Poor Yaris Hybrid Mpg?

[Ethanedwards]

has averaged 55 mpg without trying over the first 7k miles from new.

From some of the posts here, some are struggling to achieve this sort of mpg from a yaris hybrid.

Nope. Even in the depths of winter I was getting more than that from my Yaris Hybrid and now it's warmed up considerably more.

Plus Unleaded is cheaper than derv here in the UK. So the real test is how far can £1 take you. A bit further than your Avensis it would seem.

By all means if you have a need for a big load lugger then thats a great choice and a Yaris isn't going to be any kind of a comparison in that category, but purely in MPG terms sorry but your not in the ballpark mate.

[johalareewi]

I am very sceptical about just how "green" hybrids are.

I have a Prius because I wanted a family sized hatch but it had to be automatic, have aircon, be reliable, and cheap to run and service. Also fuel prices were on the up and I wanted to get a lot more than 30mpg. The Prius does all of this and at the time, the prices were really keen. Being "green" didn't come into the equation.

I chose an Avensis T2 2 litre diesel tourer and it does everything it says on the tin, it pulls like a freight train, it is torquey, it swallows a huge load, it has a set of robust steel wheels not a set of fragile alloy wheels and it has averaged 55 mpg without trying over the first 7k miles from new.

All Toyota hybrids are automatic.

So with a Toyota hybrid you can get manual diesel mpg from an automatic petrol car.

Neat

[Mel and Claire]

Hi from me.... :)

We bought a Yaris Hybrid T-Spirit a few weeks ago (pearlescent white - its sooooo pretty) and have driven it for a few weeks trying to outdo each other on how economical we can be (for an ex petrol head thats pretty sad I suppose but with the congestion round here you have to get your fun where you find it - you cant drive fast so you may as well drive eco)

Our average is around 67mpg but today I managed to hit 75.9 mpg !!!!! Whoooeeee that was mixed motorway and urban. I have been experimenting over the last few weeks and my experience is the way to do it is this....

1/ Boost start - dont crawl away from lights and up hills in slo-mo but neither get the foot down hard, smooth acceleration to your cruising speed as fast as possible without going mad. I have found its better to burn fuel fast for a short time that it is to eke out as little as possible for longer.

2/ Get that cruise on - when I hit the motorways I get to 50-55mph and engage cruise - my own experience is that no matter how fast or mad you drive the average trip speed in the UK is never much higher than 35mph (I used to do 100,000 miles a year and no matter where I drove or how fast this was almost always true). This week I did some test runs - driving fast and driving with cruise on at 55mph - average journey speed was always about the same but fuel consumption is waaaaay better at a steady 50mph PLUS because everyone has to overtake me while I cruise I can relax more - not having to constantly change lanes or check mirrors or stress because I am boxed in my lorries etc.

When you need to speed up or slow down a bit use the cruise up/down - its more gentle.

3/ In urban areas if the road is clear get cruise on for 30mph as well.

4/ Use ECO Mode on for all of this.

Overall - love the car - Autocar said its no fun but I find it lovely - nice and quiet, comfy, doesnt rev up and make noise as much as some of the reviews would have you believe (wussies :) ).

I did a tank of fuel over 11 days and monitored the average consumption based on the low fuel light - ie odo taken at low fuel on, fill up and then take readings when the light comes on again minus any distance between low fuel light and fill up. The Yaris hit 61mpg based on that which is 11 days assorted driving in urban, motorway, 25 mile trips and short in-town hops.

You do need to adjust your driving style with the Hybrid to get the best from it but its no bad thing, your licence will probably stay unendorsed longer ;)

[Dasbob]

I have noticed about a 3 mpg increase on average between the first 1k miles i did and the 2nd 1k miles, i cant tell if this is due to the engine wearing in or me just getting better subconsciously

Longer trips definitely make the difference, i have a 20 mile commute to work and often hit 67 mpg on the computer, i have had a few "leisure" trips trying out the car and doing a full circle (40 miles) and by the time i get home the computer is saying 74mpg

