Honda Accord Real World MPG

thegraduate

Automatic.

ezshift5

......I assume if it was purely highway I would have pulled a legit 35mpg. Pretty impressive given the comfort level, room, etc of the Accord.

yo stick....

..we avg 35 freeway mpg......at c/c 65 tho'......

..and its the AV6 6M (with all that reserve potential alurking in the shadows......)

best, ez..

user777

that would be a fun car. i just can't drive my 02AT I4 like I could my '94stick coupe. that only had 4 cyl but was fun, responsive, economical. cry.

stickguy

If I set the CC at 65, I would either run into the back of a stopped car, or a Semi would run me right off the road in the right lane.

Around here, you either are in stop/go or running at 75-80 most of the time (sometimes within a few miles of each other)!

I honestly can't remember the last time I took a long highway only trip where I just cruised along for the whole thing, other than Christmas runs, but that's at 80+ through the up hill sections.

user777

GA, SC, NC = I find my wife using cruise all the time on the HWY and enabling / disabling. sometimes i find her sitting cross-legged in the seat. OMG!

I never drive with Cruise enabled. I can do a much better job of controlling the vehicle without it and i'm more actively engaged in the task of driving as I was taught to be.

tallman1

I've often wondered if you could get better mileage without cruise control because you could anticipate hills, slower cars, etc. and would be smoother on acceleration.

I use it when I know that I've got space in front of me. It helps me control my speed. My foot doesn't leave the pedal though. Cross-legged??? Yikes. :surprise:

thegraduate

I have gotten better mileage without cruise vs having it on; the one time I touched 40 MPG on my trip to the beach was anticipating hills, and using down-hills to my advantage to build speed for the next grade to climb (adjusted speed from 65-80ish the whole time). I averaged 75 MPH on flat roads, though. With cruise, I average 36 MPG on trips. (car listed @ 24/34 city/hwy).

suzees

Well, I just filled up for the 2nd time on my '06 Accord, 4cyl. Half hiway/town driving, I got 31.22 mpg. People talk about how the mpg will get better while breaking in the car....I'm kind of excited to see how much better it'll get.

jhinsc

I've had my new Accord now for several months and have tracked my MPG's with every tank. Over the course of 4,500+ miles, I've averaged just over 26 mpg. This includes one long trip of about 1,000 miles recently, where I averaged 28-29 mpg. Each tank on the trip was a combination of long freeway drives no higher than 70 mph on cruise control, combined with pure city driving while at each destination city.

Overall, I am very pleased that I'm getting such great mileage. Most of my friends state they're only getting 20 mpg from their similar mid-sized V6 auto's. One young kid bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee and complained about having to fill it up every other day. That's the price for getting a Hemi! :shades:

ezshift5

.....That's the price for getting a Hemi!

....Hemi costs just keep on coming......

..An old shipmate just bought a costly Dodge PU con hemi;our mutual insurance company (USAA) laid a "hi-perf" classification on him.......price of piloting those hemisphereical combustion chambers spikes again.........

...AV6 6M coupe reserves its' award-winning best mpg for the Interstate; range is 25-27 around our state capital.....

best, ez..

masshass81

Tank...Miles...Gallons used...Mileage
1.......258.......12.503...........20.64
2.......320.......13.000...........24.62
3.......288.......12.400...........23.23

I'm currently at 270 miles on the 4th tank and a quarter left in the tank. I always fillup the entire tank. I NEVER go above 3000 RPM and I always cruise towards red lights - I drive like a grandma in hopes of getting better mileage.

I drive mostly 60/40 city/hwy. About 50% of my city driving ranges from 3-5 miles, but really think I should be getting better mileage... I've also checked the PSI on all the tires, 34psi cold and ~38 hot.

So far, I'm dissapointed... I'm going to wait and see how the 5th tank goes, and if I continue to get under 25mpg, I'm bringing it to the dealer.

mattgg1

Sorry to hear about your dismal gas mileage. I have been getting much better mileage in my new I-4, but our driving is quite a bit different.

