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Nissan Sentra Real World MPG

patpat Member Posts: 10,421
What sort of mileage are you getting in your Sentra? Report the numbers here.
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Comments

  • srikanth2305srikanth2305 Member Posts: 22
    I am getting abt 30.5 mpg (average), as per the trip comouter, mostly highway driving. 80% highway and 20% city driving. I have seen highway numbers go as high as 36 mpg but since city driving numbers are not good, the average does not go above 30.5 mpg.
  • kermitmbikermitmbi Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 spec-v. 90% of my driving is city and the speed limit where I do most of my driving is 30mph so its not like I can drive it hard. Every time I fill the tank I calculate my fuel economy. I'm consistantly getting 17mpg (when the whole tank is used in the city). The best I've seen on the highway is 26mpg. I don't drive the car hard, my air filter is clean, my spark plugs are new and my tires have the proper amount of air in them. I don't want to take it to a dealership until I know I've tried everything I can. Is this normal or a problem??
  • sentra2001sentra2001 Member Posts: 3
    Hi
    I am also having the same problem. Does anyone has some clues?
    H
  • james31278james31278 Member Posts: 78
    My mpg readings for my Spec V on the gauge stay around 23-24 mpg.
  • sentra2001sentra2001 Member Posts: 3
    Hi James,
    My car is a Nissan sentra XE 2001. I am getting very low gas mileage. I went to mechanic, they found problem with O2 sensor, then they called Nissan, and found that it was due to problem on camsensor which was on a recall. Then nissan fixed it for free, then my mechanic checked the O2 sensor and seemed OK, but still I am getting low gas mileage, practically same as before. The mechanic told me there was no problem in the car. I am getting 17 MPG during winter.
    But other are getting around 25 MPG during this time of the year. Any expert comment would be appreciated
  • james31278james31278 Member Posts: 78
    If you haven't already I would suggest trying a K&N performance air filter. When my Grand Am had the stock filter in it, it was like the car was scruggling to accelerate and after I installed the K&N the car was much more responsive than before. I may also suggest putting on a inexpensive semi larger catback type exhaust pipe because those tailpipes on the "economy" Sentras look too small and maybe hurt gas mileage, the easier the engine breathes the less stress on it in my opinion. Those stock air filters are crap with a capital C, it is like trying to breathe through a straw.
  • eldainoeldaino Member Posts: 1,618
    none of you guys are really having a problem, if you have the 2.5 litre engine that is. The new epa sticker for a 2002 spec v is 19/26 which sounds exactly like the range you are getting. Its a performance engine, not a hybrid.
  • sentra2001sentra2001 Member Posts: 3
    No mnan, mine is 1.8L engine!!!
    I have another question, hot air comes out of the vents even when the fan is not truned on. if I put the temp knob to cold region (blue), then cool air comes out. what is it? is it that the heater or AC is truned on even when I dont turn them on!!! all strange things happening. I had a subaru car, such thing never happened.
    -H
  • james31278james31278 Member Posts: 78
    That means the vent is simply redirected. if you leave the fan off while leaving it on cold outside cold air comes in. My 2.5L Spec V engine gets 23/29 according to specs but I probably get at least 30 mpg because I can go from here to Virginia Beach and back on one tank still having plenty left over.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Thanks for the input! Just curious, where is "here"? :)
  • james31278james31278 Member Posts: 78
    Richmond. 120 miles away from Va Beach. 240 mile round trip with gas to spare.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Small world. I live in Norfolk. :)
  • james31278james31278 Member Posts: 78
    Small world indeed. :shades:
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    First tank: 31.48 MPG, mostly city (80%).

    Computer reports 52.2 MPG at 38 MPH, close to 47 MPG at 50 miles per hour.

    On my daily commute the typical MPG is 38 (50% city, 50% highway).

    I'm hoping these numbers will get even better after a few 1000 miles and brake in.
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    The last fill up yesterday yielded an MPG of 39.1.

    This is for a commute of 40 miles each way, 50% highway, 50% city, most of it stop and go traffic.

