Honda Civic Real World MPG

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Comments

  • wolverinejoe80wolverinejoe80 Member Posts: 337
    my GF bought civic lx sedan 10 days ago, and we are very disappointed so far. first tank, we had 25mpg(50city 50hwy)
    we don't speed didn't use much AC. i expected 32-33.

    maybe we should take it to the service? 25mpg is slightly better than the focus zx3 she just sold. we are very concerned because mpg is the major reason why she chose civic.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Why go back to the dealer? They'll just tell you that it's performing according to specs and that the car needs about 5k miles for the engine to be fully broken in. Is yours an auto tranny or 5 speed? Personally, I'd chill a bit and let your mileage get to that 5k level before you do anything. Relax & enjoy your new car guys & everything else will fall into place.

    The Sandman :)
  • wolverinejoe80wolverinejoe80 Member Posts: 337
    it'an auto. so far it's 130 mile at the and i used up 10 bar. looks like i'm gonna get another 25-26mpg. :(
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    I got 170 miles with a 1/2 tank of gas, or 10 bars. The car has now almost 310 miles. But we're both still in the break in period, so I'm not at all concerned. This is with all city driving with about 75 percent driving with the a/c on. Let's wait til about the 5k mark and I assure you, the mileage will definitely go up. The computer is still learning the way we drive actually. Something about Grade Logic.
    Just enjoy your car and vary your speed & brake force until about 1k miles. Trust me on this...you will be pleased with the eventual great mileage!

    The Sandman :):):):):)
  • butterflyjonesbutterflyjones Member Posts: 72
    I took a test drive in a civic coupe yesterday and it was on empty with the "empty warning light on". The salesman put 3.4 gals. in it and it went from 0 bars to 8 bars,so this seems to indicate that it would show full on about 8.9 gals. Some of you have indicated that you are getting very poor mileage with your first tank of gas that seems to be because the dealer is NOT FILLING IT UP!!! He knows how much to put in the tank to make the bars all come on but yet not fill the tank to actual full. So be sure you top the tank off before you start accessing actual mileage. ;):)
  • roundtriproundtrip Member Posts: 105
    ahh ha! Someone's busted. Dealerships getting a little stingy?
    On another note, did anyone notice the new ads for Mobile One long lasting oil, 15,000 miles? I wonder what kind of conditions a car can go through to last this long and how it would affect the mileage?
  • vward1vward1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a Civic EX '06 that has less than 1,600 miles on it, and I'd love to get even the lowest mileage reported in this forum! Friends have told me the car's engine needs to break in, at which point my mileage will improve. After reading the posts here though, I'm taking my car in to the dealer to see what's so wrong. I chose the Civic over a number of other desirable cars to save gas, like most other Civic buyers.

    I drive 95% city and am NOT a lead-foot nor a quickstopper. I run the AC about 40% of the time and have the windows down about 30% of the time. The BEST mileage I've yet to get was the one or two times I did more highway driving than usual.

    I've filled the tank 7 times and use the legitimate method to calculate mpg (# of miles driven divided by gallons to fill [gauged at pump click-off]).

    Here is my mileage: 20.89, 20.72, 25.7, 25.7, 21.6, 20, 22.7.

    How pathetic is this?? (No answer necessary). The only thing I can think of that would reduce my mileage over others (although nothing in my mind warrants the near-Hummer mileage I'm getting... :P ) is that most of my trips are no more than 5 miles each. Maybe the engine never gets a chance to really warm up?

    Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I can request/demand of the dealer? I suspect they'll tell me the engine needs to be broken in, but I've read enough here to see that others are getting great mileage out of the box. If it matters, I'm in SoCal.

    Thanks.
  • crusher1crusher1 Member Posts: 9
    In order for an engine to be efficient, it must be at operating temperature. The gas doesn't release its maximum energy and burn completely when its not a the correct temperature, which is why a radiator has a thermostat to help the engine warm up quickly.
    Vehicles used on short trips are good on the engine nor the exhaust system. The catalytic converter works needs lots of heat for it to do its job which is why the manufactures are locating them closer to the exhaust manifold. Taxi's engines run the most mileage ( if maintained) due to the fact the are basically always on and are at operating temperature.
    I have a 2006 Civic with 1800kM and I am currently getting 30 miles/gallon Canadian or 9.5 liters/100kM. My office is 13kM ( 8 miles) away from home. Most of my commuting is done using a company vehicle which saves my vehicles.
  • perezrperezr Member Posts: 7
    Those numbers do seem a bit on the low side. What changed when you got the 25.7 mpgs??

