Toyota Corolla Real World MPG

beantown · May 2006

"I'm sad that the corolla has been shrunk into a compact sized car. I'd like to see Toyota make a mid-sized corolla like my '97."

Huh? I think you are confused. I have a '97 Corolla as well and it is significantly smaller than the current generation Corolla in every measurable statistic. The current Corolla is longer, wider, taller heavier and has more trunk space than the '97 by at least 5 inches (and 300 pounds) all around.

That is why the added technology doesn't yield better MPG in these newer cars. They are all bigger and heavier than their 10 year old counterparts.

The '97 Corolla is very comparable in size to the new Yaris sedan, actually (same wheelbase, width, weight, and trunk size).

niceguy2 · May 2006

First tank (70% hwy) = 35mpg
Second tank (90% hwy) = 38.5mpg

earth · May 2006

Had a 03 corolla, than to a Rav 4 and now a 06 civic coupe with nav and city driving only after about 2,800 miles on the clock, I get 26.8 mpg, no hard stops or quick starts. My older 03 corolla did about same. Now looking for a hybrid in the corolla if one ever comes out.

325ciguy · May 2006

I have a 03 corolla. It gets 32 in the city. I had an 02 BMW 325 CI and the corolla has enough zip to make me not miss the bimmer. Not to mention excellent handeling going around curves. I bet the 94 can't claim that.

friendly_jacek · May 2006

To add some data points:
city 27-28MPG in stop and go traffic, AC on.
Hwy 30-31MPG with 80MPH, AC on.
Last time on Hwy trip I did some speed experiments:
77.5MPH=33MPG
75MPH=36MPG

I used to complain that poor MPG. Now I know why :-)

xkmail · May 2006

toyota must have done something to put a sticker on the window saying 41mpg with a stick shift.
I got a 1992 volvo constantly gets 25mpg.
I was gonna get a corolla se, but not for 8mpg more.

kato1 · May 2006

"toyota must have done something to put a sticker on the window saying 41mpg with a stick shift.
I got a 1992 volvo constantly gets 25mpg.
I was gonna get a corolla se, but not for 8mpg more."

yes, they built a car that, when not driven 75+ mph on the highway, can and does achieve 40+ mpg. there are lots of posts on this forum of people getting close to or above 41 mpg w/ the manual tranny. i have yet to get below 41.5 mpg on the highway at 70 mph. so, thats +16.5 mpg over your volvo. even with predominantly city driving i still get 34-37 mpg.

on a side note: people should realize that if they already own a paid for car with crappy mileage, financing a new car with outstanding mileage will likely never pay for itself. $250 would be considered a pretty low car payment these days. to realize $250 in monthly gas savings, you'd have to drive a ludicrous number of miles per month. new cars are about the poorest "investment" one can make.

ckone0814 · May 2006

on 06 LE 5 speed - 37 mpg with 100% city/country driving. NO HIGHWAY. I'm pleased.

rar256 · May 2006

2006 Model LE, from delivery, highway 47 MPG (standard Trans,5ps.) at 70 MPH. I took a trip north approx. 2400 Miles and was astonished to find my average hung at 46.5MPG. I used cruise all the time. Never allowed the tach to exceed 3000PPM's..Since than I have averaged 35.5MPG running around. I find the secret is never allow the tack to go over 2000 RPM's until you get to the highest gear (5th). Anticipate stopping and kick it out of gear and coast to stop. I also use cruise around town whenever possible. Mileage will drop in cold weather by as much as 5 MPG. Cold air is denser. I live in Fl but even here temps below 50F effect mileage. Do not carry anything in vehicle unless needed, weight plays a big part in MPG. Do not rest foot on clutch pedal or hand on shift knob. By the way my wife drives a 2003 Camry Auto. I have taught her how to follow the same trick by releasing pressure on accelerator when tach hits 2000 RPMS to force vehicle to shift up to next gear. Her mileage went from 23 to 25.5 around town. One note about Toyota. I have contacted them to see if the 2007 corollas will be delivered with CV Trans.(constant Velocity) in lieu of their auto trans. At this time they do not have any info. In principle they sound better than the auto they use now. But if you researched Honda and they do not deliver real world advertised mileage I would not worry. Toyota has an excellent engineering Dept.and they will use the best they have available. I have been driving Toys since VW went belly up with the Rabbit. For my money they are the best. Good Luck

spex2000 · May 2006

I'm not an owner but last summer we rented a Corolla out of the Atlanta airport and drove it over 1700 miles in 11 days. There were 4 of us, 2 adults and 2 kids and at times we had our 18 year old that we were visiting at Ft. Benning. The car was FULL of our suitcases etc and we had the AC on constantly (this was in August). Our vacation to GA and Florida mileage was typically 35 MPG. I am so impressed that I'm considering a Corolla on my next purchase and I'm a Hyundai owner/fan! :P

