# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/561 "2026-03-06T22:03:10Z")
I have no idea what that driver is doing. I do know I don’t want to be near them. Whether I’ll drop way back or pass them depends both on how fast they’re going and on whether I can pass them rapidly while giving them lots of room. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/562 "2026-03-06T23:40:32Z")
Exactly what i came here to say. I plan to stay far away from them. That might mean passing them. It might mean slowing down so i am far enough behind them that i have time to react when they spin out (or whatever). I certainly don’t pass them unless i can have a lot of room between me and then when i do it. Something much like this happened to me a couple of years ago. Only it wasn’t an interstate, it was a state road with two lanes in each direction, and they were next to me. There was too much traffic to pass them. But i slowed down, annoying someone behind me who did pass me. And not too long after that, the wobbly car side swiped the car that had passed me. Not hard enough to hurt anyone, but I’m sure both cars were dented. Anyway, i was happy i wasn’t involved. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2026, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/563 "2026-03-07T01:24:28Z")
_The Blues Brother_s and _Wayne’s Worl_d are great. I haven’t seen most of the others. As SNL movies go, _The Ladies’ Man_ is not bad, but it does have one serious flaw: The funniest joke in the entire movie is in the first scene. You spend the rest of the film hoping for another one that good, but the rest never quite measure up. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/564 "2026-03-09T17:59:42Z")
My wife’s Highlander Hybrid usually gets about 38 MPG. My Ionic 6 gets 168 MPG (equivalent) on ECO mode and 134 on NORMAL mode. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/565 "2026-03-09T18:02:22Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I have no idea what that driver is doing. I do know I don’t want to be near them. Whether I’ll drop way back or pass them depends both on how fast they’re going and on whether I can pass them rapidly while giving them lots of room. This has happened to me occasionally and it’s always a judgement call. There have been times when it appeared to be so out of control that I pulled off at a rest stop for awhile just to get out of the way! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/566 "2026-03-09T18:04:20Z")
I haven’t the slightest idea of my car’s MPG. It can use natural gas or gasoline, and we pretty much use it exclusively on natural gas which is far cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/567 "2026-03-09T18:53:56Z")
Going strictly by the what my car’s display is telling me, it’s currently getting 34MPG. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/568 "2026-03-09T19:00:00Z")
There should have been an option for “I honestly have no idea what my gas mileage is, because I am terrible at adulting”. Asking for a friend. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/569 "2026-03-09T19:10:23Z")
Hey! I resemble that remark! It’s not that I’m terrible at adulting, it’s that we at less car-dependent regions of the world do not obsess so much about MPG (nor use miles, or gallons). (but also, I’m terrible at adulting) ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/570 "2026-03-09T19:12:48Z")
Our everyday car is a 2002 Prius with over 400K miles on the clock. Since new, we’re averaging 50.1 MPG. On the highway, I can get 55+ MPG, but in town the mileage drops substantially. We were not sure about the new tech of hybrids back in 2002, but we’re glad we took the chance. Even if the car caught fire and burned to the ground tomorrow, we’ve gotten our money’s worth from it. My fun car, however, gets 24-26 MPG, mostly because I can’t keep my foot off the loud pedal. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/571 "2026-03-09T19:47:23Z")
I have two cars, and I voted based on the gas car, not the electric car. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/572 "2026-03-09T19:50:22Z")
I have three cars - two EVs: one for me and one for the boys, and my wife’s Highlander Hybrid, which we typically use as a family. I claimed that as the primary car. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/573 "2026-03-09T19:51:33Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > There should have been an option for “I honestly have no idea what my gas mileage is, because I am terrible at adulting”. Asking for a friend. Same. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/574 "2026-03-09T19:58:04Z")
Oh, that wasn’t directed at you at all. Just my, um, friend. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/575 "2026-03-09T20:07:56Z")
I know :), but it was too nice a setup not to follow it up. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/576 "2026-03-09T20:09:21Z")
My car routinely tells me it’s mpg. Otherwise, is have no idea at all. And it might be lying, for all I know. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/577 "2026-03-09T20:53:07Z")
My car might tell me, but I haven’t used it since December, or maybe even November, so I haven’t used no idea what it might say. And the units are liters per 100km, so there would be extra math. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/578 "2026-03-09T21:02:51Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > My car routinely tells me it’s mpg. Otherwise, is have no idea at all. And it might be lying, for all I know. Same here. I remember my father doing the math every time he filled his tank. I’m not like my father. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/579 "2026-03-09T21:08:56Z")
My guess was 25mpg and my car’s tracker says 25mpg. I get 35mph on the highway, apparently. It’s a Honda CRV, significant step down in fuel efficiency vs my old 40mpg Honda Fit, but I couldn’t in good conscience put my kid in a car that tiny. The CRV is technically an SUV, but like, barely. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/580 "2026-03-09T22:08:52Z")
My household is dual PHEV right now. I voted above 50 mpg for my 2025 Prius PHEV based on setting it to hybrid mode. The published stats for my model (SE, smaller tires) is 52. Which is in line with what the car tells me, albeit it’s with pretty conservative driving, and making the best use of adaptive cruise control. On my recent 1300 mile trip (total distance) where it was mostly going as hybrid only, it was about 53 on the way there (slightly downhill overall) and 48 on the way back based on miles driven vs gas put into it as calculated at the pump. So, I feel comfortable saying 50-51 mpg under “ideal” circumstances, with minimal climate control and mostly steady speeds. I did not calculate it based on EV mode or “combined” milage. Though of course, there’s some electric assist in HV mode, so some fudging is inevitable. My wife’s Rav4 PHEV is about 8-10 mpg less efficient, but it’s a SUV, so more wind resistance, and much bigger tires, but it’s still in the low 40s which isn’t anything to sneeze at. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=30)