We picked up a used Toyota Prius a couple weeks back to replace the 1999 Honda Accord I’ve driven since June 2001. The Accord’s transmission fell apart at 176,000 miles and we wanted something that would generate high miles-per-gallon on my daily 170-mile commute from Rochester to Richfield and back.

I’ve learned in my first two weeks of Prius ownership that maximizing the car’s mileage isn’t a simple matter of setting cruise control and taking a nap. No, there seems to be actual science involved. And practice.

The Prius folks say you can easily get 55 mpg. My first tank netted 39. Next round I got it up to 41. Most recently 43. I’m told it will go up considerably in warmer weather so we have that to look forward to. In the meantime I’m trying to figure out when and how to accelerate and how to maximize coasting. It seems a bit like sailing to me. You have to figure out how to get up hills without using much gas. Tacking back and forth doesn’t work. I’ve tried.