Post Your Van Gas Mileage Here

tomj5

Getting ready for the Wisconsin trip. We may get away sooner than expected. It will be interesting to see what the MPV does up I-17 to Flagstaff (7K ft) that is a hard climb from 1K ft; nasty highway. We will keep a mpg log.

Thinking about buying a John Deere lawn tractor this year. Tired of push mowers. Our Wisconsin home has a huge lawn and garden. We love to eat fresh veggies...
I plan on spending a lot of time with the daughters/granddaughters and watercolor painting around the lake lighthouses and parks on my bicycle. Oh yeah, and sipping a bit of Door County Cherry wine that goes good with brats and corn... And play with some grown up toys at the EAA Fly in at Oshkosh...
Tj

ed12

2002 T&C AWD. 23000 miles. 33 psi in tires. no A/C used.

19.4-19.6 mpg in suburban driving.

lsinc

Isn't it funny that you are heading for Wisconsin. In my genealogy research I have discovered some of my roots from Wisconsin. I've never been there before but maybe someday.

I bet the MPV will do awesome. I'm sure VT doesn't have half the hilly climbs as your talking about but our MPV did great climbing the hills on Rt. 89 North. There is one doozy and I forget the elevation but when we towed our camper it seemed like a 3 day climb. That was pre MPV.

Keep us posted.

Lsinc

tomj5

Gased up today... Getting 20.6 mpg in heavy stop and go traffic with AC running all the time. 111 degrees today ... 379 total miles on MPV.

Isinc,, I am not surprised about your roots. Winneconnies are strange people, but very nice when you get to know them... My side of the family are French Huguenots(Lutherans). We got here in 1710.. And fought in every war since including the Texas war. We are mostly Texacans and very proud of GW..

smulvey

drove at speed on RT 90 to Buffalo Friday there and back to Rochester.

A/C and 2 passengers.

23 MP on Mobil 93 octane.

KIA SEDONA 3.5 L V-6 with 5spd Automatic
transmission.

KUMHO 798 Tires.

No extra loads.

lsinc

that's actually pretty good gas mileage considering the high temp and a/c running with traffic. Our high yesterday was about 65 degrees. Today it's going to get up to 75. YIPPPPPPPEEEEEE! Moon roof weather!

Someday I will get to Wisconsin. My roots are kind of all over the place. My South Dakota roots came over in 1899 from South Russia. They didn't really budge until my Dad settled in CT. Then there is the New Hampshire bunch (a little closer to home) and then I found out that my lineage actually came from England (On my Gram's side) and settled in.............Connecticut! Wow, what a small world. I also have lineage from Wisconsin and Iowa.

It's funny how we worry about gas mileage and they probably worried about where the next meal would come from or if the wagon would lose an axle. Hmmmmmm....I wonder what kind of gas mileage they got?



Lsinc

tomj5

My grandfather had two mules that pulled a wagon and a plow. Gasoline was hard to get in the war years. So he used the wagon a lot and I got to ride along. You get a lot of "gas" from the mules plus green stuff splattered about.... He never complained. He was too busy trying to feed his family. Amazing how far we have come and how quick we forget...
Tj

smulvey

I just started heating my suburban home with wood in the internet age!

So far I have saved about $ 300 in natural gas expense from heatin gwith just the furnace.

It is a crazy world when it makes more sense to heat with wood, and cancel your health club membership and reduce your natural gas costs!

tomj5

$300 for Ngas.. My God!!!! My gas bill runs about $25 winter/$15 summer per month.. EPower is high here but my house is super insulated runs $80/mo year around.
Tj

tango_28

I use to get 25-27mpg on the highway, since I fix the upper intake manifold gasket my mileage has gone down on the highway is 22-24mpg

usma82

You replaced the intake manifold gasket and your MPG actually got worse? That doesn't make sense.

Does the engine idle smoothly?

Perhaps a piece of the gasket got dislogded and is restricting the intake or you (still) have a vacuum leak.

grichardson

1994 Nissan Quest

131,000 miles (timing belt replaced at 100,000)
Have had both Manifold bolt studs done
1st @ 50,000 miles (Done by dealer)
2nd @ 115,000 miles (Done @ Midas Muffler)

Used Auto light Platinum plugs,

Currently avg 24.8 MPG. HWY 19.0 City

smulvey

weekend trip- 400 miles to Plattsburgh- Interstate speeds.
Fully Loaded
conventional oil 20-50W - fresh
some A/C used

398 miles on 17 gallons.
approx 23.41 Miles per gallon.

