I’ve noticed that the mileage on my Prius had improved somewhat now that the temperature has gotten above 50, so today I reset the mileage display on my commute home from work. I was pleasantly surprised, especially after having gotten such poor (relatively speaking) mileage since I got it in November. Here’s the result of this very unscientific test of the two segments of my commute home.
This segment of my commute is on Beach Drive through Rock Creek Park, a two-lane windy road through a forested park in Washington, DC. The average speed is 30 through here. My mileage was an astonishing 86 miles per gallon!
The second part of my commute is on highways — Washington Boulevard beside the Pentagon, then car pool lanes on I-395 to my house, about 3 miles at 60-70mph. Incredibly, I still got a very impressive 67 miles per gallon!
I hereby shelve my complaints about the Prius’ mileage. But my bewilderment at the inaccurate gas gauge still stands.
