Prius+ Vs Prius Gen 3 From 2009

[OldSkoO1]

Hello

My wife has a company car and regularly changes them, the latest is a prius+. Quite good timing as i'm thinking of a prius myself as a commuter car.

I had chance to drive the prius+ on my route to work, it amazingly achieved 58mpg. On the way back i actually hit 70mpg before i needed to climb a huge hill which isn't normally part of my route. It also did 61mpg coming back on the motorway. So fuel economy it really seemed to deliver.

My questions are, does the Prius+ have better Battery, energy recovery technology than a early (2009) gen 3 prius making it more efficient on fuel?

Also does the prius+ have a higher EV speed, this one seemed to do EV mode at as high as 45mph providing it is flat or slightly downhill.

Reason i ask those 2 things is i'm trying to figure out if i will get the same sort of economy from a 2009 gen 3?

Thanks!

[Paulie Boy]

Not sure how much this will help. I had a Gen1 2001 Prius which regularly achieved between 54-64 mpg for over 13 years.

I've recently replaced this with a gen 3 2010 and I am getting around the same which is a little disappointing as I was expecting better mpg from the newer car. Although it's still fairly good.

Hope this helps.

[Joseph D]

... does the Prius+ have better battery, energy recovery technology than a early (2009) gen 3 prius making it more efficient on fuel? ...

I know that the technology was improved from the Gen II to the Gen III. Both MG's (Motor/Generators) and ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) were increased in size. The focus of this was to make the car more economical in the motorway/highway environment. I read that HV Battery was changed from NmHi to a Lithium based cell for some models. I have not read of anything about this as whether it is better or not. I believe the Gen III Prius is still based on NmHi technology.

... Also does the prius+ have a higher EV speed, this one seemed to do EV mode at as high as 45mph providing it is flat or slightly downhill. ...

Another of the changes was to extend the range where EV mode is used and 45 mph sounds about right. It is a little over 30 mph in the Gen II. Having said that, in the right circumstances, I've seen HV mode in bursts at motorway speeds in my Gen II.

I'd like to think that the technology is being improved with every model released, but not having driven any other HSD except for the Gen II Prius, I have no firsthand knowledge whether this is the case.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

The Prius + has a Li-ion Battery as has the Yaris HSD. Whereas all the Prius generations have used the older but hardier NiMh Battery (like a rechargeable AA battery).

The Prius+ is a nice car, but quite expensive for what it is. Still, it's a nice drive, most are free roadtax and have tax benefits and are automatics and have low tailpipe emissions. Great if you live in a large city.

[Devon Aygo]

The Prius + has a Li-ion battery as has the Yaris HSD. Whereas all the Prius generations have used the older but hardier NiMh battery (like a rechargeable AA battery).

The Prius+ is a nice car, but quite expensive for what it is. Still, it's a nice drive, most are free roadtax and have tax benefits and are automatics and have low tailpipe emissions. Great if you live in a large city.

Currently only Prius + & Prius plug in have Li-ion Battery all other hybrids use NiMH

[APS]

Hello

My wife has a company car and regularly changes them, the latest is a prius+. Quite good timing as i'm thinking of a prius myself as a commuter car.

I had chance to drive the prius+ on my route to work, it amazingly achieved 58mpg. On the way back i actually hit 70mpg before i needed to climb a huge hill which isn't normally part of my route. It also did 61mpg coming back on the motorway. So fuel economy it really seemed to deliver.

My questions are, does the Prius+ have better battery, energy recovery technology than a early (2009) gen 3 prius making it more efficient on fuel?

Also does the prius+ have a higher EV speed, this one seemed to do EV mode at as high as 45mph providing it is flat or slightly downhill.

Reason i ask those 2 things is i'm trying to figure out if i will get the same sort of economy from a 2009 gen 3?

Thanks!

My wife has a Prius+ too and we normally get around 45-50mpg. You should easily get the same mpg with a normal Prius. The Plus does have Li-Ion Battery instead of NiMh but is heavier overall compared to the normal Prius so fuel economy suffers.

Funny you should mention the high speed EV mode on the Plus - I've noticed this too. My Auris doesn't do this - but it still gets better mpg than the Plus.

[OldSkoO1]

I actually bought a gen 3 2010 t-spirit over the weekend and recently picked it up

Seems great so far but haven't driven it much. Even on a short cold journey mostly on dual carriageway it did 55mpg over 3-4 miles

But on a longer journey around 10 miles + it's incredible, easily got 65 and saw 70mpg on one trip.

Incredible technical achievement.

[APS]

Nice! Congratulations on the new car.

Sent from my iPhone

[kithmo]

I had the 2010 Gen 3 for 3 years before the Prius+ that I've now had for a year and on the same journeys and conditions the Gen 3 beat the + by about 5 mpg. The + is a heavier car with it's 2 extra seats and bigger back end, so any extra efficiency coming from the Lithium Battery (if there is any ?) would be used up by the extra weight.

