6 months Auris Hybrid: real life fuel consumption

alesironi

Actually almost 6 months...

I bought last november a used 2012 Toyota Auris Hybrid from a Dealer in Dublin, 50k KMs, Toyota warranty.

Since when I started using it I tracked down carefully the "real" fuel consumption (fill the tank possibly at the same pump and check the mileage done) and after 5000 Km (more or less) I've never been able to get better than 17.5 Km/l (41.1 Mpg), on average I get 16.8 Km/l (.


I've driven in all possible conditions: stuck in the traffic, M50, motorway (some trips to NI, Cork and Donegal), outside cities at 70-80km/h, I would say all possible conditions. I mostly drive alone (sometimes my wife with me).

I searched and tried to follow guidelines and hints found on this site, on Totota website and on other popular hybrid forums (Priuschat and others) on how to efficiently drive a Toyota hybrid:
- fully inflate the tires (mine were at 40 PSI, Toyota said 33 was ok for my 17 inches)
- drive as slowly as traffic allows
- anticipate stops by slowing down early and try to reach a stop light when it changes
- Pulse and Glide

I used battery when possible, then I changed, I tried to avoid battery only mode, but nothing changed.

I decided to bring back to the official Toyota Dealer for a check and they told me everything is ok, tHey say it's normal.

I'm not disappointed by what I get, 16.8 Km/l average for an automatic petrol it's very good, I'm disappointed because I expected to get at least 20 Km/l (47 Mpg) on average, based on what I've read here, on other forums and the real consumption data I've found online (https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/toyota/auris-2007/18-hybrid)

Just my 2c.

bp_me

It's totally dependant on your typical driving. Its also worse in winter. If you do primarily short trips where you have the heating on you will not achieve particularly good consumption. Also if you have a lot of elevation change on your route then the ICE runs a lot more and you can't exploit the electric part of the power train so much.

Over 57,000km my best tank was 4.9L/100km but average was 6.1L/100km. However within those tanks there are a few decent distance trips where it was possible to achieve better than 4L/100km without being a total nuisance to other road users.

You shouldnt really use EV mode at all. The only good use for it is if you want to move the car to the other side of the driveway without having the engine start.

If you have the patience you can try eco mode but it will probably make you hate the car

Anecdotally I would suggest you can't/shouldnt compare here to UK or continental Europe. I typically use somewhere in the region of 1L/100km less when in UK, France, Netherlands, etc.

unkel

20km/l is over 56MPG, which is better than you can expect from your car. 17km/l is 48MPG which is very good for a petrol automatic

I'd say you did your sums wrong and used US MPG?

goz83

unkel wrote: »

20km/l is over 56MPG, which is better than you can expect from your car. 17km/l is 48MPG which is very good for a petrol automatic

I'd say you did your sums wrong and used US MPG?

Not to mention that November to now is 4 months.

TBi

I average around 17km/l in my 2.5l IS300h. I would have thought auris would be better.

Cousin has a 2017 auris and averages around 20km/l.

Miscreant

I have the same model Auris since 2014 and have been averaging just over 53MPG with periods where it creeps up slightly more. I have used it all over the country in all weathers of course so it has had varied use and I have kept a log of all the fuel ups I have done since I got it.
Feel free to take a look at the PDF I have attached. It is literally every drop of fuel that has gone in to the car during my ownership. I am not sure what will increase the fuel economy at this stage either but the car is serviced on the button by Toyota and I have used ECO, Normal and "Power" modes in varying stages to see what gives the best economy. Other than trying to Hyper Mile the thing (which I see as a way to annoy everyone behind you) there is nothing else I can do with it.
Overall though, after coming from a Volvo which did at best 30MPG, I am very happy with the car but I think to the normal driver, 60MPG is about the best you can hope for in the 2012 model. Perhaps the 2013 and later ones are better as they were specifically designed to take the hybrid powertrain as opposed to grafting it in to an already existing body like our model.

n97 mini

We used have a 2010 Prius (which I believe is the same drivetrain) and it never did much more than 50 mpg, even with careful driving. It replaced a 2003 Civic IMA and as such it was expected to do much better, but it didn't.