emmettrose1962 · May 2006

I have almost 15000 mi. on the 06 LE now (auto trans). The milage has improved a little, but I felt it was always good. Oh, I've used a full synthetic oil from the beginning (Mobile 1). The literature states the milage as slightly higher for the standard trans as opposed to the auto, but I believe thats because you pick the shift points in the standard. To actually see the increase you'd probably have to shift a little early, rather than winding out the transmission between each shift. I still get just about 40 mpg on the highway at ~80mph (not too shabby). My only beef with the car is that it rattles somewhere in the rear dashboard. I believe I've isolated it to the area behind and over the rear passenger side seat. I'll probably glue some felt backing on the plastic panels in that area so they dont rub against the metal under the dash. That should stop the problem, otherwise I really like the car. Feels like a much bigger car than my wife's 04 Civic EX.

flpcguy · May 2006

There is a tech service bulletin for models before iNXBR3#E#6Z596819 regarding the air fuel sensor. Supposedly the mfr. process has been improved. The part number is 89467-12010 Sensor, air/fuel ratio. Warranty OP Code 895131 Remove & Replace A/F sensor. This is covered under the Federal Emissions warranty 3yrs/36,000 miles.

If your dealer's service dept. gives you the run around, go to another dealer or complain to Toyota/EPA in writing.

Normal drivers should get about 35 City, 41 Hwy even with the A/C on by avoiding hard acceleration. I get 35/41 on my 2006 5-speed so far (only 850 miles). Automatics get about 3 MPG less as the EPA numbers indicate. Those EPA numbers are 78% of the actual test loop mileage under ideal conditions, to better approximate real world driving.

rar256 · May 2006

Thank you for verifying my mileage with 2006 standard trans. People think I do not know how to compute mpg. I have been driving Toyota's since the downfall of VW in the 70's and except for early rust problems they have served me very well. MY only wish is that Toyota would develop some form of a heating element for cold weather driving so mileage would stay the same year round. Thanks for the new info.

theflush · June 2006

I finally used a full tank of gas on my new used '00 Corolla VE 5 spd. In about 80% rural highway (2 lane, no lights or stop signs, but lots of hills and curves causing lot a braking and acceleration) driving, mostly with the AC off since the weather has been nice lately, I used 9.848 gallons to travel 394.9 miles, which is over 40 MPG.

I can live with this kind of fuel economy.

friendly_jacek · June 2006

40 mpg at 80 mph in auto? Outstanding. I wish I would get close to 40 in my 03. I know that 06 has drive-by-wire, but the diffrence in mpg should be nominal.
What's your secret?

duster497 · June 2006

I bought my Lola on May 19th after my money sucking 98 Olds Cutlass wound up in the shop again. With the Cutlass, we were getting about 18-20 around town and about 25-28 on the highway. Granted, that's a V6 and a lead foot. After a month of mostly city driving, some A/C usage and cruise control usage, I'm averaging just under 31MPG around town. I'm a lot easier on this car with my driving habits, but once in a while I get the car a movin'. Took my first 'highway' trip that had a dash of big city traffic thrown in, with some A/C and big hills, we still got 34MPG on that trip. Per fueleconomy.gov, that's right where the numbers should be for my car. I'm super thrilled that my 10yr old Corolla with 159,XXX is still cranking out great mileage.

leftylouie · June 2006

I bought my 2006 Corolla S last September. My commute is 100 miles per day 85 of which is on the interstate. With the cruise control at 65 mph, I get 38 mpg. Exactly what the EPA estimate is for highway. The worst I have had is 35 mpg when most of the tank is used for running around town and driving hard. Using the AC backs it down to 36 mpg highway. The price is gas is no longer an issue, unless I want to compare how much money I'm saving compared to what I was spending on the same commute with my Tundra or the young guy blasting by me with the dodge super bee pickup truck.

hoopitup2000 · July 2006

Is Engine Braking with the manual transmission hard on the engine or transmission? I use 3rd gear to coast down a mountain. The engine is turning about 4000 RPM at 55 MPH. I have read that this is detrimental to fuel economy, but I usually get my best MPG on Skyline Drive(driving between 35-40 MPH;mostly in 4th gear). My overall summer average is 39 MPG with 50-50 city and highway driving. On my mountain trips, I get about 41.5. Best ever mileage has been 43 MPG. What a great car!

mcdawgg · July 2006

No, but it is hard on the clutch if you are not rev-matching on the downshift into 3rd.

serbrad · July 2006

before my accident :mad: , my 97 DX was giving me 33 mpg in the city

sandman46 · July 2006

My old Corolla DX was consistently giving me 33 mpg's with mixed driving so I was pretty happy. But in '03, the paint had faded beyond repair, white, and I was just itching for something cheap & new.

