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[vicpai]

People getting 55 and 60mpg with their Priuses is simply not the norm. To get these unrealistic figures, you have to drive like an insane madman, or maybe cruise on a lonely 2 lane road with no other traffic around. These scenarios are simply not feasible in the real world, especially for people living in major cities like Los Angeles, where I live. So unless you live someplace like Podunk, North Dakota, you're not likely to come anywhere close to the EPA estimates. (FYI, I'm originally from that area )....and aside from this, Hybrids are far more adversely affected by such things as COLD WEATHER, compared to a regular gas engine!!

The reason I know this fact to be true, is because not only do I have friends and an uncle who drives the current generation Prius, but have rented it as well from Fox-Rent-A-Car for 4 days and done some meticulous tests. From what I've heard first hand, as well as from what I've gleaned from my own tests, conservative driving yields mileage somewhere in the LOW to MID 40s combined (I personally got around 48mpg driving a constant 60mph on the freeway, and 41mpg driving conservatively in city areas)...In my tests of "agressive" driving I obtained around 35mpg in the city and 42mpg on the freeway at a constant 80mph, with an occasional slowdown to 70 - 75 due to traffic. Obtaining "hyper mileage" using techniques such as "PULSE and GLIDE", is simply not feasible in the real world, unless you have a great desire to be run over by some monster SUV behind you (or maybe even get shot by some moron) ......as a sidenote I made an interesting observation from these tests. Toyota claims better gas mileage in city driving conditions, but as can be seen, that never happened!!...just goes to show how FLAWED the EPA test procedures are!!

So as can be seen, a NORMAL person driving in the NORMAL world will only be able to get an average of around 45mpg with a Prius, using a CONSERVATIVE driving style. Friends of mine who own Stick-shift Toyota Echos, and using the same CONSERVATIVE driving style, average around 38 to 40mpg!!! That is a difference of only about 5mpg, which in purely FINANCIAL TERMS, virtually makes no sense at all. A majority of people who buy Priuses (such as my uncle) do it for a combination of several factors, which include the "environmental feel good" aspect, and also to make a statement about their choices (this is the precise reason the Civic Hybrid does not sell as well as the Prius), and the gas savings is just an added incentive. However, here in Southern California, the ability to drive single in the CARPOOL LANE does make for a significant benefit as well!!