I drive 40/60 city/hwy, and most of my "city" driving involves commuting in slow and some stop-and-go traffic, with only a few miles of actual city driving.

I've only gone through 2 tanks of gas so far, but I got exactly 30 on my first tank and 32.?? (I don't have the numbers in front of me) on my second tank.

stickguy

I get between 23-25 in local drving, with a 4 cyl stick, but my driving is more like 95% city. Similar to yours, with most trips 1-3 miles, lots of stops, etc.

Pulled about 34 on a mostly highway, but far from steady cruising, trip recently.

stop and go driving just kills mileage, so if you are getting 24 in that type of driving, that's certainly within range. i doubt your dealer will be able to do anything.

masshass81

I understand, but I drive at least 40% hwy and most of the time its steady at 75mph. In the city, even though most is stop and go, I make my auto shift at 2500rpm most of the time - never going above 3k. Its just frustrating to have everyone zoom by you off the line and still get mediocre mileage relative to all other accord drivers.

I believe, since I’m doing about 60/40 hwy/city, I should be getting at least 25mpg with my grandma style driving. I’m really babying this 4th tank. It’s time for fill up in a few days and hopefully I get an improvement. I’ll post the figures when I do.

user777

I understand, but I drive at least 40% hwy and most of the time its steady at 75mph. In the city, even though most is stop and go, I make my auto shift at 2500rpm most of the time - never going above 3k.

How's that?

masshass81

When coming off a red light, just lightly accelerate to get the car moving, keep your foot steady and begin to accelerate very slowly. Your RPM will gradually climb up and the car will usually shift around 2500rpm in 1st and a little above 2000rpm in 2nd gear. If you hit the gas more, of course, the car will think you need to accelerate faster and will not shift until it’s at a higher RPM – proportional to how much gas you’re giving it.

thegraduate

Your driving style sounds similar to mine and I'm averaging 29-30 MPG in a what is probably 50/50 town vs hwy. On strict highway at a constant 75 MPH I get at least 35MPG, with one abnormal run of 39.96 MPG (wish I could replicate that!).

ezshift5

.... On strict highway at a constant 75 MPH I get at least 35MPG, with one abnormal run of 39.96 MPG (wish I could replicate that!). ...

I think you can........

(if I can do it with the AV6 6M coupe - - - (see Gila Bend to Yuma, AZ last fall)....you gots no problema)

...these are great cars...........

..ez..

jhinsc

I drive an 06 EX V6 and regularly get 26 mpg on average. I've dipped as low as 22.9 mpg, but I had a lot of idling and stop/go driving on that tank. In order for me to get higher mileage, and with the local roads limited to 55 mph, I try to limit my speed to 60 mph on cruise control for the short stretches between stop lights, turn off the engine when waiting in line at the bank or ATM or any place where I'm just sitting there for a few minutes, anticipate the next light or stop and try to coast without backing up drivers behind me and drive conservatively without impeding traffic patterns. I'm surprised at how these simple techniques can have a great impact on MPG's. :shades:

mattgg1

jhinsc -

A few comments regarding your post...

- There is a common misconception that using cruise control improves MPG. This is not true in most cases, and cruise control can often lead to LOWER fuel economy.

The only instance where cruise will not negatively affect MPG is if you are driving on a completely flat highway for long distances with no traffic. Otherwise, you're better off NOT using cruise, assuming you're an attentive driver.

- If you ever visit a fast food restaurant, bank, ect., PARK the car and go inside. Never sit in a line in your car. Even if you turn it off while waiting, you still need to re-start it every time the line moves, which wastes gas.

v6driver

Pretty much in line with what CR published on the 4 cyl. I have the V6, about 1100 miles, and am seeing about 23 overall, but mostly 10 mile commute to work that averages 35 MPH; 9 stop lights/stop signs; hardly any 6th gear. Have not had it on the highway for any long trips. Anybody have an idea how much A/C cuts from mileage?

stickguy

'05 EX-L 4 cyl 5 speed stickmy last trip at 34, just filled up and got 25.5 local putting around, so that even seems to be creeping up a bit. Certainly not going to complain, given the size/comfort/performance of the car, and I don't drive with an eye to maximize MPG.