    I think I am getting the hang of it, treating the gas pedal as if there was an egg under it.

    According to the trip computer, today my average is exceeding 41 MPG by a little bit. I hope there are no accidents on the way back as that would mess up my average.

    Anyone who can beat me? I love a challenge!
  • rennie4rennie4 Member Posts: 55
    Keep up the mileage
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    I am going on a long vacation trip on Sunday (BC-WA-OR-CA and back).

    I will report the MPG numbers in a couple of weeks.

    Thanks rennie4. It remains to be seen what winter will do to the mileage. My Sentra comes with a block heater so when it gets cold I will plug the car in for an hour or so every morning (on a timer).
  • tlcruztlcruz Member Posts: 54
    i get 22-26, for the most part in my 2002 SE-R. i drove 2700+ from los angeles, california to phildelphia, pennsylvania and got 27-30. it was pretty sweet. unfortunately, i dont drive like that every day! but i do love my sentra. :shades:
  • txn_egl_scttxn_egl_sct Member Posts: 20
    My '07 has 250 miles on the ODO and I am getting an average of 26. That also is almost entirely city driving to work. I only have maybe 10 miles of freeway driving so far.
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    Well, I am back from my trip from BC to WA, OR and CA.

    MPG for the whole trip was 36.19. Fill ups varied from 32 to 41.5. 41.5 was for over 350 miles of highway, at steady speeds of 60 to 70 MPH.

    Can't complain!
  • pulgopulgo Member Posts: 400
    Yesterday I filled up after a week of commuting to work. Lot's of stop and go, 2 days where the trip to and from work took almost 2 hours each way (40 miles distance), "normally" it is only 70 minutes.

    50% of the trip is highway with speeds of 60 to 70 MPH. The rest is stop and go.

    The number: 40.26 MPG

    I am a happy camper as this number is almost matching what I was achieving with my previous 2001 Toyota Echo.

    Considering this is a much heavier and powerful car I could not be more pleased.

    Once I switch over to 0W-30 synthetic oil (now using the last few quarts I had of Amsoil 10W-30 synthetic) the mileage should improve a tiny bit. It will probably be compensated by the lower temperatures.

    This week I am purchasing a complete set of winter tires and wheels and that will mess up my mileage for sure. Winter tires have higher rolling resistance than summer tires. Oh well, safety is more important to me and although it does not snow much in this area I like to be prepared.

    It does rain a lot and winter tires should help in this kind of weather.
  • klasklas Member Posts: 22
    I don't understand how you get those numbers...

    We had 08 Sentra SL for about 3 month and already have 3k miles on it. The car is great, other then mpg. I average about 280 miles before I need to fill up again with 50/50 city/hwy driving. This seems not that great considering our previous 03 Mazda 6 with 17 gallon tank got over 300 miles and with 170 hp engine. Also, our SUV gets 200 miles on the same 15 gallon tank. What's the deal here? Are you guys driving down the hill constantly?
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    Your driving makes all the difference in the world.
    When I am tired of work and want to be home soon, my mileage drops dramatically. Why? Because a follow cars in front of me closer, I accelerate more suddenly and I have to break more. I also tend to exceed the speed limit (62 MPH) quite a bit. On those days I average around 33 MPG (US gallons).
    When I listen to my CD's or am busy with my HAM radio I tend to leave more room to other cars and I keep my speed around 60 MPH. Those more relaxed days I get between 36 to 38 MPG, now that the weather is warmer the occasional 40 MPG.
    My commute is 40 miles each way and I am always in stop and go traffic for 45 minutes or more every day.
    I have to drove to Vancouver from the Fraser Valley on Highway 1 and that means crossing the infamous Port Mann Bridge. For 5 or 6 miles before that bridge the traffic comes to a crawl and the typical speed is may be 10 MPH, sometimes less.
    In the afternoons the same game again, just the other way. The last 20 miles home is a steady 60 MPH (Usually).