    If the majority of your trips are under 5 miles and more than about an hour in between drives, you aren't getting the engine up to it's best operating temp. and conditions. This should also be reflected in your oil life remaining indicator as well. If it's going down fairly rapidly, you're into the hard duty cycle and this will be reflected in your mileage.

    Another question is how much of your driving is spent stuck in traffic, essentially idling or creeping along? Both of these will significantly decrease mileage as well. If it's just stop-and-go traffic, where you just wait for the occaisional light, you should see closer to the 30-35 range. If it's a lot of idling, it will drop proportionately under 30 mpg, typically.

    At 1600 miles, you've completed the initial break-in, but still have some more to go.

    If you have the time and inclination, take it on an extended drive (3-4 hours) at freeway speeds and see what happens. At regular freeway speeds with no stopping, you should see the mileage jump dramatically to right around 40 mpg.
  • gliderguy52gliderguy52 Member Posts: 11
    Your mileage seems to be WAY low of what you should expect. I've got a 06 EX Coupe, 5Spd Manual with about 2300 miles. I've kept track of my mileage since I got the car May 5th. When filling up, I always let the pump "kick off", then fill it to the next $.25 worth (if the pump stops at $15.38, I'll fill to $15.50). Most of my driving is local 10-30 miles), with only one trip that was 130 miles from home. I do drive it to / from work, but not daily. This is only 1.5 miles, in a very small town (1 flashing red light to go through). Here's my mileage thus far:
    33.9, 31.04, 38.01 (highway) 32.67, 37.26, 32.45, 35.18, 37.64, 34.69, 32.67, 33.44, 34.02, 35.52, and 31.60.

    Also, I've never had the tank less than 1/2 full. I hate to have to spend more than $20 for a fillup! ;)

    Data to Date: Total miles: 2395.7
    Average MPG: 34.24
    Cost/Mile for gas: $.08
  • keithlkeithl Member Posts: 106
    I'm no tire expert, but I have read over and over again the MAX pressure on the tire is NOT what should guide you, it is the safest limit the tire shoudl be subject to, but the weight of the vehicle and such needs to be factored in. The auto mfg works witht he tire companies to determine the best combination of pressure that gives safiest and most comfortable ride. I also read an article from and engineer at Michelin is that tires shoudl be run at the car mfg recommendation, but if you error is is far safier to be a few pounds over than under, but again if the car mfg says 32, then maybe 35-36 is ok, but 44 is not good either. At some point the tire will at speed tend to ride up on the middle treads and you may actually have less tread contacting the road. I run mine 3-4 over mfg spec, not the tire max.
  • bman64bman64 Member Posts: 14
    Here's a link to an interesting article regarding tire pressure, found it on cleanMPG.com.

    Tire pressure article

    Pump 'em up for fuel mileage, go as high as you can stand it.

    My '06 LX sedan was delivered with 40 PSI in the tires although that might have been a mistake by the dealer during prep. I'll do the sidewall max of 44 PSI if I ever put my stock 16" tires and wheels back on gain.

    Right now the car has 18" aftermarket tires and wheels on it, the tires are pumped up to the 51 PSI max as listed on the sidewall. ;)
  • longneck1longneck1 Member Posts: 4
    No B.S. here. Straight up 687 miles on 1 tank. From Lex Ky to Far Out There N.C... 16,400 miles on my 06 coupe. Love it. Now I am running full synthetic oil and ready to make the trip again. I expect 700 miles to the tank or better.By the way I top off (scardy cats).... tell me you get more than 14.87 gallons in this [non-permissible content removed] cat and I will drink my next gallon . My best so far is 46.7 MPG. AND I AINT DONE YET!!!!!!!!!
  • wolverinejoe80wolverinejoe80 Member Posts: 337
    after setting a record high 28mpg(50/50), i only had 23mpg my last pump(60/40). something is wrong. i usually get around 25, but i was delighted when i had 28.

    it's very inconsistent. i don't drive fast, try to limit on A/C, don't face traffic too much, and etc..

    23? i'm really thinkin about taking it to my dealer.
  • rt79wrt79w Member Posts: 2
    I drive a 01 Honda Civic LX, it has 17" low profile tires and an AEM cold air intake. I usually average about 38-42 mpg. The cold air intake improved my mpg by about 5. So if you are looking to improve mpg I would recommend a cold air intake.
  • longneck1longneck1 Member Posts: 4
    If this is an 06 civic. Dont wait another day. Thats just sad. For what its worth any of us who buy the 1.8 liter engine do nothing fast. Thats left to our brothers and sisters who pay for the Si demon version. Maybe its in your nature NOT to occupy the slow lane. Jack rabbit starts will kill your MPG. But you know this already, So take it back and [non-permissible content removed] till its right. Or buy a motorcycle
  • gib11gib11 Member Posts: 47
    I though those new civic were economical. I think that because those new civic have a bigger motor and they are heavier, means, that one way or another, they should consume more fuel than the last generation even if Honda says its more economical. The thing is, you have way more weight to pull, unless you drive like your grand ma.

