I have a little over 6,000 miles on my van since I bought it in Dec07.
My last road trip of 1,700 miles I got 25 mpg 100% highway miles averaging 70-75 mph. . With a strong tail one on one tank I got 26.5 doing 80 mph. Loaded down with 4 people luggage and a 70 lb dog. Gotta love all the room!
I turned the AC on and off. didn't notice to much difference. In normal use running around town the van gets between 17.5 and 19.5 mpg. in mixed city/hwy driving.
Not great in town but personally I am very happy with the highway mpg.
Not sure if there is any truth to the excerpt below. Thought I would share. I assume it has little to no truth as if it did then our forum would notice better gasmileage in the early spring and fall when temperatures are cool but not cold enoght to make the engine work harder.
> > > > Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early > > morning when the ground temperature is still cold. > > Remember that all service stations have their > > storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the > > ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets > > warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon > > or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a > > gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific > > gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel > > and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products > > plays an important role.. > > > > When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of > > the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see > > that the trigger has three (3)stages: low, middle, > > and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low > > speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are > > created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump > > have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast > > rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank > > becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and > > back into the underground storage tank so you're > > getting less worth for your money. > > > > One of the most important tips is to fill up when > > your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason > > for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the > > less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline > > evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline > > storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This > > roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and > > the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. > > Unlike service stations, here where I work, every > > truck that we load is temperature compensated so > > that every gallon is actually the exact amount. > > > > Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck > > pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy > > gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is > > being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and > > you might pick up some of the dirt that normally > > settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get > > the most value for your money. > >
Had our 06 Touring for 42k mi now. Got the PAX tires replaced (best price was SF Honda) at around 40k. With $4gal. I've slowed down a bit on the freeways, from around 70-75mph to 60mph on cruise control, and real lite pedal action around town. The results are promising, and instead of 20-21mpg I am seeing 24-25mpg. If only the rest of America would slow down on the freeway, we'd likely see a 20% overnight mpg improvement.
It's hilarious watching the Escalade's and other blimps blow by in the fast lane, easily getting less than 15mpg. I was almost considering swapping out for a Honda Fit, or waiting for the 09 Navi Fit (too bad the sky roof isn't coming to the USofA), but the Fit mpg boards are only reporting 30-33mpg, not a big enough improvement to make the jump.
The wife has a 06 Civic Hybrid and gets 41-44mpg depending on her mood :P We sold our mint 03 Insight to get the more plush Civic, and now sort of wish I had kept it for myself, so I wouldn't have small car withdrawl pangs, or guilty thoughts when driving the Ody. Both are paid for, so I guess we'll sit tight and wait for the diesel hybrids to start popping up maybe in 2010, or with the FCX Clarity comes available in NorCal.
I noticed this same problem with the AC. Each time you turn the car off and start the car again it defaults to the AC on position. The worst part is the display does not say if the AC is on or off. The screen is void of any indication to the status of the of the AC until you press the AC button. After you press the button it will indicate off. I plan on contacting an attorney to force Honda to make reparation because this has cost a significant amount of unnecessary wasted gas mileage. Have you received a notice from Honda about the speedometer inaccuracy and the court case that made Honda extend the warranty?
Interestingly there is no explanation about this in the owners manual either! I'm getting 2-3 more mpg after learning about this by manually turning off the a/c everytime i turn on the hvac system.
I didn't hear about the speedometer problem. Can you post the link? Thanks.
Mostly suburban, stop-n-go driving (including 3 mile work commute).
Averaging about 15 MPG.
We previously had an 04 Ody EX, and it would get ~17 MPG using the same driving profile. From what I've seen, so far, the 07 is more thirsty; maybe it's heavier.
Will take an 250 mile interstate trip next month, so I'll get to see the highway mileage then.
i hope posting here doesn't jinx it, but I am seeing 18-20 in city driving. I acclerate using a light throttle, don't speed, just cruise. Taking it on an 1100 mile road trip at the end up the month, all interstate. Hope to see 26-28mpg.
On an interstate road trip (I-40) of nearly 2000 miles, we saw 24 MPG on average in an non-VCM 2005 Odyssey EX. We averaged close to 80 MPH though, which kills mileage. Around 70, I'd bet you can see 26 easy.