Not that I beat around, I just drive normally, shifting usually by 3K.

jhinsc

Mattgg1, I guess by my using cruise control is one of the reasons I'm ONLY getting 26 mpg with my V6 Accord? For the majority of drivers on the road, cruise control WILL allow you to get better mileage because you maintain a steady speed, which is the biggest factor for higher mileage. It's a misconception that NOT using it saves gas. Yes, it does use more going up a little hill, but it also uses less going down the other side to maintain the same speed. Most people not using cruise control will slow a few mph going up and speed up and exceed their previous speed going down, thereby not saving much, if any at all.

Going inside for the bank or fast food joint would be ideal, but not very efficient for time. Fast food drive-ups always get served faster to keep the line moving. I agree that starting, stopping and restarting the engine constantly wastes gas. It's really only effective if you're able to shut down for at least 1 minute. With modern fuel injected engines, the waste if any is minimal. But if everyone adopted this tactic, if would save more gas than it wastes, not to mention cut down on pollution as well. :shades:

mattgg1

For the majority of drivers on the road, cruise control WILL allow you to get better mileage ...It's a misconception that NOT using it saves gas

You'll notice that my previous post said you're better off NOT using cruise "if you're an attentive driver." You're correct, the majority drivers on the road are NOT attentive. The reason...they've got a Big Mac in one hand, a 44oz Slurpee between their legs, and a cell phone in the other hand. Cruise control for these idiots MAY improve MPG in some conditions.

However, I do a lot of HWY driving, and I don't think cruise helps these people very much. Example...Person is driving down the highway with cruise set at 75MPH driving in the right lane. They're eating & talking on cell phone and don't notice the semi in front driving 55MPH. Person must slam on brakes to deactivate cruise, wait for an opening to pass, then slam on gass to get back to 75MPH.

As a result, inattentive drivers generally will get lower MPG regardless of what they do. All things being equal, I would get better MPG without cruise than someone driving with cruise. Do you disagree?

Going inside for the bank or fast food joint would be ideal, but not very efficient for time

As gas prices continue to rise, I'll be interested to see if you change your mind about saving an extra minute so you can lazily sit in your car and waste gas. What will it take for you to park and walk in...$3.00/gal, $4.00/gal?

You mention that your technique would "save more gas than it wastes". Wouldn't you agree that much more gas would be saved if people just parked their car and walked in?? I've never sat in a drive-thru, and it's probably cost me a whole 10 extra minutes in the past year.

My advice...with gas at nearly $3/gallon and rising, just park the car and go in. Realistically, you're only saving a few minutes (if any) by using the drive-thru, but you're getting 0 MPG. I think it's ridiculous to start, stop, and restart your car 15 times for a Big Mac and a 60oz Coke.

stickguy

your example of maintaining speed up and down hills is where CC wastes gas. You should get better milage if you slow up a little going up hill (instead of essentailly flooring the car to keep up speed), and speeding up going downhill is like free speed, since you are practically coasting.

hey, truckers do it, they must know something!

dudleyr

Where I am it is usually faster to go inside.

jhinsc

On a long trip, not using CC may win you the battle (you personally saving incremental gas), but you lose the war since you create backups behind you when you slow up hills, and speed up down. Traffic around you have to compensate for your driving at inconsistent speeds causing them to waste the gas that you're saving.

You have to use your discretion and judgment when to use CC. In very hilly situations, mountain driving and where there are a lot of turns and curves in the road, using CC is not wise. But overall, CC works people, use it!

azmi

I just passed 2000 miles on my new Accord. I usually run the AC in auto mode. With a daily commute of 20mi 50/50 city highway and I am getting about 25mpg. Changed the filter out for a K & N for better air flow. I recently took the car on its first longer trip (400 mi) and I was close to 30mpg. The manual transmission is a great help in getting fuel economy.

