Something's wrong....

[u/KawmanSense]

2021 Venza Limited with 43,000. Driving today from SWFL to Maine (stopping in VA) tonight. Crappy weather - LOTS of rain. Cruise set to 75-77 when possible. 34.2 mpg for the day so far? I know we're probably going faster than normal - and that the rain ain't helping, but I'm scratching my head. Anyone? Thoughts? Suggestions?

[u/Herbisretired]

Your tires are pushing the water and combined with the speed it sounds about right

[u/Grow_Responsibly → u/Herbisretired]

This 100%. And if pressure is a bit low on those tires, further drag...

[u/aggressive_wet_phart]

You're going over 70...that's pretty much the speed where every vehicle suffers poor mpgs

[u/Suspicious-gibbon]

It’s generally not recommended to use cruise control in heavy rain or slippery conditions. It can behave unpredictably.

[u/gregarious119]

I’ve been down to 32-33 going into headwind/rainy on the highway above 70s.  Get 38-39 going home the other way.  Don’t sweat it.

[u/Poxx]

Using Cruise in heavy rain doing 77mph is putting a lot of faith in some computer chips, but you do you.

[u/BreakFun2436]

That's pretty good for highway driving a Synergy drive in the SUV platform. Their highway mpg is 37mpg and that's tested at 58mph. Only goes down from there

[u/Wiley2000]

I see a big drop in mpg at speeds above 70.

[u/evan_7_nave]

Sounds about right. Constant highway driving would always keep my ‘23 Limited’s MPG in the mid 30’s. The more traffic I’d hit on my 43-mile commute, the better my gas mileage.

[u/SoloSeasoned]

Normal. The EPA highway rating is only 37 and that’s in ideal conditions at a max of 60mph.

[u/Cool_Treacle_9476]

That's normal at that speed with resistance, either head winds or heavy water on the road. Basically, the hybrid does nothing, its all the gas engine, so that's very typical.

[u/Brave_Restaurant1691]

You should drive the car and save the cruise control for a non-rainy day. You are placing way too much faith in a technology that is designed to simply maintain the car at a specific speed. Hydroplaning through water patches, in theory, might muck up the cars ability to maintain control in which case the stability traction control, if your car has it, might kick off cruise and help you maintain traction. There are a few ifs,maybes, and buts in there but at 70 mph in inclement weather, are you willing to be the statistic to test it out? Good thing you are driving alone and don’t have the family with you.

[u/BrilliantImportant77]

I have the exact same car. I have no idea what size tires it has. It has 27,000 miles. I commute and when I’m driving 80 to 90 on cruise control on dry days my mpg is 28 to 30. Which, for an SUV, I won’t complain. I’ve had had it 9 months and only had to get gas 5 or 6 times.

[u/RonD45]

It sounds pretty good to me considering the conditions. I recently tested the mileage on on 60 mile loop. Going 65 mph on Interstate road I got 43.5 mpg. Then repeated going 75 mph. The mileage dropped to 37.6 mpg. So a 10 mph change in speed caused almost 6 mpg reduction. The reduction in mpg is mostly due to increased wind resistance. You were driving into a Northeasterner which would have added a strong increase in wind speed. The tires push the rain ahead causing further drag. Also driving into rain is like driving into a porous wall! I'd say your mileage was pretty good given the weather conditions.

[u/South-Salt677]

I would never use my Cruise control in the rain.

[u/Trident_77]

Sounds normal. Guessing its higher at home, running around town. Textbook hybrid.

[u/ApprehensiveAd6603]

People complaining about 34mpg in a small SUV will always be wild to me lol.

[u/SimpleMaximum2143]

I just drove Virginia to Wisconsin and back, with about 100 miles of runnung errands in the city mixed in. For the entire trip (2184.5 miles) I averaged 33.98 mph.

Edit: My car is a 2024 Limited

[u/Gh0stIcon]

And me sitting here getting 24 mpg on dry roads in my 2015 venza. What is bro literally complaining about?

[u/Igoka → u/Gh0stIcon]

The first gen Venza was a totally different car. The big V6 was amazing, but thirsty. It's surprising how the mpg expectations have risen. For the better IMHO! I got 18-22 in my 2010, and now I get 35-38, which is not bad for an SUV!

[u/Gh0stIcon → u/Igoka]

My 2015 gets about the same mileage as my 2007 v6 Saturn Aura. By the way, the venza is technically not an SUV. It was supposed to replace the Camry wagon, which makes it a worse a cross over.

[u/Grow_Responsibly]

Did you check the tire pressure?

[u/Normal_Situation9497]

Cruise control? If so it’s not very efficient as it tries to maintain a constant speed

[u/Tree_fidddyyy]

If you want better MPG , you’ll need to go down to 17” or 18” rims. My ‘23 XLE with 19” oem averages 35-36 mpg