My best yet was a trip from Taunton - Glastonbury, i hit low 80s (about 25 mile trip)

of course my real MPG taken from the petrol pump is 62 mpg. It really just depends a lot on the environment you live in, i have to drive over many hills, but what i loose going up them, i gain going down them

[FROSTYBALLS]

In todays Autocar, there is an update on the Auris Hybrid they've currently got on 'their' fleet. The Autocar staff member recently had some tips from Steve Croughan, Toyota's driving efficiency expert. See below:

"Steve told me the names of the game are good anticipation and maintaining momentum. It matters less whether you take 5 seconds to accelerate to 30mph or 20 seconds; what's more important is effectively managing your pace when you get there.
In faster moving town traffic, there's a technique for keeping the Auris Hybrid operating in EV mode. It involves accelerating up to the desired speed and then lifting off the throttle before very gently applying it again. The Hybrid has a particularly sensitive throttle pedal, and it is possible to remain on electric power for long periods, at least until necessary to call on the petrol engine for some stronger acceleration or to recharge the batteries.
The Toyota is also effective at cruising under its own momentum. Steve showed me how it is possible to back off the throttle much earlier for roundabouts and junctions, than I had been doing, letting the car scrub off its own speed.
The very next journey after I'd taken Steve's advice on board was a four mile urban trip from Feltham to Kingston, during which I averaged 74mpg, beating the official combined figure (72.4)."

[Dasbob]

Ahh good to see official confirmation of the "take foot off and put back on" thing, i had been doing this but was worried in the back of my mind that i was some how abusing the car and it would come back to haunt me in the years to come.

Also glad he answered another question of mine, i have often wondered if it makes much difference to dawdle to 30 or hit 30 and cruise.

Good find Frostyballs

[sanzomat]

I am very sceptical about just how "green" hybrids are.

When my company car was due for renewal 4 months ago, I had a prius plug in on a 3 day extended test drive, I hated it, had an overwhelming feeling of disappointment and decided that it was not the car for me doing 30k plus miles per year, mainly on motorways. The only motivator for me considering a prius plug in was the 5% company car tax due to 49 gm/km CO2 and a salesman telling me the prius plug in was the best thing since sliced bread.

I chose an Avensis T2 2 litre diesel tourer and it does everything it says on the tin, it pulls like a freight train, it is torquey, it swallows a huge load, it has a set of robust steel wheels not a set of fragile alloy wheels and it has averaged 55 mpg without trying over the first 7k miles from new.

From some of the posts here, some are struggling to achieve this sort of mpg from a yaris hybrid.

I realise that hybrids are "green" but how green is it to charge a plug in car from the national grid with electricity from mainly coal or gas fuelled power stations? Also, the hybrids produce less CO2 but if they achieve similar or even worse mpg figures than a comparable diesel car (and the 2 litre avensis is by no means the most economical 2 litre diesel car on the road now) what is the hidden cost in CO2 produced in the refining of the extra fuel used in a hybrid compared to a modern diesel?

I am no petrol head but my fear is that in a few years time, we will all be forced by government policy into driving 1.6 litre or smaller diesel engined cars with low torque or hybrids.

I'm a combination of amazed and impressed that you are getting 55mpg from your Avensis. I've had various diesel estate cars over the last 8 years and in mixed driving, but generally quite economically driven so not thrashing, I've managed the following averages based on actual and (trip computer): 2005 Renault Megane 1.9dci 45mpg(48.5); 2007 Audi A6 2.0tdi 39mpg (46); 2009 Volvo V70 2.0d 40.5mpg (43), 2012 Ford Mondeo 1.6d Econetic with stop/start 43mpg (48); 2012 VW Passat 2.0 Bluemotion estate 43mpg (50) so based on a variety of makes/models of biggish diesel estates I've only managed low to mid 40's mpg averaged over around 25k to 35k miles per year, despite some of these claiming eu test mpg very similar to my Prius Plus. The hybrid is so far giving 53mpg (56) averaged over the first 2500 miles so is around 25% more economical than the equivalent diesel cars and they were all manual, and given petrol is cheaper and burns cleaner with less "other" emissions I am now convinced that hybrids are very much the greener option. I wasn't before I got it, I have to admit I only bought it for the cheap company car tax and better business mileage rate!

