Hello, I just found this site. I am a brand new Prius owner. I have had it for a week. Bought a 2005 with 90,000 miles on it. My car before was a 1997 Tercel with over 300,000 miles on it. I would have still been driving it, but a deer decided it was time for a better car. The Prius is quite a class above the Tercel, so far I love it. The only thing I don't understand is the fuel gauge. I have 3 bars left. I have driven just about 295 miles since my last fill up, and the car states I'm averaging 49 mpg. So, how can I only have 3 bars if I'm getting 49 mpg. Is the meter that states how many miles to the gallon you are getting accurate? Thanks. I hope I will learn lots about the Prius in this forum.
2004-2009 models have a flexible bladder in the fuel tank which makes it impossible to know how much fuel is really there, and for that matter how much was there to start with. All you can be sure of is, if the last lite on the fuel gauge starts to flash you may be within a few miles of running out. If you don't already have one, buy an Owner's Manual from a dealer or online. It's full of stuff you need to know. And, use Toyota's online scheduled maintenance guide: http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/ Most dealer service writers will try to sell you boatloads of service that you don't need.
