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

Acura TSX Real World MPG Numbers

135

Comments

  • huskerdoohuskerdoo Member Posts: 11
    Just fill it with what the manual and gas cap says. It doesn't make sense to spend almost 30 grand on a car and then ruin it for a less then 10.00 savings per month. Heck, I went from a 16 MPG in town jeep to this 28-30 in town TSX so I am glad to put the extra 6 dollarsa month into it. I was filling up 3-4 x per month with that thing now I fill up 2x a month and still save 40 dollars in fuel costs. ;)
  • johnny420johnny420 Member Posts: 473
    Just fill it with what the manual and gas cap says. It doesn't make sense to spend almost 30 grand on a car and then ruin it for a less then 10.00 savings per month. Heck, I went from a 16 MPG in town jeep to this 28-30 in town TSX so I am glad to put the extra 6 dollarsa month into it. I was filling up 3-4 x per month with that thing now I fill up 2x a month and still save 40 dollars in fuel costs.

    Exactly. Don't buy the car if the gas it requires is an issue.
  • redbugeyeredbugeye Member Posts: 16
    The required octane for TSX is 91. So, it is perfectly fine to mix 93 and 89, if you mix even (or little more of 91 over 89). No 93 , but 91 octane is available in some area (including our state).
  • tblazer503tblazer503 Member Posts: 620
    Well my average gas mileage has been about 20mpg.

    I haven't read through this entire thing, but the initial post is crazy. If you have a 17.1 gal tank, you can't run the dang thing dry! you will at most put 13 MAYBE 14.5 gallons of gas in on a almost 'bone dry' tank. In anycase, I would love to get 500 miles on 13 gallons of gas. *sigh*. I am not sure exactly how some folks are getting 10mpg unless you are fighting a lot of traffic, or like hearing the intake purring. =) personally, I am a stop light racer, so i know exactly why my mileage is where it is. I have gotten above 30mpg going 80mpg from seattle to portland, so i know it's possible in the car.

    Hope you all are enjoying your TSX's... =)
  • mdot23mdot23 Member Posts: 2
    Hey everyone. I purchased a 2006 tsx about 3 weeks ago. it was the demo from the dealer and it had about 755 miles on it, which i figured was no big deal. two things i've noticed so far though: in these couple weeks, i've been averaging about 22.5 mpg in mostly city driving (i live in North Jersey, so there is alot of stop-and-go). As it stands right now, I my tank is almost on "E" and the computer says I have about 30 miles left in the tank, but I've only gone 300 miles since the last fill-up. Simple math says that with 22.5 mpg, I should be getting at least 380 miles with a full tank. I was just wondering if this is normal, or should I look for my numbers to increase in time? Also, my oil life is only at 80%, assuming the dealer conveniently "forgot" to put in new oil. Is that affecting the gas mileage at all too? Thanks for any help you guys can give.
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    Don't count on the computer for accurate milage figures. That's probably about right for that kind of driving.

    Oil has no effect on milage and there's no new oil to be put in. That 80% oil life left may reflect the fact that the car had some "tough" time during its demo days. The oil life depends on how long and how hard the car is being driven.
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    Most of my driving is city as well and the low fuel light comes on around 300 miles for me.

    Something that I've noticed is that even when the needle is almost to E, I can still only put around 13 gallons into the tank. Both the fuel light and guage seem to have quite a safety margin built in.