    On a side note, I own a Mazda 3 hatch with the 2,3liter and I average 7liter/100 km or around 30miles/gal (70% road) and my car and motor are bigger and heavier. Even if its a little more fuel than the civic, I'm still very satisfied with the numbers
  • keithlkeithl Member Posts: 106
    Here's a link to an interesting article regarding tire pressure, found it on cleanMPG.com.

    Tire pressure article

    Pump 'em up for fuel mileage, go as high as you can stand it.

    No offense, I don't know if I fullly beleive that, I would rather trust the article i read form a Michelin engineer. Sure I know people that run 44psi with no problem. Like I said I run my 3-4 psi over mfg spec.

    Also go to the Michelin site:
    http://www.michelinman.com/care/tip1.html
    and click on the "View and air pressure demonstration" a few slides in it specically states to NOT use the MAX pressure listed on the tire unless you are at MAX LOAD!
  • wolverinejoe80wolverinejoe80 Member Posts: 337
    i don't expect 30/40mpg, but i at least expected 26-28/36-38

    but so far it's more like 22-24/30-32

    that's just way way way off. is it just mine? i don't speed, i don't use AC too much, and i cruise at 65 on highway. and there is no traffic either.

    1700 miles so far, and i hope it gets better. our avg is slightly better than the car we traded in(focus zx3). we traded in the car because of a bad gas mileage! 21/26mpg
  • roverxieroverxie Member Posts: 4
    I've put 642 miles on my LX at since I drove it out of the dealership on July 10. I am basically satisfied with the gas mileage of this car, which was the number one reason for me to buy a civic. I got 29 MPG on local roads which usually have 4-5 stops on a 6 miles stretch from home to work and with a 35 mph speed limit. I got roughly 37 MPG on %20-local/%80-high way trips---I guess I should have made 38-39 MPG on purely high ways segments. AC was on most of the times. Hope I will get 30/40 soon.
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    wolverinejoe80,

    In your city driving, do you drive in a congested area (a lot of stop and go driving?) Do you make a lot of short trips under 7 miles?

    I am asking because the EPA testing standard is a joke and assumes the driver is driving with no A/C (you stated you don't use it too much, but using it at all could greatly affect MPG in city driving), living in a non-congested area, and the driver is driving at least 7 miles per trip (not round-trip, but one-way). Short trips in congested areas with the A/C simply may not get you close to the EPA test score (30MPG for the Civic). Consumer Reports did a big test on this and found that it is normal to achieve 30% less than the EPA tests based on the drivers environment and driving habits.. You may not have anything wrong with your car, and it should improve as you put more mileage on it (I think 26-28 is more realistic for city driving, but you should get very close to 36-38 for highway, assuming you do not drive much over 65 and there is not congestion).
  • brightmmabrightmma Member Posts: 3
    My boss (due in part to my complaints of poor gas mileage of his dodge pickup) is giving me $15,000 to spend on a non hybrid car. My goal is to find something with the best mpg possible. I am looking for something over 40. I have been doing a lot of research and hear that some civics get that. Also, my job requires a lot of travel (3-4000 miles per month.) A lot of it is HWY. Can any one make a suggestion?
  • roundtriproundtrip Member Posts: 105
    approx. 29-30 mpg (30% city/70% hwy)
    Nearly had my heart stop when I was 2 miles from a gas station and no bars were lit up! I made it, though, and "filled?" the tank with 11.2 gallons. Guess I could have gone a little further.
  • civicex05civicex05 Member Posts: 42
    First of all, I'm not sure you'll be able to find a 2006 Civic for $15,000. If you do, it would be a DX that does not come with air conditioning. You might be able to get a better deal on a Toyota Corolla which is rated at 41 mpg highway (with a manual transmission), and has air conditioning standard. The Corolla does not handle nearly as well as the Civic, but it is comfortable on the highway because of the softer ride.

    Another option would be a Honda Fit, but I'm not familiar enough with it to be able to recommend it. Good luck.
  • jopadmanjopadman Member Posts: 27
    Just filled up my tank at 382 miles on the odometer with one bar left on the gauge. Does anyone know how much farther we can go when there are no bars left? I wanted to make it to 400 miles but i chickened out. Has anyone out there made it to 400+ in combined city/highway driving and really...how much farther can we go with no bars showing?
  • brightmmabrightmma Member Posts: 3
    sorry i should clarify. It dont need a brand new car. I would like for it to be in the 2003-2005 range.
  • civicex05civicex05 Member Posts: 42
    sorry i should clarify. It dont need a brand new car. I would like for it to be in the 2003-2005 range.

