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Toyota Camry Hybrid MPG-Real World Numbers

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  • wheels_r_superwheels_r_super Member Posts: 44
    Wife has the 13 TCH and after a year with one long trip, it is averaging 43 city and close to 50 Highway at 60 MPG. Have not seen a need to run at 70 MPH so far.
    I calibrated the digital MPG, both tank and auto-reset trip computers by filling the tank to the brim (takes a while) and then doing the same on the next fill. The meters were only off by one MPG between computer and pump ODO/gallons observed. After that, we use the computer number which you do not have to fill the tank to get.
    The Highway number at 70 will have to wait for my next thousand mile plus trip.
    40 MPG is probably close to what I would expect.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    wheels_r_super said:

    I calibrated the digital MPG, both tank and auto-reset trip computers by filling the tank to the brim (takes a while) and then doing the same on the next fill. The meters were only off by one MPG between computer and pump ODO/gallons observed. After that, we use the computer number which you do not have to fill the tank to get.

    Yep, I wouldn't expect the dash to match the calculation EXACTLY, but within 1 mpg makes the dash reading a useful tool for keeping an eye on whether things are generally going well with your vehicle. Our newest vehicle is the first we've had with dash readings of instantaneous and average mileage, and while the instantaneous reading is interesting, the average mileage figure is much more useful

  • wheels_r_superwheels_r_super Member Posts: 44
    Here is why MPG numbers are meaningless without knowing the distance you commute.

    Actual TCH results:
    1block from home - 7mpg
    1/2 mile away up a hill - now 20 mpg
    2 miles at a light - 32 mpg
    4 miles to store - 35 mpg

    Now the engine is hot and running more efficiently, but not if you are commuting to work and come out to a cold car.

    Hot start from store: 50 to 60 MPG back to garage.
    Why so high? The engine is hot and the TCH is using the battery more than the engine.
    Why? SMOP - Small Matter Of Progamming at Toyota.
    Note, you do not start this car's engine - it starts and stops when it wants too.

    So what is it coming out to for a quick trip and not a commute? About 43 MPG observed.

    So when you hear MPG from me or from the Federal Fuel Guide, you have to compare those numbers to your own driving pattern and cycle times.

    Example: the 2014.5 gas 4-Cly Camry got me 41mpg on a 250 mile long city/highway trip.
    But: it only got 35mpg this week on a short trip of 50 miles including 2 mountain climbs.
    Same car. Long quick return trips good. Short commute trips bad.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,708
    @wheels_r_super - don't ever fill your gas tank 'to the brim', that can cause real ($$) problems with the evaporative control system. Fill it consistently to the first click, you will have accurate mpgs after a couple of tanks.
  • wheels_r_superwheels_r_super Member Posts: 44
    texases: Are you thinking that if you fill it up and park it, the gas will expand into the control system. I continue to drive immediately and that is required to run down the gas out of the neck.
    What say you?
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,708
    No, when you fill it up to the brim, you are submerging the inlet to the evap system, potentially forcing liquid gas into a system designed only for gas vapor. Many are the problems caused by overfilling the fuel tank. Since there's nothing to be gained, no sense doing it.
  • wheels_r_superwheels_r_super Member Posts: 44
    Ten years ago I discovered a problem: why was my MPG fluctuating between fills on a long trip.
    Turns out that at a really slow gas pump, the gas had a chance to equalize using the breather tube running to the neck to evacuate air from the top of the tank. And as a result the pump would trip late putting more gas in the tank. On a really fast pump, the pump would trip off a lot earlier because the small tube could not pull the air out of the tank quick enough forcing the nozzle to think the tank was full.
    That is why the computation would vary from like 34 to 39 MPG on the same type interstate going the same speed, etc. So once I get a calibration, I use the computer to get the correct readings and correct for know bias. Thanks for the good tip.
  • wheels_r_superwheels_r_super Member Posts: 44
    Here is the last data I took with the 13 TCH. It was rated at around 40/40 MPG. We don't know what tests the EPA did to get that number, but I can now translate that to what they were simulating:
    78 mile trip, Sunday AM, low traffic, and 64 degrees. Hybrids are a bit sensitive to temp.

    Mile 2 - city = 28 MPG
    Mile 7 - all interstate = 40 MPG. If I commuted 7 mile to work at this point I would be getting EPA MPG provided I came out of work to a cold engine.
    Mile 14 - divided highway, some lights = 45 MPG.
    Mile 32 - 2 lane slow traffic, no lights = 50 MPG. So if I commuted this distance every day from Madison to New Hope, Al. this would be the actual MPG of this TCH.
    Now I manually reset the MPG to get a pure highway number back to Madison.
    Mile 32 to 78 = 46 MPG. It dropped bacause I put it on Cruize an picked up the speed on interstate to 62 MPG. One mountain climb and then 70 MPH did not help.

