Nissan Altima Hybrid Real World MPG

emgr · May 2008

I have the same identical car. I have used synthetic and notice a different. use the 0w-20 recommended. Watch you dealer if you have him do oil changes. Many don't carry the recommended and substitute. I will be interested in the answers you receive on the air filter.

cephraim · May 2008

Can you quantify the difference with the synthetic 0W-20 vs. the regular 0W-20?

emgr · May 2008

From what I understand, the 0w-20 only comes in synthetic. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

langjie · May 2008

i believe you're correct. a non-synthetic 0w20 would probably break down too easily so you need synthetic

occking · May 2008

I live in Seekonk but travel quite a bit. Three trips back & forth this week along out to Albany, NY area. Mine is the light grey. Now 10 weeks and one day have about 8700 miles. Pretty consisent on gas mileage, actual between 33 and 35, computer between 35 and 37.

markjacq · May 2008

So we've owned our car for 5 weeks now too. We are on our second tank and live in the Norcal Bay Area.
1st full tank we got 36 true mpg and electronic gauge said 39. So that sounds about what everyone else is doing-- take about 2-3mpg off what the electronic gauge says for true mpg.
One question though, when our gas gauge and light went on and electronic gauges said only a few miles left on this tank, my wife filled up.. However the tank only took 16 gallons? That means there were still 4 gallons left.. At our mpg, that would have been another 140miles! Does everyones light go on so early??
thanks

emgr · May 2008

Yes it does. But when you fill your tank do you just fill it until it automatically shuts off? it can hold a bit more gas then that and you don't have a full tank of 20 gallons at that point.

langjie · May 2008

wow, that's a lot of driving!!!! it's definitely worth it for you to have the hybrid

occking · May 2008

My light goes on & it will say about 50 miles to go. Like I said before I pushed it once after "no mileage left" indicated & put in19.3 gallons. Usually after first automatic shut off at gas pump, you can always put in another gallon at least. When your light first went on, if you filled it right away, up to the brim, you probably would have put in at least 17 gallons. When that happened to me a few weeks ago, I went another 10 miles or so after light went on and squeezed 18 gallons in the tank.

socal91423 · June 2008

Hi, everyone. I bought the NAH a few days ago after doing research here. The dealership filled up the tank before giving it to me. I've driven less than 200 miles so far. (The car had 100 miles on it when I bought it.) But my electronic mpg average is pathetic. It's slowly climbed from 14 to 18 mpg since I bought it. Is this because the car is so new or is my unit defective? When will I start seeing the 35mpg that most of you see?

Thanks for your help!

tomscot2 · June 2008

What type of driving are you doing?

Short hops on local streets will return miserable mileage because the catalytic converter must warm-up using the ICE so the car won't go to EV mode except for full stops for the first 5 minutes of driving.

For the gauge to indicate better miles you need to be on trips that are at least 5-10 miles and at some fairly stable speeds, not lots of stops and starts.

We live in San Diego County and our daily commute involves about 22 miles mostly downhill and 22 miles mostly uphill. The gauge indicates 40 at the end of the downhill leg and 32 by the time we get home. We have been averaging about 34 indicated and 32 actual once we slowed down on the freeway from limit plus 10 to limit plus 5 on the way to work. We are still at the lower end of the user experiences.

Give it a while.

socal91423 · June 2008

"What type of driving are you doing?"

Thanks for your reply. My trips are definitely on the short side (5-10 miles) with lots of starts and stops. I drive mostly on surface streets up and down canyon roads in the LA area. On longer trips, I'm usually on the freeways going with the flow at 65-70+ mph.

occking · June 2008

Don't worry!!! Exactly the same thing happened to me as well. "first time around" both the mpg as well as the average speed takes a long time to calculate. Come June 12, I will have had my NAH for 90 days, and right now I have approx 9800 miles on it.

Getting a solid 34 - 35 mpg, mostly highway. The computer in the vehicle is overly optomistic, usually will show about 2 mpg higher than actual. Most of my driving is highway.

