Honda Odyssey Real World MPG

fred222

I can't see that anyone would be able to achieve the EPA rating in the real world. They do the test in a near perfect condition. Thanks again guys. I will now be checking infos on Toyota Sienna.
I believe that the highway mpg ratings may be obtained on long trips at very close to the posted speed limits (70 mph) with rest stops every 100 miles or so. This is the type of driving that I look to to determine my "highway" mileage and usually it is close to EPA values:
27 mpg 2006 Odyssey EX-L, 22 mpg 2005 Pacifica 4x4, 28-30 mpg 1999 Intrepid ES, 15 mpg 1995 GMC Suburban 350 4x4.

cpsdarren

We just returned from a 2300 mile roundtrip. Our best tank was just over 27 mpg. That was with a full load of 2 adults, 3 kids and the rest of the van full of gear and luggage. We cruised at 75mph or so wherever possible, around construction and urban traffic areas that were stop-and-go. That tank was from south of Indianapolis to near Atlanta and through some hilly terrain. Our other highway tanks were 25-26mpg, probably less because the A/C was being used most of the time on those segments.

I have no doubt we'd get EPA 28mpg highway if we drove 65-70mph, didn't have quite the payload as we did on this trip and didn't hit as many construction backups. Any 4500 pound vehicle is going to require a lot of energy in city or stop-and-go driving, especially if you have 500 pounds or more of people and cargo in it. It also wouldn't surprise me to see highway numbers in the low 20s for those that have the climate control on automatic (A/C on almost all the time by default) and driving 80 mph or higher, where VCM cuts off and wind drag is really cutting into fuel economy. Doing a lot of hard accelerations and having low tire pressure won't help, either.

Overall, we're averaging about 1-2 mpg better in our 2006 EX-L than our 2001 Odyssey LX in similar conditions. Not bad considering the extra weight and power of the 2006 model.

It's true that most probably won't obtain the same numbers as the EPA, Consumer Reports, Motor Trend, Motorweek or other publications that test fuel economy. That is due to factors that aren't controlled like tire pressure, speed, driving style, temperature, weight, A/C use, etc. On the other hand, it's just as likely that other minivans will have similar shortfalls for any particular owner.

Most minivans are within a few mpg in city, highway and overall fuel economy, so buyers shouldn't expect economy car numbers with whatever they purchase. Even the EPA says their rating is a useful tool for comparing vehicles when car buying, but it may not accurately predict the average MPG you will get. Not knowing that sets a lot of people up for disappointment on many vehicles, including hybrids and economy models that frequently also have reported shortfalls from EPA numbers.

user777

was being shuttled from and back to the dealership when i brought my accord in for service. the shuttle vehicle was an 06 Odyssey. the shifter had an O/D on/off button on the shifter. my 03 doesn't.

is there *ANY* chance someone complaining about their mileage in an '06 is not using this button as prescribed?

chend

I have a 2006 ODY EX and I have 4K miles on the van. I drove abt 800 miles this past weekend and using A/C for abt
100+ miles and being stuck in constuction trafic on I-95 doing barely 5 MPH for 30 minutes or more - THE MILEAGE
I got was abt 24 MPG. If there was no stop & go traffic and
no A/C, I am sure I'd have gottewn 27 MPG or more. BTW I was doing an average of 75 MPH.

thegraduate

There is, but the RPMs would be so high at highway speeds it would be just about impossible not to notice anywhere above 60MPH.

fred222

Recent trip in 2006 EX-L. 992 miles total average mpg was 24.4. Of those miles 798 miles were highway at 25.8 mpg. The balance were mixed city highway at 21.3 mpg.
Highway driving was on I 90 across WA at 72 mph +/- 2 mph through Cascade mountains. Many hills.

dhurandar

Got a little over 18 MPG on the first full tank of my new Odyssey EX-L 2006 in Atlanta metro.

user777

i *bet* it (leaving the O/D off) happens.

pusterracing

Have 1600 miles on my 06 EX-L R&N and have average 21mpg over those miles. Mix of City/HWY. Last tank was 22mpg with good mix of driving (1258-1551miles). First tank was 19mpg (0-377miles). Will pull a 100% HWY driving in June, so that should give a good indicator since I should be completely borken in by then.

stickguy

took the frist long trip in our 'Ody since S-mas. About 600 miles, phila. to NY and back. Averaged just about 26 overall. Much better than any previous trip (and we do the same run quite often).

A combo of highway, with average speeds of 70-75, except when we were stuck in long traffic jams (love the GSP and NJ Turnpike). Also some back highwya running, with lots of lights, and some local side trips.

The AC was on most of the way on the return leg. Not needed on the way up.