Weather- mild 60-70 deg F.
some rain.

v946916

Never gets below 20 MPG regardless of the amount of snow it sees or how cold it gets or with the AC cranked up, and gets 26-27 highway

With 10K miles

lsinc

How are you getting such great gas mileage out of your MPV? Mine only has 4k on it and I'm averaging 20 to 22 or so. Mine is mostly around town lately though. I keep thinking the more the engine breaks in the better it will get.

Leslie

tgozdalski1

23.5 MPG for about 90% highway mileage. 2003 lx model in Texas

smulvey

I just got back from a long trip.

My Kia Sedona provided me with very high fuel economy.

16.8 MPG.
my last tank of gas was on 253 miles by 15 gallons.

My configuration was as follows:

Kia Sedona van ( 4700 lbs approx. )
Uhaul 6x12 Trailer fully loaded ( Trailer weighs 1,000 lbs empty )
3500 lbs.

Trailer tires at recommended pressure ( 45 PSI)
Trailer is dual axle style.

Hitch is a Kia brand Hitch kit.

Engine Configuration : Mobil 1 oil 15-50 synthetic.

Engine Speed : 1500 RPM to 2500 RPM depending on terrain.

Engine Temperature: No noticable change from dashboard gauge.

Tires : 44 PSI

Speed: Cruise Control at 55 MPH. Occasional 65 MPH

A/C on for 90 % of travel.
Transmission Gear : 85 % Overdrive 15% 3rd of 4th gear.

Highway : Route 90 NYS Thruway & Route 87 Northway

Terrain 50% flat / 50 % Adirondack Mountains.

I think 16.8 MPG on a 8200 load is pretty good !

betht27

15.1 MPG highway averaging 75MPH with A/C running in Florida. Pretty poor in my opinion but what do I do?

tomj5

20 around town 25 freeway not loaded. 23/24 loaded..(AC always on)
Runs/shifts perfectly... No issues...
Best car ever owned...
Lov our PEEVEE
Tj

just4fun2

29.5 MPG at 70 MPH with dual air conditioning (front/rear) on all the time. Not too bad for a "large type" mini van.

redscooby

23 mpg on a recent 3910-mile road trip through NE, CO, NM, AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO and back home to NE again. Mostly 75-80 mph with front & rear a/c on and reasonably well loaded, plus some long uphill climbs in the mountains.

Only getting 16 mpg around town with lots of short trips (less than 5 miles).

smulvey

I just returned from a 800 mile trip with my KIA SEDONA VAN and was able to get 16.8 MPG towing on the Interstate , a Uhaul type RV trailer , covered , 6 ft wide x 12 ft long and was fully loaded to the 3500 lb capacity.

I used the Cruise control and the A/C the whoel time. I also used the overdrive part of the time and no overdrive part of the time.

My engine speed varied from 1500 RPM to 2500 RPM depending on the grade, and speed.

npkb

I recently purchased a 2003 Ody LX. I was disappointed with the gas mileage until 3 weeks ago. The van had about 2500 miles and we set out on a road trip. We drove about 3K miles and I was amazed that on our trip back we got about 28 miles per gallon off this sucker! No kidding!

I couldn't believe it so I did the same for the next tank of gas and I got about 27mpg.
Presently I'm getting about 23mpg for the drive to work and running errands(30%city+70%hwy).

I think MPG has a lot to do with your driving. Cruise as much as possible, keep the RPM low (don't press accel pedal too hard) and, if possible, let it shift to the top gear sooner. (cross 48MPH and it shifts to 5th gear and stays there till you go below 40MPH)

BTW, I'm usually pretty good with measuring mpg - I top off and divide trip counter by gallons filled. Also, I only use 93 Octane grade gas (preferably Shell) in my van.

Now, I do have my share of the complaints with the minivan (roadnoise/windnoise/stiff ride) but MPG ain't one of them.

smulvey

Glad to hear some one say a Honda product is not PERFECT. Sometimes I start to wonder if they are, based on how Consumer Reports and other rags go on and on abuot them.

My Kia Sedona has been great, but the main stream auto press is still waiting to discover it.

stever

Your Sedona isn't so great on gas Smulvey, which is the topic here. Npkb, mileage tends to go up as the van breaks in, but 28 highway is pretty dang good. That's 3 or 4 better than my usual highway mpg, and my van is smaller and lighter.

