Holiday MPG

[BhxTrev]

3 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Well I set out deliberately to buy a Prius, in the red as shown on virtually all Prius adverts, with leather and 10 speaker JBL sound AND 15" wheels. I wanted 15" wheels cause the Auris Hybdrid we have used to be mine and I found the ride too harsh for me, too many potholes and grids. So tyre technology advancing for mpg would not interest me, its comfort I wanted. I did the 210 mile trip to Norfolk and still felt good when I got there, no getting out and stretching the back etc. Means a lot. To get everything i wanted was amazing. 3 years on and still love the car.

Hi Joe, I certainly agree with your comment especially the comfort aspect because although I made a big mistake not buying the 15inch wheel version, I still enjoy the ride. I have the same top spec Excel version & still enjoy driving the car. I think my biggest gripe is not having a spare wheel & it really worries me reading other comments on this forum where the rubbish supplied to re-inflate a flat tyre is so very often useless. Waiting for Toyota Breakdown service can also involve several hours of utter stress & inconvenience.

I understand that I could by a suitable light alloy reduced size spare wheel but not from Toyota. Besides this, storing the wheel would be a problem but the cost of the wheel would on balance be just as cheap as replacing a tyre because once the puncture ‘gunk’ has been used, as I understand it, the tyre cannot be repaired & has to be replaced. I just wonder if anybody who has the bigger wheeled Prius version as I have, has actually bought a suitable reduced size spare & whether they have been able to somehow fitted it into the well in the boot of their car?

[Catlover]

Trevor.  My spare wheel, which I assume was standard with the 15" option but I may be wrong, is a space saver. 

[PeteB]

30 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Trevor.  My spare wheel, which I assume was standard with the 15" option but I may be wrong, is a space saver. 

It may have changed later, but when the Gen 4 Prius first came out, the bottom two trim levels had 15" wheels and a space saver as standard, the top two trim levels came with 17" wheels and repair kit as standard.  However, on the top two trims, there was an option to choose 15" wheels (with a £400 rebate) and a further option to change the repair kit to a space saver plus tools at no cost, but you had to ask for that as well.  That's how it worked on the configurator too, and I work out my order on that and gave a printed copy to my dealer.

I believe one or two people said they stayed with 17" wheels and tried to specify the space saver, to be told they couldn't do that.

[Cyker]

One reason EV's can get away with larger rims without compromising ride comfort is they weigh the same as a barge, and their sheer mass absorbs a lot of bumps.

It's much much worse when they hit a pothole however! Big barge and low-profile tyres = shattered alloy!

And those big alloys are not cheap to replace!

[PeteB]

1 minute ago, Cyker said:

One reason EV's can get away with larger rims without compromising ride comfort is they weigh the same as a barge, and their sheer mass absorbs a lot of bumps.

It's much much worse when they hit a pothole however! Big barge and low-profile tyres = shattered alloy!

And those big alloys are not cheap to replace!

I'm sure that's right in a lot of cases, but I was surprised when I had a test drive in a BMW i3 in 2014.  When the salesman said it had 19" wheels I was horrified and expected the worst (plus they looked a bit silly to me on a fairly small car), but sure enough the ride was surprisingly good.  I only realised some time after when following an i3 just how narrow these wheels were too.  Apparently a new wheel and tyre was £1,100 at that time.

I don't know what it weighed, but I suspect a lot less than many similar sized EVs as although the whole floor was a big Battery, the entire structure was carbon fibre.  I don't know it I imagined it, but the car felt particularly stiff and rigid, which is what I would expect.

[Catlover]

55 minutes ago, PeteB said:

It may have changed later, but when the Gen 4 Prius first came out, the bottom two trim levels had 15" wheels and a space saver as standard, the top two trim levels came with 17" wheels and repair kit as standard.  However, on the top two trims, there was an option to choose 15" wheels (with a £400 rebate) and a further option to change the repair kit to a space saver plus tools at no cost, but you had to ask for that as well.  That's how it worked on the configurator too, and I work out my order on that and gave a printed copy to my dealer.

I believe one or two people said they stayed with 17" wheels and tried to specify the space saver, to be told they couldn't do that.

I dont know who the previous owner was, but like you say, I suspect the car was ordered with option 15" wheels and a spacesaver. I sure glad somone out there did that with an Excel in hypersonic red......just what I wanted.  🙂

[ian rooke]

Hi High mileages are possible

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, ian rooke said:

Hi High mileages are possible

Great numbers, 

perhaps low average speeds and really relaxed holiday drive😉👍

[ian rooke]

Hi at 70 years old not the fastest driver around but do keep up 60 to 65 the car was 2 up with luggage

[Catlover]

Well done Ian. Good figures over decently high mileages. Interesting that the days you did the high ones were the days I did well, see originating post.

[john p williams]

Just now, Catlover said:

Well done Ian. Good figures over decently high mileages. Interesting that the days you did the high ones were the days I did well, see originating post.

Warm days lead to reduced fuel consumption.

[Catlover]

Hi John, that’s what I think too, however that particular week was on holiday based in Thetford, Norfolk. On the Monday when we did the high mileage we went toward Norwich then down to Great Yarmouth. It wasn’t hot, and on the sea front people were wearing top coats, pakamaks etc, it was spotting with rain. Again, on the Wednesday went to Ipswich and the it was coolish, a jacket type day. In 2019 when I did ver 90mpg, that July was very hot, as was the July 2018 when I picked the car up from Solihull and did over 90mpg.