Also purchased a second NAH three weeks ago for my wife. Right now only has about 1700 miles on the vehicle and, after a few fillups getting similar mileage.

socal91423 · June 2008

Thanks, tomscot and occking! I'll relax now.

toomanycars1 · June 2008

same problem here 4+ gallons left when its says im out...and actual mph 10-15% less than gauge says..im calling nissan to find out if there is anything to resolve it.

toomanycars1 · June 2008

in response to your average mpH, 30 is acurrate due to stopping...for the last 6 months i have averaged between 29 and 31..simular driving 1/2 city 1/2 highway...stoplights greatly reduce average speed

occking · June 2008

It is unfortunate that all manufacturers of cars with computer derived info on mpg all show mileage higher than actual. I can go as far back as my myt 92 Olds Touring Sedan, everyone since then, Buick Park Ave, Lexus RX 300, Accura MDX, Malibu Maxx, Subaru Outback and Tribeca, now the NAH every one of those inflated the computer mpg, usually by 1.5 to 2 mpg compared to actual. Plus I am very accurate when I determine actual, when I fill it is to the brim, every time. I doubt very much if Nissan will do anything more to correct the problem.

occking · June 2008

I now have almost 11,000 miles on my NAH -- not quite 100 days old.

On trip trip this week, filled up "to the brim" Went 618 miles before low gas light went on. At that point computer indicated 37.3 mpg. Drove another 7 miles & put in exactly 17.5 gallons (to the brim, again) thus actual average of 35.7 mpg (and trip computer still at 37.3) So, based on my actual mileage, the 2.5 gallons would have given me another 90 miles or so, thus could have gone just about 700 miles before running out. I hope this information addresses concerns of those about low fuel light going on prematurely.

karolpl7 · June 2008

I had almost identical results to yours (except that gas station clerk filled up the tank till the pump clicked). Drove for 607 miles and filled up another 17.5 gallons afterward (again till it clicked). The gas gauge was going below empty though. I rather not risk it and avoid running out of gas. Don't feel comfortable driving 50 miles when the gauge is on 'E', and besides, the owner's manual specifically mentions that if you run out of the gas the battery may fully discharge and you'll be left with a heavy paperweight in your trunk.

Oh yeah, computer read 37.3 mpg and I got 35.35 mpg at the pump. However it took a LOT of slow driving to accomplish it; very easy starts and almost never going over 70mph unless down the hill. Very frustrating to drive so slow but that was my little experiment after reading some postings here from people who keep getting good mileage. I'm back to my regular habits and will probably get 33mpg max on next fill up (that's in warm NY weather, mpg drops about 3 mpg in winter).

Happy driving...

tomscot2 · June 2008

I know the mileage that my NAH gets (average 32 measured, 34 indicated) and that there is a 20 gallon tank. So I feel comfortable taking it to 590 miles since last fill-up, regardless of what the gauge says. The NAH gauge is the most conservative that I have encountered.

lrspatrick · June 2008

After 15 days with the new NAH had the first fillup today. My hand calculated mileage was 40.6.

During the 15 days I reset the trip computer MPG calculator a few times so I don't have an overall car indicated MPG; but I did get a feel for how well it did on highway only (one estimate of 36) and how well it did in my usual daily commute (multiple daily estimates ranging from 39 to 45). With this tankful I will not reset it until fillup so I can see what kind of difference this car has between it's indicated and real MPG.

The conditions that gave that 40.6 estimate were:
- less than 3% highway driving, a single time for about 20 miles
- I used every hypermiling technique I'd read about
- the weather was very, very hot (90+); don't know if that has an effct or not

The car is used as a commuting car and to run around town errands. Roads driven typically have speed limits of 40 or 45, really ideal for a car like this as I can use EV mode often and rarely make the guy behind me mad!

Don't know if I'll be able to keep that 40 MPG pace as I definitely focused on high mileage these first two weeks.

sfbaychris · June 2008

I just finished my vacation going from San Francisco area to Port Angeles area via I-5. Came back down U.S. 101 on the coast. I averaged about 4 miles above the speed limit and tried to maximum the mpg. I would say 90% freeway. It would be about 68 mph on I-5 and 55 on U.S. 101. My 2007 NAH had 4500 miles on it before the trip.

I filled up the gas tank and reset the readings before the trip. I filled up the gas tank again when I got back. The whole trip is 2368 miles and the computer says 35.9 mpg. This is similar to what consumer reports says.

However, I only used 56.573 gallons of gasoline. That means 41.86 mpg!!! I kept good record and my calculation is correct. Any idea for the difference???

langjie · June 2008

the computer is inaccurate. usually it overestimates actually. i only trust my hand calculated numbers. i go to fueleconomy.gov and put in my mileage there

sfbaychris · June 2008

CORECTION:

My 73 posting was incorrect. I found another receipt that my wife stuffed in her purse.
The correct mileage calculation should be:
2368.4 miles / 68.811 gallons = 34.42 mpg
The NAH computer said 35.7 mpg.
This is similar to what Consumer Reports's test.

occking · June 2008

That makes more sense! I have now had my NAH since March 12, and just today returned from a trip home (Providence, RI area to Montreal, than back through upstage NY, Lake Placid, Albany, etc., & back home. My odometer now reads 11,990 miles.