    My overall average, calculated based on miles divided by actual gallons used, is around 24.5 MPG. However, it seems to be running around 1 MPG lower since ethanol was mandated in gasoline.
  • mdot23mdot23 Member Posts: 2
    Awesome. Thanks for the responses guys.
  • mrgold35mrgold35 Member Posts: 73
    I went on my first mini road trip in my (wife's) 2006 TSX. Only had the car for 6 weeks with 1300 miles on it before the road trip (purchases the TSX with 7 on the odo). It was about 500 miles round trip. Starting in Albuquerque to Eastern NM. The Altitude went from 5100 feet start, 7100 feet mid way, and down to 4200 feet end (love the navi system). I had four adults and one 8 year old in the car. I set the cruise on 85 mph on the interstate and average 31.8 mpg. One the non-interstate highway, I set the cruise to 73 mph and average just under 35 mpg. I ran the A/C the entire time, very little tail/head wind and let the cruise control do most of the work except when passing Semi trucks on non-interstate. The only engine change I’ve made to the car was to add a K/N air filter and the car has the full OEM body kit with ASA AR1 chrome 17 rims. I was expecting around 30 mpg and was surprised to get almost 34 mpg average for the 500 mile trip. Gas is $2.95-$3.15 for 91 octane in ABQ every extra mpg helps. A 29 mpg average was best I got from my 97 Honda Accord LX 4 door for the same run. My wife still averages about 27-29 with mixed commuter driving (60% highway & 40% stop/go).
  • superstevo415superstevo415 Member Posts: 20
    I just took my first road trip in my TSX. It was a shorter trip from Memphis over to Hot Springs, AR. When I got in last night my average MPG for the current tank was 30.2. Does this seem in line with what others are averaging? I bought my 06 TSX about 3 weeks ago and absolutely love it. I do have the automatic transmission just like it came from the factory. Gas for 93 octane in AR was something like $2.79. I know this gas mileage is much much better than what I was getting in my RAM. Anyways I'm just curious what people that have had theres for awhile now thought about 30.2?
  • huskerdoohuskerdoo Member Posts: 11
    My Vehicle is 1 month old today....applause placed here.....and it now has 755 miles on it. All of the miles have been in town excpet for the 160 miles home from the dealership. I averaged 36 home from the dealership. I have averaged 28 to 30 in town since. Mostly around 28.4-29.3. No changes to the vehicle have been made.I fill up with 93 octane as it cost the same as 91 here in town.

    Word!
  • manjumanju Member Posts: 1
    Hey...I have been seriously considering buying an Acura TSX either new or certified, and was wondering what kind of gas mileage were people getting with the manual and automatic transmissions...is there a drastic difference??? numbers would be great please...i am really confused between choosing the manual or automatic??? I really don't know if gas mileage is going to be a deciding factor for me in terms of choosing the MT or AT, but would like to gather as much infor anyways....Thanks
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    If you could drive them the same, the milage would be proportional to the EPA numbers (basically the same). The actual numbers depend on a lot of factors.
  • dmacciocdmaccioc Member Posts: 13
    Ok I know this is lame since I literally just bought the car today, but I just wanted to say I'm averaging 23mpg on the first half of my first tank, about 60% highway 40% city. Distance to empty was over 400 miles. Not bad on a brand-spanking new vehicle.

    Will post back after I burn through a few thousand miles. Looking forward to even greater numbers!
  • adow1adow1 Member Posts: 9
    I live in-town and so don't drive on the highway too much, but in Houston traffic, I've been getting ~20 mpg for 80% city/20% highway. I now have 1000 miles on my car.

    I did drive it from Dallas to Houston when i first bought the car (~240 miles) and averaged 27-28 mpg.
  • abhiutdabhiutd Member Posts: 44
    Hi,
    I just came from a trip of central NJ to Boston (250 miles) and averaged 32 mpg (no A/C) on my TSX which has just 1200 miles now. I think its pretty good for a new car then why so many people say you get less mileage for first few thousand miles on the car :confuse:
    Anyways, i just loved my first long drive and it was fast! :)
    Oh btw, i averaged 22 mpg in city.
  • acuratsx06acuratsx06 Member Posts: 2
    Picked up new TSX '06 5AT with 5 miles at end of April and now have over 11k miles. 95%+ freeway drive daily of 100 miles with avg. mpg 32-35. A/C on/off no noticeable difference. Use 93 octane fuel.
  • klossfamklossfam Member Posts: 7
    I've had a 04 TSX with AT since Sept 2004 - I drive like a jerk - and still average 22-23 around "suburbia" and approx 30-31 on road trips (all at 80 mph with the cruise on)...So I'd have to say after 30,000 miles in the TSX, I'm pretty much dead on the EPA rated mileage...to give you an idea of my "lead foot" effect - my wife gets 20 mpg mixed in her 04 Pilot and if I drive the same roads with the Pilot, I'm in the 17-18 range...
  • fitzpafitzpa Member Posts: 1
    2006 TSX, approx. 5000 miles at start of trip. 35.3 mpg/73 mph on the way down...38.2mpg/76 mph on the way back. A whopping 497 miles on one tank of gas. I couldn't believe it myself.

