Honda Accord Real World MPG

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Comments

  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Hmm. No room to complain though, when you are getting above 30 MPG in a 240 horsepower midsize!
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    ...Hmm. No room to complain though, when you are getting above 30 MPG in a 240 horsepower midsize!

    ....there's a suble difference - undergrad - between complaining (which I am not)..

    ..and approaching - ever so incrementally - the V-6's often underrated fuel efficiency potential.

    ...that being said, I invite you to go back and dial in my Gila Bend to Yuma (AZ) fuel economy run late last fall............



    ...ez...
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Oh, i didn't intend to accuse you of complaining; just poor word choice on my part. What I was simply saying is "not bad at all!"
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I usually tell y'all about the mileage I get in my 2006 Accord, which I take more on trips. I realized when I filled up today that I fail to mention the lasting quality of these Hondas.

    Where I drive my new car a lot on the weekends (its a better "date" car than my 1996), my 1996 LX I-4 Auto Accord is my workaday ride, carrying me into downtown B'ham Mon-Fri from the suburbs (7 miles of 70 MPH freeway, 7 miles of stop signs/traffic lights, 35 MPH speed limits; 28 miles round trip on a regular day).

    In this route, I normally get 28 MPG with A/C running (I'm a moderate driver, not racy), but with the cool snap recently, I got 378.5 miles on 12.55 gallons of gas, which equates to over 30 MPG. I think this is quite remarkable, especially for an 11 year old car with 167,000 miles on it. (EPA Sticker says 23 City/31 Hwy) I'm INCREDIBLY pleased with how my old car still runs beautifully, with nary a hiccup in all these years.
  • wildman63wildman63 Member Posts: 27
    We never get on the "freeway" (thank God!) with our 2006 Acccord 4 Cylinder. It's not broken in yet at about 3600 miles. Our worst is about 26mpg and best about 29.5mpg.

    We live on an island in the Pacific Northwest where we can go 55mph on a good day. This thing is getting at least the EPA numbers so far.
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    It will get better. My 06 4cyl manual has never had a tank of gas below 30 mpg. I usually get around 33 - 34 per tank. And I also live in the PNW but drive the I-5 corridor and Narrows Bridge. Ugh.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    )) "It's not broken in yet at about 3600 miles." ((

    And I've been ridiculed in the Sonata discussions section for my attention to conservative run-in practices... (I think anytime after the first 1,000 miles you're safe to let your engine stretch its legs at any legal speed. ;)) But, you're right - even after the first 1K miles, the engines are still running in, even if only to a limited degree. I've hit a bit past 22,400 miles with my '03 Sonata's V6 and it appears the highway mpgs have finally settled in - at a quite comfortable margin in excess of the EPA estimates for that car. Yours will, too.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    But, you're right - even after the first 1K miles, the engines are still running in, even if only to a limited degree. I've hit a bit past 22,400 miles with my '03 Sonata's V6 and it appears the highway mpgs have finally settled in - at a quite comfortable margin in excess of the EPA estimates for that car. Yours will, too.

    Yep... I think my mileage is also starting to settle in my 2006 Accord (almost 13,000 miles). Lately it's been a mixed route of 31MPG, with my last trip giving me 39 MPG (75 MPH, when I made the trip closer to 80-85 MPH I only got 35 MPG). It's worth an extra 15 minutes to me to get 39 MPG vs. 35!
  • usera99usera99 Member Posts: 4
    I have a new 07 honda accord lx (4 cyl) . The first tank gave around 21 miles while the next time i filled up , I got about 23.5 mpg. These are mostly highway driving at about 60-65 miles per hour. The car has about 400 miles on it now.
    I am wondering when I will start seeing atleast 30 mpg on exclusive highway driving. Does the FE improve with time ? The manual asks to pay extra attention to driving the first 600 miles. So is that the break in period ? Have others had low mileage in the first few tanks and got better FE with more miles ? A lot of posts that I read here seem to indicate that people are getting close to EPA right from day one , which makes me wonder if something is wrong with my car.
  • plethysmoplethysmo Member Posts: 42
    I got 27.7 mpg with my first tank on a 2003 LX V6 with a mix of highway and suburban driving. I think you have either a math problem or some other problem that will not be corrected by "break in". Unless the efficiency gains due to break in are dramatically greater for a 4Cyl than for a 6 cyl.
  • davidd3davidd3 Member Posts: 582
    Unless you've been using your 4-cylinder Accord to tow a Chevy Suburban, it sounds to me like you've got a problem which is only in small part explained by break-in. I got better FE than that with my 6-cylinder Accord, right from the start.

    I suggest that you raise your concern with the dealer sooner rather than later. However, this is a tricky issue and you may have to live with it. I had (and just recently got rid of) a 2004 Odyssey which got poor FE as compared not only to EPA, but also as compared to what most folks reported as real world FE. I complained to the dealer early and often, never got any satisfaction, and eventually let it go. It's very convenient for the dealer to tell you that FE can often be considerably worse than EPA ratings, depending on driving conditions, driving habits, tire pressure, use of A/C, etc. We all know that. But come on, we also know, based on many years of driving experience, when our respective vehicles are lemons when it comes to FE. After arguing the point with me a few times, the dealer agreed to have service take a look at it. Guess what? They couldn't find any problem. I had to live with it for 3 years, but I'm still convinced that something is wrong with that vehicle.

    I hope you can get to the bottom of it and come to enjoy the FE you expected to get when you chose to purchase/lease this particular vehicle.
  • magicpsnmagicpsn Member Posts: 13
    I have to agree...sounds like there is a problem! Take it in ASAP, so they know about it!!

    I have a 4-cyl also and the first 500 miles averaged around 32 mpg. It was a 40/60 mix of driving (city/highway). My car had 123 miles on it when I received it, as it had to be transferred from another dealer, they filled it up and I drove the other 400 miles on the tank. The 32 is based on the Navi estimated mpg average, so it may be off some (but shouldn't be by much).

    I hope that the dealer helps you out on this one. Talk to your sales person as well. If your sales people are as helpful as mine is, they will stand behind you and make sure that you are happy and that you are taken care of.

    let us know what happens.
  • usera99usera99 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the replies guys. I called up the sales person first. He says that many times the mpg improves and it reaches EPA levels after a couple of thousand miles. I am going to give it 2 or 3 more refils at the same gas station at the same pump , just to eliminate other variables - and see how much I get. There should atleast be some improvement over the next 2-3 refils if his hypothesis is correct. I'll keep the group posted.
  • davidd3davidd3 Member Posts: 582
    Problem is, you need an improvement of about 50% to reach EPA levels. Does your salesperson realize that? Let's see how you do in your next few refills, but I still think you've unfortuantely got a problem with your car, a problem that may be difficult to troubleshoot. All things being basically equal (i.e., same kind of driving), I never heard of a car getting 21mpg - 23mpg in the first couple of tanks suddenly jumping to 32mpg - 35-mpg in the next couple of tanks.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    Contacting a car salesman over performance/technical concerns is like shouting down a deep well shaft lined with acoustic foam insulation. Talk to your dealership's SERVICE MANAGER. Frankly I doubt there's anything wrong with your car that another 4,000 miles won't "cure" despite differing opinions previously expressed in this thread. My current car (a four year old Sonata V6) was rated 19/27 mpg by the EPA. My first several tankfulls only achieved 15/24 mpg with grampa driving. (I wasn't happy...) At 5,000 miles it had advanced to 20/29 mpg. Now, at over 22,600 miles clocked, it's consistently 23+/31+ mpg - not as good as a Honda V6, but I can live with it. (My highway speeds are typically set to ~75 mph with the car's cruise control. The speedometer indicated 75 mph speed is probably closer to a true 72 or 73 mph.) I'm using no special motor oil, either - just buck-a-quart whatever's on sale 10W-30. The terrain you routinely travel can markedly influence fuel efficiency, too. Hills and mountains are murder - especially if you have to slow for curves at the bottom of a downgrade. If you have a lead foot when acclerating from stop signs and lights, you'll pay the price in fuel.
  • yooper53yooper53 Member Posts: 286
    in september i filled up in iron mountain mi, drove to the milwaukee VA and back in one day returning to the same station and, as it happened, the same pump. repeated this same trip three days later ( precisely ). 32% of the mileage was cruise on 60 and 68% was cruise on 70. crunched the numbers and came up with 36.9 mpg over two trips totalling 881 miles. very pleased with that!

    would help to state i have an '06 EX/L, auto, 2.4l engine. all in all i made a great choice. it'll be the most capable road trip car i've owned. powertrain is a dream. once in awhile i find myself wishing i'd have gone with the v6. but when i stop to think that in a few ways yet, i'm very much the same 20 year old kid i was a hundred years ago! there would be speeding tickets! couldn't afford the increased insurance rates for the next three years and the fines.

    got about 10k on it. (new 05/06) got four blizzak revo 1 snows mounted on some nice looking, but cheap alloys from tire****. how they'll hold up to the road salt has yet to be seen.

    dennis
  • elroy5elroy5 Member Posts: 3,735
    The first tank gave around 21 miles while the next time i filled up , I got about 23.5 mpg. These are mostly highway driving at about 60-65 miles per hour. The car has about 400 miles on it now.
    I am wondering when I will start seeing at least 30 mpg on exclusive highway driving. Does the FE improve with time ? The manual asks to pay extra attention to driving the first 600 miles. So is that the break in period ?


    Wow, 23.5mpg! I get that mileage around town in my V6 Accord. How are you calculating your mileage? Hope you're not going by the low fuel indicator light.

    Yes, 600 miles is the break-in period. You should not use wide-open throttle, and you should vary engine speeds during this time (no cruising at 60mph (or any set speed) for an extended period of time).
  • guestguest Member Posts: 770
    Hello,

    Sorry, I have not posted here in several months. Anyway, I purchased my new, 2006 Accord SE with the auto in June of 2006. The first tank in about 75% highway was 30.2 miles.
    Best tank was 32.6 miles in the same situation. Worst was 24.6 (mostly city driving. The 2006 has given me better mpg than my 2004 Accord LX auto.

    The car is not completely broken in yet - still not quite 5,000 miles. Have noticed a 26 to 29 mpg range lately - perhaps due to the boutique winter blend fuel in CA.
  • tinatinatinatina Member Posts: 388
    Don't know why it went under unknown?
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    It is a bug the tech folks are working on. Sorry.
  • jhinscjhinsc Member Posts: 399
    ...A lot of posts that I read here seem to indicate that people are getting close to EPA right from day one , which makes me wonder if something is wrong with my car.

    I have an 06 EX-V6, and my first tank returned 26.5 mpg. With your 4-cyl, it should be better. Some tips for better mileage - assuming you have an auto transmission; 1) If you're a 2-foot driver, make sure your left foot is not touching the brake pedal while driving. The slightest touch may engage the brakes thereby lowering your mpg's. 2) It's very easy to slip past "D" to "3" when moving the shift lever from "P" or "R". Make sure it's always in "D". 3) Check tire pressures - but unless they're severely under-inflated, you won't notice that much of an improvement in mpg's.

    There's not much else you can do on your own - so if the above check's out or don't apply, then take to dealer with records of miles and receipts for gas to prove your point. :)
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858


    .......I have an 06 EX-V6, and my first tank returned 26.5 mpg.
    .......

    ....second opinion (another EX V6) manual shift: first tank calc'd out at 27.5.........

    ..agreed, your MPG should be better. If at all possible - given your driving conditions - - look out way ahead and avoid using your brakes (eg: don't accelerate up to a red light).

    Look at the other 4-cylinder mileage data here.........you - given normal driving skills - should be closer to the 4-cyl norms..............

    ...ez..
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I returned from another beach run for the holiday weekend. I set the cruise control on 70 MPH since state troopers abounded. Since I was the only one in the car, and ran no A/C, I got 41 MPG! (256.3 miles and 6.246 gallons = 41.03)

    I was ASTOUNDED!!! I love this car!
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    C'mon, TG - tell us how you really feel. ;)
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Sorry, maybe one day I'll finally open up. :)
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    ....Accord V-6 6M coupe....first tank 27.5.......range of city/highway mixed driving for first 22,500 miles: 25-27.

    As of late..........and nearing 25k ODO, we are seeing an increase of 28, 29 and even 30 in mixed city/hwy usage....

    ..a really well-engineered vehicle, this Honda.........