    My tricks to save are:
    Tire pressure: 38 PSI
    Engine oil: 0W30 Synthetic (Mobil 1 or Amsoil)
    No speeds higher that 70 MPH. No jackrabbit starts and no sudden braking. When accelerating I do not exceed 2500 RPM. I am NOT a rolling obstacle on the road, I just move at the same speed as everybody else. I DO have a SCANGAUGE and I do everything I can to drive more efficiently. I do not have an ego as I don't need to be the first arriving at the next red light.
  • s1thl0rds1thl0rd Member Posts: 1
    As noted earlier in the discussion, the Spec V engine is performance oriented. I live in the city during the work week and have a 69 mile run home on the weekends. I'm averaging around 24 mpg overall. I've gotten as high as 28 mpg on mostly freeway cruising. City driving is a different story. 19 - 22 as the EPA sticker says. Not out of parameters but ..... I've been experimenting with watered-down hypermiling (low up-shifts, better awareness of traffic, easier breaking) and I'm getting better results in the city. Sometimes, you just have to enjoy the car though :-) ...

    Anyone tried to run the Spec V on regular fuel? I've been searching for information that will say "no way" or "its okay"...
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    These past 5 days I have stayed at or under 58 MPH on my commute to work. I decided not to change lanes at every other highway onramp and not to try to be the first at the next stoplight. Driving like there is an egg under the gas pedal over the last 392 miles i got 42.77 MPG (40% city and 60% highway).

    I keep RPM's under 2000, even when starting from a dead stop. Tire pressure is kept at 40 PSI.

    I am not coasting or doing things hypermilers do and I'm hoping not to aggravate too many fellow drivers.
  • havealemonhavealemon Member Posts: 2
    :lemon: I tried all those tricks but still avg. 20 mpg and only get 24 on highway.
  • havealemonhavealemon Member Posts: 2
    I have done it in my maxima but mpg went down, didn't feel any different though.
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    If you only get 24 on the highway, especially if you use cruise control and do not exceed 75 MPH, then something is seriously wrong with your car. I would rent another identical Sentra for a day, making sure the tank is full. Then I would take a highway trip of at least 200 miles and fill up again. If you do not achieve 30 MPG or more, it is you, not the car.

    Where do you live? Is it very hot and do you use AC all the time? Is the car equipped with a roof rack? Low tire pressure?
  • mdpxmdpx Member Posts: 2
    With approx. 8,000 miles, I average between 24-25.5 in city, and on a trip to Tucson from Phoenix, I averaged 38.2 mpg. That's up quite a bit from when I took my first trip to LA from Phoenix where I barely averaged 30 mpg highway. Of course, this trip, I keep my speed at 65 and that seems to make the different.
  • mouthcardmouthcard Member Posts: 1
    HM are you confusing imperial gallons with US gallons?

    40 miles/imp gallon = 33.3 miles/US gallon.
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    Not at all. I am using US gallons (3.785 liters per gallon)
  • jk289jk289 Member Posts: 2
    I just got my car this tuesday and I have been getting pretty disappointing results. When I first got it and checked the mpg it said 17.... ever since then i have been super sensitive with the gas pedal and brakes but the number has only risen up to 20.5. It also says that my average speed is 20 something.... which does not seem accurate at all. i use moderate a/c but that should not bring down the numbers that drastically, if that were the source of the low numbers. is something wrong with my car?
  • sentra08sentra08 Member Posts: 17
    my car is currently at almost 4000 miles. lately, my driving has been about 50-50 city-highway. i have been averaging 32.4 mpg. i am super pleased with that. when i get on the highway, it always jumps up quite a bit, generally to around 34-35 mpg. better than advertised. so im not sure why others have been getting disappointing results. i suppose one key thing is to make sure that your tires are properly inflated and you stay up on your maintenance schedule. other than that, not entirely sure. im pleased so far.
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    My last week's average is 35.2 MPG (US gallons), 50% city and 50% highway, 80 mile daily commute with average speeds around 35 MPH. I have a 2007 Sentra 2.0. S with CVT, currently with 28k miles.
  • anycallanycall Member Posts: 10
    I have 08 Sentra SL. Best MPG I've seen on freeway was just over 35. On one trip I averaged between 75-80mph that was 150 miles long and my second trip I went mostly 65mph set on cruise control and got silmilar reading. On the other hand, the MPG on city isn't so good. I average 24mpg in the cith driving without gunnning at the stop lights or hard breaking.
  • tranmitranmi Member Posts: 12
    I just bought my 08 Sentra two weeks ago. After 600 miles on the clock, my average is ~ 28-30 MPG (70% highway and 30% city) with full A/C on.
  • longo2longo2 Member Posts: 347
    It's hard to keep the RPM's down in city driving with this powertrain. The CVT's wind up way too fast for the normal stop and go conditions in City driving.
    With my Scangauge checking the MPG's twice every second, it's surprising to note that mileage sucks even at slow speeds around town.