    Anyone have like numbers?
  • buyinginncbuyinginnc Member Posts: 7
    Those numbers sound great! I just bought mine a week ago and hope it does that well.

    Just curious, are those the numbers calculated by the car or based on your own fill-up calculations? I hear that the car might calculate 1 or 2 mpg higher than manual calculation.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    I am very impressed with the gas mileage you are getting. I hope my 06 tsx gets that much. I have owned my car two weeks today, it has 2,700 miles and the best was 34.7.
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    One could top 40MPG in a TSX on a highway trip at posted speed limits. ;)
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    i drove my tsx at the posted speed limit ( set the cruise control on 70 (the speed limit) and drove 200 miles. the mpg was 35.6. getting a little better. car is now 2 weeks old with just over 3,000 miles. still loving it especially the nav. and xm radio.
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    An 04 TSX owner carefully documented a road trip on which the best mileage occurred right around the old US speed limit of 55mph - almost 42MPG. At both slower and faster speeds the mileage was lower. 36mpg sounds about right for a steady 70mph.
  • jsandberg77jsandberg77 Member Posts: 7
    I recently purchased an '06 TSX, 6 sp navi. I was returning from my parents place in my TSX and decided to fill up at a station where I've gotten better-than-average gas mileage with my wife's car ('04 RX330). It turns out they didn't have premium gas, so I filled up with 89 octane. I was expecting a drop in mileage because of this, but I was hoping that this would be offset by the better mileage that I had seen in my wife's car.

    The remainder of the trip was about 150 miles, and I ended up getting better than 34 mpg. Usually, I'll get mileage of about 32 mpg (according to the car computer) on premium (93 octane). I'm confused as to why the mileage was that much better on 89 octane. Is the gas at this station so much better than other stations I've filled up at? I've heard that, while premium fuel is required is required for the TSX, cars, in general, run best on their intended gas type. This is 91 octane for the TSX. In my area, you rarely see 91 octane. Premium gas is 93 octane, and mid-grade is 89 octane. Could it be that the TSX runs just as well on 89 as 93, and the rest of the mileage improvement is due to higher quality gas?
  • abhiutdabhiutd Member Posts: 44
    As far as i remember, for TSX 91 octane is recommended (not required) and i have seen people using 89 regulary without any complains whatsoever. I'm just amazed at the other person who mentioned 42 mpg on TSX.How is it even possible? My best has been 33 (total highway miles at 75-80mph)

    cheers!
  • biker4biker4 Member Posts: 746
    It is very difficult to find a flat road and then do 55 mph for a long enough stretch to make the measurement meaningful - but if you could, 40mpg+ is achievable. During that same test that person got around 38mpg at 64mph and 39mpg at 50mph. There's a reason why 55 mph was chosen in the 70s as the US speed limit. ;)

