple of longer trips, 30+ miles. Driving it with a very light right foot to get max mpg, but at the moment very disappointed with result, only getting 57mpg. How do people get this often quoted 70+mpg. Is there a special technique to drivng hybrids. Can someone enlighten me.

[Cyker]

If the car is brand new it'll not be running at its maximum efficiency as the engine will not have worn in yet.

Also, as the temperature drops it'll get worse as hybrid engines are dependent on temperature almost as much as diesel engines. By next summer tho' the temps will be more suited to the engine and I suspect you'll have worn in the engine enough to be in with a shot of beating my Yaris D4D's mpg score :D :P

[Opifex]

Agree with Cyker's comments about the new car freeing up and summer/winter variation.

Don't want to disappoint even more you, but that consumption figure may be optimistic if it is taken from the car's display. I don't know if the same is true of the Yaris but there is a general agreement that the Prius display is 3 or 4% high.

There are some special techniques but these are more appropriate if you are trying to get 80mpg instead of 70. The most important thing is to drive smoothly with moderate acceleration and light braking so that the regeneration system is used instead of wasting energy in the friction brakes.

The ideal conditions for good mpg are to be traveling for a good time at a steady 50mph on a level road in warm weather. I've only found these conditions once with the Prius but my 50 mile trip was rewarded with 80 mpg. My normal journey is either high speed French motorway or short local trips - neither of which will give good mpg. My average measured over the last 18,000 miles is 55.2mpg but this includes a wide variation with one fill-up at 70mpg and one as low as 45mpg.

[timberwolf]

Also I think some owners reset their car computers during a journey, which can also cause the car computer figures to read artificially high. Filling up at the petrol pump and calculating the mpg using the distance traveled and fuel used and taking an averaging over a number of fill ups is the most reliable way for an ordinary car owner (without access to scientific measuring equipment) to work out their mpg.

[Sagitar]

Also I think some owners reset their car computers during a journey, which can also cause the car computer figures to read artificially high. Filling up at the petrol pump and calculating the mpg using the distance traveled and fuel used and taking an averaging over a number of fill ups is the most reliable way for an ordinary car owner (without access to scientific measuring equipment) to work out their mpg.

I put petrol in my Prius this evening. The display was showing an average of 56.8 mpg since I last filled. Fuelly says 54.8 - Fuelly is right. I keep a manual record of all petrol purchases on a spreadsheet and the display consistently over-estimates, but the amount by which it over-estimates is variable.

It's a coincidence that the average for this tankful is exactly the same as the overall average for the three years that I have owned the car.

[Cyker]

Manual checking is the only real way to get good consistent readings, but you can only really use it to get an average unless you literally are fuelling up to the brim so that fuel actually comes out of the pipe!

There's no way to fill up to the exact same point every time as all pumps vary slightly as to when they'll cut off, and that filler pipe can hold a surprising amount of fuel that isn't accounted for by the fuel gauge!

I can't remember if I've asked this before but what are the smallest rims you can fit on a Yaris HSD?

If it has smaller brakes like the Prius does and you can fit 14's and LRRs instead of the ridiculously large rims it comes with, that will give a decent boost to mpg (And save you a good chunk of money when they need changing! The tyres on my Yaris' stock 14's were a good £20-30 less than the 15" equivs, so I dread to think what 16" and 17" rim tyres would cost! )

[Ethanedwards]

The Yaris HSD Tspirit has 16 inch wheels. 195/50 V16

i notice Toyota has fitted Contininental..I had them on the Nissan Note. I don't like them as they make the ride too harsh and jiggly.

Black circles will do a Kumho at 72.50 a corner but based on my last car I'd have the Falken Ziex ZE912's at 78.77 They transformed an overly firm ride on my Nissan Note into a pleasant comfy ride. Good grip and wear rate means they are my mid range pick.

Though come on peeps I've only had the Yaris six days and done only 350 miles.

[Cyker]

Yeah, it's amazing the difference tyres can make. I had a mix of Bridgestone and firestone-somethings on mine but changed to ContiEco3's (£40 a tyre!!! Never get them that cheap ever again! ).

