Is this clock placement confusing?

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All those red things on the nav screen in the e-class can't be a go od thing

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Love the "hand" that helps you with your seatbelt in the e-class

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Thinks this is one of the worst places ever for a cupholder

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Very disappointed with results of today's challenge. 58.7 mpg. Do o ver!

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Uh oh. On the trip back to the office dropped a couple more mpgs.

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Quick trip to boss's house dropped the mpgs by 2. Eek!

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Off to a good start with today's prius fuel challenge.

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Prius Fuel Challenge: Leg 4

OK, so this is it. My last chance to guzzle fuel in the 2010 Prius.

How did it go? Not well.

First of, in my defense, driving through Morton Grove is like driving through Fort Knox. There literally was a cop on every corner, so I was stuck at the 30 mph speed limit. And I didn't think erratic speeding up to a red light or stop sight would win me any points either. So, I was in power mode, windows down and low gear until I got to the highway. I kept the mpgs down around 34.

But once I got on the highway the mpg numbers started inching up. I would accelerate hard, speed for a couple miles and do it all again.

To no avail.

The results?

Total miles traveled in the day: 40.3
Final MPG: 35.9

The conclusion?

If I can't get the mileage below 30, I'm guess you won't either.

Next up? What's the best mileage this lead foot can get?

Prius Fuel Challenge: Leg 3

So, I set off to my gym in Morton Grove at about 8 p.m., and the traffic was light. I used that opportunity to accelerate quickly out of traffic lights and stop signs as well as do some aggressive passing on the highway. The windows were down, but I have to admit I switched the A/C to heat ... It got cold in Chicago when the sun went down!

The results?

Total miles: 29.7
Average MPG: 35.3

They started inching back up again! Jeesh, what's a lead foot gotta do to burn some fuel here?

Prius Fuel Challenge: Leg 2

OK. So, to and from lunch was a nice short trip, which is notoriously bad for gas mileage. Plus, I added about 300 pounds in passenger volume. Since we were on low mph surface streets I did kick the car down into low gear, and even though tweeter @ChevyHigh recommended flipping the car in neutral and revving the engine at a stop, that was easier said than done. The Prius engine just doesn't rev. But it did keep the engine on a little bit longer.

So, I managed to whittle away that high mileage ... but not nearly enough.

The new results?

Total miles traveled: 22.9
Average MPG: 34.1

Still not quite what I was looking for. But it kind of proves a point. Look for Leg 3 (from work to gym) and Leg 4 (from gym to home) later today ...

The challenge: The worst mileage I can get in a Prius (Leg 1)

So, everyone is always talking about how good the mileage is in the Prius. With a combined rating of 50 mpg, it's the most fuel efficient mass-produced gasoline vehicle currently available.

When I was on a recent launch for the vehicle, there were numbers like 70 mpg and even 90 mpg being floated around. But there was one guy who had a really different idea: What's the worst mileage you can get in a Prius. He ended up somewhere around 25 mpg.

I figure with my lead foot and in a city like Chicago, surely I could do much worse.

So today, I'm throwing down the gauntlet. What's the worst I can do?

Leg 1: The trip to work

On the way to work today from the north side of Chicago to Wilmette, I rolled down all my windows, cranked up the A/C, turned on power mode and gunned it out of every stoplight. There were also quite a few 80 mph stints on the highway and power passes, which I stopped after seeing several state troopers trolling about.

The result?

Miles traveled 13.6
Final mpg: 39.9 mpg.

Hmmmm. Not quite what I was looking for.

OK. I'm heading to lunch in a half hour. Any other tips to get those mpgs down?