    So can you imagine two guys meeting at work and both have the same car - one says he hates it because he lives to mile from work and his MPG is lousy. The other guy swears he is getting 50 MPG in the same exact model car. They are both most likely correct. They just don't understand what makes and what kills EPA estimates, in my opinion.
    Cold engine starts and short trips sap all gas engine cars of their rated MPG.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    wheels_r_super said:

    They just don't understand what makes and what kills EPA estimates, in my opinion.
    Cold engine starts and short trips sap all gas engine cars of their rated MPG.

    That phrase, "Your mileage may vary" is SO true. Great observations!

  • standonitstandonit Member Posts: 2
    When I bought my 14 Camry Hybrid SE new, I was only able to log 36-38mpg combined hwy/city driving. The car now has 3600 miles and it gets between 46-51mpg combined city/hwy driving up to 65mph.
    I am definitely a happy camper with his Camry. BTW, I live in Florida---no "real" hills, overpasses don't count.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    standonit said:

    When I bought my 14 Camry Hybrid SE new, I was only able to log 36-38mpg combined hwy/city driving. The car now has 3600 miles and it gets between 46-51mpg combined city/hwy driving up to 65mph.
    I am definitely a happy camper with his Camry. BTW, I live in Florida---no "real" hills, overpasses don't count.

    Driving conditions matter for sure! As do drivers!
  • nomikalnomikal Member Posts: 3
    I think one thing that hasn't been consistently mentioned is tires, which can benefit or disadvantage MPGs. I've heard estimates of gains of 3 to 8% for some tires, Michelin Energy saver A/S, Bridgestone Ecopias, Continental purecontact EcoPlus etc...
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    nomikal said:

    I think one thing that hasn't been consistently mentioned is tires, which can benefit or disadvantage MPGs. I've heard estimates of gains of 3 to 8% for some tires, Michelin Energy saver A/S, Bridgestone Ecopias, Continental purecontact EcoPlus etc...

    Just remember, the trade off for decreasing rolling resistance is traction. A friend of mine owns a tire shop/garage and has had hybrid owners who wanted the lowest rolling resistance tires they could get to maximize mileage, only to take them off once they ran them in the rain. I'm not sure how much of a gain you will get, but up to 8% sounds kind of high (unless you are giving up a lot of traction)
  • stevo9450stevo9450 Member Posts: 1
    If your trying to save some gas, try this fuel economizer I use it in all my cars and it works great and just plugs right in!

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DI8IY3Q
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,708
    edited March 2015
    You are joking, right? Those plug in things are 100% BS. Any fuel saving are purely imaginary, or the result of driving more carefully. Throw it out.

    As for LRR tires, it depends. My Michelins handle great.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Agree that it's going to depend on the tires and the road conditions you have to deal with.

    And if someone thinks that plugging ANYTHING into your cigarette lighter is going to improve your mileage, never mind up to 30%...well... I might have some swamp land or a bridge I might want to unload too. ;)
  • jedariusjedarius Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a brand new 2015 TCH LE about 2 months ago. 1st tank of gas I got around 31 MPG out of it, driving very conservatively. 2nd tank of gas I got around 30 MPG.

    Granted my daily work trips are short, about 10 miles each way (combined highway+city). I don't understand how there can be such a big gap (about 10 MPG difference) between what I'm getting and the EPA rating.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    That "your mileage may vary" factor can really affect how close you can get to those EPA estimates. Driving style, driving conditions, they all factor in. If you're basically doing a series of 10 mile trips, I wouldn't expect that you'll be seeing peak efficiency out of your car.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Now that the cold weather is here (such as it is in California - nights and early morning commutes around freezing) my MPG has taken its first hit since I got this car: now averaging 37-38, was at a solid 40 all year with occasional 41s prior to that.

    Am going for a personal best with the current tank by really soft-footing it - dash readout says 44 now that I'm at a half tank, but I have found that more than any other car I have had with a dash MPG readout, the one in the hybrid can be very inaccurate. Unlike others, it can be right on with one tank and off by 5 points with another (all the other dash readouts I have had in other cars have been consistent in the amount of inaccuracy, if that makes any sense!). We will see...

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I got new tires on my minivan two months ago (Continental True Contacts) and my mpg took a 3 mpg hit. Pretty significant, especially since I'm not driving a Camry Hybrid!

    The last few cars I've driven (the van and a few rentals) have all been spot on with the dash readout when I've checked it manually. Wonder if the hybrid factor is affecting the dash estimates.

    (and by the way, that gas saver link above was a joke :) )
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    Wonder if the hybrid factor is affecting the dash estimates

    My theory is it doesn't do a good job of accounting for the electric-only operation. I find that the more traffic I am in, and consequently the more it runs on electric in a given tank, the more inaccurate the dash readout is.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,318
    Does a Camry Hybrid have a bladder style fuel tank like the Prius? It can change size, but I'm not sure how much.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    I don't think so - unlike the Prius, the Camry hybrid is mostly just a Camry with some hybrid componentry, using otherwise regular Camry parts. That is one of the reasons I like it - it has the same 17-gallon tank as the other Camrys, which with the hybrid mileage means I only fill up about every 600 miles or so. :smile:

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

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