jonathanf

I recently bought an '06 LX SE (currently less than 2K miles on it)...since the car doesn't track and report mpg like I think the EX does, do I need to fill up the tank, reset the trip mileage to 0, then drive it until it runs out of gas in order to figure out mpg? i'm hesitant in doing that because i've heard it's bad for the car to run it dry. any better ways to figure mpg? thanks!

user777

no - there is no better way. the manual method is the preferred method anyway; for people in general, they should use this method until they determine the accuracy of the computer's estimate (if they have one). anyway, when stating your average mileage to others, they expect the manual method was followed.

note your mileage (and/or reset trip)
fill tank (no need...and better to NOT top off)
drive about 330 - 360mi or so -> no need to run it bone dry (by the way, you should be noting approximately how many gallons remain in your tank when your low-fuel reminder light comes on based on the capacity of the tank in your owners manual...do this several times so you know your approximate reserve).
fill the tank again
divide miles driven (based on trip or subtracting current mileage from previously noted mileage) by gallons pumped

do it again.

some say do this for 3 tanks and average the results.

if you periodically keep a log of the MPG, noting the date and mileage on the vehicle, you can track the break-in effect, but also note any significant change in mileage which may be the precursor for problems.

don't worry that your LX/SE doesn't have a computer for this purpose. most people don't rely on their cars to compute accurage MPG statistics, and short-term MPG (like when getting on the gas, or idling) is quite meaningless and only promotes "heads-down" time.

jonathanf

thanks very much!

accordfan81

You should use gasbuddy.com. You just put in your odometer reading and how many Galons you put in your tank when you fill up and it calculates it for you. It even keeps track of your average MPG and how much you spend each month.

thegraduate

Or, if you are familiar with Microsoft Excel, do what I did and create a personal spreadsheet. I track prices that I've paid, total cost, MPG per tank and throughout ownership through that handy spreadsheet program.

waterguy4

Or, go to http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ and create an account under "Your MPG". It keeps track of your mileage and cost and lets you compare your mpg with others.

thegraduate

Cool!

sammym

With just around 1900 miles, i'm average about 23 MPG on my 06 EX-V6 auto. Will it get any better or is the car already broken in and giving me the mileage i'm going to get long term? My driving is 80% on the highway at about 80MPH so i thought it would be a bit higher than 23! I'm also using regular 87 octane and have been told that switching to 93 octane would give me a couple of extra miles per gallon. Any truth to this? At about 20 extra cents per gallon, i'm not sure if it's worth a shot.

stickguy

last tank, about 24.5, so my local mileage seems to have settled in at 25 +/- .5mpg. This tank was real short hop driving, probably less than 10 miles total at highway speeds.

lmacmil

Mileage drops about 5 mpg for every 10 mph speed increase so if you drop down to 70, your mileage should increase quite a bit. You'll have to experiment with premium to see if it helps. Some say it does, others say it doesn't.

seniorjose

My mileage is currently at 12,000. I took a trip from Cedar rapids, Iowa to Waterloo, NY this last week. My mileage at 65-75 MPH averaged between 34 and 36 MPG. It certainly is nice to get 400+ miles on a tank of gas on the Accord.

ezshift5

....My mileage is currently at 12,000

.......yeah, my odometer is about the same.

..recently I went south.....just below Stockton - all freeway - got 34 round trip.......

...the thing is......I have a 6M coupe......

..these are really well-engineered cars........

..ez..

vagabondchef

Got 37.59 MPG on mostly Highway miles from my 06 Accord 4-dr. LX SE Auto 4 cyl. this past weekend going from Grand Forks North Dakota to Sioux Falls South Dakota averaging 65-70 mph on the open interstate (I-29)_. and my car has 1000 miles on it that I got a week ago.

Got 29 mpg the first 200 miles.

Great Car!!! Why buy a Civic or a Hybrid?

Well-engineered by far.!!!

thegraduate

That's awesome, especially considering how green your engine is! I got 36.4 MPG on the only trip taken so far in my 06 Accord EX I-4 Auto when the engine was about the age of yours, so I'm looking forward to breaking these WAY in and seeing how often I can touch the 38MPG+ barrier.

ezshift5

....and seeing how often I can touch the 38MPG+ barrier.