And I was driving more for getting to the end rather than maximizing MPG.

overall, very impressive for the driving we did, since there was a lot of stuff (and 4 people) in the van, and the level of comfort.

I have no doubt that if I pointed it south and drove straight highway at 72ish, it would easily return 28MPG.

thegraduate

I just have a hard time believing people aren't smart enough to realize their RPMs are at 4,500-5,500 RPM when cruising on the highway. If my car was there when cruising, I'd pull off for fear of dropping a tranny!

user777

i tend to agree. i was speaking more of city driving, not highway where it would be less noticeable.

then again, "cruising on the highway" is a relative term. to some that may be 40 or 45MPH.

yeah, i could still see some driving on the HWY with O/D off.

davidd3

I'm leasing a 2004 EX with leather + DVD. Lease is up in mid-Nov. Will probably lease a new Ody. My only concerns, based on my experience with my 2004, are road noise (especially wind noise on the highway) and gas mileage (worse than expected). If memory serves, the EPA mileage rating on my 2004 was something like 18/25. Real world? In mixed driving I typically get just 16-18. Occassionally, in case of mostly highway, I get about 20. 25 is only seen on total highway trips. I'm wondering how much better gas mileage the new Ody gets with its VCM fuel-efficiency technology. I see that the EPA mileage rating is 20/28. I'd welcome an improvement of 2 or 3 mpg over my 2004. I wish that 20mpg would be my worst case instead of my best case. I'd like to hear from people who have the new generation Ody now and had the previous generation Ody before. They would know best how the two generations compare in terms of real world gas mileage.

cccompson

I've had both - a '99 and now an '05. The newer one (which does have VCM) gets slightly better mileage.

The absolute best mileage I ever got with the '99 was 26 MPG on the highway and usual mileage was between 22 and 24. The '05 has hit slightly better than 28 and the usual is 23-24.

Can't really give you a good comparison on city mileage since it is a decided minority of my driving but my impression is that they are about the same in spite of the increased weight of the '05.

davidd3

Thanks for your reply.

Seems like VCM doesn't make much of a difference in terms of improving gas mileage, not even for someone such as yourself who does mostly highway driving.

nova123

My first tank mileage is 14 . 100% city driving with A/C on most of the time. We love the van and would be happy to see the mileage improve.

fred222

I just have a hard time believing people aren't smart enough to realize their RPMs are at 4,500-5,500 RPM when cruising on the highway. If my car was there when cruising, I'd pull off for fear of dropping a tranny!

Do you own a 2006 Odyssey? When you have an engine which is so incredibly smooth and built to rev, you do not necessarily notice the higher rpm. I left my 2006 EX-L in D3 at 60 mph once on the highway. Only noticed by looking at the tack. In my Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.3 I am sure that I would have thought that a plane was going to land on my roof if I had left it in third gear on the highway.

user777

fred222, thanks for making my case. i was in a new Odyssey being driven from/to the dealership when having work done on my car. the driver used the button several times, and the increase in engine noise was much much less than i would have expected.

then again, in our odyssey, before the torque convertor lockup, the engine doesn't sound like its working too hard.

hondaturtle

Recent trip FL to NJ and return, about 2200 miles, averaged 26.3 mpg. Almost all interstate driving at 72 mph with a/c on about 40% of the time. Averaging 18-19 mpg "city" driving. Ody has 6000 miles on it.

mschneider

We have a new 06 EX. Mixed milage [70-80% in town] about 13-15 mpg. If we drive mostly [not all] highway the best we get is 20-21 mpg. It is dissapointing but not surprising. Our previous van was an 03 Odyssey EX. We wish there was a way to do better, however I suspect it would involve some sort of tradeoff.

dc_driver

Van is three weeks old and so far I am averaging:
18.6MPG in mostly (90%+) city driving.
24.4MPG in mostly highway (75%+) highway driving.

Very happy with these numbers considering that the A/C is almost always on and the van is not broken-in yet (just over 1K miles).

We love this van. It already gets better gas mileage than our beloved 2002 Nissan Altima SE that we traded-in.

fx35awd

those are very good numbers dc-driver.

esteeze

Mostly used with short-trip commuting (~4 miles rountrip) and around-town errands in hilly terrain:

15 - 18 MPG

On interstate trips:

24 - 25 MPG.

About what I would expect...

user777

mschneider, a few comments:

make sure you read your owner's manual and you understand how to leave the transmission in a mode to lock up the torque convertor on the high end.

make sure your tires are not under-inflated.

be easy on the accelerator, and on the highway try 60-65 instead of 70-80.

if your '06 has less than 5K, i'd say it's probable your mileage may still be on the increase.

stockmanjoe

Had my 2006 EX-L with VCM Odyssey for about three weeks now with 500 or so miles on it. I am getting 23 mpg in city driving - that includes my wife driving it with her lead foot and the AC on all the time. I think that is excellent economy for a vehicle its size.

k9vet

Our Odyssey just went over 3,000 miles during a trip from Omaha to St. Louis. We had 4 adults, two toddlers (with seats of course), and 2 small teenagers. As you can imagine with teenagers the back was full. The AC was on all the time and traveled between 70-75 mph. We got 23mpg with some in town driving and 26.3 with all interstate driving. I was really quite pleased. Just kept watching that ECO Light. A LOT better then the Tahoe we traded in.

johnnyklude

Really helped me- just wanted to share

Ok so ive pretty much heard all the common sense as well as lousy gas saving tips. but this one was really interesting, and it answered pretty much all my questions.

i like it alot! so just sharing the 'green'.

what do you guys think?

[URL=http://www.cargens.com]http://www.cargens.com[/URL]

mrturtle

I also have a 06 ex-L. The L has a different engine that is supposed to get 20-28 mpg.
I have gone through 4 tanks so far & the best mileage I achieved was 19.3 mpg average. I am also VERY dissapointed. # out of 4 tanks of fuel involved long highway trips. Yes the van was loaded & the A/C on but come on. I don't think Honda should be promoting this van as the best fuel economy ">in its class. I had a 1993 Dodge grand caravan that got the same mileage.

Mike

raggedy1

MrTurtle, I would direct my anger towards the EPA and not Honda. It is the EPA's outdated test cycle that is to blame, not the car manufacturers. The EPA sets the rules and the car makers play by them.

Look at the hybrid owners to find more people disappointed in real world mpg. Some Prius owners boast of getting 50 to 55 mpg while others are down in the mid 40's. Toyota claims 60mpg, don't they?!?

In any event, don't discount the extra weight and A/C load working against your mpg goals. I will guess your numbers will increase once the engine is broken in and you get a chance to drive with no load and no a/c on.

pfosse

My first tank was all city, all A/C and a lot of traffic. I got 15MPG. Next tank was 90% highway, 5 people in the car, all A/C on a trip to Orlando from Tampa (65MPH flat, cruise control). MPG up to 26MPG. I was very happy with that.

dsrtrat2

In a trip from PHX to SF area. AC on full time, temps in mid 90's to 111. First tank was Chevron 87 octane from PHX to Palm Springs, CA and got 25.1 MPG. From there to I-5 at Button Willow got 27 MPG on the same brand and octane. We get low 20's around PHX with full time AC.

animalrescue

I've had the car 2.5 months. We're getting about 12 to 14 mpg tops Any tips? I've got 1600 miles on it. The salesman said I'd probably get better at 2000 mpg..why would that be? another said the setting on computer might be wrong or something? I have an old 1994 Grand Voyager and it does much better. I'm always on the ECO light..thanks for any tips...Also, I've run it about a 1/16th of an inch past the E..how far can you go? Thanks! Kim

user777

perhaps are you using the gas gauge to compute your mileage, or are you filling, resetting the odometer, driving, getting a refill and dividing miles traveled (on the odometer) by the gallons you just pumped.

don't use the gas gauge as an accurate measurement of the fuel still in the tank.

what about strictly HW mileage? what are you getting there?

robr2

Hondas are notorious for taking a while to reach peak mpg - close to 10K miles is the norm.

Also, don't forget - you're driving a 2.5 ton refrigerator box through the wind!!

stlmom

We went with the EX-L over the EX to get the VCM and alleged improved mileage. Got 23 MPG on the first tank of gas, and far less ever since. Driving St. Louis to Chicago, St. Louis to Memphis, only got 23.7 MPG highway. (Cruise was on 75 tho so may try lower mph next trip.) In-town driving in Memphis with the air on, only got 17 MPG. Ugh! Where are our big savings??? We got better mileage on our 2000 Pontiac Montana. Very disappointing so far during the first 4500 miles on the van.

cccompson

Driving at 75-80 versus 65-70 will reduce mpgs by 3 to 4 in my experience with an '05 Touring with the same motor.

I've never run a full tank in town so am not sure of the mileage. Given its weight, I'd be tickled with 17 in town.

ody06

My 2006 Honda Odyssey Touring has 6200 miles. The info center says I am getting 14.9 MPG city and 21 highway. How can i improve my mileage?

user777

first - make sure you calculate the mileage the old fashion and standard way: fill, reset the OD, drive, fill again then divide miles driven by gallons pumped. do it a few times and average for city and highway to determine how accurate the info center really is.

on the HWY, slow it down if you are going over 65.

in the CTY, avoid jack rabbit starts and screeming up to intersections.

if you live in a dusty area, change your engine air filter.

you have runflats right? I'd still check inflation pressure with a good tire gauge.