I always fill the tank to full, every ounce I can get. Today, low fuel light went on after I had gone 582 miles. At that point the trip computer showed I was averaging 36.2 mpg, and computer indicated 52 miles range. Drove another 36 miles when trip odometer read 618 miles and put in exactly 18.3 gallons, thus my hand calculated mileage was 33.8.

Hand calculated mileage on the two fillups was 33.8 and 35.8, per trip computer was 35.4 and 37.2. Thus in line with my previous comments and those of others, the computer is always optomistic by 1.5 to 2 mpg.

I am not a very aggressive driver. Obviously do a lot of highway driving to put on so many miles in a short period of time. On the highway will rarely go over 70, probably closer to 65. I "hate like hell" to step on the gas for any reason & see the mpg on the computer drop a notch as a result. It has become kind of a game driving the vehicle around town, always trying to keep it in EV mode as much as you can.

My wife also got a NAH one week before mine, and now she has approx 1500 miles, and mpg similar to mine, both calculated by hand as well as on the computer.

sfbaychris · June 2008

I also try to keep the car on EV Mode and afraid to step on the brake!!!

To a point, it is dangerous. I coast down hill and step on the brake when I am really really close to the car in front. On flat roads, I believe the EV Mode will kick in when your mph is between 32 and 38. So, sometimes, I am driving too slow.

occking · June 2008

As I have mentioned previously, we own two NAH's one since March 7 and one since March 12. I got the loaded one with tech package, etc. & turned 12k today. My wife has some thing, but without tech package (doesn't need a nave like I do and didn't want leather. Best feature, believe it or not is the wind deflector! I have never had one on a vehicle before and have had cars with sunroofs for the past 20 years. Makes it very quiet, you can forget the roof is open. My wife has the same feature on her car, but doesn;t care much for it because with the deflector cuts down on noise but also the air circulation. There is virtually none!

Both vehicles seem to be identical in that the EV only mode will kick in after 1.5 miles approx. We both have driven upwards of 1.5 miles in EV mode only, but you have to drive like there is an egg tween your foot and gas pedal, and you can get up to 40 mph & it will stay there. I think maybe one time I pushed it to 1.7 miles only in EV mode, but the battery by that time virtually empty. Actual mileage on both vehicles pretty consistent around 34 mpg, computer perhaps 3 mpg higher.

lrspatrick · June 2008

Second tank was approximately 40% commute driving and 60% highway driving (60-65 MPH); and they were done in precisely that order. First 300 miles local commuting, next 400 miles all highway.

The car calculated MPG was 43.0 for the first 300 commuting miles and 41.5 for the entire 700 miles.

Hand calculated mileage at the pump was 697 miles driven, 17.93 gallons used, for an overall MPG of 38.9. This was nearly 3 MPG below the car calculated MPG.

The low fuel warning came on at about 660 miles and indicated 70 miles remaining distance. The numbers then declined erratically....70, 75, 66, etc., a general downward trend but with a few bumps up. The general downward trend was probably averaging about 1.5 miles for every mile driven.

When the trip odometer got to about 690 there were 28 miles remaining; at about 692 it went to 23, and at about 624 it went blank. I am guessing that when it gets to about 20 miles left it goes blank.

All in all I'm very happy with the mileage. Average for the first 1278 miles is 39.6 MPG. That's been with maximizing the use of the battery in commuting driving and keeping the highway speed in the 60-65 range.

While I have babied the car so far with respect to mileage there was one occassion where I had to hit the gas to avoid a bad situation. The battery kicked in and the car quickly accelerated; in that instant this car I'd been treating like a 4 cylinder gas miser turned into a sports car. Nice to know you've got that pickup when it's needed.

PF_Flyer · November 2008

How are your NAH mileage numbers looking moving into the colder weather?

cephraim · November 2008

Even with a block heater and full grill block, I've drop from 47/43 (dash/calculated) to 43/39.

Interestingly, I do notice that, because it's harder to get into EV mode, even seen higher charge levels!

Eph

PF_Flyer · November 2008

Hmm... one other factor to consider is the introduction of ethanol into your area. Everyone I know who has kept track is seeing a 7-10% hit in mileage using ethanol-blended fuel vs regular gas. Those numbers fit right in :sick:

cephraim · November 2008

Nope, no ethanol at my station. The only change has been the temperature.

PF_Flyer · November 2008

So you have THAT to look forward to as well!

Check out some of the postings in The Inconvenient Truth About Ethanol

occking · November 2008

I have posted several times on this board. Have two NAH's purchased last March. Mine now has over 25,000 miles, (mostly highway driving) and my wife's 3500 miles.

I keep very accurate mileage readings. Throw out the mileage indicated by the computer as it is always 2, perhaps 3 mpg higher than actual.

Until a month ago on my vehicle I was getting a good solid 35 - 36 mpg for mostly highway driving. In the last two weeks, three trips totaling a little over 2000 miles and actual average between 30 and 33 mpg.

I can attribute that driving a bit faster on one of those trips -- pretty consistent 70 - 72 mph and the mileage dipped down to not much over 30. Two of the other trips, including two this week same areas I visit quite often mileage down to 32 - 33 but the weather not bitter cold, but in the 25 - 30 range. Plus, maybe (I leave near Providence, RI) seeing the "winter fueld" now

For my wife's car, much more short stuff I just filled it recently almost 700 miles on the last tank, actual mpg was 38.2. Clearly the car will get better mileage at slower speeds -- ideal in the 40 - 50 mph range

PF_Flyer · November 2008

I ALWAYS keep close tabs on the mileage performance of my vehicles. It's an excellent barometer for the general health of the car. One tank being a bit off, could be a filling variation. Two in a row, means SOMETHING is up!

langjie · November 2008

winter sucks the MPG's out of my car. I was at about 37 in the summer and now I'm at 35 and I think I'll be going down to 32-33 when it is consistently cold

occking · December 2008

I agree on lower mpg in cold weather. Drove up Monday from Providence, RI up to Presque Isle, ME (New Brunswick border) Most of the day was 10 - 12 but that far north about 5 that evening, -0- yesterday morning. Filled up a few times, both times actual mpg around 29.5 to 30.0 The same trip this summer in warmer weather averaged between 34 and 36 mpg

The heater works fine, in fact, once heated up difficult to keep the car just "warm" I don't like a lot of heat but problem is even if down to 62 or 63 still comes out to warm for me. Of course you put it on 60, than you get virtually no heat. However, this seems to be the case with most cars I have owned. Either too much heat, or not enough.

I also notice yesterday morning took some time for the heater to be blowing out really warm air. But, once it got going, it was fine.

More impressed with the rear window defrogger. Of all the many, many cars I havfe owned over the years, this one is the quickest I have ever owned. Within 30 seconds of putting it on, you can see results.

gammagirl · December 2008

I bought my Altima Hybrid last March. I now have about 11,000. I love the car but am very disappointing with the MPG. I normally get 30 mpg. This is year round. I did have one trip were I made 33 MPG but that was all hwy driving . Right now, it is really cold my MPG is going down- 27 . That is not what I expect from a hybrid. I do live in a hilly area but I am not an aggressive driver. Do I have a lemon. I seem to have the worst MPG out of any one on this forum.

occking · December 2008

I now have close to 30,000 miles; also bought last March. Mostly highway mileage. For most of the time was averaging 33 to as high as 36 mpg (actual, not based on computer which is always optomistic showing about 2 mpg over actual. However starting in November with colder weather had a few long trips that I averaged as low as 29 mpg. I think a combination of colder weather and I have been driving a bit faster lately. Even in the warmer weather took one long trip was probably averaging 70 - 72 on the highway, and that reduces mpg somewhat.

Last week, however, with weather a bit warmer averaged 33 mpg on two long trips.

So, I think a combination of winter fuel and colder weather having a negative impact.

Usually I drive conservatively up to 70 on the highway.

Got to run...

gammagirl · December 2008

I would be happy with 33mpg. Now that I let my 17 year old son drive the car- the MPG is really bad. It shows 27 MPG and that is on the trip computer. I will be glad when he gets his own car.. Also- off topic, last time I went for an oil change- they told me I must put synthetic oil in my car since its a hybrid ( the dealer). A friend told me that with synthetic oil, you are only supposed to change the oil every 7000 miles instead of 3500. Is that true? My oil light keeps flashed on when I start the car and its annoying.

occking · December 2008

Obviously, I have gone thru many oil changes already, even though the first three were "free" the salesman never bothered to tell me must use synthetic oil (which is around $30 more expensive every oil change) Some of the guys in service really wonder if it is necessary. Right now, my vehicle at dealer getting 30,000 mile service which I expect will cost almost $500. However, part of deal made when I purchased (2) NAH's the adjoining dealer is a Subaru one, owned by the same people and they are allowing me to use ":Subaru Bucks" of which I have accumulated many over the past few years, so this service doesn;t really cost me that much.

When I p/u car this afternoon will fill up as just completed another long trip, computer reads 34.1 mpg and I expect actual mpg will be around 32, now dropping a bit cause of the cold weather

langjie · December 2008

sorry you aren't too happy with your mileage. the synthetic oil to use is 0w-20, I waited until after 15,000 miles before I changed to synthetic. with synthetic, you can go longer without an oil change because the oil doesn't break down as much as regular dino oil. I was getting oil changes every 3750, but not I am stretching it out to 6000-7000 miles between changes

gammagirl · December 2008

My low fuel light came on around 350 miles. Usually, I do not see that until around 500. I filled up at 400 miles today -18 gallons. That is just over 20 mpg. I don;t understand what is going on. I always got around 30 mpg, driving the same way even last winter. I filled up at a different gas station in case that had anything to do with it.

I can't understand how everyone seems to get so much better mileage than I. I do live in a hilly area and in the Northeast if that has anything to do with it. I am going to call the dealer and have them check things out but I have a feeling they will tell me nothing is wrong and try and blow me off. Any suggestions on how to handle this? Maybe I have a lemon?

PF_Flyer · December 2008

Since you mention that you got better mileage last winter, you may be seeing what has happened to me with the introduction of ethanol into the fuel you're using. In my convential vehicles I'm seeing a 10% drop in mileage due to the ethanol and I know someone with a hybrid who tracks their mileage carefully and they're seeing a 20% drop.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the culprit. You can read more about it in this discussion:
The Inconvenient Truth About Ethanol

occking · December 2008

Just filled up vehicle mentioned din post # 92, computer read 32.1, actual mpg was 29.2, lowest it has been in 9 months. This was for my wife's NAH, only has 5000 miles on it and used mostly for short, suburban trips so I conclude it is definitely the winter fuel. Plus, my wife longer "stares" at the computer, trying to keep the car in EV mode as much as possible, and probably driving a bit faster. On mine, last fill up for mostly highway driving got close to 33 mpg actual ( I think due to warmer weather)

For anyone to be getting close 20, something is wrong!

langjie · December 2008

There seems like there is something wrong with your NAH. How long does it take you to drive 400 miles? How many miles do you drive per day?

gammagirl · January 2009

I drive 400-500 miles every two weeks. After I posted about my terrible gas mileage, I had two more fill ups. The next one , I got 30 MPG but this last one is terrible. My needle is on empty and I only drove 400 miles. I am calling the dealer tomorrow and having this checked out. The only difference is the temps have been extremely frigid and we have had snow. This is a drop of 30% in my gas mileage.

pooch505 · January 2009

Hi gammagirl: I have also had a big drop off in mpg. The other day I went to a doctor's appointment when it was -17 degrees farenheit. I had just put in a full tank the day before. It was at 27 when I parked it the day before. After I came back from the doctor's it was reading 21 mpg. I thought I had a problem with the computer calculations being it was so cold. Later in the day I put on a 200 mile trip averaging about 65 miles per hour. I watched it slowly climb from 21 to 29 throughout that trip. I parked it at 29 mpg where it remains. I believe that the NAH gets poor mileage when it's cold out. All summer I was getting 34 no matter what I did. Highway or city it was always 34 mpg. Now with it so cold, it's all over the place. I think your car is fine. It's just the cold that is affecting the performance. I'm confident it will be back to 34 as soon as the warmth returns.

occking · January 2009

You are 100% correct, the cold weather does quite a number on gas mileage. I live near the Providence, RI area & still, for mostly highway driving have dipped down to 29 mpg, but nothing approaching 21. The weather warmed up a bit recently and on a long trip I was able to average 32.3. All Spring and last Summer I was always getting 33 to 35 mpg for the driving I do.

langjie · January 2009

Have you taken your car to the dealer yet? Any response?

Nissan Altima Hybrid Real World MPG

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles