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Comments
SOMETHIN ain't right no matter what anyone says. With our 2006 EX MT we are getting 32/42. I don't see anyway driving style could bring that down to 17. The 42 was highway with cruise set at 68. At 80 mph it comes down to 35 or so.
I know that doesn't help but that's my 2 cents.
Edit - on a related topic - EPA estimates are NOT advertising!
M
change to: But I SWAG the results will probably be similar to the first dealer's.
Someone did tell me that with a lot of start/stop, stop and go driving, a 6 cylinder engine can be more efficient which is why I'm not seeing a huge improvement in MPG from the Grand Am to the Civic. On the open road the Civic should do much better, but with all the stops and local driving, it doesn't. "
Well certainly I have been persuaded the Civic is probably not the "economy" car for all seasons and most reasons. From the wide range of responses about mpg, I think it is fair to say the Civic has a "sweet spot" for the 38-42 mpg that I have been getting. This is definitely NOT to say the 54 miles r/t commute is sweet or fun. But I did have a few clues that it would do well for a gasser, before I bought it (43,000 miles ago) given the conditions and requirements.
Slow news day over here, but I just filled up tonight and got 42 mpg.
Honda Civic's do have a diesel option. Diesels tend to get better mpg across the same way of operating. It is available worldwide, but not in the USA. Since Honda will probably bring a diesel in the future, as in the Accord model, as we know it; most US Honda owners would find a diesel quite foreign for a while. Yet to my seat of the pants experiences, once you know what those operations characteristics are, it take less attention to get higher mpg than a gasser. So in the context of a Civic discussion, it would be app 25% better mpg.
I am somewhat discouraged by some of the messages that seem to simply accept the difference between what Honda advertises as possible city miles (32 m.p.g.) and what seems to be actually realistic (20+).
Although the Honda customer relations person states that the estimates of high city mileage have nothing to do with them they certainly take full advantage of those figures in advertising their vehicles. Is there nothing that can be done? I for one would never have bought a Civic had I knew of the reality of it's low performance. Thanks, KennethR
Indeed the whole EPA rating system has been criticized and taken to court if I am not mistaken. The net effect is the government web site now has a old new revisions to the so called old epa ratings. They vary between 5-20% less.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/
I recently bought a 07 LX MT Coupe. During my fill ups, I am getting 31-32 mpg. This is a calculated value. I fill up at about 325-340 miles, about 10.5-11 gallons. I drive 95% highway, about 75 mph. I have about 2500 miles on the car now. Does the mileage get better? I am not sure how others are getting 38-42.
Mileage does tend to get a tad better. For you specifically, please let us know. I attributed the majority of our average gain of 2 mpg with a range of 1-3 mpg better, to a switch to synthetic oil, Mobil One. I only kept the conventional oem fill for 10,000 miles because of the oem recommendation to do so. I did the switch to synthetic at the 10,000 mile mark (oil change only, NOT filter) and notice an immediate up tick per tank full (like you, filled app 10.5 to 11 gals.) We made no change to the driving conditions style. For us, I made NO attempt to conduct an A/B test/experiment. I had always planned to go to the synthetic. It was just a question of time when the oem fill was going to be changed. The oem recommendation was quite clear and specific at the so called full term of the recommended oil change: (your choice either normal, 10,000 miles or severe 5,000 miles) The manual made a point to say that MOST fell in the normal category. (despite the fact a lot of folks self diagnosis theirs to be severe). The oil and FILTER was next changed at 20,000. Again with Mobil One and a WalMart 2.07 dollar filter. I noted NOT change in mpg. The oil and filter was next changed at 40,000 miles. I noticed the fuel mileage had been getting app 1 mpg less. I took it in for alignment and they mentioned it was way off and did the necessary adjustments. I noticed an immediate back gain of 1 mpg. I was rather surprised the Civic did not hold correct alignment for a longer period of time, in that I had it checked under the 12,000 miles 1 year warranty.
Its the E P A.
and not everyone is experiencing what you are! Come on guys i know that fuel economy comes into play when purchasing a vehicle, but it just seems that so many people bought a civic, not having ever owned a honda, not having done any research and just looking at the sticker.
Where does the epa say that 32 is possible in the city? The siticker says that it can average that. Not that it absolutely will.
The new sticker says 25 which means you average will be around their. So 20+ is spot on.
why does it scared of offending someone if we are all just 12 year olds.
Did it occur to anyone that a 1.8 probably has more trouble moving a car than a v-6 would? That may infuence milage as well.
Another thing to, if you civic is averging the same as a v-6 powered car, i'm pretty sure the fact that it takes less to fill it up to do so is STILL easier on the wallet.
Still representing the 28/38!
As I've said, I have come to accept the mileage I'm getting and understand that the type of driving I do is the reason. I still believe that Honda misled me to some extent, though. Now I know better for future purchases. And the Civic is still a nice, reliable car which certainly isn't a gas guzzler. I just figured on 27-30 MPG instead of 22-25 MPG.
My take is even the Civic is a gas guzzler!! I have stated the reasons why in past posts.
who advertises 32 m.p.g. in town for a Civic? Not Honda you say! But when I was looking at their vehicles that huge sign that had "Honda Civic" at the top advertising 32 m.p.g. city driving sure looked like Honda had something to do with it! It certainly worked to their advantage. I didn't see a disclaimer telling me to blame the U.S.Government or telling me that it was purely a poetic number.
And now I see that the EPA has down rated the Civic to 26 m.p.g. city (another poetic number?)which according to my experience really means 18-20 m.p.g. which should in some bizarre way give me cause for celebration as that's what I'm getting !