    Using the MID to gauge millage could be misleading - real millage should be computed between fill ups by measuring millage/gal of fuel. Lots of factors could have contributed to the slight increase from 32-34mpg and the gas could be one of them. BTW if you mix 93 and 89 just right you'll end up with the recommended 91. ;)
  • henry3henry3 Member Posts: 22
    I drive just over 40 miles each way to work, 5 days a week. The largest stretch is around 25 miles long with average speed somewhere in between 65-80 mph, using best gasoline available from any given station. The rest is on a more crowded roads, average speed probably around 40-50 mph. I average 27-28 miles per gallon constantly. I am in my 30's now, with little kids, so I value my life and don't think I push the car hard, but I like to drive rather quick, usually ending up on the left lanes. Stating the car makes 35 miles per gallon or more is ridiculous unless you're driving in a straight line, at a set speed, perfectly matching best possible scenario. Come on, we're supposed to be talking real world here, or are we not.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    I can do that-route 40 in north carolina- speed limit is 70 mpg. straight and flat. I set the cruise control to 73. Not much traffic. Get 35+ mpg using regular gas. Had two other car that said premium gas and used regular in them- sold both-one had 250,000 miles and the other had 105,000 miles and ran excellant.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    On Saturday I took my tsx on a 70 miles round trip drive- traffic lights (managed to get almost all red lights) traffic in some areas, speed limit 55. Gas mileage 32-33 mpg.
  • henry3henry3 Member Posts: 22
    Fine, then I will assume my driving has something very special to it, or my car is different than yours, because from filling up the tank to running on empty, the average fuel usage as being reported never gets better than 28 MPG. And the good thing is, it never gets much worse either ;-)
  • osubuck31osubuck31 Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 2007 TSX(automatic) less than three weeks ago. We have gone thru 2 1/2 tanks of gas in only 675 miles. Does this sound like a computer error that need adjusted. The driving has been more freeway than city driving. Premium gas has been put in every time. Any help would be appreciated and the dealer is having a service techician call me tommrrow.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Well, the TSX theoretically has a 17 gallon tank. I was never able to squeeze in more than 14 gallons, and usually no more than 12 gallons.

    I assume you don't run right to empty before filling up again, so 2 1/2 tanks would be equal to about 30 to 34 gallons? Divided by 675 miles gives you 20 to 23 MPG.

    Not unreasonable for a brand-new car driven in mixed conditions during break-in. Keep an eye on it and look for an improvement after break-in.
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    That sounds about right. My low fuel light comes on after 280 - 290 miles in the winter, but is seems to come on when quite a bit of fuel is left. If I fill up shortly after the light comes on, it only takes 12.x gallons to fill up the 17 gallon tank.

    I get 22-23 MPG in the winter and 24-25 MPG in the summer with most of the miles being open city roads or congested freeway.

    I track mileage on every tank of gas and the first tank after I bought the car is still the worst I've seen. The mileage definitely gets a little better as the engine breaks in.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Good point about winter fuel formualtion. Another detriment to economy.
  • mrgold35mrgold35 Member Posts: 73
    I have an 06 AT and I noticed the oxygenated winter fuel and any premium brands that use ethanol to bring up the octane rating will hurt your gas mileage.

    I took a trip from Albuquerque to Denver (and back) and I averaged 29 mpg with an average speed of 81 mph. I thought was pretty good because the lowest elevation was 5280 ft (Denver) and the highest was +7500 feet at Raton Pass. I had the occasional run of 90-95 mph between Colorado Springs/Denver.

    The TSX is an excellent car to travel in at +80 mph.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    we drove from the east side of NC to the west side and back. Our average speed was 77mph and we averaged almost 34mpg. we drove thru cherokee to tenn.(the smokey mountains)
  • novicenovice Member Posts: 64
    Just did a round trip from Vancouver, WA to Seattle. Stayed a few MPH above posted speeds (e.g. 70 = 73, 60 = 63). I averaged 36 MPG for the trip of over 300 miles. It is a 2006 TSX, automatic with 11,500 miles registerd. Just an FYI.
  • autoboy16autoboy16 Member Posts: 992
    I just did that trip!! It was for band(in which we one 1st in 4A concert band ;) and we had a great time! We even saw 2bear cubs at the S.M.N.P.! We stayed in Gatlinburg and we went by coach bus! The bus drivers flew!! We did a normally 16hour drive (S. Miami to Gatlinburg) in 12hours up and in 9hours (Atlanta to Miami usually 13hours) back while stopping at rest stops and one walmart on the return trip.