I have an 2006 EX that has 30,000 miles on it. Never really checked the gas mileage till it went past $3.00 a gallon. I am averaging 16.6 miles per gallon. My wife hauls kids around town. I told her to stop hauling so many kids (freinds) because I am unloading this gas hog (Honda you should be ashamed of this PIG) and I am buying a Mazda5. Have you checked out there real world gas mileage site? they are getting more than advertised (around 27-34 MPG) Signed broke in Cincy
That's an apple to orange comparison with the Mazda5 and the Honda Odyssey. The Mazda is a smaller vehicle and weighs a 1,000 pounds less. It sure better get superior gas mileage.
I'll take the space I get with the Honda over the incremental mileage loss. Really it's amazing a vehicle that big gets the mileage it does. 25 years ago a comparable weight full size car would have been low teens in town and maybe 20 on the highway
I had an 05 Silverado, LT trim level, and the HVAC system on that did the same thing - I'd be driving in cool fall weather, and the d@mn a/c would be running at any temp down to 30 degrees +-! Truthfully, i hadn't noticed our Ody doing the same thing. I miss the days of fresh air vents, or having the option of fresh air intake thru the dash vents that doesn't go thru the heater core or other "conditioning" stage.
2007 EX-L Odyssey - Our best MPG, 31.5, has been on non-alcohol laced gas, 65 MPH, 50 to 60 degrees F with two people and hotel vacation gear. I have installed a K&N air filter, have 20,000 miles, drive very gently and prefer to never exceed the posted limit . In the Northeast, with alcohol in the gas my typical MPG is 27 to 30 on the highway. Most of our driving with this car has been highway, Mass TP and NY Thruway. We drive slower when there is a headwind or uphill and cycle the A/C on and off as needed. We find that with the Odyssey we can be comfortable at higher outside temps than other cars we drive now or have driven. We do drive with the roof vent open often.
I did, w/ the Chevy anyways (no longer own it). No, as you astutely point out, it is not a difficult thing to do, but it is a difficult thing to remember to do - esp in fall / mild winter weather, when you'd least expect the a/c to be cycling on - or if you make frequent stops, where you're in & out of the vehicle, shutting off & restarting. I have never bothered to check the diff in mileage anyways w/ our Ody, probably because i never remember to turn it off everytime.
NICE! :shades: I too strive to keep it no higher than 70, but have never seen those kind of numbers w/ our 05 EX-L. Did you find the K&N made a sig. difference?
I have been trying to find a K&N Filter for my '08 Odyssey, but have not been successful. Where did you find yours? I am presuming the air filters should be the same for '05 to '08 Odysseys?
or if you make frequent stops, where you're in & out of the vehicle, shutting off & restarting.
Shutting the car off doesn't change the Climate Control settings in the Honda. Want it set on "72 Driver, 66 Pass., recirculate, feet, A/C Off, fan speed 2" all the time? Set it once and never touch it again. It'll hold it the life of the battery.
Since I bought my 2008 Odyssey EX-L on March 18th, my round-town mileage has averaged 21.26mpg. But here are my conditions:
-Usually, I'm just driving myself. (but once I carried 6 people and 6 bikes on a trip to the other end of the Metro area.) -I live in Fla., so my winter mileage is little different from summer. -My driving this spring has been mostly suburban driving in the Tampa Bay Metro area. -I use the A.C. at least half the time. -I check my mileage at every fillup. -I have not been on a real highway trip yet. That will come in July. The around-town mileage is really no better than my previous minivan: a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country Touring. But my EX-L is some 400 lbs. heavier and has a more powerful engine. (241hp vs. 197)
Read p46 of the June 2008 issue of "Consumer Reports". They tested a Camry, determining the effect on mileage of using the AC or not using it and opening the windows instead. Driving at 65, using the AC reduced the car's mileage by less than 1 mpg. And opening the windows at 65, the drop in mileage was not even measurable. My guess is that with the much heavier Honda Odyssey, the AC vs. no AC and opening windows would be even less of a factor.