The difference was incredible; Ride was quieter and the car felt much more sure-footed, esp. in the wet, which was the main reason I changed. I almost want them to wear out faster so I can try the Eco5's but they're wearing well so far so that may not happen for a good few years! (Probably a good thing judging by how much rubber's going up )

I think the HSD economy benefit from more gentle acceleration as hard acceleration draws lots of amps which will a) kill the Battery faster and B) waste more energy as heat in the electromagnet circuits. It's a pity hybrids regen when coasting or you could save a lot of fuel that way; IMHO they should only kick in the regen circuits when you brake, but I can understand why they did it. (Had a mate who bought a diesel car for the first time years ago; Badly underestimated when to brake and almost rear-ended someone because of the lower level of engine braking in a diesel vs a petrol engine!)

I find in my Yaris D4D I'm better off accelerating more briskly, shortshifting up the gear box to get to the higher gears ASAP to abuse the torque, then doing some pulse/glide coasting in-gear. Gentle acceleration actually seems to give slightly worse mpg! Doesn't seem universal to all diesels tho' - Friends with heavier diesel cars (Mostly Audis and VWs) find gentle acceleration works better, so YMMV as they say

[Askho]

Agree with Cyker's comments about the new car freeing up and summer/winter variation.

Don't want to disappoint even more you, but that consumption figure may be optimistic if it is taken from the car's display. I don't know if the same is true of the Yaris but there is a general agreement that the Prius display is 3 or 4% high.

There are some special techniques but these are more appropriate if you are trying to get 80mpg instead of 70. The most important thing is to drive smoothly with moderate acceleration and light braking so that the regeneration system is used instead of wasting energy in the friction brakes.

The ideal conditions for good mpg are to be traveling for a good time at a steady 50mph on a level road in warm weather. I've only found these conditions once with the Prius but my 50 mile trip was rewarded with 80 mpg. My normal journey is either high speed French motorway or short local trips - neither of which will give good mpg. My average measured over the last 18,000 miles is 55.2mpg but this includes a wide variation with one fill-up at 70mpg and one as low as 45mpg.

Your suggestion of moderate acceleration and light braking is exactly what I do. I also lift off and coast. Also not using the air con. I know about engine freeing up with miles and temperature will help. Actually temp has been good since I got the car. So you see I am doing everything to try to acheive good mpg. I read somewhere that the best way is to accelerate firmly not moderately to the required speed and coast to acheive best mpg. Any comments.

[mcdrivingschool]

Got our new Yaris Hybrid T4 earlier today only done 35 miles today, mixed roads including up hills at one point it was saying 82mpg average but by end of day saying its averaged 65mpg with air con on and just driving it normally. very happy

Martin

[Ethanedwards]

OK the numbers are in. The Yaris HSD Tspirit has delivered on it's first tankful..brim to brim. 60.3 mpg. Thats on a mostly rural semi rural essex commute (dahn the A12 etc). Not too shabby but I was getting the petrol equivalent of 55 to 59 from my LPG equipped 1.6 Auto Nissan Note. So good but I hope it'll do a bit better (before the weather turns).

Odd thing the more there's hold ups etc. (running in EV mode) the better my average MPG gets. Your sort of hoping for congestion in a funny way.

[Askho]

Got our new Yaris Hybrid T4 earlier today only done 35 miles today, mixed roads including up hills at one point it was saying 82mpg average but by end of day saying its averaged 65mpg with air con on and just driving it normally. very happy

Martin

Hi, Martin. I am in a similar situation as you, just taken delivery of a T3 hybrid. (see my previous postings). But I am getting very different results from you. I am trying everything I know to get max mpg, but only getting 57mpg. I am hoping for at least 65mpg, but I am nowhere near.

[Parts-King]

Come on guys, you have brand new cars, you have to expect a period of running in before you can get the best out of your MPG

Using EV mode will improve the MPG, sure, it does not go far on EV but there is every reason to use it, it's free mileage!!

