New 10 owner with MPG issue?

[foolio]

Cobb, I'm actually interested in this phev for the I2. I tried looking for the thread but no luck so far. Will this phev take a lot of additional room? cost? a DIY?

WFalicoft, in my last fueling (yesterday) I was averaging 41 real world mpg. 1 mpg improvement over the previous fueling. The only difference was I was a bit lighter on the throttle. So there's still more adjustment that I need to make.

I just got my k&n filter today. Installed and ready for a trial tomorrow. And I"M going to try the psi tomorrow morning. hopefully it will all add up.

My goal is to get a decent 45 real world mpg or better. Not unreasonable I hope.

Thanks

[Cobb]

Enginer.us made it, but they went out of business. There are other company's that make them, but I have no knowledge of them. I was one of several beta testers.


Sent from my Autoguide iPod touch app

[CarlosZ]

I've a 2010 ex with 48k miles in 2 years. I'm an appraiser in LA and drive a lot so have had some time to refine my mpg skills.

Around 10k miles the car broke in and got better mpg
Best was 513 miles but usually average around 440miles per 10gal tank.
I think the car gets optimal mpg around 45mph. Fast lane in LA is 65+mph and the car won't do better than low 40 mpg due to higher revs. (Keep in mind this is my car and my driving style so no flamers please)
I get great mpg when the freeway is going around 45mph.
The road from Santa Clarita is mainly downhill so it's pretty easy to get good mpg. Wonder what mpg for return trip? Probably mid or high 40's or so but good nonetheless. Take advantage of downhills, get the car to speed and keep it there. Don't needlessly scrub speed.
In city get up to speed quickly but not too fast and try to keep the pedal and mph steady. The car is sensitive to people that needlessly play with the throttle.
Try to time the lights. Every time you stop only to have to get up to speed again, you lose mpg.
Try to take routes with less incline. Take routes with longer stretches of road between lights.
That's basically my plan. It varies on topography and your driving habits but the car is realistically good for low 40's if you drive in the fast lane and AC on in LA. Sorry it wasn't written well but hope it helps.

[foolio]

Thanks for the tip guys. Here's my take after a month of owning this car. Mileage: 3000. Average: 40.5MPG. Best: 43MPG. Worst: 39MPG. All these were achieved with no A/C. Driving habit: mix of miss Daisy, bat out of hell, thought its a V8 mentality. Its so hard to fine tune the skill to drive this thing as I always get stuck in traffic. If I drive too slow, gazillion cars cut in front of me (I hate that so much). To maintain a car length requires quick gas and release on the pedal in term kills my MPG. Like Carloz mentioned, I noticed when I'm at 35 - 40 mph I get the optimum MPG it seems. But either way its way better than the 19MPG Rav4 that I previously owned. So no complain. Even my wife now wants to trade cars with me. =P
So kudos for Insight.

[CarlosZ]

One thing I realized and had to accept was in order to get super good mpg I'd have to change my driving style which meant getting cut off by every bastard. You can't get angry by blocking or speeding up to stuff someone who cut you off because it will surely kill your mpg. I decided to relax and get them in the long run. The car doesn't have the balls to beat anyone in a drag race so that wasnt an option. It's a matter of timing and space. I do get the occasional sub400 miles per tank as I unleash some road rage. I know by the first 50 miles if the number will be high or low and I let my attitude take over from there. I guess I'm cool as long as I get 40+ mpg, 44 mpg is my target.

[Cobb]

Getting cut off gets old fast, but its fun to watch that person get cut off. I tend to find someone in the right lane thats going slower than traffic or P&Ging and stay about 50 ft behind them. Then when some A-hole gets in front of me, they stay there a few seconds, then pass again.

[freezin4]

Originally Posted by foolio

... If I drive too slow, gazillion cars cut in front of me (I hate that so much). To maintain a car length requires quick gas and release on the pedal in term kills my MPG.

Who cares, let 'em get in front of you! Easing up on your throttle will yield you higher mpg.

I took a defensive driver course 15 years ago and the instructor told us to not let anyone take the space in front of our bumper away from us: instead, he "empowered us" to own the space, and to GIVE it away to the guy who is inclined to cut in. The change in mentality helps reduce stress.

Plan ahead more. Drive more defensively. Life is way too short to spend stressing over people cutting in front of us. (I drive DC traffic daily - I know) Good luck.

[egads]

One of the first things we noticed was, even while keeping up with traffic, some folks will notice it's a Hybrid and immediately try to go around you.