Another interesting finding was that while older cars used to get poorer gas mileage with dirty airfilters, newer cars with their computers, automatically compensate for dirty filters by keeping the air/fuel ratio. the same. So gas mileage will stay the same, but in this situation, engine power decreased noticably. This was beared out in their fuel testing of the Camry.
I ordered a K&N air filter from autoanything.com. They seem to always have some kind of sale going on. Another 370 mile trip to Rochester NY on Friday. When determining MPG I insure my odometer is accurate by using my GPS.
I just bought an Odyssey LX a few weeks ago. I had 200 miles on the odometer when we took a trip from Ohio to Orlando. I did various stretches using cruise control and recorded my mileage. Here's what I found:
60 mph with no AC: 27.25 mpg 65 mph with some AC: 26.3 mpg 70 mph with lots of AC: 24.2 mpg
varying speeds 70-80, fair amount of AC: 23.2 mpg
In Orlando, mixed city/highway driving with constant AC, we got about 19.2 mpg.
So yes, easing off on the gas does seem to have a measurable impact on fuel economy.
It's a great car! We used to have a Pilot which was too high off the road and always pulled against us on turns. The Odyssey drives a lot more like a car.
I bought my van new and noticed that my MPG was not even close to what the sticker said. My MPG in the city was around 15.5 and 24 on the hw. I must admit that my foot is pretty heavy and that I drive around 80mph while on the hw. For the past month I have been trying to save money by driven different. When I accelerate I try to keep the rpm less than 2000. I noticed that if you accelerate up to 45 mph the transmission shifts into fifth gear and is around 1500 rpm. I also have been coasting when possible. If you shift into neutral you can almost coast forever although I would not recommend this. I also have been turning of the engine at a particular signal that takes over four minutes to change. My MPG increased to around 20 mpg in the city. I also noticed that while filling up the gas tank it can only hold 17 gallons. Recently I tried and was able to add four more gallons to the tank but at a slow rate.
I have recently bought a K&N air filter and switched over to full synthetic mobile 1 oil. I found out that most shops that change oil use recycled oil and very cheap oil filters. My mpg has increased from 18 to 20 mpg. I was wonder if anyone has tried using methanol in the air intake. The owner’s manual mentioned not to use methanol but does not say what damage it might cause.
Our Odyssey is used only for highway trips. It consistently gets a measured 24-26+ MPG, driving at or near the posted speed limits. Accelerating gently to keep the shift points low and maintaining a steady highway speed is all that we do. We are very pleased with the gas mileage.
2008 EX averaged 21 mpg on ski trip to Kirkwood (8,000 ft elevation in the Sierras) and back to the Bay Area, loaded down with kids and ski gear. OK, I guess. In town though, this car is a real PIG! Averages 14 to 16 mpg with the wife carting the kids around - very short distances, lots of stop and go driving. $75 a week on gas now with prices at $4/gal. Would like to trade in next year - maybe for a Mazda 5? Don't know. Thought about CUVs, but they are no better (actually worse for many) in the mpg dept.
The horsepower race is going to kill off a lot of these thirsty vehicles. Our 2000 Caravan (SWB model), also a V-6 but lighter & with less horsepower, had much better mpg - approx 30 - 40% better than the Ody.
Short trips/distances and stop and go will kill mileage in any car. If you don't meet the EPA average in the Odyssey in-town, its unlikely you will in the 5 either, although with a 5mpg EPA advantage, I'm sure you'll at least get better mileage!
At some point you have to ask yourself if the money saved in fuel cost will overcome the money spent in trading a year-old car in on a new one.
Lets say, for the sake of argument, that the Honda will average 20mpg and the replacement will get 25mpg and that gas is $5/gal. For every $1000 you write off in value trading in the Honda you would have to drive 20,000 miles for fuel saving to recoup the cost. Edmunds "true cost to own" estimates $2800 depreciation in the first year, requiring 56,000 miles for the trade in to pay off in fuel savings. Personally, I think that is a very optimistic estimate since any vehicle with third row capability is unlikely to have that much mpg advantage and you will probably write off more like $4 to 5k in a dealer trade.
It never pays to trade a vehicle in just to get better gas mileage. The key is to start with the most economical vehicle that can meet your needs and hold on to it as long as practical.
On the bright side, driver submitted data on the EPA website suggests that the Honda loosens up as it is used and gets more efficient. Estimating from the data there, I'd say most people see a 2mpg improvement by the time the van is a couple years old.
I was pleasantly suprised to find that our first hwy trip yeilded 26.6 mpg. This is a brand new 08 Odyssey. Our area is slightly hilly and I kept it at around 70 mph on the cruise control. Wife, two kids, and myself on board. I'm going to keep a running tab for a while and will update every so often.
We bought our Ody near Chicago and drove it down by St. Louis, almost a 300 mile trip. Our's is an 08 EX. Our first recorded mileage was 25mpg. Of course, this is not going over 60mph. Usually ran about 55mph. Let me say this, I was number one in many people's lives. lol
Last month I took a trip up to Dothan, Al from St.pete FL. The Ac was full blast with temp in the High 90's. I put the cruise control at 70 mph and was able to get 27.8 MPG. This week I will be traveling to Tuscumbia, AL which is about 670 miles. I checked gas buddy and located a station 570 miles away with cheap gas. I believe if I top of the tank and slowly add the extra four gallons I should be able to make it. :shades:
You need extra room in your gas tank to allow the gasoline to expand. If you top off your tank, the extra gas may evaporate into your vehicle’s vapor collection system. That system may become fouled and will not work properly causing your vehicle to run poorly and have high gas emissions.
I bought my new Odyssey in August 2007. I have been getting terrible MPG. I get 12-14 mpg around town, and 16-19 on the highway. I only have 6100 miles on my van. Honda says that I can not get a real MPG until the van has 10000 miles on it. I do not have a heavy foot. Does anyone else have this problem?
A few weeks ago I was on a 500 mile road trip and I got mileage that was not only better than I had ever gotten before, but mileage better than I ever thought the Odyssey was capable of getting. I was on I-15 north going up the Susquhanna and I got 37 miles to the gallon. I usually get around 25 and to be honest, I would have been impressed with 27. I was watching the gas gauge and it wasn't moving from the full position for such a long time, I was thinking I was going to have to take it to the dealer to see if there was a problem with the needle. I don't remember the actual numbers, but I went about 176 miles on around 4 gallons of gas. There wasn't too much of a difference in how I normally drove except for one major thing. I set the cruise control much lower than usual. The speed limit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is 65. I usually set it on either 65 or 70 (I like it to be on a 10 or a 5 position). This time I set it on 60 the whole way. When driving the Odyssey it is obvious that the engine has to work harder at 65 than 55 or 60 so I tried it for this trip. 55 was too slow, but I think that the best speed is somewhere between 55-60. The car runs smoother and quieter too. And to be honest you have to go 300 miles at 10 miles per faster, to get some place 20 minutes sooner and I wasn't in any hurry. Well I guess if it works for the airlines, it works for cars too.
I'm having the same problem with my 08... my wife got out the book on our last trip and showed me where it says to stop when the pump shuts off and not to top off... but when you can add 3 or 4 more gallons of gas thats another 100 plus miles in your tank. Are others having the same problems?
We sure do love the 06 Ody better than the 99 LX. They were within $1500 of each other. The best mileage I got in the old Ody was 28 mpg coming from KY to VA babying it in the mountains, coasting down hills and letting it slow down climbing the next mountain. The newer Ody has an extra cog and more power. Next week, we will be fully loaded traveling to Ft. Wayne, In from Hampton Roads, VA. I use to put premium in the 99 Ody for mountain travel. The 06 Ody does not require premium, but I wondered if it would help any in the mountains. I appreciate several people sharing that 60ish mph gets better mileage than closer to 70mph which I usually drive with the low gearing of breaking the 2000 rpm mark at 72 mph. I usually try to keep it in over drive and let off the gas when it drops out of O/D. I just wish the Honda had a trip computer to see what kind of instant mpg we were getting. In my 04 Accord (auto - I4), I hit 40.5 mpg driving through a tank from Augusta, GA without out stopping. I ran Shell gas which I think helped with the extra fuel ingector clearner of "Tier One Gasoline." I usually try to fill up with BP, Chevron, Texaco, Sunoco, or Shell for their Tier One rating. We are truly a Honda family since they have treated us well. I would greatly appreciate any comments about using higher octane gasoline and/or what speed is most efficient in the hills. Happy Hondaring and God bless you all!