The Sandman

brightmma · August 2006

i just got this car and it had 9000 miles on it. I went to on a road trip (Raleigh,NC to Athens, GA). I kept the AC off the whole way and obeyed the speed limits (well pretty closely) and averaged 39mpg. Any thing else i can do to get better mpg

duster497 · August 2006

We took our first trip in the Corolla. It was just under 1000 miles round trip from Rochester, MN to Door County, WI. About 1/3 of the trip was interstate ranging from 70-75 mph. The rest was anywhere from 25-60 mph. There are some steep hill in Door County that strained my engine a bit. We had the A/C on about 3/4 of the trip. I was very good with my driving habits in Door County. On the trip out we got 37 mpg, around Door County 38 mpg and the trip home got 39 mpg. I'm so thrilled with these numbers, it was almost the highlight of my trip!

da_ct · August 2006

Hi,
My 2005 Corolla LE (Automatic) gets 30 to 31 MPG on average, using regular (87) gas and doing about 2/3 highway and 1/3 town driving. Best it has ever done with all highway driving is 34, and that was on 89 octane gas. It seems quite low compared to the EPA. Wondering if anyone thinks this MPG is within reason or would it be considered poor?

bottgers · August 2006

.....was getting 39 highway with the AC running 75 MPH. I have recently changed to full synthetic oil and I now inflate the tires to 33-35 PSI instead of the 30 psi that's recommended. I'm now getting 40 MPG. The secretary at our office has an '03 5 speed and she said she has gotten as high as 43 MPG with hers. I don't know any of her driving conditions though. Also, I'm not buying the claim that the '97 model is more aerodynamic than the later models as was claimed earlier.

kenym · August 2006

My wife has a 2006 Corolla S ( auto ) with 3,000 miles, and with mostly city driving she is averaging about 34 MPG on 87 octane. Couldn't be happier with it.

mcdawgg · August 2006

My '99 5 speed also gets 39 highway with A/C, 73 MPH, not in mountains. I set my tires at 32 psi.

beantown · August 2006

Also, I'm not buying the claim that the '97 model is more aerodynamic than the later models as was claimed earlier.

I never saw anyone make this statement in this thread myself, but I can tell you that I have a '97 Corolla and it is 5 inches shorter than the current model. It may or may not be more aerodynamic, but it definitely deals with less wind resistance as a result of its (lack of) height.

bottgers · August 2006

dsouth posted a message in this topic (post #43) saying the '97 was more aerodynamic than the '99 model. What he said he experienced can hardly be considered accurate. He could've very well experienced totally different conditions while driving the '99 as compared to the '97 because the comparison wasn't conducted by experts under controlled conditions. Also, it's very rare in this day and age that a newer model ends up having a higher drag coefficient than its predesessor. The newer models are almost always more aerodynamic. While vehicle length has no effect on aerodynamics, vehicle height does, but I'm not so sure the '99 is any taller than the '97. If it is, it's very marginally so and probably not enough of a difference to make it noticeable while driving.

nomikal · August 2006

Does the CE get lower gas mileage than the LE. I see from a couple of sites that it gets around 33mpg highway while the LE and S types get around 38...Is this true or a misprint?

mcdawgg · August 2006

The automatic from those years was a 3 speed, instead of 4, so yes, the CE only gets 33 mpg. Now, all automatics have the 4 speed auto.

electrobuzz · September 2006

2006 Corolla LE Manual.

Driving from Telluride to Denver -- 322 miles, I used exactly 7 gallons. 46 mpg on the dot. I had one adult passenger and luggage. Speed ranged from 50 to 80, averaging 70. Maybe there was a tailwind. I doubt the total elevation lost of 3000' made a difference.

redwoodarc · September 2006

Before my 98 corolla le gave up the ghost in a car accident (see my post under the 200K miles section), I was getting a solid 33 mpg on the freeway and 30 about town. Then I got a rooftop kayak rack and the numbers plummeted to about 24 highway. I always kept the tires well inflated, didn't really carry around any extra weight, and mostly just drove with another passenger. I usually do btw 65-75 mph in dry, mild california weather. Given that our gas prices are well over $3/gallon, I looooved that mileage without the rooftop rack.

electrobuzz · September 2006

I think they are already dumping the winter fuel additives in... average is down to 35mpg (granted, 60/40 city/highway)

rpnuge · September 2006

I love my new 06 Corolla S - great look and ride. But after 3 tanks - still only getting 22MPG around town (no highway driving at all). Can I expect this to go up to the 30's like everyone else gets around town?

kenym · September 2006

My wife has a 06 Corolla S ( auto ) with about 3800 miles on it and she is getting 30+ with all city driving. We live in North East Ohio and I don't think they started adding the winter fuel additives yet, so this may change. However the mileage has been very good with only one tank full under 30 mpg since we purchased the car in May and that was in August when she ran the A/C constantly. If you are use to driving a bigger car with more power you may have to adjust your driving habits.

philphil · September 2006

So far, I filled up 3 times in the 3 weeks that I have the 2007 LE. 2/3's highway miles and 1/3 city. Averaging 31 MPG. Hope to do a little better soon. It's got 900 miles on it.

murva · September 2006

My average is right around 37-38mpg highway. During the summer I'll peak at around 44 and in the winter drop down to about 34.

