4 ms·

You'd think so but I get 7mpg more than the best rated Toyota hybrid which is supposedly the most efficient thing out there. Bear in mind I drive a 6 year old

by bananas 13y ago

You'd think so but I get 7mpg more than the best rated Toyota hybrid which is supposedly the most efficient thing out there. Bear in mind I drive a 6 year old 1.3L diesel Fiat van converted to a people carrier which is as aerodynamic as a shed. It also has 3 children, a buggy and a pile of crap in it. Perhaps a computer could optimise this better but I doubt it. The computer and automatic box just goes when you push the pedal down. The driver isn't connected to it and feeling what it's doing and understanding the power curves.

selmnoo 13y ago
> You'd think so but I get 7mpg more than the best rated Toyota hybrid which is supposedly the most efficient thing out there. You sure about that? Because I easily get about 70 mpg on my Prius (C class) when I'm supermiling in the city. Granted it's not as efficient on the highway, and unfortunately I do have to do a lot of highway travel. I can sustain a good a 55mpg average at the end of the month though. I plan to start borrowing my wife's whenever I'm on the highway, I think this way I can average mpg in the 70s overall when I do this.
- bananas 13y ago
  I get 58 solid. Prius is quoted at 50 here in the UK. If I'm on a flat road at 40-50mph (north circular) I can get a solid 80mpg average. Just have to stay easy on the throttle and not change speed.
jbondeson 13y ago
You do realize that you're comparing a diesel car to a standard petrol-hybrid right? Diesel engines are ~33% more efficient per-liter (and usually that much more expensive). The number for a Prius-hybrid you'd really care to look at would be the city driving numbers as that's where you get all the advantages of regenerative breaking. Running a Prius at 100+ km/h it just turns back into a standard petrol fueled vehicle carrying drained batteries.
- bananas 13y ago
  Yes. It's about the end game, not the tools. I've found diesel engines and vehicles to be considerably more reliable and therefore less expensive. Fuel is between 5-7% more expensive here in the UK so things are good there. The city driving numbers are about the same I found. I regularly drive right into London's congestion charging zone - at least 1-2 times a week. 51 is the expected MPG in city driving scenarios. I can achieve that with no particular effort in London traffic. I don't drive like a crazy person and hang back regularly - that is all. My vehicle doesn't have piles of expensive electronics, batteries and things to go wrong either (look at recent threads about Toyota stack overflows for example). The most expensive thing on a Diesel that can go wrong is the particulate filter, EGR valves and timing chains and these are cheaply regenerated and replaced respectively.

by bananas 13y ago

selmnoo 13y ago

> You'd think so but I get 7mpg more than the best rated Toyota hybrid which is supposedly the most efficient thing out there. You sure about that? Because I easily get about 70 mpg on my Prius (C class) when I'm supermiling in the city. Granted it's not as efficient on the highway, and unfortunately I do have to do a lot of highway travel. I can sustain a good a 55mpg average at the end of the month though. I plan to start borrowing my wife's whenever I'm on the highway, I think this way I can average mpg in the 70s overall when I do this.

bananas 13y ago
I get 58 solid. Prius is quoted at 50 here in the UK. If I'm on a flat road at 40-50mph (north circular) I can get a solid 80mpg average. Just have to stay easy on the throttle and not change speed.

jbondeson 13y ago

You do realize that you're comparing a diesel car to a standard petrol-hybrid right? Diesel engines are ~33% more efficient per-liter (and usually that much more expensive). The number for a Prius-hybrid you'd really care to look at would be the city driving numbers as that's where you get all the advantages of regenerative breaking. Running a Prius at 100+ km/h it just turns back into a standard petrol fueled vehicle carrying drained batteries.

bananas 13y ago
Yes. It's about the end game, not the tools. I've found diesel engines and vehicles to be considerably more reliable and therefore less expensive. Fuel is between 5-7% more expensive here in the UK so things are good there. The city driving numbers are about the same I found. I regularly drive right into London's congestion charging zone - at least 1-2 times a week. 51 is the expected MPG in city driving scenarios. I can achieve that with no particular effort in London traffic. I don't drive like a crazy person and hang back regularly - that is all. My vehicle doesn't have piles of expensive electronics, batteries and things to go wrong either (look at recent threads about Toyota stack overflows for example). The most expensive thing on a Diesel that can go wrong is the particulate filter, EGR valves and timing chains and these are cheaply regenerated and replaced respectively.