I changed to the Prius + because it is a lot quieter than the gen 3, the road noise on anything but smooth tarmac was unbearable for me.

[OldSkoO1]

I concur with that

Actually right this moment I have my own personal owned prius gen3 and my wife's prius+ company car on the drive. I've driven the prius+ for the past week quite extensively. We normally have a rav4 but had to swap.

I certainly agree there is a noticeable different in pulling power. It seems the slightly lighter gen3 normal prius can get to a higher speed under ev in some conditions and it's slightly quicker on the move... Which makes sense and yes I did notice it was much easier to hit 70mpg in the normal prius.

That aside, being able to get 55-60 in a car as big as the prius+ is an incredible achievement. Superb mpg for a people carrier. I know someone who has a vw people carrier diesel and it gets around 34-38mpg, it is slightly larger but the difference in running costs is pretty significant!

[APS]

I had the 2010 Gen 3 for 3 years before the Prius+ that I've now had for a year and on the same journeys and conditions the Gen 3 beat the + by about 5 mpg. The + is a heavier car with it's 2 extra seats and bigger back end, so any extra efficiency coming from the Lithium battery (if there is any ?) would be used up by the extra weight.

I changed to the Prius + because it is a lot quieter than the gen 3, the road noise on anything but smooth tarmac was unbearable for me.

This is interesting. We started our Prius ownership with a plus and I have always liked the way it drives.

Therefore I have been considering a normal Prius for myself but wanted to know how it compares to the plus.

So you think it's noisier. Is it as good at soaking up bumps?

Sent from my iPhone

[OldSkoO1]

Quick update after first day of commuting.

Very relaxed drive, certainly seems like the perfect commuter car for me to do my 12-15k in per year. I don't even know how best to drive it yet and I got 65mpg both ways today. Very impressed, that is nearly 3 times better than my usual 23mpg from my other car.

Just need to learn how to drive it correctly now. I assumed being in ev as much as possible for the goal, reading tonight it seems that isn't the case.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Try NOT to be in electric as often as possible. Try never to use EV mode unless showing off to friends or moving the car off the drive etc.

65 mpg is good going on a new car. Wait til it beds in a bit after 5,000 miles upwards.

Just drive the car gently and let it do the work. More importantly though - just enjoy it :)

[Joseph D]

Try NOT to be in electric as often as possible. Try never to use EV mode unless showing off to friends or moving the car off the drive etc.

65 mpg is good going on a new car. Wait til it beds in a bit after 5,000 miles upwards.

Just drive the car gently and let it do the work. More importantly though - just enjoy it :)

Agree with this 100%.

65 mpg is really good going.

Anticipation is the key, slow down early and try roll in a glide for the initial part of your slow down.

Keep up the good work.

[OldSkoO1]

Thanks guys, just to clarify its a 2010 gen 3 so its well run in :)

I am still learning this car so i am unsure what it means to stay off Battery.

Today i achieve a new high with the warmer weather of 72mpg on the way back from work, up from 64mpg on the way there. I even made another 15 mile mixed trip into town this afternoon and got 62mpg i wasn't even trying to drive efficiently, i think the traffic helped. My commute is probably well suited for a hybrid. It mainly consists of 1 mile of slow driving whilst i get to the dual carriageway, then a DC around 40-50mph onto an A-Road at the same speed for 20 miles. Some steep-ish hills but equally steep decents, a good mix of roundabouts and stop signs but both sides there is a good 2 or so miles of 40mph flat road where i normally get 100mpg.

When you say don't use Battery i'm not sure what this means. In traffic it will roll along on electric mode, when i get onto a 40mph flat dual carriageway it will happily sit doing 100mpg i assume still in electric mode. It even stays at 100mpg over 41mph which i thought was the ev limit. Should i be trying to keep the bar on the HSI as far left as possible whilst maintaining speed? Or should i be keeping it just past the centre point to stay off EV ?

At higher speeds i accelerate up and i left some speed bleed off whilst i (assume) i go into glide mode by having no bar and no charge on the HSI. I then flick cruise control on when i drop to the speed i need to be at, unless its hilly.

In glide i get 100mpg but on CC over about 45mph i get anywhere from 30 to about 70mpg which i assume is running on petrol.

Should i be avoiding the lower half of the HSI then? Even below 45mph?

I have always driven with awareness and driven using the least amount of braking so i think the hybrid suits me. I like to accelerate quite quickly and will go into the red bar pwr zone most times as i like to get up to speed, release glide and then maintain steady speed. It doesn't hold up traffic and i seem to be getting amazing mileage.

