Bought a new '11 Insight; Advice for me?

[krayzee_bone]

Hello everybody. Just bought an '11 Insight EX w/o navi for my wife. Drove it from the dealership to home, and definitely we're going to have to change our driving habits. Gone are the days of flying up the freeway on-ramps here in So. Cal, and now merging onto traffic will take some getting used to. Traded in my wife's '07 BMW 328i and what a world of difference. Couldn't stand only averaging 18 mpg on the BMW (although I did make it up to Vegas and drove around for 3 days on 1 tank of gas) and having added up all of our gas receipts, it was clear that we needed something with better fuel economy. After spending hours doing research and making a spreadsheet on projected costs and savings, I ultimately convinced my wife to get the Insight over the Prius.

Having only put 22 miles on the car so far and the expected range of 558 miles left, so far I guess it's averaging around 50+ mpg?? (Probably not accurate, and I'll have to wait until the first fill-up to calculate actual mpg)

Any tips on maintaining 40+ mpg on mostly city driving? Other than trying to keep the green light on and feathering the accelerator, any other tips to maximize mpg? Just simple things, and not anything that would require my wife to constantly watch the battery gauge, the trees forming, or the blue/green light.

Thanks!!

[Zwolfe]

The largest thing for city driving that I can think of is get a general idea of when lights are going to turn red and don't race to them only to stomp on the brake.

My wife is regularly guilty of it and it still to this day drives me up the wall, so it might not be an easy task to get her to change a very basic, fundamental thing.

Coast up to the red light and who knows by then it may be turning green soon.

All momentum is good momentum.

[circa1986]

I think the biggest thing is never to use the brakes when you don't have to. Not using the brakes implies that you won't be accelerating unnecessarily, either, which will save you gas.

When braking, I also try not to have to brake so hard that the "regen" gauge is pegged at the max. I want to use the friction brakes as little as possible and recapture as much energy in the IMA battery!

[Pool Runner]

How are you guys hitting 50+ mpgs.... I've had my I2 for 7 months, it's my wifes car mostly but I've driven it on a few road trips. The best I've got was about 47, however the car seems to want to average 43.3- 45 ish. The car got roughly an average of 41-43 during the break-in period. So you guys that are claiming 50+ on brand new cars has my attention? We don't hot-rod this car either. As an example I can squeak 31 MPG out of my '11 Subaru Outback 2.5 CVT, but can only best 45 ish from my Insight what gives?

[Cobb]

Welcome aboard.

For me when I merge I go and out brake the other guy vs try to out accelerate. Its habit of people to speed up and cut you off, so I hit the minus sign paddle, tab the brake and slip in under the person.

Ride the brake down off ramps vs race til the end, then slam on the brake.

In stop n go traffic just keep rolling. Try not to accelerate hard or brake hard.

I try to take routes with least stops and 45mph speed limits.

[krayzee_bone]

@Cobb. Thanks. I never would've thought that I'd join a forum for hybrid owners. All day I've been asked "You traded in your BMW for a hybrid?" LOL

So far with 67 miles driven we've averaged 36.7 mpg. Obviously it should get better as the car breaks in and we've adjusted our driving style. I've seen a lot of green, but it shines an angry blue when I try to merge an uphill freeway on-ramp and I try to get up to Southern Californian speeds.

[Cobb]

Keep in mind the numbers you see here are from extreme modifications and lots of careful driving. The epa is 40 and 43, so those are the numbers I would aim for first.

You might want to try turning off econ to see if that helps. Some people find it helps others hurts their fuel economy. I find it hurts me from my driving style. You can still accelerate hard, just make sure to coast more when you slow down.

[Jsol92]

I live in So Cal as well, and the hilly areas KILL me. I take the I-15 South from Rancho Cucamonga to Corona two days out of the week, and taking the I-15 North to get home is like pulling teeth for me. Going to work I get about 55MPG if I go 75 while driving a bit more spirited the entire way, or 60MPG if I go 70 while driving more economically.
My entire commute home is a gradual incline...nothing very steep at all, just very hilly at times. It kills my battery, and I go into forced regen at least twice along the way. I find myself actually HOPING I hit traffic so that I can recharge my poor battery! Going 70 I can get about 45MPG which is still pretty darn good...but if I go 75 I get anywhere from 38-40MPG.
Going 5MPH slower can do wonders for your fuel economy. Just plan to leave for destinations a few minutes earlier and you’ll be amazed. But living in So Cal it can be really hard to get used…especially when everyone else is passing you at 80+MPH!

I also commute to Riverside taking the 15S to the 60E. I get about 50MPG going 75 on that commute. Then from there I take the 91W to Corona and average around 55MPG+ going 75.
That 15N just kills me though...right now my lifetime average is 44.3MPG. It would be so much higher if it weren't for that route!