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Comments
It's funny how some people get good mileage from the first tank. Mine didn't plateau until I hit 106,000 miles and it's fallen off about a tenth as I've passed 155k on my van.
I agree I may be wrong with my facts. But I still think the main reason why car gets better MPG after 1000K or 5000K or whatever is not because of breakin, but rather people change their driving habits and learn to driver it easier and accelerate less.
So I thought I should give a update post to this one. I did go back and talk to the service center, and we redid the numbers and the car continues to show the same mileage. We did all agree the numbers were off somehow with the 25.5MPG number earlier observed.
We haven't gotten to a fix yet for the problem, but I will say the GMC service center I am dealing with has been extremely professional, receptive to my questions and concerns. I have been really impressed. Hopefully they are able to figure this out.
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Please keep me posted when the issue has been taken care of.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
I have owned GM SUV's since 1999. This is the last one.
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your new vehicle. By chance, have you been in contact with GM Customer Assistance? If so, could you please email me your case number? Please keep me posted on any information.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
I am now taking it back to the dealership on Monday and they will be giving me a car to drive so they can keep it the entire day. We have had this car 3 months and if I could return it I would. I will never recommend an Acadia to anyone that wants decent gas mileage! My V8 Sequoia averaged 16.5 mpg the entire time we had it and that included pulling a 6500lb boat! I am so FRUSTRATED!!!!!!!!!
The best fuel economy possible is the direct result of proper maintenance and good driving habits. Listed below are GM's recommendations to achieve the best mileage possible. The first group are things to consider for your vehicle, while the second are tips relating to your driving habits.
One of the major contributors to poor fuel economy are under inflated tires. Tires low with pressure create drag that the vehicle’s powertrain must overcome, wasting dollars in fuel. Always keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure as shown on the vehicle placard. This not only serves to increase gas mileage but cuts down on tire wear, further decreasing your costs per mile.
A vehicle that has a dirty air filter can’t efficiently draw air into the engine. This restriction forces the engine to expend energy to "breathe" wasting fuel in the process. Change recommendations are found in your vehicle Owner’s Manual.
Always use the proper viscosity oil in your engine. Oil that has a higher than required viscosity will create more drag on the internal components of the engine causing more work for it, especially when cold. Each Owner’s Manual contains information on the proper type of oil for your vehicle. Look for the "starburst" symbol on the front of the bottle, and the SM rating on the API circle on the back label. If you are in doubt, stop by your dealer for an oil change, and any other services required. Most current GM vehicles are equipped with oil life monitors to further assist on the "when" to change your oil. (Aveo/Wave/Optra/Epica currently do not have oil life monitors).
Note: GM Vehicles DO NOT require additional engine oil additives. Some additives may cause harmful effects to the internal seals and additionally void the terms of your vehicles New Car Warranty.
Purchasing higher than required octane fuel is a waste of money. Using higher octane fuels in a vehicle that only required regular unleaded fuel will neither increase performance nor improve gas mileage. In all cases refer to your owner’s manual and ONLY use the octane rated fuel recommended for your vehicle.
Even though current GM vehicles have 100,000 mi (160,000 km) service intervals for spark plugs if your vehicle is at that point in its life, have the spark plugs changed to assure proper running and continued efficient, trouble free operation.
Avoid quick/full throttle acceleration from a standstill in town and high cruising speeds on the interstates. While the optimum MPG for highway cruising speed varies from vehicle to vehicle, faster is almost always worse. If your vehicle is equipped with a Driver Information Center that displays Instant Fuel Economy, select that readout and vary your cruising speed while on the highway. The display will change continuously with uphill and downhill sections but you should quickly be able to identify on level ground the speed range that your vehicle does the best in. Avoid leaving unnecessary items in your trunk. It takes power to move increased weight and that means more gasoline consumption and reduced performance. While the change may be slight, multiplied by thousands of miles, it all adds up. Your vehicle uses much more fuel when the engine is cold. This is especially true in the winter months when the engine will take the longest to warm up. Combine errands or trips so that the vehicle only needs to warm up once to encompass many different stops.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Reading these posts I hear didnt responses, (1) give it time to break in; (2) the car computer is inaccurate (to that all I can say is I see the fuel gauge needle move a click (1/16 tank) everytime I run to the store which isbout five miles away; (3) have the transmission serviced.
Has anyone actaully seen the initial mielage improve after a breakin period; or has anyone seen the dealrship actually find something to fix or tweek to improve mpg. While I do live/drive on a quasi-highway, I have not been gunning the vehicle to get up to speed.
Love the vehicle - but really wondering if this issue is going to taint my opinions. Any feedback or advise would be greatly appreciated.
We decided to purchase the new 2011 GMC Acadia Denali because of the style and color of the vehicle, we figured that it's gotta be the same as the Traverse......Well boy we were wrong! Though the drive on the GMC is much softer and more plush, the fuel economy SUCKS! I have 2000 miles now on the GMC and have spent $542.00 already. The last fillup was $81.00, 20.2gallons, 277 miles traveled to give me 13.7mpg....TERRIBLE!
My wife says that this is the first vehicle we have owned, and we have owned probably 12-15 vehicles in the 17 years we are together, that we can see the fuel go down when driving locally....PRETTY SCARY especially with gas @ $4.00/gallon!
On another note, I was so impressed by GM that I traded in my commuter, 2008 Honda Civic, and purchased a 2011 Buick Regal. I absolutely love this car! The Regal has so many features and best of all I am getting around 28-30mpg. ONSTAR is awesome too!
I am happy to hear that your family was all okay after that accident.
The best fuel economy possible is the direct result of proper maintenance and good driving habits. Listed below are GM's recommendations to achieve the best mileage possible. The first group are things to consider for your vehicle, while the second are tips relating to your driving habits.
One of the major contributors to poor fuel economy are under inflated tires. Tires with low pressure create drag that the vehicle’s powertrain must overcome, wasting dollars in fuel. Always keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure as shown on the vehicle placard. This not only serves to increase gas mileage but cuts down on tire wear, further decreasing your costs per mile.
A vehicle that has a dirty air filter can’t efficiently draw air into the engine. This restriction forces the engine to expend energy to "breathe" wasting fuel in the process. Change recommendations are found in your vehicle Owner’s Manual.
I hope this information helps! Thank you for your loyalty to GM!
Christina
GM Customer Service
I personally drove my wife's Acadia Denali for 230miles straight and suffered doing 60mph just to prove a point and I was able to get 16.2mpg.......BIG DEAL! I own a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 w/HEMI, 390HP and driving it as I would everyday which is not like an elderly I am still getting 15.4mpg around town and 22mpg on the highway.I purchased this truck without worrying about fuel consumption and didn't care and it still exceeded my expectations.
I was always told that the GMC are the better of the GM lineup in trucks...YEAH WELL THAT'S BS!! Thank god I leased this car BUT unfortunately I'm stuck with this junk until August 2014.
I will NEVER NEVER NEVER consider a GMC or recommend to anybody. The company is full of IT and I'm surpirsed GM can allow this.
Acadia weights 3 tons and it takes lots of gas to accelerate it after stopping in city driving. The only way to improve MPG is to accelerate slower.
Another factor is Acadia transmission is programmed to downshift immediately when you touch gas pedal even slightly, and when downshifted it accelerates much faster and therefore consumes more gas. This sporty transmission mode is similar to Overdrive OFF in our old 4-cyl Camry, and with Overdrive OFF even Camry burns gas like Acadia.
I do like our Acadia when we go on family trips. I hate it when filling at gas station or every time I look on gas level gauge.
I have been most unhappy with the gas mileage I have been getting (less than 16mpg in general driving, much of it highway).
I mentioned this to the Service advisor at my dealership and was told "That's all you're going to get"
I quoted the sticker mileage of 24 Hwy and was told that was a very optimistic number under perfect conditions.
BS! The tests behind those numbers were changed a few years ago to be more realistic!.
I took my first 400 mile purely highway trip last weekend and drove 70mph. I got 21.8mpgs.
Better than some people are reporting but still not what I was hoping for.
To put things in perspective here - that is 2mpg LESS than I used to get driving a 1995 Buick Roadmaster station wagon with a 5.7L V8. With 16 years of "Progress" I expected the Acadia to do better.
I also own a 2500HD Duramax Crew-cab pickup that I use to tow a fifth wheel. I have driven the SAME 400 mile trip with my truck (unloaded) and got 20mpg.
Not good enough GM.
But I leased it so am stuck for another 3 years. I will NOT lease another one.
I apologize for the mileage you are getting. I would encourage you to take your vehicle into your local GM dealership to be looked at. Please keep me posted on any information.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Thank you for responding.
I HAVE been back to the dealer. Their response to 18mpg (mostly highway) was "that's all you're going to get" and when asked about the 24MPG Highway rating was told "That's very optimistic under perfect conditions"
They then told me to let the engine rev wide open now and again and wait until I had a "few thousand" miles on the car before being critical.
Let's put things in perspective! I'm a GM retiree Manager who used to drive a company vehicle. I ALWAYS exceeded the published (and optimistic pre-2008) mileage ratings from day1 for EVERY car I drove.
Look at my previous post for the mileage I was getting from a 1995 Buick Roadmaster wagon and a 2005 2500HD pickup for example.
For vehicles slightly closer in comparison I regularly got 16/27mpg out of the plastic U-Vans (Lumina APV and Pontiac Transport with a 3800 push-rod V6) and comparable numbers out of the later U-Vans (Venture and Montana) with a pushrod 3.4V6.
Granted the Acadia is a bigger vehicle, but with all the technical advances and a six-speed transmission I was optimistic that I would get AT LEAST the posted (and supposedly more realistic) 24mpg.
My last tank (filled yesterday) with a mix of highway (75%) and major road (25%) driving, I returned 15.1mpg!
My old Buick ALWAYS gave me 20mpg in identical driving. In fact I used the mileage instead of the fuel gauge to judge when to fill up, it was THAT consistent.
As I said before, 16 years of technological advances do not seem have found their way into this Acadia.
And I'm obviously wasting my time at the dealer!
Like I said - NOT impressed at all!
I apologize I do not have a recommendation. They will know where to look and what to look at.
Christina
GM Customer Service
The info centers have gotten pretty accurate but I'd manually check 4 or 5 tanks too.
From what I've read, the EPA testing is pretty rigorous even though the conditions are still well controlled by the testing lab. That same "EPA testing" pretty much lets the manufacturers off the hook though when vehicles don't live up to the ratings. Just stumbled on this "fine print" while nosing around with a net search - " A disclosure about fuel economy or estimated annual fuel costs under this section does not establish a warranty". (link)
Sorry to hear about the gas mileage you are getting on your new vehicle. Please keep us posted on any information from the dealership.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
Tricia, GM Customer Service.
Tricia, GM Customer Service.
I apologize for your frustrations. Have you spoke with GM Customer Assistance? If not, I would recommend setting up a case with them. I would be happy to do so for you. Please feel free to email me directly.
Christina
GM Customer Service
going to look at Acadia but looks like I am back to European or Japanese cars.
My runabout is a 2011 VW Jetta Diesel 45 mpg is common every morning when I drive to work. Has been flawless. These cars are the best kept secrets and the new Passat is bigger and more Accord Camry size. I wanted a SUV how is GM going to help all these people getting 14 mpg. The Equinox forum is full of mpg complaints from many more people than here.