Sep
04
2011
Toyota Prius V Gas Mileage
Posted by Car Dude in Cars, Gas Mileage, fuel economy, toyota prius, tags: Cars, Gas Mileage, hybrids, prius, toyotaToyota Prius V Gas Mileage
Did you know that Toyota has sold over 1 million Prius hybrids here in the U.S. over the past decade? Go ahead and up that number to 2 million worldwide. So with such great success why not create a whole family of automobiles around the Prius. There is still no match for the Prius when talking hybrid gas mileage figures. Sure the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt are out there, but these cars not only cost thousands more, they are inconvient for most of the population. So the Prius remains the old standby and has grown larger with the release of the 2012 Prius V in an effort to attract more buyers. But Gas Mileage has gone down from 50 MPG combined for the standard model to 42 MPG for the Prius V.
With 50% more cargo room than the standard Toyota Prius, the V stands for Versatile. But while the PriusV has grown, the fuel economy has shrunk. Earlier in the year when the Lexus CT 200h, I could not figure out why a car with the same drivetrain as the Prius gets much lower gas mileage. It’s the same conundrum for the Toyota Prius V. The car has the same shape and the exact same drivetrain as the standard Prius but the gas mileage is lower by 15%. Let’s take a look into the reasons for the loss in fuel economy.
1) Weight – the Prius 5 weighs over 230 pounds more than the standard Prius. This may not seem like much but coupled with the other changes; weight does play a role in Gas Mileage loss.
2) Size – the Prius V is 6 inches longer and 3 inches taller than the standard Prius. The wheelbase is a tad longer and by stretching the Prius V out, much was changed in the Prius V suspension to make the car more like a nice sedan.
3) Drag Coefficient – the 2011 Toyota Prius has a Drag Coefficient of 0.25 while the changes to the exterior of the Prius V have caused the Drag Coefficient to drop to 0.29.
While these changes may seem minor, they reduce the gas mileage on the Prius 5 by 15%. Estimated figures put the Prius V gas mileage figures at 44 on the Highway and 40 in the City. The standard Prius gets 52/48 respectively. This goes to show that the Prius is so perfectly engineered for getting the best fuel economy possible that even a few little tweaks can drastically reduce those figures. Good news is the Prius V will only cost a bit more but will offer you 50% more cargo room and should be a great buy for those looking to increase gas mileage without losing utility.
I crunched the numbers and if you drive an average of 15,000 miles per year; it will only cost you $200 more to drive the Prius V over the standard Prius (with gas costing $3.50). This actually seems like a drop in the bucket considering how much more interior space you get.
Did you know that Toyota has sold over 1 million Prius hybrids here in the U.S. over the past decade? Go ahead and up that number to 2 million worldwide. So with such great success why not create a whole family of automobiles around the Prius. There is still no match for the Prius when talking hybrid gas mileage figures. Sure the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt are out there, but these cars not only cost thousands more, they are inconvenient for most of the population. So the Prius remains the old standby and has grown larger with the release of the 2012 Prius V in an effort to attract more buyers. But Gas Mileage has gone down from 50 MPG combined for the standard model to 42 MPG for the Prius V. Read the rest of this entry »
A good gas mileage SUV is an imporatant and popular decision in the car world these days. Why get 20 MPG when you can get 50% better with ease. Hybrid SUV’s return both excellent city and highway MPG numbers. But there are many good gas mileage SUV’s out there that are excellent performers. And for the 2010 model year you have many good choices. Lets just start with the top performers. Of course Hybrid SUV’s win. 
How do you figure out which hybrid vehicle best suits your needs? Can you point to a hybrid car and say that this one is undoubtedly the best car for your needs? Most hybrids that are produced target a certain kind of car buyer. And each and every car maker has one important goal in their range of activity, namely to create better green vehicles that are not only fuel efficient but that will appeal to a large audience. 
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