[john p williams]

37 minutes ago, Catlover said:

Hi John, that’s what I think too, however that particular week was on holiday based in Thetford, Norfolk. On the Monday when we did the high mileage we went toward Norwich then down to Great Yarmouth. It wasn’t hot, and on the sea front people were wearing top coats, pakamaks etc, it was spotting with rain. Again, on the Wednesday went to Ipswich and the it was coolish, a jacket type day. In 2019 when I did ver 90mpg, that July was very hot, as was the July 2018 when I picked the car up from Solihull and did over 90mpg.

Exceptional mpg indeed Joe.

Warm windless weather,+15 in wheels,+ good fuel+ anticipatory driving skills,+ 56mph max + level geography =best return ?

I was bought a Pac a mac by my mum and dad on holiday in a very wet Southampton in probably 1959 when I was 13 !

I`ve not heard the term since, until now.👍

Have a good day.

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, ian rooke said:

Hi at 70 years old not the fastest driver around but do keep up 60 to 65 the car was 2 up with luggage

Good job, 

usually speeds over 65 mph affect the efficiency the most, aerodynamics I will called, and the Prius is one of the best cars in these terms, I do drive often with similar speeds but never can get anything better than midd 60’s mpg with Auris hatchback, not as slick as Prius. 👌🚗

[Cjohnston1982]

I got this the other day in my Prius Plug-in. The best thing was the main traction Battery was completely flat and the a/c was on for the entire 2.5 hour drive of mainly country lanes

I tend to accelerate quite hard out of junctions/roundabouts etc but I brake gently to maximise energy back to the Battery. 

[Lok]

On 18/07/2021 at 5:33 PM, Catlover said:

We just took a week holiday in Norfolk, Sat 10th to Sat 17th, based ourselves in Thetford but traveled about a bit.

I taken some shots of the dash readings in my Gen 4 Prius hybrid.                   

First one is total miles traveled 10th-17th July. Miles traveled 721.7  mpg 80.4.  We traveled M-Ways, A-roads, B-roads, town, city, village roads.

I also found mpg since the car was new almost 5 years ago, i happy with 72 mpg over 35,049 miles  

Also whilst away, best days mpg was when we went down to Ipswich. 81 mile return journey at 82.5 mpg 

I pleased with the figures, and I understand the newer Prius Gen4 hybrid has better battery and maybe some other tweeks.

 

720 miles with 42l petrol that's awesome I hope doing the same when I buy my 2019 .

[Catlover]

Loukas, I do believe there was some change made to Gen4 Prius on 2019 cars. I don’t know when I’m 2019, nor detail of the change, but it probably to do with the Battery. It means a better mpg then my 2016 is possible. Check it out then you know what to look for.

[Catlover]

4 hours ago, Lok said:

720 miles with 42l petrol that's awesome I hope doing the same when I buy my 2019 .

Loukas, I do believe there was some change made to Gen4 Prius on 2019 cars. I don’t know when I’m 2019, nor detail of the change, but it probably to do with the Battery. It means a better mpg then my 2016 is possible. Check it out then you know what to look for.

[TonyHSD]

Loukas, make sure you are buying regular Prius or Prius plug in and not a Prius plus 7 seats, as this one is bigger, taller and heavier than first two and will not be able to get that good mpg, although still respectable around 50-55mpg. 👍

[PeteB]

And didn't the Prius Plus use the 3rd Generation Hybrid System from the 2009-2015 Prius?

[TonyHSD]

5 minutes ago, PeteB said:

And didn't the Prius Plus use the 3rd Generation Hybrid System from the 2009-2015 Prius?

Yes, plus has heavier suspension and brakes like some Auris and RAV4 from those years. Auris T-spirit and Prius plus are same underneath where regular Prius is slightly lighter, engine gearbox same but driveshafts and bearings, brakes are different. 👍

[PeteB]

Having had all four generations of 'normal' Prius (never driven a Plus,  only driven a 2012 Plug-in for a day), IMHO the Gen 4 made the biggest leap in terms of fuel economy.  (and also was the best to drive, and best equipment).

It also had more comfortable seats and suspension than the Gen 2 or 3 Prius, beaten marginally by the Gen 1 saloon which had supremely comfortable seats and suspension.  In fact, though the Gen 2 was still comfortable, both seats and suspension were the firmest of all generations, and came (literally) as a shock to some owners who upgraded from Gen 1.  A couple of owners that I knew at the time (via sites like this) actually sold their Gen 2 Prius and bought a second hand Gen 1!

Strangely, unlike the Gen 3, having been loaned a Gen 4 with 17" wheels for a couple of days (mine was on 15") I found the suspension no less comfortable with the bigger wheels.  They did have the other disadvantages of noise, cost, bigger turning circle and worse drag and mpg however.

[TonyHSD]

Good experience Pete, 

I had dozens of gen 3 Priuses and a couple of Prius plus and Aurises gen 1 , they all pretty much very similar as driving experience and efficiency however the standard gen 3 Prius with 15” wheels were the most economical. As driving comfort and refinement I think my gen1 Auris with custom set up of 16” wheels and efficient grip performance 2 tyres delivers the smoothest and quietest drive of all. , efficiency like is pretty much equal to the Prius plus but not as good as regular Priuses. 👍