My '88 FX has 207k miles on it and is in tip top shape.

kenym · November 2006

I live in North East Ohio and I believe they start using winter fuel additives around the end of October. My wife's 06 Corolla S was averaging 30+ since she bought it in May.
However since the end of October her mileage has dropped to about 27 or 28 mpg. Nothing in her driving habits has changed. We still fill up at the same place. Still use 87 Octane and the car seems to run and idle the same. Just the difference in the mpg. I was told the reason for the winter fuel additives is to prevent fuel line freeze up. The gas itself wont freeze but the condensation in the lines could freeze and cause the car to stop running. I believe they remove the additives around the end of March or early April.

quietspirit · November 2006

Wow. You really keep track of your car's MPG.

kenym · November 2006

Yes I do. I am retired and golf season is just about over here in Ohio, so I have a lot of time on my hands and it gives me one more thing to drive my wife nuts with. :shades:

cxc · December 2006

I had a rental 2004 LE auto for a week about two years ago. I got 42 MPG on average. I simply did not believe that it is TRUE. After using the navigation system of my Lexus to check how many miles it really is from my home to my work in addition to MapQuest, it turned out that the Corolla recorded 23 miles for a 17 mile trip. The real average MPG for that Corolla is about 31 MPG as compared to a 24 MPG of my Lexus.

kenym · December 2006

I don't know about your rental Corolla or how you came up with the 6 mile difference, but my wife has a 2006 Corolla S auto and up until last month when they started adding the winter additives in the gas she averaged 30 + in the city and around 38 + on all highway driving. I have never noticed a difference in the trip or actual odometer readings either and I do pay attention to the mileage.

hoopitup2000 · December 2006

Yes,it is a good idea to check the accuracy of your vehicles odometer if you want to get accurate MPG figures. A good way to do this is to use the mile marker signs on any interstate highway. I have found that my Corolla is off by 3 miles for every 100 miles of travel.(I checked this on 2 different roadways just to make sure).

kenym · December 2006

I have to admit I never checked it that close. I did the mile marker thing on the interstate several times and it seemed to check out, but being off three miles for every 100 miles ( 3% ) is really bazaar. My wife doesn't use the interstate very often and we don't use the Corolla when we travel. However I wonder what would cause that.

nippononly · December 2006

Apparently many cars of different makes have speedos that read 2-4% high, so that if it says 65 you are actually doing more like 63. Naturally, that would mean that when the odomoeter said you had gone 100 miles, you would only have actually gone 97.

But the fellow whose total trip distance went from 23 miles down to 17 is relying too much on the mapquest thingy which is not giving him the information he thinks it is. That would mean that when his speedo said 60 mph, he was actually going 45, and I think he would have noticed something like that, don't you? ;-)

kenym · December 2006

Yes I do agree with you. I believe even at 3% I would notice that my speed was off. I live in the city and travel through a lot of school zones every day. Most of which are monitored by the police, and believe me they strictly enforce the 20 MPH speed limit. ANYTHING over 20 MPH is pulled over and ticketed ( and rightfully so ). We also have some school zones who post your speed on a monitor above the road. I always check the speedo with the monitor more out of habit than anything else but if it wasn't the same I would definitely take it to the Dealer to have it checked.

electrobuzz · December 2006

I doubt you (or more importantly, the fuzz) would notice a 3% difference in observed vs. actual speed at 20 MPH. Unless the detector rounds up, you'd still be at 20 MPH (20.6)!

kenym · December 2006

You are correct about the detector. However most of the school zones in my area have an overhead screen posting your current speed, and my speedo is right in line with them. We don't normally use the Corolla to travel in but I am planning on taking it on a short trip to test the overall accuracy of the OD. It really doesn't matter if it right on or 3% off or whatever. At this point I am just curious and besides it's my wife's car anyway.

nippononly · December 2006

To really test this, you have to be going high enough speeds for something like the detector to give you any meaningful information. Even at 65 mph, 2-3% error only means 1-2 mph, so you are going to have to be very careful checking the speedo and keeping your speed perfectly steady.

The much better way to do this would be to take it to a speedo shop and have them calibrate it. And I will be very surprised if they find that yours is perfectly calibrated, unless that is something you have had a shop do for your car already. Heck, just driving on old tires with 50-75% of the original tread gone will cause your speedo to read as much as 1 mph too high, because of the decreased radius of the worn tire.

Toyota Corolla Real World MPG

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