New Car Mileage Honda Accord Lx 2012

accortosh

hi!

I got a new car, the Accord LX 2012. Its been about a month and i did 2,800 miles on it.

I am getting around 33.7 on highway(only if i do not exceed 60mph) only but when it comes to city its not going higher than 20 or 21. And i am talking about combined mileage. I thought it would give me at least 24-25.

What do you think i am doing wrong? I do not press the gas pedal that hard. i try to glide the car when possible.

Also, if i am going downhill, somehow the gear shifting struggles and actually slows down the car. Is this a safety feature in 2012 Accord? Or somethings wrong with the tran?

If anyone can provide suggestions it would be awesome

Thanks!
accordtosh

lavrishevo

My 2 cents are give the car a little more time to break in. I know a lot of people say the whole break in period is not true but I have found it to be reliable in reference to ideal fuel mileage.

Tire pressure can bump up a bit to 36 psi for slightly less rolling resistance.
K&N air filter is a good investment and of course driving habits are the key. On my 2011 LX-P I can see as high as 38-40 but only in perfect conditions. Flat road, no A/C, cruise control set to 67 mph. In general, your not going to see higher then 35 - 36, which is pretty good considering the weight of the car.

accortosh

Hi lavrishevo

Thanks for your reply. I did not know the accord could go as high as 38-40. although i did see it on the factory sticker that some users may get as high as 40.

I can see the transmission is struggling when i go between 25-35. It hates it in that speed. any other speed it glides smooth.

When you say give it time to break in, do you mean i must give it sometime?

Is it true that honda transmission are not that great? i would not know. But i could guess that when it shifts gears between 25 mph - 35 mph it almost struggles

do share any more tips if you have. i am monitoring the mileage now.

Its true..its a pretty heavy car but super sturdy. gives me a luxury feel.

lavrishevo

In my experience, 15,000 - 20,000 miles is fully broken in. I have noticed in some of the Edmunds long term test reviews that they mention achieving the best MPG around these higher mileage.

I only have 6800 miles on my 2011 and I have noticed that my overall MPG has improved from the 2000 mile mark. Again, 40 MPG is only achieved under perfect conditions and is not sustainable.

You really have to drive like a 90 year old grandma to get the best MPG. No fast starts or stops, coast when possible and time lights to prevent slowing down too much, shift into neutral on long downhill descents to avoid transmission braking. Try to keep your shift points between 2000 - 2500 RPM's. As you learn your car you can figure out when to slightly increase or decrease throttle in order to get the transmission to shift when you want.

Don't forget, the computer tries to analyze your style of driving in reference to transmission performance. From what I have read, Honda's major transmissions problems seem to be a thing of the past. My transmission performs very well. I am not an expert but I would not worry, the Accord is a fantastic car.

1sebringnow

35 MPG a gallon? I have a 2011 Accord SE - just turned over 15,000 miles tonight. I have never gotten 34 MPG on the Highway. Best I ever did was 32 MPG. My miles average 70 percent Highway and 30 around town and that - My combined average is 26 MPG. I have never had a tank full exceed 30 MPG. With my 2006 Accord EX - I always averaged 31 to 33 MPG on the combined driving.

I live in the Northeast. I am thinking a few things. The gas formulation here in the Northeast has less gas and more ethanol than other parts of the country. That variances in temperature may affect it. I have a lemon? Besides altering the air pressure in the tires (WHich I have done) is there anything else I can do to perhaps make the car get better MPG?

veeren

Hope this helps,
I bought a new Accord SE 2012 in Baltimore and drove it same day to Dallas TX around 1400 miles.
(see my posts in prices paid and buying experience forum on edmunds)
I calculated the fuel consumption, for me it came around 34 miles (outside temp was around 29 F) for the first 400 miles and then it slowly warmed up to 40 F and then to 50 F for the rest of the journey, filled up at ONLY Shell OR BP gas stations.
My FE method is to use Trip B meter to track the distance driven on last full tank fill up during which i also reset the Trip B odometer, and later take those miles and divide by the latest fuel filled in the tank.
I'd get around 450 miles each time i filled up.... around 12.8 to 13.5 Gallons fuel.