Range indicator in rental car seems way off

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I’m renting a 2017 Toyota Yaris, and I was playing around with all the trip settings like instantaneous/average MPG and speed. I figured out how to reset the average MPG by holding the select stalk down. It put out dashes for a while until it displayed the first value.

However, the range indicator seemed way off. It was displaying 197 miles when I picked it up with a nearly full tank. After driving about 100 miles it’s down to 145 miles. It’s got maybe an 11.6 gallon tank and has maybe a 33 MPG highway estimate. I was getting 37 MPG average MPG at one point after resetting.

I don’t know if there’s any way to reset it short of filling the tank, and even then I’m skeptical that it will display anything accurate.
 
I'm thinking the range indicator did the calculation from the MPG is was registering at the time which consisted of driving around the parking lot. You're probably out on the highway now with a better MGP. Let's see, in a perfect situation with 11.6 gallons and 33 mpg your range would be 382 miles. If you drove 100 miles on the highway your remaining range should be 282 miles but is displaying 145 miles. Maybe go fill it up because the gas gauge might be wrong.
 
Our 14 Camry is the same way. It more than likely is basing the original estimate off of the MPG for the tank so far.
 
I don't even look at the range estimate on the Outback to determine when to fuel up. On a full tank starting a hwy trip it gets pretty optimistic! Like 600+ mile ranges! In the Outback forums there has been a few people who ran out with 20 miles left on the range computer, but of course had the low fuel light on for 40 miles...
 
Maybe Danica Patrick rented it before you.
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Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I don't even look at the range estimate on the Outback to determine when to fuel up. On a full tank starting a hwy trip it gets pretty optimistic! Like 600+ mile ranges! In the Outback forums there has been a few people who ran out with 20 miles left on the range computer, but of course had the low fuel light on for 40 miles...


I love it when I do half a tank of city driving, then I do a 2 hour highway drive, and the range increases my entire trip. I arrive with a higher range than when I left.
 
Originally Posted By: ssamaroo01
It looks at the average fuel economy of the last 500 miles to get a miles to empty range on Fords.


This. It's a rental Yaris, it's been flogged and is using the last few tanks to calculate the range.
 
Originally Posted By: ssamaroo01
It looks at the average fuel economy of the last 500 miles to get a miles to empty range on Fords.

I'm used to the one in my parents' Nissan. That thing is always adjusting and I can see it go way up just from driving on the freeway. I rented another car fairly recently, and that seemed to be extremely accurate in assessing how my recent driving was affecting the range.

The Yaris is kind of basic though. No temp gauge. No power windows and no remote. I can unlock/lock everything through the key though. If I lock/unlock the trunk key, it does the same for all the other locks.
 
I rented a Taurus in Florida once, when they gave me the car it said miles to empty 300. I drove it 100 miles and put 3 gallons in it to avoid their fuel fee. When I turned the car in it said 400 miles to empty so they gave me a credit since I put "extra" gas in it. I laughed the rest of the day!
 
Originally Posted By: RedOakRanch
I rented a Taurus in Florida once, when they gave me the car it said miles to empty 300. I drove it 100 miles and put 3 gallons in it to avoid their fuel fee. When I turned the car in it said 400 miles to empty so they gave me a credit since I put "extra" gas in it. I laughed the rest of the day!

Wow using "miles to empty" as a fuel gauge. Honestly, those rental car people! That's almost as bad as my rental car with the dash light on asking for an oil change; when I told the clerk about it and she said, "it still has oil in it doesn't it".
 
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: ssamaroo01
It looks at the average fuel economy of the last 500 miles to get a miles to empty range on Fords.

I'm used to the one in my parents' Nissan. That thing is always adjusting and I can see it go way up just from driving on the freeway. I rented another car fairly recently, and that seemed to be extremely accurate in assessing how my recent driving was affecting the range.

The Yaris is kind of basic though. No temp gauge. No power windows and no remote. I can unlock/lock everything through the key though. If I lock/unlock the trunk key, it does the same for all the other locks.


No temperature gauge at all? Wouldn't buy a car/truck that had no temp indicator.
 
Originally Posted By: 93cruiser
Originally Posted By: y_p_w
Originally Posted By: ssamaroo01
It looks at the average fuel economy of the last 500 miles to get a miles to empty range on Fords.

I'm used to the one in my parents' Nissan. That thing is always adjusting and I can see it go way up just from driving on the freeway. I rented another car fairly recently, and that seemed to be extremely accurate in assessing how my recent driving was affecting the range.

The Yaris is kind of basic though. No temp gauge. No power windows and no remote. I can unlock/lock everything through the key though. If I lock/unlock the trunk key, it does the same for all the other locks.


No temperature gauge at all? Wouldn't buy a car/truck that had no temp indicator.

It had the manual in the glove box, and power windows seemed to be an option, but Hertz is probably only ordering bone stock without a remote or power windows.

It did have a temperature light. As far as I could tell, the light is on until the car is considered "warmed up" in which case the light turns off. Here's a photo I found of the instrument cluster:

2017-toyota-yaris-5-door-le-automatic-natl-instrument-cluster_100568909_l.jpg


The temp light is under the tach but of course doesn't show up well in the photo since it's not illuminated.
 
Some cars have stupid range estimators. My Sonata says the range is like 570 miles every week when I fill it up. After about 490 miles it will be empty. The range does straighten itself out after a while though through the tank.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Some cars have stupid range estimators. My Sonata says the range is like 570 miles every week when I fill it up. After about 490 miles it will be empty. The range does straighten itself out after a while though through the tank.

In my case I saw 197 miles range estimate when I picked it up. I've since driven it 260 miles and it's still saying 29 miles left. However, I'm thinking that it's not range to empty but range to the low fuel warning.

I have the feeling that it was probably a gallon from being full, but the needle was right at the top when I got it.
 
When the gas gauge drops to between a quarter and a half, fill er up, problem solved. or do it just after it drops below a quarter. Otherwise, pay your money and take your chances at the roulette wheel.
 
Originally Posted By: Claud
It's a rental car, why should you care?, assuming the gas gauge and low fuel warning light are working.

Claud.

I'd kind of like it to be accurate. I was allowed to use it for more than just business purposes and I was actually encouraged to just return it with whatever gas was left. What I saw on the range indicator wasn't even enough for a simple round trip.
 
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