kevin_450h

Hi there. Hate to burst your bubble, but the main reason for that MPG was the rain and the fact you had to drive so much slower than usual. On your next long drive, try using cruise control and staying at 60-65 (whatever the legal limit is in your state) and you will note a big boost in efficiency. I have the 450h hybrid sedan and noticed the same thing while experimenting. There's a hidden gem of wisdom in all of this that I also discovered after putting solar on my roof- you can get at least half the benefits of a proactive "green" effort by simply conserving. For example, switching a house to all CFL and LED lighting will be the equivalent of adding a small solar PV system to your roof. Likewise, driving 55mph on the freeway in an SUV will get you 30% better mileage without buying a hybrid Escalade! Sure, I'd prefer they'd buy hybrids, but it's a start. ANd, lets' face it, whether it's 25 or 28mpg, we are talking about terribly inefficient vehicles, even the hybrids. This would be greatly mitigated if only Toyota would come out with the plug-ins already. Then you get 50-100mpg and still get to drive your SUV. BOL to you.