Just got rid of our 2002 Odyssey after a 6 year run. It was a solid vehicle and served its purpose but between the kids being grown and the sucky gas mileage, it was time to move on. So after a mere 57k miles, we 'downsized' to an SUV. And being the record-keeping geek that I am, I can accurately tell you that I averaged a combined 16.6 MPG over those 57k miles. Admittedly, the majority (about 85%) of those were CITY miles but a combined 16.6 MPG is not even close to the EPA estimates of 18/25. Thankfully, that "box on wheels" is now someone else's problem.
I bought 2 vehicles this year (one to replace my wife's Odyssey and 1 additional for my daughter to use at school):
2008 Toyota RAV4 LTD V6 w/AT - EPA 19/26 - I am getting combined 20 MPG (95% CITY). I know the EPA numbers for the RAV4 are not that much better than the '02 Odyssey's but at least I am able to achieve the EPA numbers with the RAV4. The '02 Odyssey never came close to its EPA numbers no matter what I did. And forget the dealer helping; they just brush it off.
2008 Honda Fit base model w/AT - EPA 27/34 - don't have good stats yet on this one because I just ran the ILP reset and need to accumulate some mileage.
2008 Toyota RAV4 LTD V6 w/AT - EPA 19/26 - I am getting combined 20 MPG (95% CITY). I know the EPA numbers for the RAV4 are not that much better than the '02 Odyssey's but at least I am able to achieve the EPA numbers with the RAV4. The '02 Odyssey never came close to its EPA numbers no matter what I did. And forget the dealer helping; they just brush it off.
The EPA numbers for the RAV4 are actually 3 MPG higher than those in the Odyssey (which has 16/23 when using the new EPA rating system that your RAV is measured with). So, you are getting approx. 3 MPG better with the RAV than you were with the Odyssey. You aren't doing much better compared with the EPA than you were in the Odyssey.
For those who didn't know, the EPA rating system was revised for 2008, sending all estimates down by a sometimes-substantial margin. For example, the Odyssey had been rated 18/25, but was revised to 16/23. The RAV4 V6 4WD had been rated 21/28 but was revised down to 19/26. Your new Honda Fit? It was previously rated 31/37 but has been reduced to 27/34 thanks to the new system.
So, in reality, it seems to simply be your driving style or commute that is bringing your mileage down. You are getting the same numbers (relatively, approximately 1 MPG below the old EPA estimates for City) or approximately 1 MPG above the new EPA estimates for City) in both of the vehicles. The Odyssey really wasn't any less accurate than your new RAV when compared to the EPA.
All that being said, the RAV is a terrific vehicle if you don't need the space efficiency of a minivan. That V6 is a real powerhouse and gets great economy. I just wanted to clarify the EPA ratings issue, and show that Honda really didn't do any worse relative to the EPA ratings than the Toyota.
Comments
My last road trip of 1,700 miles I got 25 mpg 100% highway miles averaging 70-75 mph. . With a strong tail one on one tank I got 26.5 doing 80 mph. Loaded down with 4 people luggage and a 70 lb dog. Gotta love all the room!
I turned the AC on and off. didn't notice to much difference. In normal use running around town the van gets between 17.5 and 19.5 mpg. in mixed city/hwy driving.
Not great in town but personally I am very happy with the highway mpg.
> >
> > Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early
> > morning when the ground temperature is still cold.
> > Remember that all service stations have their
> > storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the
> > ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets
> > warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon
> > or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a
> > gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific
> > gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel
> > and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products
> > plays an important role..
> >
> > When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of
> > the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see
> > that the trigger has three (3)stages: low, middle,
> > and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low
> > speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are
> > created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump
> > have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast
> > rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank
> > becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and
> > back into the underground storage tank so you're
> > getting less worth for your money.
> >
> > One of the most important tips is to fill up when
> > your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason
> > for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the
> > less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline
> > evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline
> > storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This
> > roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and
> > the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
> > Unlike service stations, here where I work, every
> > truck that we load is temperature compensated so
> > that every gallon is actually the exact amount.