    ..seasons best, ez..
  • mac91mac91 Member Posts: 5
    still driving a 93 Accord wagon. 5 speed with 170 kmiles on the clock. tires pumped to 38 psi. oil 1/2 quart down...95 % freeway never over 72 mph on the Virginia Piedmont down to Durham, NC and back. With no ac 14.3 gallons carried me 518 miles for a calculated 36.2 mpg. When the Fit can significantly beat this, I'll get one. Curious to see what the next generation Fit engine will deliver...due next year I think.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    right. isn't it funny that more than a decade old, your older vehicle is so FE-centric? you could be running lean, and your vehicle could be an out-lier - but that's awesome.

    now, just curious, why would you want a Fit over an another Accord?
  • mac91mac91 Member Posts: 5
    I would rather have a new Accord...if a wagon became available again. Then there is the Honda Stream which may make it over here. In England the Accord wagon is a TSX Estate. Anyway, I like the utility of a hatchback style or wagon.In the US Honda still keeps trying to shove gas guzzling SUVs down our throats...hence my decision to stick with my homely '93
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    I would snap up an Accord wagon tomorrow if they made one. I can't understand why that niche is not filled. Fit is too small and SUV's like the CRV just use too much gas and do not handle as well.

    I love the Subaru wagon, but the AWD just uses too much fuel (29 hwy vs 34 for the Accord EPA)

    36 mpg is good, but the new Accords do even better - ironically better than the Fit in real world driving on the highway (the smaller engine in the Fit is certainly better in the City)

    My brother averages 38 mpg on his mostly highway commute, and gets low 40's on some long trips. '06 Accord LX manual transmission.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    If you can beat EPA significantly in an old Honda, you can certainly do it in a newer one. I beat EPA regularly in my 2006 Accord, with a couple of trips of 40-41 MPG (I aveage 38 MPG when I do strictly highway) and in my normal mixed route (7 miles suburban w/stop signs before I ever reach the interstate, which I drive 7 miles of in my commute to downtown B'ham, AL) I get between 29 and 30 MPG.

    Sounds like you like to really push for the best mileage possible on trips (as do I) I think you could really do better in a newer car if it was geared right (like a Civic or Accord). The Fit doesn't reach great highway numbers unless going under 70 MPH because of it's short 5th gear.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    yes, you know in Atlanta, i still see lots of older model, i think they were first-gen odysseys (the ones that were not too dissimilar to the wagon accord). people seem to love love love them.

    i would think a leaner-meaner odyssey (with stick please) would be an awesome vehicle... sort of like the Mazda 5.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    That's true. The 1997-1998 Odysseys with the 2.3L 150 hp engine might not be too bad. Of course, the Accord wagon ran until when, '97?
  • mac91mac91 Member Posts: 5
    A friend was in Europe recently and rented a Renault MPV type vehicle. Diesel powered. Comfortably carried around 6 people. Over 30 mpg. Now that Honda has its diesel wunder catalyst, a smaller diesel mpv (with manual box) would not only be fun but embraced by the tree huggers, methinks.
  • davidd3davidd3 Member Posts: 582
    2006 Accord LX V6 Automatic. 4,000 miles. Averaging 23.7mpg in mixed city/highway driving. Can top 30mpg straight highway. Never got worse than 20mpg, even with mostly city driving (lots of 1.5 mile trips to the train station).

    I just also posted data today for my 2007 Pilot EXL 4WD. Can't say I'm pleased there.
  • bobw3bobw3 Member Posts: 2,989
    While all the talk about 40mpg and mid-to upper 30mpg for Accords sounds nice, if you look on http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Honda&model=Accord-
    you'll find most people getting right in the EPA range (Average 25mpg for 6cyl auto, 30mpg for 4cyl manual). Plus if you're calculating MPG after only driving a couple of hundred miles, then it's not too accurate. And if you're letting the trip computer do the calculations, then the data is really suspect.

    If you go on the Fit MPG forum, you'll find some people getting over 40mpg on highway trips, and on my sport auto Fit I did about 35mpg average with a 60/40 mix of highway/suburb driving...calculated manually after driving over 340 miles on the tank.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    And if you're letting the trip computer do the calculations, then the data is really suspect.

    Agreed - always do the calculations yourself!
  • davidd3davidd3 Member Posts: 582
    And if you're letting the trip computer do the calculations, then the data is really suspect.

    Agreed - always do the calculations yourself!