    Anywho... Did you record the RPMS on the TSX by any chance? The TSX tac needle is usually high so I'm surprised you got the almost 34mpg. Any particular tips?
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    at 80 mph the tach is 3600 rpms. we are on a road trip right now we started in nc, went to memphis tn, drove thru arkansas, then missouri (gateway arch) thru kansas, nebraska and now are in wyoming. we are heading to south dakota. we start our trip on tuesday, the 1st and put 3,000 miles on the car. we are now averaging 31-33 mpg. we use regular (from previous experience with cars that recommended premium, regular gas worked for us. we do not over rev it. we get to 6th as soon as possible and try to use cruise control. when we usually go to pigeon forge we like to stay in a log cabin and go to dollywood.
  • autoboy16autoboy16 Member Posts: 992
    I WENT TO PIGEON FORGE!! THAT WAS THE GREATEST TRIP EVER!!

    Anywho, again, The TSX desperately needs a 6th gear with automatic and a higher final drive ratio if it cruises at 3.6krpm. My accord(95 v6) is around 3.4krpm with a 4speed auto at 80mph! Honda definitely needs to get to it with the trannys larger(6-8speed) transmissions.

    I hope the TL's rpm at 80mph isn't that high. My next car is likely to be a Acura TSX, TL, or MDX between the 2004 and 2006(07 for TSX & TL) model years.

    I'm sure if the TSX had a 6th gear or higher final drive, it would cruise at 80mph at 2.3krpm. That should translate to maybe 36mpg highway. Not to mention the TSX(accord euro) diesel that gets 42mpg in other parts of the world. I'm still holding off for it :blush: ...

    -Cj
  • jrizjriz Member Posts: 10
    One a recent trip to and from Vegas from Los Angeles, my 2006 TSX 6-speed manual averaged 31.1 mpg while driving averaging about 80 mph. Driving in the city (mostly traffic), I usually hover just below 20.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    The 2.4L TSX gets very similar mileage to the 3.0L Honda Accord V6, which makes over 40 more horsepower, and about 50 lb-ft of torque extra, on regular gasoline no less.
  • kris2kris2 Member Posts: 51
    I just purchased a 2007 TSX AT and I hope I get the mileage some of the members have been posting. My commute is a very short 5 miles and maybe I will be on the highway during the weekend for a 20-25 mile one way trips. Are there any tips as to how to get the engine to break in properly so I get decent mileage?
  • thomcinthomcin Member Posts: 29
    My first 500 miles of driving my new TSX have averaged 22 around town and 32 on the highway. My combined mpg to date is 25.7 with a mixture of both. These are actual figures, not based on trip computer but actual gas used.
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    The TSX is rated 2 MPG (about 7-10%) better than the V6 Accord in both city and highway, but I'd agree that it seems like the TSX's advantage should be greater.
  • drewbadrewba Member Posts: 154
    It's going to be tough to get good mileage with a 5 mile commute.

    As for break-in, I drove it pretty easy for the first 5-600 miles. One thing I did was use manual mode to put it into 5th and floor it a few times for a few seconds each. I don't recall the details, but apparently the high compression of full throttle helps with seating the rings. A Google search could provide more info.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    One thing I did was use manual mode to put it into 5th and floor it a few times for a few seconds each. I don't recall the details, but apparently the high compression of full throttle helps with seating the rings. A Google search could provide more info.

    I've heard this before too. The next best thing I did in my Accord 4-cyl (automatic) was put the car in 2nd gear, which prevents it from dropping to first (there is no manumatic in Accords). From there, I did full-throttle starts to about 3,000 RPMs a couple of times.
  • kris2kris2 Member Posts: 51
    Thanks. I have around 150 miles now and will drive it easy for another 4-500 miles. I will also try the full throttle.
  • thomcinthomcin Member Posts: 29
    2007 TSX Base Town 23 Highway 32 Combined 28 with about 70% Highway miles. Total mileage to date 1100.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles