1700 miles freeway report

[ukrkoz]

Not that I am asked for this, but just in case.

I came back yesterday from a round trip on I5 from Seattle to Tracy, CA. 810 miles one way plus whatever driving we had to do in addition. 2 passengers, myself, and associate, another 250lbs, plus about 70 lbs worth of - mostly his - luggage. Weather was cool going to Tracy, about 4 hrs with a/c on going back. Average speed 63mph per dash database. mostly cruising at 5mph above speed limit, short bursts if someone had to be passed. average outside temp was about 68-70, no rain.

it was a love/hate trip.

1. LOVE part. i absolutely enjoyed driving her on freeway. very stable, comfortable, good pickup in need. yes, she's still bumpy just like any mid-class shocks/suspension car, but overall, on a good pavement, very, very comfy. we took 3 mountain passes, cornering at high speeds and braking is absolutely up to my needs.

2. HATE part. this is not freeway vehicle. meaning - mpg wise. we left Seattle with rock solid 38 mpg average, and me being all fired up about how i'll come back with about 42. took me well over a month to build mpg from winter 37.5 to 38 driving here.
WE RETURNED WITH 37.5. on nav display, bars stayed steadily below 40mpg line. in-dash tank average showed 35.1, which i have never even seen on this car. powertrain performed beautifully otherwise, but no, she absolutely does not like hwy speeds. the very moment we'd get into slower traffic or simply drive around Tracy, mpg will climb up instantly, back to hwy speeds - drops down right away.

now i am back to inglorious task of restoring my 38mpg i was so proud of.

my mpg is based on long term data. i did not reset average mpg since october, so data are true and valid.

i know well enough this will be followed by "i have done 800 miles on a tank and averaged 55mpg on freeway" posts, as i have seen them. ppplease... unless you had a gene pushing your car - it is impossible. even without mountain passes and all that, and you living somewhere super flat - there's no way she will do 50mpg long haul, or get 800 miles on a tank AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. maybe long haul at 45mph, yes. not when speed limit is 70 and you are not dragging.

[standonit]

My wife and I just returned from a tour of the Great Lakes (2500+ miles). Our Camry Hybrid is an '09. For the entire trip we averaged 41.2mpg. The weather ranged from 65 to 93F. It rained 4 days of the trip. I lit up the traction control light a few times. For the trip we averaged 66mph. The small towns we passed through slowed us down repeatedly, and we stopped to take numerous photos.
We have been happy with the performance of our Camry. Mileage on the car is 34,000 miles

[ukrkoz]

exactly what i expected it to be. sounds like there's major difference between going 75 and no stops for hours, and going 65 and do frequent stops/slow downs.

yes, it's a good car. just not really for those who live on freeway - and at freeway speeds.