Shefwedfan

What is the on board computer telling you that you are getting?

alesironi

alesironi wrote: »

and after 5000 Km (more or less) I've never been able to get better than 17.5 Km/l (41.1 Mpg), on average I get 16.8 Km/l (.

Be careful what online converter you use, because you used U.S conversion.

17.5 Km/l = 48.5 Imperial MPG or 5.84 L/100 Km

16.8 Km/l = 47.45 Imperial MPG or 5.95 L/100 Km

Yes for a petrol Auto that's good depending on your driving style.

You might want to trust the on board L/100 Km a bit more.

Bigus

Check that it has a decent brand of eco low rolling resistance tyres on it too.

alesironi

Thanks everyone for the replies.
I just learned now the MPG thing (sorry did not know that) and the numbers make more sense.

@miscreant I checked your PDF consumption file, you are doing better than me but at least I do not see that much difference. Let's see with the "less cold" season what's happening.

Regarding the last onboard settings, when I filled the tank yesterday it showed 18.2 Km/l in reality it was 16.4 (My trip is counting in miles), 1 mile=1.609 Km, hope that is correct?

Heebie

It's important too keep in mind that there are several generations of hybrid synergy drive out there now, with leaps in efficiency and improvements to how the different modes work.
2014 was a year with a huge change in several parts of HSD. Cars from before then won't generally do as well as those after.
I really like my Auris hybrid, and regularly see 4.6L/100km. Sometimes as low as bi 4.3. it's a 2014.
I know I could get better if I used the heat, media system, and on-board navigation less, though.

zilog_jones

alesironi wrote: »

@miscreant I checked your PDF consumption file, you are doing better than me but at least I do not see that much difference. Let's see with the "less cold" season what's happening.

How do you have the climate control set? Having the heat set high could increase ICE idling significantly. A lot of Prius owners also block the block the grille in winter, which will reduce idling too (it uses the ICE cooling system to heat the cabin like any normal car).

I'd also say 40 PSI is too much, and will probably have an adverse effect on handling. 2-3 PSI over the recommended tyre pressure would be more reasonable. The rolling resistance of the tyres can also affect fuel consumption (what tyres are they?).

Regarding the last onboard settings, when I filled the tank yesterday it showed 18.2 Km/l in reality it was 16.4 (My trip is counting in miles), 1 mile=1.609 Km, hope that is correct?

Did you reset the trip computer at the previous fill as well? It's normal for the trip computer to read maybe 1-2 MPG better than reality, but that seems a bit too far off.

Also: No one around here uses km/l - that's something I only really see used in east Asia and Oceania. The metric standard here is l/100km, otherwise use MPG (imperial gallons).

Heebie wrote: »

It's important too keep in mind that there are several generations of hybrid synergy drive out there now, with leaps in efficiency and improvements to how the different modes work.
2014 was a year with a huge change in several parts of HSD. Cars from before then won't generally do as well as those after.

Nothing special happened in 2014 AFAIK. The second generation Auris was launched in 2013 (maybe late 2012?), but that has the same drivetrain as the 1st gen Auris Hybrid (2010-2012) - both the same drivetrain as the 3rd gen Prius (2009-2015). The 2nd Gen Auris is probably better on fuel due to improved aerodynamics.

I know I could get better if I used the heat, media system, and on-board navigation less, though.

Heat will make a difference (as it's dependent on the ICE), but the power consumption of the stereo and satnav are negligible. Heated seats are great for the winter (and efficient), but I don't think they were available in Ireland ("Paddy Spec" nonsense still lives on...)

grogi

alesironi wrote: »

Actually almost 6 months...

I bought last november a used 2012 Toyota Auris Hybrid from a Dealer in Dublin, 50k KMs, Toyota warranty.

Since when I started using it I tracked down carefully the "real" fuel consumption (fill the tank possibly at the same pump and check the mileage done) and after 5000 Km (more or less) I've never been able to get better than 17.5 Km/l (41.1 Mpg), on average I get 16.8 Km/l (.

Are we in Italy?! There is enough of mess with and mpg not to add km/l measurements...

Average of 16.8km/l is 5.9. It's very good for winter conditions...