Would be grateful for any tips or links to help explain how to stay off EV mode. cheers

[Ten Ninety]

Don't worry about trying to keep it off electric power, just try to avoid deliberately provoking or prolonging it e.g. by a sharp throttle lift to get it to kick in or deliberately keeping the throttle below the petrol point. That said, I do both of the latter simply because I enjoy being in milkfloat mode when in 30 limits and villages.

If you want a real boost, avoid that red bar power zone when accelerating. That doesn't just give a Battery boost (which needs to be paid back later) - the engine is calibrated completely differently up there with higher valve lift and all sorts going on which means lots of fuel chucked in.

[kithmo]

I had the 2010 Gen 3 for 3 years before the Prius+ that I've now had for a year and on the same journeys and conditions the Gen 3 beat the + by about 5 mpg. The + is a heavier car with it's 2 extra seats and bigger back end, so any extra efficiency coming from the Lithium battery (if there is any ?) would be used up by the extra weight.

I changed to the Prius + because it is a lot quieter than the gen 3, the road noise on anything but smooth tarmac was unbearable for me.

This is interesting. We started our Prius ownership with a plus and I have always liked the way it drives.

Therefore I have been considering a normal Prius for myself but wanted to know how it compares to the plus.

So you think it's noisier. Is it as good at soaking up bumps?

Sent from my iPhone

IIRC the Gen 3 was no different to the + at soaking up bumps.

[OldSkoO1]

Don't worry about trying to keep it off electric power, just try to avoid deliberately provoking or prolonging it e.g. by a sharp throttle lift to get it to kick in or deliberately keeping the throttle below the petrol point. That said, I do both of the latter simply because I enjoy being in milkfloat mode when in 30 limits and villages.

If you want a real boost, avoid that red bar power zone when accelerating. That doesn't just give a battery boost (which needs to be paid back later) - the engine is calibrated completely differently up there with higher valve lift and all sorts going on which means lots of fuel chucked in.

Thank you

I will avoid provoking back into ev. When it comes off ev I do like a mini pulse and glide accelerating all the way to the right edge of the Eco hsi and glide again. I guess I need to think about the bigger picture as provoking ev is making the engine work harder to restore Battery power?

So the general rule is awareness, limit braking, use momentum more than regenerative braking as it's slightly more energy efficient, accelerate to the far right of hsi in Eco mode if safe and maintain speed with as little throttle travel as possible. If the engine moves from ev to ice let it do so and don't provoke it back into ev. On the same token choose just over centre on hsi instead of maximum ev because it's a waste of Battery which just needs regenerating somewhere down the line?

Is that all about right?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

What they all said above, but sometimes you can't help but be on electric - such as following a slow truck on an A road when they're doing 35-40 mph.

But a bad habit could be when people just ease off the accelerator to get the engine to stop and then gently ease it back on again to keep the car accelerating on electric but not accelerating enough to switch the engine back on again. Pretty much forcing the car into electric. It doesn't do it any harm but it does knacker your ability to get the best out of the car for mpg's.

The number of posts from newbie owners that say they got 85 mpg over 3 miles because they forced it in electric. But they'll then do 25 mpg for the next 5 miles as the car struggles to put the charge back in again. You can coax the car to do amazing mpg's like Ten Ninety has and I've managed some good runs too, but it's hard work.

You'll have fun testing all this out; as I said, it appeals to the inner nerd. We all have one in there somewhere.

[APS]

Nerd or geek - someone who is insatiably curious, an obsessive learner and passionate about improving something in the world around them.

There are worse personality traits to be lumbered with.

Sent from my iPhone

[Ancient Nerd]

Nerd or geek - someone who is insatiably curious, an obsessive learner and passionate about improving something in the world around them.

There are worse personality traits to be lumbered with.

Sent from my iPhone

Ancient Nerd - like that, but older!

[OldSkoO1]

You were right :)

A new high today 78.6mpg over my 20mile commute.

Today i just drove without trying to provoke it back into EV. I simply used EV when conditions allowed, i used pulse and glide as always, i also only used cruise control on more flat ground and also accelerated before hills and allowed speed to bleed off.

But like you said, the biggest change i made was to try and not use the EV forcefully. The most remarkable thing is i did not drive slowly or annoy anyone behind, still used the red "pwr" zone occasionally but on the flat i did favour using 3/4 on the HSI indicator for acceleration up to 40mph on the flat.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Counter intuitive isn't it, but it does work as you've found. You're converted now too I recon :)

ps., put some petrol in!

[OldSkoO1]

:) With this kind of economy i have to tell myself not to pick up the black stuff. It is my first fill since i got the car, i did notice when i set off it was on 2 bars and its just dropped to 1 bar so i will be going to get some :)

Glad i saw this advise because i'd never imagine staying off EV would be the right thing to do. Naturally its always active at about 35mph and below unless its uphill but it is certainly best to let the car figure it out.

[OldSkoO1]

Forgot to check the range after refilling but 49 quid for a fill from nearly empty is a refreshing change!