By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Have fun
1 UK Gallon = 1.20095 US gallons.
Hence 52mpg in the UK is equivalent to 43mpg in the US. Still not bad numbers.
Kerry
There are really only three problems with diesels that americans have:
1) Not enough gas stations selling diesel fuel.
2) American's still consider diesels as dirty like the Benz's of the 80s with the black clouds of diesel smoke.
3) Obviously, US diesel fuel will have lower sulfur content in 2006, so currently Diesel's are not saleable in the biggest US car market, California, as well as NY and Massachusetts. I think in a few years with the new diesel fuels sales of diesel cars will increase.
You problem is a fluke and a replacement transmission will solve your problems.
On the road during my last vacation, I averaged around 35 MPG with the cruise control set to 70 - 75 MPH (and the AC on) over 4 tanks of gas. I got 38.5 MPG on the 3th tank (70 MPH cruise control, no stops except for gas), but have gotten as low as 33 MPG on the first tank on the trip.
I've had my car since September 2003 and it had about 30,000 on the odometer for this trip.
The lowest MPG I have ever gotten on a tank of gas was my first full tank (after I filled up the tank the first time after purchase). I got 18 MPG on that tank, even though I was following the break-in procedures in the manual.
Since then, 22 MPG is the lowest I've ever gotten on a tank of gas (and *that* was due to some very aggressive city driving...). My normal tank is around 28 MPG for my drive to work and back.
First do your homework. Pick out the car you want, make, model, features, year (2004 or 2004) and then go to several dealers, get information about the cars and drive them. I considered a Camry, Altima and Accord. I got on the internet and found out that Honda was offering dealer incentives on 2004 and that the 2005 Altimas and Camrys came out early this year so there are no 2004 left over available. Once I chose the exact car I wanted I called every Honda dealer within 2 hour driving distance and asked them what 2004 Accord they had in stock equipped exactly the way I wanted. Then taking into account the all of the factors, I came up with a price that I was willing to pay if the dealer was motivated to move the car. I also had a '98 Altima to trade in and had to deal with what I would get on a trade in. I then used the Edmunds site to get local dealers to contact me. When they contacted me, I exactly identified the car I wanting including detail including the extended warranty. I told them I was prepared to buy the new car this week and expected to drive in with my old car and drive out with my new car. I also told them what my drive out price was (the price including all costs, fees,taxes etc.) and that the first dealer that met my price would get the sale. I ended up getting my price, about $5000 below list.
There are a lot of different factor and prices change depending on how hot the car. You have to find a motivated dealer trying to dump inventory to get the best price and be prepared to walk out of the dealership if you cant get your deal.
BJs and Costco just gives you a no haggle fixed price on cars that is probably lower than the average buyer who walked into the dealership would get. If you do you homework you can do just as good if not better on your own.
It can't hurt to try it and see what you get, but definitely compare it to quotes you get on your own. Don't assume that it's a great deal. I think you'll get a better deal through the Internet departments of the dealers.
I was torn between buying a 2004 Accord or 2004 Camry. The specs. on both cars were very similar. Both were stong candidates, with Gas mileage being one of my top requirements. A friend swears his 2004 Camry gets 31 mpg consistently on the same commute. Since I still get 30 mpg on my 1994 Accord, I expected at least 30 mpg on my new car. Unless Honda is publishing completely false claims, there must be something wrong with my car.
Fortunately, my Honda dealer did not dispute my complaint. They recommended that I keep the receipts and mileage of 3 tanks of gas. If the mileage does not improve, they would investigate. What can they possibly do to improve the fuel consumption on a brand new car?
American Honda claimed that my car will need several thousand more miles to break it in, and that I should stay below 65 mph.
BTW, I rented that 2005 Camry while my Accord was in the shop with loose trims, , molding, cable guides, and other rattles.
FYI - Yes, my tires are properly inflated - including the spare.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
Keep in mind that the combined mileage is based on 45% highway driving, 55% city driving.
I might look into getting a cable so I can hook up my MP3 CD player to the stereo - the changer's nice but I get more than 6 CDs in high quality on one disk with my MP3 player. And a deflector for the sunroof seems like it might be a worthwhile addition, but I doubt if it's going to get much use for the next several months.
City driving is 22 to 23 MPG. Last fill-up was 27 MPG average which I think is very good for a 3200 pound car with more than adequate power.
Your mileage sounds too low--there must be some reason why (I hope you're driving in "D" and not "D3")......Richard
Thus I assume if you have one side of the car on ice and other pavement the EX will still apply maximum braking to the two traction wheels, but the LX will use the same pressure on the traction wheels as the ones on ice?? I guess in that scenario the LX is not going to stop!
Any tech heads want to confirm that hypothesis or anybody experience this? Just curious :-)
I am very impressed that you get such great mileage. That seems more like the Honda that I'm used to.
I never expected to get close to the published 34 mpg, however 26 mpg for 95% flat highway is shameful. I have ranged consistently between 25.5 and 25.9 mpg.
I always drive the car in "D" when I am going forward and the parking brake is not on. I haven't used the AC or moonroof much either.
Technically, the leather version weighs a little more because of some additional features.
Maybe they put a better engine in your car because it's leather
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
our 04 EX-L 5-speed manual that replaced the above-mentioned 04 EX-L automatic has 4500 miles on it now. I have yet to measure MPG. I will do so on this next tank of gas. However, both my husband and I drive the car with differing styles so it will be interesting to see what the average is.
I am also impressed with the low cost of scheduled dealer services. Our 7500 mile service was $58 and the 15000 mile service was $78, both are final cost after tax. These were done by Northwest Honda in Baltimore.
We love this car more and more every day!
Wait and see what it will get at 5000 and 10000 miles before worrying. I've hit 38.5 MPG while on vacationing a couple months ago, that that was driving the entire tank at 75 MPH without stops and a couple slowdowns on the interstate.
Just as a sidenote, I tend to inflate my tires about 3 PSI above what they recommend on my tires. I like how it drives that way, myself, and it *may* improve mileage.
I am also impressed with the low cost of scheduled dealer services. Our 7500 mile service was $58 and the 15000 mile service was $78, both are final cost after tax. These were done by Northwest Honda in Baltimore.
We love this car more and more every day!
I just replaced my 4.7HO (High Output V8) 5AT JEEP Grand Cherokee 2x4 Limited with a 2004 Accord EXL 5-speed manual sedan. My JEEP was rated at 15-20Mpg. I live just north of Houston, TX in Montgomery County where the roads are FLAT and in excellent condition. I commute 80 miles a day round trip to the dreaded galleria area (65 miles freeway, 15 miles local/rural). I do my best to come in early and leave early limiting my freeway stop-and-slow miles to a total of about 10 miles of my commute. In Houston the A/C is on all the time! Well, probably 10 months of the year. The temperature has been in the middle 90’s every day the third week in October of this year!
I have kept a gas mileage log for every fill up and check actual mileage (actual gallons to full / actual mileage) for the past 20 plus years on all my vehicles. I always fill up at the same Sam’s Club gas station using the same method to fill the tank for consistency. I expect that I will be saving $50 a month in fuel and $150 month in lease monthly payment with the Accord over the JEEP. The automobile insurance increased $3.60 a month for the new Accord over the JEEP.
If I drove my JEEP only to work and back and drove for best fuel mileage keeping the speed under 72Mph (2000Rpm) I would average 19.25Mpg for my commute in the JEEP. The Mpg average was very consistent (within .75Mpg either way 18.50-20.00Mpg) for more than 20,000 miles. If I just let my wife drive the JEEP locally one day out of a tank of fuel (very short around town stuff), the average fuel mileage would drop 1.5-2Mpg, usually into the 17Mpg range for the entire tank of fuel! More local driving would continue to erode the average fuel mileage for that tank. The best fuel mileage the JEEP would every pull down was in the low 20.25Mpg range. So that’s right at the top of the highway mileage rating of 20Mpg. The JEEP used 87octane fuel without a problem since it has a knock-sensor in the block. I did try 93 octane fuels for a few fill ups back to back and recorded NO increase or decrease in fuel mileage.
Now I ONLY have one tank of 87 octane fuel under my belt with the Accord. I also let my wife drive it locally two days in the same tank. I shift mostly at about 3000Rpm, but the 2.4L four has enough torque to pull the car around in traffic down to about 1800Rpm. Even typical slow-and-go traffic can be managed in 3rd or even 4th gear. I also have been cruising at about 2800Rpm for most of the drive (74-76Mph). So what Mpg did I get with the FIRST tank of fuel?
32.52Mpg!
That’s 363 miles / 11.16 gallons. I expect the Mpg to increase as the miles roll on since the car only has about 500 miles on it now. The Accord driven train combination (2.4L 5-speed manual) has plenty of power, shifts about perfectly and is very well balanced. I have never driven a 4-cylinder motor with this much torque.
As a side note, my wife drives a 2003 Acura TL-S that averages about 17Mpg in her local driving. When I have drive the TL to work for two days out of a tank of fuel (160 miles), the fuel mileage average shoots up to about 25Mpg. On a couple of longer trips to Austin (300 miles round trip) and Dallas (425 miles round trip), the TL has pulled down 27-28Mpg cruising @ 79Mph. It’s rated at 19-29Mpg and also runs on 87 octane (knock sensors in the block again) with a can of Seafoam fuel system cleaner every 5000 miles to keep the fuel system clean and carbon buildup on the valves and pistons down. My daughter has a 2003 Civic EX 5-speed manual coupe and only averages 20-22Mpg in local driving, all short trips again. I’ve taken the Civic to Dallas and back with the cruise control set at 79Mph (about 3800Rpm) with the A/C on and have averaged 36-37Mpg!
Stop and go city driving and short trips (the motor never warms up to operating temperature) KILL fuel mileage. Trips of 30+ miles on the freeway even with the A/C running give the best fuel mileage. I find 30+average Mpg incredible for a full size sedan that can run the ¼ mile in 16.1 seconds (Car & Driver). These Honda engineers really seem to know how to wring the last drop of fuel out of a gallon of gas!
"Break-in" is both more and less than it used to be - the engine doesn't have to be babied, but all moving parts of the drivetrain seem to take awhile to get loosened up. Be patient if you are unhappy with early mpg numbers - my experience is that they will continue to improve for well into the first 10k miles of the car's life.
I just purchased a 2005 Honda Accord LX-G sedan, and I read in the manual that this vehicle is equipped with an an out-of-position side airbag sensor. So I tested this out by sitting in the front passenger seat and leaning towards the window. However, the sensor never seems to activate. Is this normal? Does anyone else with the Accord have this sensor, and can comment on how I can test it out?
The manual for the car shows that there are sensors in the seat bottom, which I assume are for weight, and sensors in the seat back, which I assume detect the position of the passenger. Is this correct?
Does the "OFF" light right above the radio turn on for BOTH low-weight AND side occupant out-of-position?
i need to decide soon though.
Only exterior change seems to be the mostly red tail lights (except for the small, clear rectangle on each side for back-up lights).
I don't think the new lenses look any better or worse--do the new, mostly red lenses have more or stronger illumination? That would seem to be the only reason for the change.....Richard
GREAT deals out there on leftover 2004 models. and i still might do it. Golf or Jetta. just not sure. the one i ALMOST purchased was great, but wasn't keen on the black interior. in cloth interiors, i like beige and gray. black is okay, but not my 1st pick.
that way i would have two cars that serve two different purposes, but are both "enthusiasts" cars. so many cool sites and people out there with endless knowledge of Miata and Golf/Jetta.
like i said - all this depends on if i think i can live with out 240 smooth HP and 25mpg on top of that!
On another topic. My friend bought an 05 EX-L last Saturday. The maintenance schedule said replace the timing belt @60,000 for the V6 but we did not find recommendation for the 4cyl. Anybody know.
tribbles--the reason you don't see a timing belt recommendation for the 4-cylinder is because the 4-cyl uses a timing chain, not a belt.