....if I can do it with the 240-hoss V6, Senor Graduate, should be - how you say in Ingles - dock soup for you...

..great cars..

..ez..

thegraduate

I certainly hope so...I just haven't had the opportunity in several months...only around town driving, with an average since 3/21 of 29.26 MPG after 1241.6 miles and 42.436 gallons.

I'm still doing well on my 1996 LX I-4 Auto also, with 1793.9 miles and 64.008 gallons since that date (when i started keeping track in Microsoft Excel), equaling 28.03 MPG. Not bad, I'm basically splitting the difference in the City and Hwy numbers on both cars; this makes me especially happy since my old car has 161,000 miles and is ten years old (eleven this Nov. 12).

Years of good maintenance and driving moderately will make a car last like this with good mileage...I reccommend everyone do so, it will save you gas $ too!

jhinsc

I've been keeping track of my mileage on the fueleconomy.gov website since my purchase of 06 EX V6. I'm averaging a hair over 26 mpg, low was 22.9 and high was 28.9 with generally mixed driving. I live in a rural area of SC where traffic is becoming more and more congested every day, especially during the summer when tourist season is in full swing. But I still manage to beat the 23 mpg average the EPA said I should be getting. I'm a bit envious of the 4 cyl Accords, but it still doesn't have VSA, which I consider a safety must-have for me. My next car, most likely another Accord will likely be the 4 cyl or V6 with cylinder deactivation, or maybe a hybrid if Honda can get the cost down. :shades:

thegraduate

I think you may have had a typo which is no biggie, but the EPA suggests you should be getting 24.5 MPG average, doesn't it (20/29)?

Anybody with a 244 horsepower car that can run a sub-6 second 0-60 AND get in the mid 20s MPG has only limited room to complain!

seniorjose

There are two myths from the past that have been settled about 40 years ago.

1. Cruise Control DOES give better gas mileage than trying to use the throttle by feel or foot. Unless you are traveling in the Rockies...! That has been debunked a long time ago.

2. A/C uses more gas than keeping the windows open...NOT. Modern autos use less gas when windows are closed. Opening windows or sunroofs breaks the flow of air across a vehicle using even more gas.

Somehow these myths are propagated time after time after time...every new generation of drivers.

No big deal, but drive the way you want, just enjoy your Accord...gas mileage is right in line with the EPA numbers. You can get about 40 MPG at 55 MPH...hmmm, back to the 55MPH national speed limits????????? It would be a way of saving gas!

thegraduate

1. Cruise Control DOES give better gas mileage than trying to use the throttle by feel or foot.

Not necessarily. My 2006 Accord will downshift once, sometimes even twice to maintain 80MPH in the soft hills of central Alabama, while my 1996 will allow the car to slow down by as much as 7-9 MPH without downshifting at all. I'd much rather slow down a little (assuming the normal light-traffic I experience on my long-drive beach trips than have my car rev to 5,000 RPM to keep 80MPH, not 79MPH, 80. It won't allow any waffling on speed, which it pays for in gas. In my new 06, I tend to drive with my foot through these types of hills so I can allow for variation of speed and keep low RPMs. In fact, my car will unlock the torque converter if I get OVER the speed I set. I'd rather have free extra speed (coasting and maybe accelerating to 3MPH over what I set) then using engine braking to slow me down.

Your number two myth is true, but only at moderate to high speeds (say 40MPH + on an average vehicle). Below 30MPH, aerodynamic drag is not much of an issue.

jhinsc

The EPA does not take the average of the city and highway mpg's. I think they give more weight to the city mpg when figuring the combined mileage.

I am not complaining at all about my mileage - I think it's fantastic for the amount of power I have. It would make sense to have cylinder deactivation and the idle-stop feature to get mileage up. Since they already have it on the Accord Hybrid, it seems they could do it for the regular V6 and get a few more mpg's out of it.

thegraduate

They don't actually average the mileage, that I know of, so nobody's wrong here. VCM for regular V6s would be a welcome addition, too, I agree! Enjoy your new car!