[Parts-King]

I'm fed up hearing the old chestnut about Hybrid not being green and diesels being better. One thing they always forget is they compare a manual diesel with a petrol automatic. I used to be hyper about defending hybrid, I'm now a lot more mellow about it.............just like my Hybrid driving

Kingo

[paul.r]

I'm fed up hearing the old chestnut about Hybrid not being green and diesels being better. One thing they always forget is they compare a manual diesel with a petrol automatic. I used to be hyper about defending hybrid, I'm now a lot more mellow about it.............just like my Hybrid driving

Kingo

I had a Mercedes E220cdi Elegance auto for 7 years from nearly new..i could easily get 56 MPG on a run and over 40MPG running about locally , £220 per year road tax..but..it did sound a bit like a farm tractor,diesel engines are very noisy by design and in cold weather are less economical than a petrol..till they warm up......i sold this after a couple of years when i retired and bought a Civic Hybrid,very quiet,50+ MPG locally,61MPG on a run and £10 a year RT..was very impressed..sold this and bought my Gen 3 Prius T-Spirit (2011) last year ...over the past 1,000 miles has averaged 61 MPG ..and it is used just for short trips and local runs 1-2 miles mainly,.75.5 MPG is the best it has achieved both on a run and to Worksop which is just 7 miles away from me, and more than once i may add..whisper quiet,£0 RT, and i do enjoy driving it.even more impressed...would i buy another diesel..not likely.,will i buy another Hybrid.. definately.....just to add, i also changed the 17inch alloys and low profile tyres for a set of new 15 inch alloys fitted with Continental premium contact 5 tyres 195/65/15 (PSI.. 36/F35/R)... when i bought the car it did have a few niggling rattles from the dash and the drivers door..these have now gone,the smaller wheels and tyres ..although they are the same diameter overall...and are a far better ride,and quieter..less road noise .........

[Dasbob]

When people say to me "... but its not green" i just sigh. I never brought my car to be green, i brought it because its fricken futuristic! ... who wants a car that sounds like a tractor when you can get one that has 2 engines... VOOOOM!! (omit the R as no grrr in a hybrid)

but if we are to make the point on "green (although blue is the new green)"

Kryten (aka Robert Llewellyn) is sort of the champion for electric vehicles and when its pointed out to him that electric vehicles are very dirty as they require more fossil fuels to make etc etc... he says "Yes a new petrol/diesel is cleaner than an electric the moment you buy it, but every time you fill up your petrol/diesel you are making it more dirty, where as an electric just gets cleaner"

So you could apply that similar thinking to hybrids... and because non plug in hybrids dont need to be plugged into the main grid (which can use coal etc to get the leccy) and use motion of the car to charge, it makes them that little bit more green as when you are using electric, its guilt free power

[Yolina]

It's only people who don't own hybrids who think people buy hybrids because they think it's greener :P

Personally, I tried one out of curiosity, liked it and so bought one. I guess that makes me an "accidental" hybrid buyer

[geo13647]

I bought mine simply because I liked it.

[mexicola]

I bought my auris hybrid because I had a total bargaiin deal on it. I never looked at hybrids was looking to buy i30 or a focus ecoboost.

Im so glad I ended up with the car I did ,its fun to drive not in a chuck it into a bendsort of way just fun ,constantly juggling with how to drive it cheaply iI've had a heavy foot drive it like you stole it vibe going on but now I'm all about mpgs.

I love my gadgets now i drive one. Recently took it camping fully loaded family and big dog still got 55mpg .

[johalareewi]

... who wants a car that sounds like a tractor when you can get one that has 2 engines...

Sometimes you can have 3 engines. It is possible to have both of the electric motor/generators running as motors briefly.

[Mel and Claire]

We got a Hybrid cos its futuristic - frankly ANY new car is causing polution and sustainability issues. I used to work in electronic manufacturing and almost anything you make from iPods to hoovers runs up a huge debit in terms of polution. Most electronics require a hefty amount of chemicals to make and the runs off include super toxic stuff like Dioxins.