> >
> > Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck
> > pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy
> > gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is
> > being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and
> > you might pick up some of the dirt that normally
> > settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get
> > the most value for your money.
> >
It's hilarious watching the Escalade's and other blimps blow by in the fast lane, easily getting less than 15mpg. I was almost considering swapping out for a Honda Fit, or waiting for the 09 Navi Fit (too bad the sky roof isn't coming to the USofA), but the Fit mpg boards are only reporting 30-33mpg, not a big enough improvement to make the jump.
The wife has a 06 Civic Hybrid and gets 41-44mpg depending on her mood :P We sold our mint 03 Insight to get the more plush Civic, and now sort of wish I had kept it for myself, so I wouldn't have small car withdrawl pangs, or guilty thoughts when driving the Ody. Both are paid for, so I guess we'll sit tight and wait for the diesel hybrids to start popping up maybe in 2010, or with the FCX Clarity comes available in NorCal.
I noticed this same problem with the AC. Each time you turn the car off and start the car again it defaults to the AC on position. The worst part is the display does not say if the AC is on or off. The screen is void of any indication to the status of the of the AC until you press the AC button. After you press the button it will indicate off. I plan on contacting an attorney to force Honda to make reparation because this has cost a significant amount of unnecessary wasted gas mileage. Have you received a notice from Honda about the speedometer inaccuracy and the court case that made Honda extend the warranty?
I didn't hear about the speedometer problem. Can you post the link? Thanks.
Good luck!
2,500 miles
Mostly suburban, stop-n-go driving (including 3 mile work commute).
Averaging about 15 MPG.
We previously had an 04 Ody EX, and it would get ~17 MPG using the same driving profile. From what I've seen, so far, the 07 is more thirsty; maybe it's heavier.
Will take an 250 mile interstate trip next month, so I'll get to see the highway mileage then.
That makes sense; the 07 seems to be roomier inside, so I figured that it must be bigger/heaver.
At current gas prices, I figured that the 07 Ody is costing ~$0.22 / mile in gas to operate.
I'll take the space I get with the Honda over the incremental mileage loss. Really it's amazing a vehicle that big gets the mileage it does. 25 years ago a comparable weight full size car would have been low teens in town and maybe 20 on the highway
I miss the days of fresh air vents, or having the option of fresh air intake thru the dash vents that doesn't go thru the heater core or other "conditioning" stage.
Shutting the car off doesn't change the Climate Control settings in the Honda. Want it set on "72 Driver, 66 Pass., recirculate, feet, A/C Off, fan speed 2" all the time? Set it once and never touch it again. It'll hold it the life of the battery.
-Usually, I'm just driving myself. (but once I carried 6 people and 6 bikes on a trip to the other end of the Metro area.)
-I live in Fla., so my winter mileage is little different from summer.
-My driving this spring has been mostly suburban driving in the Tampa
Bay Metro area.
-I use the A.C. at least half the time.
-I check my mileage at every fillup.
-I have not been on a real highway trip yet. That will come in July.
The around-town mileage is really no better than my previous minivan: a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country Touring. But my EX-L is some 400 lbs. heavier and has a more powerful engine. (241hp vs. 197)
Another interesting finding was that while older cars used to get poorer gas mileage with dirty airfilters, newer cars with their computers, automatically compensate for dirty filters by keeping the air/fuel ratio. the same. So gas mileage will stay the same, but in this situation, engine power decreased noticably. This was beared out in their fuel testing of the Camry.
60 mph with no AC: 27.25 mpg
65 mph with some AC: 26.3 mpg
70 mph with lots of AC: 24.2 mpg
varying speeds 70-80, fair amount of AC: 23.2 mpg
In Orlando, mixed city/highway driving with constant AC, we got about 19.2 mpg.
So yes, easing off on the gas does seem to have a measurable impact on fuel economy.
It's a great car! We used to have a Pilot which was too high off the road and always pulled against us on turns. The Odyssey drives a lot more like a car.