    I HAVE A CAR THAT HAS MPG AS AN ON-BOARD COMPUTER FUNCTION. I DID THE MPG CALCULATIONS MYSELF FOR A WHILE AND FOUND THAT THE COMPUTER GOT IT RIGHT TO WITHIN A FEW TENTHS OF 1MPG. JUST SPLITTING HAIRS TO DO THE CALCULATIONS YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE THIS COMPUTER FUNCTION. NOT WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT. 25.5MPG VS. 25.2MPG FOR EXAMPLE.
  • bobw3bobw3 Member Posts: 2,989
    That's good if you tested it a few times and it works.

    The problem is that some people will reset the computer, drive a few miles on the highway at 60mph and say, HEY, I'm getting 45mpg on the highway. Any mpg calculation needs to be done with at least a couple of hundred miles worth of driving.

    As long as you tested the trip computer and then let it calculate a few hundred miles then I'd say it's pretty good.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    113,000 or thereabouts, brother has car not quite sure.

    Anyway best tank so far, brother driving 28.2 mpg mostly highway.

    Worst tank 17.x, was getting used to the car had a lead foot.

    I calculate it every fill-up, usually from 1/4 tank, and come up with about 22.x-23.x, this seems low, but it is an older car. There isn't anything wrong with it, the handling is really good and everything. I checked the air filter a while ago, found a big beetle and a feather but otherwise it is still clean. How can I get the best mileage? I don't know if these questions have already been answered, but how might I get better mileage?

    Thank you for advice.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I have a 1996 Accord LX (which is non-VTEC) with 169k miles and average about 27 MPG in the wintertime. The deal with getting decent highway mileage on these Accords is keeping your cruise speed low enough. I know in my 96, at 75 MPH I'm basically at 3,000 RPM. I've gotten 33 mpg ONCE in this car's life and that was cruising at 65 MPH (which for me, was about 2,600 RPM). When I took a round trip to Huntsville and averaged 80 MPH (which is about 3,200 RPM - more than halfway to redline), I got a measly 30 MPG (HWY sticker is 31 MPG).

    What speed do you cruise at on the interstate? What is regular acceleration like for you (Is it an automatic, and if it is, around what RPM does your car normally shift as it climbs through the gears on a typical acceleration period for you?). Myself? I usually keep things under 3k RPM until merging on the highway, and then I have to crank it to 4k RPM to hit 60-70 MPH in a decent amount of time (130 hp isn't quite enough for brisk acceleration without revving).

    I noticed you checked your air filter. I'd probably still change it, and change my spark plugs (after 70k miles on one set of plugs and the same air filter, I made huge gains in available power and fuel economy - I was averaging around 23 MPG on the same route - with new plugs and air filter that jumped about 4 MPG to the 27 I average now. :) Also, check your tire pressure, and make sure they are at least at 32 PSI - preferably a little higher for better mileage. Low tire pressure is a small but noticeable detriment to fuel mileage.

    I'm guessing you have a mixed city/highway route?
  • tomekktomekk Member Posts: 310
    Highway MPG on 240 miles trip: 33.2MPG, speeds varying from 60 to 75.
    I only have 450 miles on the cat so far...
  • scubaduscubadu Member Posts: 17
    Is 20 MPG normal for a V6 Accord? Yesteray I filled up my 2007 Accord SE V6. It was my second tank (I don't remember if the dealer had it completely filled). Mostly a mix of city and highway driving. I was hoping to average 23 or 25MPG, but 20 is terrible.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    This may sound dumb, but could the sparks plugs be bad or worn out and not cause a problem with acceleration and stuff like that. I only ask because the car seems like it's getting all the power it should. I don't know if the sparks plugs being worn out creates symptoms or not. Then again I'm an automotive idiot. :confuse:
  • davidd3davidd3 Member Posts: 582
    Is 20 MPG normal for a V6 Accord

    It's hard to say what is normal, since people have different driving styles and different ideas of mixed city/highway driving (for example 40/60 and 60/40 are both mixed driving, but would necessarily result in different mpgs). But for your reference, I have a 2006 LE V6 with automatic transmission and I'm averaging nearly 24mpg in mixed city/highway driving over 5 months and 5,000 miles.

    Yesteray I filled up my 2007 Accord SE V6. It was my second tank (I don't remember if the dealer had it completely filled). Mostly a mix of city and highway driving.