    Car experts say it only takes about 40 horse power to move a car down the road once you get up to cruising speed..then the mpg's finally go up, but around town the car is always pulling it's full weight under engine load.

    The CVT tries to keep the engine rev'ed even while your foot comes off the gas, slip it into neutral and you will see what I mean.

    However, just about all forums have sites like this where some owners are hopping mad about the new cars' MPG's and others keep taunting them with huge MPG numbers from the same car.

    Test the car on the highway under ideal condions, (a tail wind is always nice, a head wind will kill you) get that mpg number, and don't even bother with the city mpg's, everybodys suck.

    The "X-Prize" race, contest winner for the best 100 mpg car will make all our 2008's the new gas guzzlers no matter what.

    2007 is absolutely the worst time to be buying any new car, no matter what the sticker on the window says the mpg's are . :cry:
  • rennie4rennie4 Member Posts: 55
    Did u reset the trip computer? If there are alot of miles on the car before u got it. it can be hard to raise the mpg
  • rennie4rennie4 Member Posts: 55
    during take off the cvt really does over rev for the firs 10mph but after that if you have a light foot it should fall really low. the first thing i do when i take off is push really easy to keep the rpm from going above 2k. Then i push slightly harder when i feel the rpm about to drop usually around 10 mph with a light foot. Then i continue to accelerate a rpm usually around 1500 rpm. I can accelerate my cvt equipped car from 10-35 mph at just 1200 rpm the whole time. Thats where the cvt saves gas. Most people drive cvt too hard making the cvt stay in sport mode instead of economy mode!
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    Trying not to exceed 2000 rpm is easy, most of the time.

    I drive 50% city and 50% highway and 34-37 MPG is my typical weekly average.
  • agilberagilber Member Posts: 4
    On the Hondas, it's possible to turn off the automatic A/C in the Defrost position. Is this possible on the Sentra?
    BTW - We have '08 Civic and '08 Sentra. Love 'em both. Sentra - 34mpg, 50/50 city/highway. Civic - 28 city,32 highway avg. Got 38 in the hills of PA: 85 mph downhill, as low as 55 going up.
    TIA
    Alan
  • cafesilvercafesilver Member Posts: 1
    This car is designed for highway driving. I do about 70-30 city/highway and I average about 20mpg. The couple of trips I took that were all highway I averaged 40mpg. That is day and night and it needs to be fixed and they need to disclose that to potential buyers. I am glad I have a two year lease instead of longer or having actually bought it. I got it back in Jan 08 and have 4500 miles on it.
  • agilberagilber Member Posts: 4
    Go easy on the starts from a dead stop. Try not to get RPM above 2000. It takes some practice. As noted earlier in this forum, once you get to 15-20mph you can give it a little more gas and accelerate faster.
    I'm looking forward to a whole tank of driving on the highway and 40 mpg. I drive 50/50 city/highway (rush hour) and get 34 mpg. My wife gets 28. Heavier foot? Go figure...
  • crh3crh3 Member Posts: 5
    Cars in AZ usually gets higher mpg than CA. One reason is the altitude(so the air is thinner), and the other is probably the gasoline.

    Speed also matters, 55-65 gives much better mpg than 75-80mph.
  • crh3crh3 Member Posts: 5
    Just finished a road trip on my new 2009 Sentra. Now the car has 1600 miles on it.