I try and be green because as an old hippy chick I happen to like whales and muesli but I sanctioned the spend on a Yaris Hybrid because its the sort of car I always imagined would be available sooner or later with its high tech stuff. I also happen to like cruising around in EV mode and scaring people by suddendly appearing behind them with no noise :)

Just love driving it really in a way I never loved driving a Peugeot diesel a fair few years back which was dirty and noisy.

Who cares if a diesel is more economic - its not so quiet and its stinky stuff too. And its only more economic if you drive something like a Kia with a sub litre sized diesel so you have a dirty, stinky, N-O-I-S-Y AND s-l-o-w mobile.

I came at the Yaris from owning an Aygo and that truly is economical as it gets on petrol only - it runs on charity almost but it still uses more gas than the Yaris Hybrid and you have to put up with a very small car which is sweet in its own way but not the worlds most comfy car.

I am with Mexicola - I like the challenge of getting from a-b with using least fuel. Hell driving has so little fun in it now - your almost always in a jam or dealing with speed cameras you have to get the fun where you can find it. I drive the car like a computer game using the displays and reading the road/traffic to get the high scores of super mpg.

Top score to date was 78mpg but I reckon I will improve on that :)

[PeteB]

It's only people who don't own hybrids who think people buy hybrids because they think it's greener :P

Personally, I tried one out of curiosity, liked it and so bought one. I guess that makes me an "accidental" hybrid buyer

Me too, I test drove to Mk 1 in 2000, loved it, but couldn't bring myself to buy a car that didn't have heated mirrors (would have been unbelievable in late 1980s, never mind 21st century on a high tech car!) or rear wiper - drove one again in 2002, couldn't resist.

Sadly after just 6 months, some b****r went through a red light and totalled it - by that time (and 12,000 miles in 6 months) I couldn't bear the thought of driving an 'ordinary' car again, and rang my dealer to arrange a replacement whilst sitting in the wreckage waiting to be recovered!

Now on my 3rd Prius (of my own, plus a few company ones) ¼million miles in Hybrids later and never looked back.

Regards PeteB

[xray_matt]

My Yaris Hybrid running on EV mode for around 70% of my commute and eco mode when the engine kicks in only averages between 43 mpg to 52 mpg. Once I managed to get it up to 66 mpg but was very stressful getting it to do that. Too much concentration needed.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

43mpg? You have something wrong with your car.

I get shy of 45 mpg in a 3.7 mile commute in heavy traffic on a car with 80,000 miles and a hard life.

The car shouldn't be 'running' on ev mode at all. I assume you mean it's running on electric when it first sets off. If you try and force the car into the special EV mode by pressing the button, then it's the worst thing you could be doing for economy. Initially you will get 100mpg until the Battery runs out after a mile or so and then the engine will run and charge the Battery. That is much much more fuel inefficient than just driving the car normally.

Just drive the car as normal. Just drive it, don't hammer it, don't thrash it, but equally don't try to make maximum use of the electric function as you'll end up being counter productive.

Regarding 66 mpg. That again ain't great for the car. My knackered old Prius will get 75+ when cruising at 50 mph on the flat with the a/c and heat on.

I wonder if you've had your car serviced? Are you over 10,000 miles? I would hazard a bet that the garage may inadvertently put 5w30 oil in instead of the much more expensive 0w20 oil. When this has happened to me I struggled to get the car to get 59 mpg try as hard as I might with all my hypermiling experience. Once 0w20 was correctly replaced, the car was getting 75+ mpg when I tried. The dealers seem very reluctant to remember to use the more expensive 0w20 oil, despite billing you for it! My last 80k service in October the dealers put 5w30 in, despite me reminding them not to. They billed me for 0w20 but and strenuously said they'd put it in, but I know as the economy bombs, as does performance but the engine sounds smoother. The chief tech drained it and put 0w20 in and immediately the economy went back to what it should.

Good luck.