For the past month I have been trying to save money by driven different. When I accelerate I try to keep the rpm less than 2000. I noticed that if you accelerate up to 45 mph the transmission shifts into fifth gear and is around 1500 rpm. I also have been coasting when possible. If you shift into neutral you can almost coast forever although I would not recommend this. I also have been turning of the engine at a particular signal that takes over four minutes to change. My MPG increased to around 20 mpg in the city. I also noticed that while filling up the gas tank it can only hold 17 gallons. Recently I tried and was able to add four more gallons to the tank but at a slow rate.
The horsepower race is going to kill off a lot of these thirsty vehicles. Our 2000 Caravan (SWB model), also a V-6 but lighter & with less horsepower, had much better mpg - approx 30 - 40% better than the Ody.
At some point you have to ask yourself if the money saved in fuel cost will overcome the money spent in trading a year-old car in on a new one.
It never pays to trade a vehicle in just to get better gas mileage. The key is to start with the most economical vehicle that can meet your needs and hold on to it as long as practical.
On the bright side, driver submitted data on the EPA website suggests that the Honda loosens up as it is used and gets more efficient. Estimating from the data there, I'd say most people see a 2mpg improvement by the time the van is a couple years old.
You need extra room in your gas tank to allow the gasoline to expand. If you top off your tank, the extra gas may evaporate into your vehicle’s vapor collection system. That system may become fouled and will not work properly causing your vehicle to run poorly and have high gas emissions.
2006 Odyssey w/vcm 34,000
Next week, we will be fully loaded traveling to Ft. Wayne, In from Hampton Roads, VA. I use to put premium in the 99 Ody for mountain travel. The 06 Ody does not require premium, but I wondered if it would help any in the mountains. I appreciate several people sharing that 60ish mph gets better mileage than closer to 70mph which I usually drive with the low gearing of breaking the 2000 rpm mark at 72 mph. I usually try to keep it in over drive and let off the gas when it drops out of O/D. I just wish the Honda had a trip computer to see what kind of instant mpg we were getting.
In my 04 Accord (auto - I4), I hit 40.5 mpg driving through a tank from Augusta, GA without out stopping. I ran Shell gas which I think helped with the extra fuel ingector clearner of "Tier One Gasoline." I usually try to fill up with BP, Chevron, Texaco, Sunoco, or Shell for their Tier One rating.
We are truly a Honda family since they have treated us well.
I would greatly appreciate any comments about using higher octane gasoline and/or what speed is most efficient in the hills.
Happy Hondaring and God bless you all!
EPA Agrees - DON'T TOP OFF!
2008 Toyota RAV4 LTD V6 w/AT - EPA 19/26 - I am getting combined 20 MPG (95% CITY). I know the EPA numbers for the RAV4 are not that much better than the '02 Odyssey's but at least I am able to achieve the EPA numbers with the RAV4. The '02 Odyssey never came close to its EPA numbers no matter what I did. And forget the dealer helping; they just brush it off.
2008 Honda Fit base model w/AT - EPA 27/34 - don't have good stats yet on this one because I just ran the ILP reset and need to accumulate some mileage.
The EPA numbers for the RAV4 are actually 3 MPG higher than those in the Odyssey (which has 16/23 when using the new EPA rating system that your RAV is measured with). So, you are getting approx. 3 MPG better with the RAV than you were with the Odyssey. You aren't doing much better compared with the EPA than you were in the Odyssey.
For those who didn't know, the EPA rating system was revised for 2008, sending all estimates down by a sometimes-substantial margin. For example, the Odyssey had been rated 18/25, but was revised to 16/23. The RAV4 V6 4WD had been rated 21/28 but was revised down to 19/26. Your new Honda Fit? It was previously rated 31/37 but has been reduced to 27/34 thanks to the new system.
So, in reality, it seems to simply be your driving style or commute that is bringing your mileage down. You are getting the same numbers (relatively, approximately 1 MPG below the old EPA estimates for City) or approximately 1 MPG above the new EPA estimates for City) in both of the vehicles. The Odyssey really wasn't any less accurate than your new RAV when compared to the EPA.
All that being said, the RAV is a terrific vehicle if you don't need the space efficiency of a minivan. That V6 is a real powerhouse and gets great economy. I just wanted to clarify the EPA ratings issue, and show that Honda really didn't do any worse relative to the EPA ratings than the Toyota.