    The trip on I5 in CA central valley gives me 30-31mpg highway, which is disappointing, but still understandable. I was driving at 75-80mph most of the time, with AC on. The outside temp is 95-105F.

    For part of the trip when I can drive at 65-70mph w/o AC on, I can get about 35-7 mpg from the trip computer. Not sure if it can be improved after first oil change.
  • crh3crh3 Member Posts: 5
    btw, the aerodynamics of the Sentra and Altima are really not that great. The 0.35 drag coefficient is almost the highest among all the current generation cars. It's also almost the tallest among all the cars.
  • jmalcolmp65jmalcolmp65 Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone. The following is a letter I sent to Nissan Canada in regard to the terrible mileage I'm getting from my 2009 Sentra. Read on and respond if you like.

    MPG(Imperial Gallon) comparison chart Nissan Sentra – years 2007-2009 with 2.0L engine with CVT

    Edmunds.com consumer reviews (Knowing the mpg mentioned was US gallon I did the math and converted into Imperial Gallons for this comparison. 1 Imperial gallon = 1.2 US gallons. All mpg mentioned below will be mpg based on the Imperial gallon). There are hundreds of consumer reviews in regards to the Sentra with the 2.0L engine and with CVT. This is a compilation and average of both good reviews and bad reviews in regards to mpg only.

    Good consumer reviews

    Consumers were averaging 54.12 kms per imperial gallon city driving and 69.48 kms per gallon highway. The math on that is 33.63 mpg(Imperial gallon) city and 43.17 mpg(Imperial gallon) highway.
    These Sentra’s have a 55l tank. The math on the good mileage using a 50/50 average of city/highway would give the car a 13.6km per liter fuel consumption or 38.4mpg which equates to 748kms per tank.

    Bad Consumer Reviews

    Consumers were averaging 40.5 kms per Imperial Gallon city driving and 48.3 kms per gallon highway. The math on that is 25.2 mpg(Imperial gallon) city and 30.01 mpg(Imperial gallon) highway.
    These Sentra’s have a 55l tank. The math on the bad mileage using a 50/50 average of city/highway would give the car a 9.78km per liter fuel consumption or 27.65mpg which equates to 537.9kms per tank.

    Good vs bad

    As I pointed out above, the good mileage vehicles average 748kms per tank, the bad mileage vehicles average 537.9kms per tank. That’s a difference of 210.1kms per tank or 3.82kms per liter, every liter on average. That’s a 28.1% fuel efficiency difference.

    From reading the reviews I’m getting a sense that approx 15 to 20% of the Sentra’s out there are having bad mileage issues. Sure you can factor in driving habits for mileage performance, however 80% are experiencing good mileage and I’m sure there are lead foot drivers and real road conditions for them as well.

    My 2009 Sentra 2.0 with CVT Mileage

    My wife and I both drive this car. Our driving consists of approx 50% highway and 50% city . We are very pleased with this car except for the gas mileage. My sister owns a 2008 Sentra and we also own a 1999 Sentra which we love and get decent mileage from. Our mileage we are getting from the 2009 sentra is as follows: 40.16kms per imperial gallon = 25.23 mpg. That averages to 8.85kms/L or 486.75kms per tank. Nissan Canada website estimates 43.5mpg average(15.04kms/L or 847kms per tank/50/50city/hwy)

    As I mentioned my sister own a 2008 Sentra 2.0s with CVT. She averages 650kms to the tank in her real world driving. She also drives approx 50% city and 50% highway. The math on her fuel performance is 11.82 kms average per litre of fuel. That equates to 53.66kms per Imperial gallon or 33.34 miles per Imperial gallon.
    Her mileage and what I read from consumer reviews on the 2.0L engine Sentra’s are almost identical.
    The same holds true for what I’m getting on my 2009 Sentra 2.0L engine with CVT. The bad consumer reviews are averaging 25.2mpg and I’m averaging 25.23mpg on mine.
    A side note, our 1999 Sentra gives us 48.1kms/gallon or 29.9 miles per Imperial Gallon. It is 10 years old and has 150,000 kms on it. We do the exact same driving using the 2 cars.