[welshstyles]

Hi i had my yaris t spirit hybrid since october last year its just about to turn 10,000 miles and the mpg is really poor the max it can get is 48 mpg my mother has the same yaris but with the d4d engine and got 6000 miles on the clock and easly averages high 60s! We have even swapped cars for a while to see if it was my driving lol but still the same, im really disappointed in the mpg, does anyone know what they will say if i complain to toyota? I got the car on toyotas 0% finance deal over three years pcp! Im seriously asking them can i give it in and get a d4d version

Thanks

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I assume that by having 16 posts under your belt you'll have read the many threads and posts about ensuring the tyre pressures are correct and the like?

I also assume you've not put none standard alloy wheels on or different tyres?

I would then ask when you last re-set the mpg trip computer. If the car had been a dealer demo model then the average is likely to be low.

If all the above has been done and other drivers who get 65+ in a diesel drive your car over the exact same routes and conditions only get mid 40's out of your car, then it's very likely there is something wrong with your car.

It has been reported on here that in 12 months and over 30,000 miles of mainly town taxi use I got an average of 50 mpg. I defy ANY diesel to get that in the same circumstances. In fact I also had stats of my diesel cabs and they were 23 mpg and 32 mpg.

When I left the taxi game I could manage 70-75 mpg on a commute and if I stuck to 50 mph on those motorway construction zones I could get averages of 80+ mpg. With the Yaris HSD being smaller, I'd expect you to match or exceed those figures.

But, the hybrid system isn't magic. If you're 22 with a heavy right foot and you hammer it everywhere, you're going to get poor economy ;)

[Parts-King]

I have run several Hybrid models, most have averaged 55 MPG. I ran a Yaris Hybrid (over the summer) and I averaged 60 MPG. Driving style and the type of driving you do is critical, as well as the obvious other things mentioned like tyre pressures and correct oil

Kingo

[paul.r]

I also assume you've not put none standard alloy wheels on or different tyres?

I also have had 75 MPG out of my Gen3 Prius..both on a run to the
coast,and to the next town which is 7 miles away,more than once..I also
fitted smaller 15 inch alloy wheels and 195/15/65 series profile
tyres (Continentals..for a better ride quality)..and i can still get 75MPG..the secret to good fuel
consumption lie's entirely in the right foot...

[Cyker]

Yeah, the HSD is more sensitive to driving style than the petrol and D4D, but I do think there may be something wrong as it should be able to get into the mid-50's easy, even if you are thrashing it about now and then! (Of course, if it's being thrashed *all* the time then that would explain it )

My mate's Auris HSD seems to be affected more when loaded than my Yaris D4D does, so if you've got a boot full of crap then that may also be contributing to the lower mpg.

I do recommend running the tyres at at least 35psi - Ride will be rougher but if you get the hang of pulse and gliding you will notice the increased roll distance you can get. Will improve road feel and braking stability too! I'm currently running at 38F/35R and that plus lots of traffic anticipation helps me roll through lights and absorb traffic blips without having to stop (I always feel so smug when the guy in front of me is accelerating off and then braking, then accelerating off etc. while I'm just in 4th coasting along behind )

Another thing deffo worth checking is the oil; The HSDs seem incredibly picky about their oil - My D4D doesn't seem to really care whether it's being run on 10W30 or 5W40, but we've had lots of members here who have found a very large mpg hit when their HSDs are run on the Toyota standard semi-synth 5W30 instead of the proper fully synth 0W20.


While I do love my Mk1 D4D, I'd be more wary of the newer D4Ds as they have all sorts of Euro Emissions crud strapped onto them which means you can't use them for excessive amounts of urban driving; They really need to be used on fast A-roads and motorways regularly. If that's your common use tho', they're still pretty good and will give the HSDs a run for their money!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

lol unless you care about the air quality in your town? Then diesels aren't that friendly.

If any of your family have asthma or breathing issues, then the fact that you could run 20 hybrids and only produce the same NOx as ONE modern diesel (or 200 hybrids for one 2008 diesel) could be important.

You may not care. But if your 7 year old is in casualty for the 4th time in as many months because of asthma and your town has failed the EU pollution levels for the 8th year in a row too, you might find it focuses your mind a little.

[Cyker]

Well there's always public transport and bicycles! ;)

Roll on hydrogen...

(Or a better way of storing electricity!)