fx35awd

...by the use of a K&N filter and a Tornado fan inside your air duct. That is what I have read from the manufactures. Their claim is that you can gain a few miles with the use of these after market parts. I have not use it myself, but I have read about them and are considering it.

ody06

I have runflats and I do check the Info center periodically and they seem to be fine. I tried driving on the highway today and the mileage went up almost couples of miles. Thanks for the Info.

user777

my only suggestion is not to rely on some information center about MPG or tire pressure.

look at the sidewall and verify using a tire gauge.

as for MPG, fill, reset trip OD, drive, re-fill, manually compute miles on the trip OD / gallons pumped.

take the vehicle on a good long highway drive and compute mileage.

keep doing so through the break-in period. it should steadily improve. if not, something isn't right.

badgerfan

Do not use the sidewall maximum pressure rating for setting the tire pressure. This rating is only the ABSOLUTE maximum pressure that should be put into the tire established by the tire manufacturer, and is usually much higher than what the car manufacturer recommends. You will get a very stiff ride and possible uneven tread wear by using the pressure rating on the sidewall.

You can exceed the car manufacturer rating by maybe 3-5 psi to gain a little fuel efficiency. This will do no harm but will make your ride a little rougher.

orlandofl

Haven't done this in quite a while. Just completed a highway run doing an average of 80 MPH with a/c on and a family of 4 with luggage, (no hills; this is Florida)

23 MPG

I'm happy with that. I believe I'd get a little more at 60-65 MPH. I have always had major services completed at the dealer and I use premium gas.

I believe my 'mostly city' is 19 MPG.

thegraduate

I had a 1993 Caravan that got the same mileage...

And it also weighed a LOT less, had much less interior room, carried fewer safety features, and had 150 horsepower at the most, assuming you got the best possible engine (3.3L).

How fast are you usually driving on the interstate?

The "EX-L" uses the same engine as the other Odyssey's, but it uses Variable Cylinder Management, which cuts of 3 of the 6 cylinders when cruising at highway speeds. If your "ECO" light never comes on, then you are driving too fast for the system to work. At 80 MPH, the ECO light will be on a lot less than it would be on the same road at 65 MPH. And, Honda IS best in class with economy; I'd imagine you'd get lower numbers in a different van.

thegraduate

We had a 2000 Odyssey EX also, that we frequented trips to the beach in. We usually got that same 23 MPG number at 80-85 MPH (Dad driving and A/C blasting)... I drove the very last trip before trading it in, and we got 26 MPGs, but with A/C on only about half the time, and at 73 MPH. We loved that van, but I'm really liking the 30+ MPG I'm getting in the Accord we traded it in for. My last beach trip came out to 39.2 MPGs at 73 MPH avg.!!! Gotta love Hondas when they come through for ya like that!

stuartlong

We bought our Odyssey EXL RES last Thursday, Aug 24th. We drove 356 miles on our first tank of gas. I refilled with 18.1 gallons for a rating of 19.7 miles to the gallon. Over half of these miles were highway miles, driven at 70-75 miles per hour. The ECO light was on quite often. For the most part, we avoided using the cruise control, as I think it is still advised to not use cruise control for the first 1000 miles of a car.

Our sales person filled the van up before we left the dealership. I refilled with 93 octane. I hope that my next tank will show an improvement. We are in eastern North Carolina (mostly flat) and used the AC during the entire time we were driving.

dsrtrat2

Why not use 87 octane? Check the owner's manual. CR says it's a waste to use higher octane than is required.

stl540

Also have new EXL w/R&N. Put the first 330 miles on it over the past week with an average of 18.6 MPG. Mix of highway, city, and idling with A/C. Expect it will go up as engine breaks in. Came from a 2002 MDX (90K miles) which averaged 19-20MPG. My wife drives the EXL and puts 20K miles a year, so any MPG improvement will be decent savings. Acura recommends premium fuel in the MDX. Look forward to using reg unleaded for a change. Don't see the need to put higher octane than recommended. I expect our fuel costs to be $60-80 a month less with the Ody given we get 23-25MPG.

jposterman

Just got the van last Monday, first tank was about 1/2 city - mixed and 2nd 1/2 was all highway on a road trip, averaged 19.9 MPG. Second tank was all highway, averaged 22 MPG avg. speed about 75 mph on the 2nd tank, with the AC's on. Seems like the ECO light is very touchy, always on downhills and while going on level road, any uphill with cruise and the light goes off. Hopefully mileage will improve a bit as we log some more miles.

thegraduate

Higher-octane gasoline burns/ignites faster and returns lower economy on vehicles made to run at full performance on regular (like your Ody). Use 87, you'll get better mileage with regular over premium. You will see no real improvement in performance over regular, but you will experience slightly lower economy with premium.