    Your worse than expected gas mileage could be attributable to (1) the possibility that you didn't have a full tank to begin with and/or (2) break-in period. Your mpg calculation based on your next refill will be much more telling.

    Enjoy your car. I think that you will eventually (hopefully even from the next refill) be pleased with its gas mileage.

    The Accord is an extra car for my family - a station car for me, a car for my teenage daughter to learn how to drive on, a car we use when we want to keep miles off our other primary leased vehicles. I am mightily impressed and even a bit surprised. This $25K car drives more like a sports sedan than a run of the mill family car bestseller. My biggest complaint, as with all Hondas, is pronounced road noise on the highway. The older I get the more it bugs me. But I'd still rather have the fun to drive factor of a Honda than the quietness of a Toyota. The first one of the two to put those two qualities together will really have something! But Toyota seems not to have solved the long time criticism of its handling and Honda seems not to have solved the long time criticism of its road noise.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Well, depending on how much city driving you actually do (and how much time stopped in your regular commute you spend), 20 MPG may be right. Remember, winter gasoline lowers mileage a bit, a brand new engine doesn't get as good of mileage as a broken-in one with 10k miles.

    For a lot of city driving, on the first ever tank of gas, and for a car that has 20 actually on the sticker, I'd say 20 MPG isn't as bad as you think, especially for a vehicle with 244 horsepower.

    Just to give us an idea of your driving style, about how high RPM do you go to in normal acceleration. 2,500 RPM? 3,500 RPM? Higher?
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    The trip computer in my Navi system (06 EX-L I4 Manual) isn't all that close to actual mileage. In fact, the odometer reading on the trip computer is off when compared to the dash odometer. I'm glad your experience is different.
  • tomekktomekk Member Posts: 310
    City mileage works out to be 25 MPG.
  • scubaduscubadu Member Posts: 17
    I just did another fillup. Probably 70% highway driving. The mileage was up to 22 MPG.

    Tomorrow I have to visit a customer about 40 miles away. All highway. After 80 miles of highway, I'll top it off again. And this time I'll stick to 65MPG and ease off on the gas.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I just did another fillup. Probably 70% highway driving. The mileage was up to 22 MPG.

    Tomorrow I have to visit a customer about 40 miles away. All highway. After 80 miles of highway, I'll top it off again. And this time I'll stick to 65MPH and ease off on the gas.


    Don't fill up after only 80 miles, you'll have readings that are incredibly skewed. You should be filling up after you have used at least 3/4ths of a tank, so your error will be smaller. Remember, there is lots of room for error when you finish "topping off" your tank (after the first click). Sometimes, people can have their figures off by as much as a whole gallon. After 80 miles, the difference in using 3 gallons and 4 gallons would change your outcome by over 10 MPG. If you've been filling up this quickly repeatedly, you will continue having numbers that aren't very accurate. Do yourself a favor, and drive on your tank for over 250 miles at minimum. The low-fuel light will come on with about 3.5 gallons left, so don't worry about running it too low.

    How fast were you driving on this highway; did the highway have traffic lights or was it interstate?; what type of driving did you do on the other 30%? If your other 30% involves sitting in traffic, moving 5 miles in 30 minutes, then your mileage is going to be MUCH lower than normal. Also, what is "typical" acceleration for you? 3,000 RPM before a shift? 4,000? A friend of mine wasn't happy with his highway mileage, but when I rode with him, I figured out why - he was constantly downshifting (his automatic tranny was, actually) to pass people on the interstate - sending his RPMs up to 4k every few minutes. On a 100 mile trip, this adds up! He was getting 25 MPG highway on a car (1997 Maxima) that was supposed to get 28.

    Remember, most people feel like the way they drive is the "right way," I'm guilty of this too. I have a 4-cylinder Accord, and in normal driving I rarely exceed 3,000 RPM - even merging on the interstate at 70 MPH. The car doesn't have to rev that high to reach proper speed, so I don't do it - and I save gas in the process. Your way, if different from mine, is just that. Different. Not wrong.

    I'm not trying to give the impression that you are doing anything wrong, just trying to figure out what your truthful driving habits are - that way I can relate to your experiences more accurately.

    Best regards,

    thegrad

    PS - If you are in a cold climate, drive with the A/C off - A/C reduces mileage by 5-10%. Check tire pressures too - low tires can reduce mileage (albeit slightly).
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