We all drive differently and we all drive in different conditions, therefore we all get different MPG's In real life, not many people get or exceed the manufacturers figures, as they are not real world conditions but rather a bench test

Kingo

[cuius]

But as Toyota note, "Driving in EV-Drive Mode more than necessary may lower fuel economy."

[timberwolf]

+1 Cuius. You beat me to it.

Reading these forums over the years, it seems that the best advice is not to take the advice of your Toyota dealer when it comes to driving economical. Other wrong advice from Dealers, includes the infamous use of B-mode, and from a maintenance point of view, always check your tyre pressures after a Dealer has set them!

[mcdrivingschool]

Got our new Yaris Hybrid T4 earlier today only done 35 miles today, mixed roads including up hills at one point it was saying 82mpg average but by end of day saying its averaged 65mpg with air con on and just driving it normally. very happy

Martin

Hi, Martin. I am in a similar situation as you, just taken delivery of a T3 hybrid. (see my previous postings). But I am getting very different results from you. I am trying everything I know to get max mpg, but only getting 57mpg. I am hoping for at least 65mpg, but I am nowhere near.

So far the cars only done 58 miles so probably not a fair comparison. It now says its average 68 mpg, my girlfriends mostly drove it today, one thing we have been doing is accelerating normally up to speed limit which have been mostly 30mph and some 20mph and once at the speed limit then lifting off the accelerator so its goes back to EV mode and then gently using the accelerator so it stays in EV mode.

[Joseph D]

... my girlfriends mostly drove it today ...

How many do you have and do they know about each other?

Sorry couldn't resist.

[Joseph D]

So far the car's only done 58 miles so probably not a fair comparison. It now says its average 68 mpg, my girlfriend's mostly driven it today, one thing we have been doing is accelerating normally up to speed limit which have been mostly 30mph and some 20mph and once at the speed limit then lifting off the accelerator so its goes back to EV mode and then gently using the accelerator so it stays in EV mode.

You are right on the button here, mcdrivingschool.

Using subjective terms like moderately, normally and gently, can mean something different to the wannabe Lewis Hamilton type drivers as opposed to snail type drivers so it is hard for a new HSD driver to identify with where they are on the scale.

With the aim of putting something objective around those terms, I use the instantaneous mpg readout to act as a guide (Gen II Prius). In different models of HSD YMMV.

I accelerate in the 17 - 22 mpg range up to 20 mph and then ease off to 30 mpg at 30 mph. From here on I accelerate at the mpg equal to the speed in mph. This is just a guide, as at all times one must drive to the current conditions - if, e. g., you are in an emergency situation and you need to floor it, then floor it. Also, to achieve EV only acceleration, you need to be somewhat gentler than this and you will mostly be able to get to 20 mph on electric, and even 30 mph if your (traction) Battery pack is in a totally full state. So EV acceleration (foot controlled, not button controlled i. e.) can be used if the environment around you permits. If you are driving the HSD correctly you should not stand out (i. e. not drive like a snail on a Sunday drive) from other road users. I also find it is better not to try and second guess the engine management system, if you are not getting EV when you think you should, just go with it and don't worry. There will be a reason for it. In fact there are many reasons that could explain why. Low Battery pack, cold engine to name two.

For higher speed driving 55 mph is the sweet spot. You really start to drop mpg driving 70 through to 80+ mph. There are a lot of excuses people give for driving fast, but most don't hold water. Let's honest, we drive fast because it is fun, a rush and exhilarating. But if you objectively analyse how much quicker (and more stressed) you get to your destination (maybe 3-5 min) and how much that costs you in £'s and mpg (5-10 mpg) you will find that there is a very high cost:benefit ratio.

Once you have been driving an HSD with a modified driving style for awhile, you will find yourself a calmer less stressed driver who tsk tsk's at those Audi/Mercedes/VW TDI's who race like they are in a hurry to nowhere and find you welcome the road works that slow you down to 50 mph. It is a bizarre concept.

I hope (new) HSD people find this info useful.

Happy driving.