    A Trend Immersing

    As you can see there is an alarming trend that has surfaced. It seems that approx 15 to 20% of your 2007-2009 sentra’s burn 28.1% more fuel on average than the other 80% of all Sentra’s. This is not an isolated phenomenon. I based this on hundreds of consumer reviews and my real world experience with my own car.

    Doing the Right Thing

    As a Nissan Canada customer and especially a repeat customer, I urge you to look into this problem. There are just too many instances of identical bad mileage problems to simply dismiss this as an isolated incident. I love the car, I just am not pleased with the mileage. There must be a setting or computer glitch in these poor mileage cars that would explain the mileage problem. There should certainly be a fix on the part of Nissan Canada and Nissan in general in the form of a recall or some other means by Nissan to rectify this alarming trend that affects up to 20% of all 2007-2009 Sentra’s out there.

    Asking the Question

    As a loyal customer I ask this question. What is Nissan Canada going to do for me as a customer that will place my mileage consumption for my 2009 Sentra in line with the other 80% of Sentra’s out there that are getting reasonable mileage from the exact same make model and trim Sentra I have? Remember, my concern is the same as what thousands of people are experiencing out in the real world every day.

    Thank you for your time and understanding. I wait urgently for your response on this disturbing issue.
  • longo2longo2 Member Posts: 347
    Disturbing mpg figures, but the problem is not with your Sentra but with Nissans inflated mpg numbers. I bought a new 2007 Nissan Versa 1.8 with CVT and it's a gas hog too. You simply cannot believe the original mpg numbers from the company. Nor can you believe the inflated mpg numbers that some Fanboy owners are claiming to get.

    The incredible mpgs in Nissans propaganda rate it up to 47 mpg (Imp) on the highway...what a crock of crapola. My Versa driven like an old Granny might get 34 mpg tops on the highway....that's about 27 mpg U.S. Our old 1997 Buick Park Ave on a bad day will do better than that!

    I bought the Versa hoping to get great mpg numbers too, and hoped to meet or beat the window sticker numbers or worse case, 10% less than the window sticker, but not 25% less! If we have a few stop and gos' on the tank or have head winds on the highway...we are getting about 23 mpg (U.S.)

    So after 3 years of being angry and stewing about it, bought a VW Jetta TDI and I'm now getting a nice steady 50+ mpg on the freeway, when I have to back off and drive 60 mph I can pop a 60 mpg number pretty easy.

    What Nissan Ca. will likely do is remind you of the 'fine print' on their fuel consumption numbers..."your mileage might vary"
  • highmiler650highmiler650 Member Posts: 75
    Well, my 2007 Sentra now has 67k miles and my mileage is 34.1 (US) and 41 (Imp).
    My commute is 44 miles each way. It is winter here in Vancouver and temperatures are around 35 at night and 40 to 45 in the day.

    My driving is 50% highway and 50% city. I always drive a few clicks over the limit (about 65 MPH). I don't baby the car at all. Although it is not really cold like in the east or north of the country I plug in the car for about an hour every morning (on a timer) and use only 0W-30 full synthetic oil.

    In summer mileage is around 36 (US gallons) and 43 (imp gallons). I don't know why anybody is calculating with imperial gallons as they have not sold gasoline per gallon in decades. It is sold by the liter.

    I have driven 3 different Versas over the last 3 years (loaners when my car gets serviced and during one collision repair (deer)). Mileage was always between 35 and 37 MPG.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Just leased a 2.0 S. I was impressed with how low the revs were during the test drive, and I had no problem keeping them low since I typically drive with a light foot on the gas. I figured with revs like 1800 RPMs at 60 mph, fuel economy should be very good. So I got the car (got a great deal on the lease). On the way home, on suburban streets and freeways, I averaged 38.5 mpg if the computer can be believed. I noticed when the computer was in real-time mode, I was getting 40s-50s mpg when cruising around 40 mph on level ground, and RPMs were super low, around 1200. So I think it's very possible to get high FE in this car. I'll report again when I have driven it a bit.
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