Steve, Host

npkb

This is a total guess but, I think Shell 93 grade gas does make a difference. I used to own a 02 Accord 4 cyl and was frustrated with MPG. I spoke with a mechanical engineer at work and he told me to try higher octane gas (something to do with combustion efficiency). Now that I'm satisfied, I'll never go back to a lower grade.

Also, I saw some signs the other day outside a Shell station that their gas gives better mileage. For sime time I'm gonna steer away from Marathon/Speedway/Mobil etc.

It seems new EPA regulations require refineries to cut sulfur from gas. I wonder what effect that may have on MPG.

Any thoughts?

smulvey

the sedona has 10:1 compression and it seems to lke the 93 octane fuel.

I assume the Odessy has a hig compression ratio also.

That could cause it to benefit from the better fuel

ssinwell

Was about 22-23 MPG, a mix of highway and street driving.

Used 91 octane - i did not know Shell had 93 octane - next time i will try that.

npkb

ssinwell, read your owner's manual my friend. 2004 Sienna is designed to use PREMIUM unleaded fuel only. My suggestion -> always goto Shell or BP for 93 grade fuel.

ssinwell

I live in Los Angeles, and have never seen anything over 91 in years - I have never seen 93 octane here, but I will check it out at a Shell station - not sure if we even have BP stations...

dtownfb

Actually npkb, it is only recommnended that you use 91 octane fuel for the Sienna. You can use 87 octane. This is a much discussed topic on the Sienna board.

just4fun2

If they recommend 91 octane buy also state you can use 87 octane but your will be less, I would use the 91. If your engine will perform better with 91 over 87 , that means you will have more power and more power to get the vehicle going and to pass means that your engine will have to work less. Now if an engine doesn't have to work as hard to get the job done it should last longer.

So to save a few pennies by buying a lower octane you are only hurting yourself. Just a thought.

lsinc

We just returned from Rochester NY. Full load. 2 kids, my Mother, me and da Husband, luggage and some kids toys, no roof top carrier. Air going all the time. We got our best mileage yet. 25.4 MPG. That was going to Rochester. Not sure yet what we got coming home.

Off to Vermont.

Leslie

mcadrecha

We just got back from our longest road trip: San Francisco to Phoenix and back.

23.5 mpg on the highway through CA, NE, AZ, and back to CA. Mostly 75-85 mph with front and rear a/c on 100% of the time and reasonably well loaded (2 adults, 2 kids and luggage). Climbing over Tioga Pass in Yosemite and other long uphill climbs in the desert mountains were the norm. Nevada and AZ had triple-digit temperatures hovering between 103 to 112.

Mileage around town in Phoenix averaged about 17 mpg loaded with 6 persons.

We used Union 76 gas with an octane rating of 87 -- 87 is the recommended fuel for the 02 MPV. Does anyone know if I will get better mileage with the 91 octane, or will it be bad for the engine?

bottgers

I've checked 2 tanks now, both city/highway mixed driving, and both came out right at 21 mpg. We're leaving on a long road trip tomorrow. I'll post my numbers when we return.

ssack

I returned from a 3000 mile trip to florida and could not believe I averaged 17 mpg with my 2001 GMC Savana with the 5.7. I was not overly loaded but had enough luggage to four ( two little kids) for 2 weeks.

tboner

Recent 280 mile round trip to get the oldest daughter at camp, speeds of around 85+ on the freeway, and a bit of a thunderstorm for 30 minutes, not to mention cross winds the entire trip.

Fuel economy: 19.6 on regular unleaded.

This van is normally used on under 10 mile trips, so the lifetime average is 16.8MPG over 35,428 miles as of yesterday morning.

TB

kersey68

my 2002 limited town and country got 17.6 mpg on a 1000 mile trip, the dealar says there is no problem with the van, it also feels like it is missing when going up hill at lacking power

pmoskal

23-24 mpg on a recent 4050-mile road trip from CO to SC and back. Mostly 75-80 mph with a/c on and reasonably well loaded, plus some long uphill climbs in TN & NC.

jake696

I can put 89-91 octane fuel in my '04 Sienna for the same or less cost as 87 octane. Many prairie states give farm/tax relief for gas/ethanol mix (corn-based) fuels and that makes it cheaper! Woo-Hoo. The ethanol boosts the octane. Now, I'm sure this will spark a new topic about how this type of fuel becomes corn-syrup in your injectors, clogs fuel filters, or somehow harms the ozone even more and possibly causes sun-spots?

stever

Oregon just gave away the farm to attract a refinery that initially wanted to locate in SW Idaho. The main product is fiber for energy bars (for human consumption) and the ethanol is secondary on the by-product list, but ethanol was the buzz word.

The other big by-product is cattle feed, ideal for big feedlots, so everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop and the protests to start from NIMBY's who want neither a refinery nor a feedlot in their county.

There's not enough arable land in NA to grow enough corn, etc. to make enough ethanol to put even a minor dent in domestic oil consumption. Smells like boondoggle to me. That little farmer known as Mr. Archer Daniels Midland will likely enjoy all the subsidies though.

Steve, Host

smulvey

a farmer pointed out to me recently america is about the only country in the world where we have such a surplus of corn/ rice that we grow it to sell it for feed to the cattle / etc/ animals we eat!

Apparently we are very successful at raising this stuff. the price is effected , downward, due to surplus supply. With all the bread , bagels , donuts etc , we still have not used all the stuff up.

the thinking is we can convert a portion to fuel and cause a benefit in that we reduce our oil needs slightly, put the oil industry on a less sure footing internationally , and improve our farmers plight.

todays USA Today has a discussion abuot how 6,000 farmers quit the business last year, in Dairy alone , and yet the productino has gone UP and the prices have gone DOWN.

we may be on to something here. Farmers are doing something right.

We ought to see if they COULD provide energy needs. It least we would see if they can work a Midas touch on energy supply and prices.

stever

Here's the link. (USA Today)

The subsidy has been around since 1978; if ethanol is such a great product, shouldn't it be able to stand on it's awn by now? (a little corn humor there <g>).

Plus ethanol has slightly less energy per gallon than gasoline, so your van mileage is going to suffer (link). (Renewable Fuels Association)

Steve, Host

jake696

C'mon Steve, (Re: your ethanol link) this doesn't sound very much like scientific proof to me! The words "may" and "suggest" always make me nervous.

"some tests suggest mileage, or fuel economy, may decrease by about 2% in fuel-injected cars,...not enough to be detected by the average driver. At the same time, the use of ethanol reduces oil imports, improving our energy security and our environment"

rbell2

Just completed a 1,120 mile trip to FL in our '96 DGC LE with 108,000 miles. Got 20.9 mpg (with front and rear AC on) based on calculating using the odometer and fuel pump gallons when filling up. The trip computer showed about 21.7mpg (it usually shows about 1mpg high). Not bad for a high-mileage van that has had absolutely no engine maintenance.

I'm looking to trade for a '03 Ody or '04 Sienna in a few months.

ceo1

After 4000 miles and a long trip from Colorado to California, I am only getting 17-20 mpg. I would say the 20 mpg number is 95% highway. I have used both 87 and 91 grades. There is no significant difference that I could observe.

If you have a similar model, I would like to find out what you get and if I need to have mine checked!

jake696

If you are doing 75-80 mph on the interstate Hwy's, (as is legal in some of the west)...expect lower gas mileage. Also, is your van loaded up with extra weight, are you on vacation while you are checking mileage? Is the whole family aboard with all the luggage? Do you like to press hard on the gas pedal when the light turns green? Driving habits can cause large variants in MPG's.

goesks

After 14K kilometres (approx. 8500 miles), I am seeing 21 mpg in the city, and 25.5 mpg on highway.
When deciding on van to purchase one year ago, I analyzed, among other things, savings in price paid versus other vans, and average mileage per year, compared to others. Based on a higher fuel consumption assumption with the Kia than what is posted on gov. sites, I was still saving over the long run.

I am, at this point, very happy with the performance of this vehicle, and the fuel economy.

big_guy

Boy, that 3.5 liter engine in the Sedona is capable of some amazing things. I have read complaints that it gets only 10 mpg in city traffic and as low as 16 mpg on the highway to getting 21 mpg in city traffic up to 26 mpg on the highway. A swing of 10 to 11 mpg from best to worst is amazing for one engine type . . . especially when they are powering the same vehicle for both results. I can understand why some people would be complaining about low mileage for the Kia after reading posts that it is capable of getting 26 mpg on the highway and they are only getting 16. I would complain as well. Congrats to all who are getting such exceptional mileage from their Sedona.

tboner

I think US gallons and Imperial Gallons are a different volume.

Yes, the US gallon is 3.785 Litres and the Imperial Gallon is 4.546 Litres. That is about a 20% difference, without opening up a calctool window.

Maybe some of our Canadian friends are converting Litres into Imperial Gallons and coming up with a few more MPG's

Heck, if the rocket scientists at NASA have some confusion with units programming Mars landers, I'm sure some of us civilians out here will do the same 8^)

TB