Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Real world gas mileage for sedans

1234568

Comments

  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,145
    A national newspaper is looking to interview consumers who are changing their holiday plans because of the high prices in gas (ex. driving closer to home or driving, versus flying). Please send an e-mail to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, May 25, 2006 by 5:00 PM PST/8:00 PM EST containing your daytime contact information and a brief sentence or two on how you’ve changed your plans.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • hals120hals120 Member Posts: 20
    My 2004 Acura TL has 38,000 miles. From shortly after break-in until now, my in town mileage is a steady 24 mpg, and on the highway, I can pull 29 mpg - even while exceeding the posted limit. :)
  • petomlinpetomlin Member Posts: 103
    So Far I'm very happy with my milage especially on the highway. Just returned, tonight, from a 150 mile Turnpike trip. 31 - 33 mpg, average speed of 70mph. Car just reached break in, 650 miles. Gotta love it! :D
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    "My 2004 Acura TL has 38,000 miles. From shortly after break-in until now, my in town mileage is a steady 24 mpg, and on the highway, I can pull 29 mpg - even while exceeding the posted limit."

    Wow, I think I need to pay you a visit. I have a 2004 TL 6-speed with 23,000 miles. Just returned from a trip - 370 miles in which I drove between 70 and 80 most of the way - and got 29.4 mpg. However, I average 15-17 mpg around town and that does not include a rush hour commute.

    Please describe the kind of in town driving you do and your driving habits/style that produces 24 mpg. Thanks.
  • lmacmillmacmil Member Posts: 1,758
    Everyone's "in town" driving is going to be different. I recent changed my route to work. Instead of 7 miles thru town with no more than 2 miles at 40 mph, I am going 8 miles with 7 of them at 40-50. Similar number of stops. My mileage increased almost 2 mpg.
  • badgerfanbadgerfan Member Posts: 1,565
    So you increased your commute distance by 14.3%. If your 2MPG did not increase at least 14.3% you are burning more fuel with your longer route. For example at 20 mpg driving 7 miles you use .35 gallons. At 22mpg and driving 8 miles, you are using .364 gallons. For this example you are better off driving the shorter commute at worse fuel efficiency.
  • lmacmillmacmil Member Posts: 1,758
    "For this example you are better off driving the shorter commute at worse fuel efficiency."

    That's true but I'm willing to pay the extra $.04 per day for a more relaxing commute and higher average speed.

    Btw, the point of my post was to show that two different "city" driving routes can have a significant effect on mileage.
  • gladumfgladumf Member Posts: 2
    I found this site that lets you track your gas mileage and compare it with others of the same model:

    http://www.gasaroo.com

    The Toyota Prius results are interesting to look at.
  • rickwjennrickwjenn Member Posts: 40
    I picked up my TL w/Navi and Auto today. Very nice car. Got 29 mpg on the 52 mile drive back home. Very impressive. Did 85 or so the whole way with AC on. Car has 57 miles on it now. I am very curious if it will pick up as the car breaks in.

    What is really impressive, is the Accord EXL we bought today as well for my wife. No trip computer obviously, but the gas gauge is still past full after the 52 mile trip :)

    I bought both from an Acura/Honda dealer combination north of San Diego. Got both cars right at invoice and am very happy. These are our 10th and 11th Hondas over the last twenty five years :)
  • badgerfanbadgerfan Member Posts: 1,565
    Well, you are not breaking in your TL very gently.

    Also, on almost every vehicle out there, the fuel gauge will not move much if the tank was filled completely full. Fuel gauges are very nonlinear devices especially in the first 1.8 or so tank, and it would not surprise me that the gauge still read full after 52 miles. Doesn't mean you got tremendous mileage, in fact it means almost nothing.
  • 150mphclub150mphclub Member Posts: 316
    I have been driving 95% interstate miles at 70+ since January. I have been averaging 32.9 MPG. My synthetic oil changes are free from my dealer, and I alternate between 10 gallons regular and 10 gallons premium about every 300 miles. 06 VW Passat 3.6L is a great car.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    Did 85 or so the whole way with AC on. Car has 57 miles on it now. I am very curious if it will pick up as the car breaks in.

    Not if that's the way you are planning on "breaking in" your car. Proper break in procedure does not involve driving at steady high speed/rpms. You should be keeping it under 70-75 and varying engine speed (rpms)- definitely stay away from cruise control. You should also avoid excessive short hops where the engine oil and block does not reach full operating temperature to allow the seals and gaskets to fully expand and contract.

    Some posters here think that proper break in doesn't matter anymore on today's "modern" cars and engines. Not true, according to the engineers and technicians I spoke with from Porsche, BMW and even the Honda engineer that I met when buying my S2000 a few years ago.

    What you do in the first 600-1500 miles will have a lot to do with how your car performs down the road. That's especially true of high performance, high compression engines. The difference between a properly broken in 911, S2000 or M3 and one that hasn't been is readily apparant in as little as 5,000-10,000 miles. When I traded my S2000 to a Mercedes /Acura dealer the owner, who drives an AMG and Porsche, took it out personally and "blessed" it. He had driven other S2000's that he had refused to take on trade because he could tell they weren't properly broken in based purely on acceleration.

    You probably won't notice much of a performance difference in an automatic TL, but according to the experts I spoke with, proper break in procedure benefits virtually all cars in the long run.
  • cuambacuamba Member Posts: 8
    I am looking for any suggestions--I have a two year old G35x and have finally had it with the horrible milage I am getting. I do primarily suburban short hops of one to three miles with a small amount of highway driving when I can. I do not drive aggressively. I am getting around 13-15 MPG. My question is this. Is there a car out there that can offer the following: at least 20 MPG in real world driving similar to mine; greater than 200 hp (hopefully more); and a reasonable level of luxury in-line with my G35? Any thoughts? Thanks.
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    With a 2006 Avalon, 268 hp, I am getting ~ 23 mpg "commuting" 2 miles to and 2 miles from work each day and an occassional side trip (almost no freeway driving). On all-freeway weekend trips, I get ~ 32 mpg (all of the above with regular gas).

    I looked at the G35X because of the AWD, however, I was scared off by the mileage numbers.
  • gladumfgladumf Member Posts: 2
    There's a ton of tracking of real-world gas mileage on http://www.gasaroo.com
  • nightcrawler29nightcrawler29 Member Posts: 146
    I have had my auto TL for a year now, and the first few months I averaged 27 or 28mpg on both highway and city driving. Now a year later I'm averaging 23 or 24mpg. But I admit it has to do a lot with traffic conditions, because it has gotten worse were I live. But in a good day with no traffic it seems to do well. It usually does 310 - 320 miles per tank of gas, and one day I took a long trip it went up to 370 miles per tank of gas. Haven't seen much difference using the a/c though.
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    I want to know what would be the most ideal car for commuting 180 miles round trip daily. It would be almost entirely freeway driving.
    It would need to have high fuel economy to keep gas cost under control, and low maintenance costs due to maintenance intervals coming up frequently, yet it would also have comfortable seats and a smooth highway ride so the long commute is not a daily nightmare leaving you sore, tired and with a headache from all the road noise.

    At that commute, I would put about 45K miles on the car per year and run through even an extended warranty in just over two years. I could drive it for 2 years and sell it with 90K miles and some of the extended warranty left for the new owner as a way to make the resale easier or I could drive it for the full 3 years and hope there are no major repairs before 135K miles and sell it for less money.
    I am pretty sure the high mileage commute would end by 3 years and I would start driving the normal 12K to 15K miles a year at that point. Most likely I would get rid of the car at that point and start fresh with a new car at that point.

    So far, I haven't found anything that had a very comfortable ride combined with low maintenance and high fuel economy.
    I considered a Toyota Camry Hybrid, but I don't think maintenance costs would be low on a Hybrid, it will be hard to sell it with high miles out of warranty due to future buyers fears of dealing the the battery replacement out of warranty, plus it's probably a bit pricier than what I want to get into. I'd like to stay well under $25K.
    Maybe a Honda Civic, but I'm not sure that would have a smooth enough highway ride to make the commute liveable. I rode in a 2006 Accord and the ride was quite bouncy on the California freeways with all the expansion joints, so I assume a Civic will be even worse in ride than an Accord.

    What are suggestions?
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Go for a stick shift Camry if you want a smooth ridea and great mileage. The stick will even save you $900.

    Sticks are much more efficinet than autos (EPA favors autos so it may not seem apparent).

    If you want better mileage still try the Corolla.

    FWIW I actually prefer the Accord to the Camry because of the ride and handling, but I do own a Sienna and appreciate the smoothness.
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    On strict freeway driving, I get ~33 mpg in my '06 Avalon; and you can't beat the ride for comfort!
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    Unfortunately, the cost of the car and cost of premium fuel for the Avalon will not make that an option.

    Maybe I'll look at a 4 cylinder Camry too.
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    The fuel won't be a problem; the owner's manual specifies regular gas.
  • waiwai Member Posts: 325
    33 mpg is very good for a V6 engine. Do you drive on cruise control all the time and what is average mph?
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    I always use cruise control when I can - both on the highway and around town. I get terrible mileage (~ 20) on my daily commute as I drive only two miles to work and then two miles home again. When I drive around town on weekends, however, and average that with my commute, I get ~ 24 mpg. That 33 mpg figure was obtained on a trip that was 1/2 freeway (at 70 mph) and 1/2 two-lane highway (at 65 mph) with very few hills.

    I would say my overall average is around 27.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    also at 27 mpg overall (70% hwy) on my Avalon, most comfortable and efficient car I've ever owned - at 30+ highway (75 mph) will routinely exceed 500 mile cruising range, which is no problem with no stops. My Avalon actually uses LESS fuel than many 4 cylinder sedans!
    Never heard anybody contend, however, that cruise control was good for FE, especially on hilly roads - driver fatigue, and law compliance perhaps. And it runs fine on regular, maybe a slight bit less power (but it already has a lot of that) than it does running the good stuff.
  • waygrabowwaygrabow Member Posts: 214
    I have a Mazda3S MT with almost 36,000 miles on it. I have averaged 35 mpg over that entire period. The first tank was 30 mpg and it quickly improved. Best mileage has been 38-39 mpg on pure highway. Mazdas are known for their excellent handling; the seats are comfortable; tilt & telescope steering wheel lets you adjust the posture; and with 160 hp on tap it handles highway speeds and conditions well. As a premium econocar, it may fit your requirements very well.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    How fast are you going when you get 38-39?
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    I just finished a 4-day, 1400 mile trip from WA to Billings, MT and back. I climbed 6 mountain passes up to 6300 ft. in altitude. My highway mileage for the whole trip averaged right at 30 mpg. I used cruise control constantly except where doing some steep climbs up the mountain passes.
  • waygrabowwaygrabow Member Posts: 214
    At the limit. That was before my two speeding tickets. But I don't tailgate, don't try to beat everyone when the light turns green, and I try to anticipate well ahead when I will need to slow down or speed up.

    Don't know what the top speed is on a Mazda3 but the car is stable at 100 mph.
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    I'm an idiot! I forgot to mention (1) my car is a 2006 Avalon Limited and (2) my average speed was 75-82 MPH.
  • bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    Car: 06 Avalon: I spend a lot of time on the road - 22,000 miles in 4 months since new - & average 31/32 MPG on regular. Worst ever was 28.5 in mixed driving.

    Ilooked at the VW dieselaamong others befor buying, but the rediculous maintenance & service costs would have eaten up most of the fuel cost savings.

    Good fuel mileage, great comfort & minimal maintenance costs; a hard combination to beat.
  • jaxs1jaxs1 Member Posts: 2,697
    Lots of complaints from Avalon owners about uncomfortable, lumpy seats with short thigh support. Not great for long drives.
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    I doubt that there have been "lots" of complaints about the '05-'07 Avalons. There have been a very, very few complaints on this forum. I find the seats to be the most comfortable that I have ever had in any vehicle. It is a true joy to drive on long trips.
  • bobwileybobwiley Member Posts: 241
    I'm 6' 2" and 250 pounds and I also find the seats very, very comfortable in our 06 Limited.
  • bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    I'm 5'10" 240 lbs. Wife is 5'&" 118 lbs. We both are comfortable in these seats. I put in a lot of 350-375 mile days, so any real problems should be apparent by now.
  • bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    I use the cruise as much as possible. speed is usually 5-10 MPH - 65-75 - over the posted limit. at 75 I'm getting around 31; & if I can hold a steady 65 I'm getting as much as 34. Incidentally, no jackrabbit starts & fairly flat terrain.
  • waiwai Member Posts: 325
    I wonder at what part of the country can you drive as high as 85 mph and use cruise control always.
  • bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    Didn't say 85. My post says 65-75
  • gzampellagzampella Member Posts: 1
    I am looking to purchase a '06 Avalon today fully loaded for $32M. Can anybody give me any feedback on the car. Mileage sounds good, Maintenance, Wear and Tear, etc. Going from a Honda Accord XLE to this car. :)
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Hi, welcome!

    You want to go the Toyota Avalon board and check out the discussions there. We have all kinds of conversations going on.

    Good luck with your purchase - enjoy the Forums!
  • bobgwtwbobgwtw Member Posts: 187
    You will be MUCH more comfortable and get better mileage with the Avalon. 23000 miles in 4 months and not a sign of a problem.

    Mileage has ranged from a low of 28.5 to 34.5. I live in a flat area & spend a lot of time on I 95 at 75 MPH & et 32 or a little better in this kind of driving.

    As for maintenance problems, I'v had Honda's, Mitsubishi's, Toyota's & Mazda's & never had a problem with any of them; & I put a minimum of 150,000 Miles on a car before getting rid of it.

    The Avalon is by far the most comfortable & quietest so far.
  • philmophilmo Member Posts: 77
    2002 S60
    57,000 miles
    5 cyl. low-pressure turbo
    Automatic/AWD

    Combined mountain road and city driving, 27 mpg
    Highways/freeways, 33 mpg

    Per the saleman's recommendation we run mid-grade with no adverse affects since we live and drive between 5,000 and 10,000 ft. asl.

    This car seems to be hitting it's stride now that it's over 50,000 miles -- an awesome road trip car at a sweet spot for performance, style, safety and economy for a two-person family. We also own a Grand Cherokee but the Volvo is the car of choice when we go skiing thanks to the split-folding rear seat, power and low center of gravity.
  • jmille35jmille35 Member Posts: 4
    Just purchased an Avalon XLS (2007)...could anyone with experience please tell how it will "optimally" better perform using 91 octane? Better acceleration? Better fuel economy? and so on? Thanks
  • carteachcarteach Member Posts: 179
    There are two messages on your computer display board. One is your average mile per hour and the other is your miles per gallon. I only have about 700 miles on my '06 TL and my mpg is only 21. I do suburban driving. Highway... at 55-75/hour and around town. I'm very disappointed by my mpg. Want to hear about other TL users. Maybe this is a post for the Acura board only? (No offense you Avalon drivers.)
  • 150mphclub150mphclub Member Posts: 316
    I drove my VW Passat 3.6L from El Paso to San Antonio with my cruise set at 86. By the way, I got 30.4 mpg on that leg of my trip.
  • rgb2rgb2 Member Posts: 31
    The mpg displayed on TL are cumulative. The mpg should improve after the break-in, so reset the trip computer and enjoy :) .
    FYI, my '06 TL gets ~16mpg in stop/go, and ~30 @65 hwy. On average I get 22, but I reset the computer after each fillup.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    43k on my 05 Av Touring, although I generally put the good stuff in it because I do feel a power difference, have not noticed any falloff in FE running regular - which it does just fine. 27 mpg overall basically from day 1 - 70% or so highway. Enjoy your Av!
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,849
    I guess my heavy traffic commute really hurts my MPG. My '06 Avalon XLS has never gotten a tank average over 21.5. On some longer drives have seen the MPG creep up to 25 - 26 but by the end of the tank its back down to my normal 19.8 - 20. I am not complaining, mileage is still good for a car this big and powerful, but I just don't do enough open highway cruising to see mileage well into the 20s.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    i can certainly understand only seeing 21 mpg if you don't get the car out and let it stretch its legs. Where I live (Texas) roads are billiard table flat and they do tend to move most of the time. Under these conditions at about 75-80mph, I will see an incremental 28-29 mpg, off highway stuff at 21 or 22 (which is generally not a whole lot of gridlock) is what gets my average down. Have a friend with similar driving habits that owns a 300C - he is lucky to see 12 or 13 around town, claims a whole 22 or so on the highway, 16 overall. But, he is slightly faster than I am, what a price to pay (11 mpg)for a half second or so to 60?
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,849
    Lot of extra weight in the 300. Tons of power too, but all that combined really adds up to dismal fuel economy. The 300 definately has some appeal though, I see a lot more of them here in Jersey than my Avalon.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    IMO, the 300C is a good example of what a 'Detriot' car ought to be - big, RWD, a real rear suspension, and a big torquey V8. MPG will suffer, of course, but 'Detriot' has never shown any ability (or inclination) to build a good higher HP V6 that is also efficient. Look forward to GM getting in on this with the Australian Holden, possibly with a Vette derivative V8 at 350 hp or so as both Chrysler and Chevy leave Ford behind.
This discussion has been closed.