If only I had waited six more months to buy a new vehicle - it certainly would not have been a Honda - it's Toyota for me from now on, I know from experience that the Camry does get much better m.p.g. KennethR
Before purchasing the Civic, I considered the Corolla. (among 4 others) The Corolla had the advantage, in that the dealer let me take it home for a 24 hour or more evaluation period.
In so far as a Camry vs a like model Civic(LE vs LE so to speak). I would SWAG you would have trouble equalizing the higher up front cost.
My take on the way we drive the Civic: we do not put much emphasis on driving for max mpg, but driving within the engine and drive trains parameters with the priority of getting 4 timing belt changes from it as a min. We keep records of the mpg as merely documentation and curiosity. A belt change is 105,000 miles. So 4 belt changes is 420,000 miles.
Bought 2004 Civic Ex Coupe in Jan 2007 with 35K miles on it. After the first tank of gas, I noticed my MPG was low, so I started measuring. I ALWAYS fill up at the same gas station, same pump, slowest nozzle setting, never top off after the nozzle clicks off.
The first tank I measured was a little over 28MPG about 50/50 Highway/City.
What has changed:
-increased tire pressure to 31 PSI (it was much lower)
-changed air filter – it was dirty, very dirty
-drive slower on the highway (I stay at about 65mph, unless traffic moves faster)
-accelerate/drive smoothly in the city/suburbs
-the air temperature increased to about 32F or 0Celsius (in Feb 2007)
-my commute increased (short trips –few miles – are the worst for mpg)
My highest MPG in Feb 2007 was 38.8, but here is why: I drove 420 miles on that tank (with some gas left), about 200 of that was at HWY at 58-60mpg (empty highway in rural Indiana), 100 miles at 70 mph, and the rest was suburban driving in Chicago.
CONCLUSIONS and FINAL THOUGHTS:
1) After reading posts on this forum for 3 months, I don’t believe anyone who claims to get 37 or more hwy MPG going 75mph or even faster -- even if they have the new 06 or 07 Civic. After 60mph, the air resistance/drag is very high (it grows exponentially vs. speed), and mpg drops pretty fast. I get no more than 30mpg going 80mph – engine revs at over 3000rpm.
2) Some people confuse city driving with suburban driving. I’ve seen people post 34mpg in the city – I think they mean suburbs, not city.
3) Unless you always pump at the same gas station, same pump, and never top off, it is very easy to get inaccurate mpg calculations. A mere ½ gallon will throw off your mpg calculations, and instead of getting 29 mpg you end up thinking you’ve got 33, and vice versa.
4) AND FINALLY, after this 3 month experiment, I’ve stopped obsessing about gas mileage. Like many others, I thought something was wrong with my civic (only 28mpg?!) Now I get about 33-34 mpg mixed driving, I drive smoothly, and keep my car in good shape. I think our civics (same models/trims) get the same gas mileage, but due to variations in driving style, the way we fill up/calculate mpg, and other external variables (including personal pride – or should I say excessive optimism), we end up reporting different numbers.
To each their own, but you must also know by default, there are a lot of folks on this board that think YOU are full of it, also.
But your quote is another reason why diesel makes all the sense in the world. At 80 mph, if I dont get at least 50 mpg with a Jetta TDI, something is wrong!
You're right, diesels are more fuel efficient than gasoline engines. They are not the best solution however, when pollution comes into play (lower CO2 emissions, but a lot of other pollutants like sulfur) . My post is aimed at only Honda Civics in the US (not diesels).
And yes, you're right again, not everyone will agree with my conclusions. That's life
If you are getting 30 mpg and some else is getting 50 mpg, who is using more resources?!
Try getting a tree to use soot and particle pollutants for photosynthesis!
Biodiesels might be a better solution.
Biofuels might be the best so far.
Europe is just realizing how bad the diesel pollution has gotten in their bigger cities.
But yes, diesel does offer more freedom from mid-east oil!
Indeed biodiesel has close to NO SULFUR. But the key point is if you can burn diesel you can burn BIODIESEL. As most gasser owners know the same can not be said of unleaded regular. Most of the pollution is caused by the greater than 97% passenger gasser vehicle fleet. The less than 3% causes less pollution than the like 3% of some gasser vehicles. If you are comparing it to diesel big rigs, the legislative bodies long ago (35 years plus) ago decided the big rig diesels would not have regulated emissions. HUGE mistake in my estimation.
Civic diesels get 5 liter per 100km or 47 mpg (128 oz) US combined.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=55
The nexus and heads up however is Honda will bring a turbo diesel to the US market and it will be here sooner than most Honda owners realize.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=55
I actually wish my Civic was a diesel. My other cars also.
where did you see this? on the sticker? The numbers for the old epa rationgs are 30/40 and below it states that people will average xxmpg-xxmpg, which is where i am guessing the '32 mpg city' is coming from.
if the new sticker says 25/36, the range will decrease, meaning that the part that says what most people will range in will have what YOU average as part of the range.
Just because the sticker is for a honda, does not mean that honda determined the numbers. Thats just common sense.
They don't have to have a disclaimer, but since you ask, the sticker does specify that they are ESTIMATES. Did you save your sticker? Not probably not. I still have mine, even though i no longer have the car, and i will read over it again.
Sure, the fine print provides a range, but the commercial shows that "30 city/40 highway" in big, bold print all the time.
It's up to us to do our own homework, but I don't think anyone can honestly say that the manufacturers don't use those EPA estimates in advertising when it is advantageous to do so.
I can only imagine what they are saying in the prius/civic hybird forums!
I think the way to use those figures is by comparing them vehicle to vehicle when making a purchase decision. That should give you an idea of which vehicle gets better mileage, but you can't expect that your numbers will actually be those posted on the sticker (or in the ads). It is a given that the EPA does not test in a "real world" environment and no one can tell you exactly what mileage you'll get because all the factors that go into your driving are yours and yours alone.