    In that case, I would definitely recommend a 2003 through 2005 Civic. You could probably pick one up for under $15,000 if you can find one. Low mileage examples are hard to come by. Good Luck.
  • jeffw330jeffw330 Member Posts: 13
    My Si has about 5,200 miles on it and I get 24-26 mpg in mostly city driving. Could be better, but I spend a bit of time in higher RPMs.
  • dbrosdbros Member Posts: 81
    You should get a 2007 Honda Fit.
  • dbrosdbros Member Posts: 81
    sorry i should clarify. It dont need a brand new car. I would like for it to be in the 2003-2005 range.

    I have a 2004 honda civic automatic and it's giving me 30 mpg city driving.
  • harvey44harvey44 Member Posts: 178
    Just picked up our 2006 EX MT. Two tanks - wife drove it to Virginia and back down I95 so I would say most mileage was highway - probably 80/20.

    The "dealer" tank was 33 mpg.
    The second tank was a little under 42.

    Pretty excited about that. Especially the second tank. We sold a toyota pickup that routingly got 27 mpg to buy it. I was going to be bummin if the new car wasn't noticeably better.

    M
  • melsinctmelsinct Member Posts: 11
    After putting 2K on my 2006 Civic EX with AT, I seem to be consistently getting just over 37 mpg. I drive maybe 80% or more highway, which I am sure helps. I have done nothing special to increase mileage (although I don't tear out of the stopped position), and average speed on the highway is 70+ mph or so. So far I am quite pleased with the numbers, especially considering the cheapest gas station around is selling 87 octane for $3.15/gallon. :)
  • hockeyfoolhockeyfool Member Posts: 30
    I've got just under 5,000 miles on my civic which I bought new just over two months ago. I keep track of my mpg on a spreadsheet. My overall average for the 5,000 miles is 34.8 mpg. I had a low of 32 mpg during a period of mostly heavy stop and go and short trips. The high was 37.8 mpg on the last fill up which was about 85% highway but with AC running. Even though I've been using AC alot recently, the mpg continues to trend higher. Very happy overall!
  • truehonesttruehonest Member Posts: 3
    I have civic lx, 4dr and AUT. I bought it on feb. 1, 2006 and 6000 mileage right now. I am getting average of 31.5 mi/g for 38% city & 62% highway.
    For manual transmission, the book recommends to shift gear from 4th to 5th is 53 mi/hr.
    I drived Automatic and I noticed that it started shifting from 4th to 5th gear when it reached 60 mi/hr in 2000 RPM. It is great because everytime the RPM goes up 100, the speed goes up another 2 mi/hr. For example, 2000 RPM = 60; 2100 RPM= 62; 2200 RPM= 64; 2500 RPM= 70. This is great because I saved fuel. Press a little gas pedal, the car goes 2 mi/hr more.
    In 4th gear, I noticed that it started between 1000 to 2000 RPM. When I accelerated, every 100 RPM goes up only 1 mi/hr. For example, 1000 RPM = 50 mi/hr; 1500 RPM = 55 mi/hr; 2000 RPM = 60 mi/hr. This is really bad because it used to much fuel. Press a gas pedal, the car goes only 1 mi/hr more.
    My question:
    Is there a way to program the computer in our car to shift 5th gear in 2000 RPM when it reach 53+ miles per hour?
    In my opinion, It would greatly improve the mileage. I usually drive in the highway with congestion between 53 and 62 mi/hr.
  • truehonesttruehonest Member Posts: 3
    I have civic lx, 4dr and AUT. I bought it on feb. 1, 2006 and 6000 mileage right now. I am getting average of 31.5 mi/g for 38% city & 62% highway.
    For manual transmission, the book recommends to shift gear from 4th to 5th is 53 mi/hr.
    I drived Automatic and I noticed that it started shifting from 4th to 5th gear when it reached 60 mi/hr in 2000 RPM. It is great because everytime the RPM goes up 100, the speed goes up another 3.3 mi/hr. For example, 2000 RPM = 60; 2100 RPM= 63; 2200 RPM= 66.6; 2300 RPM= 70. This is great because I saved fuel. Press a little gas pedal, the car goes 3.3 mi/hr more.
    In 4th gear, I noticed that it started below 60 mi/hr & between 1500 to 2000 RPM. When I accelerated, every 100 RPM goes up only 2 mi/hr. For example, 1800 RPM = 56 mi/hr; 1900 RPM = 58 mi/hr; 2000 RPM = 60 mi/hr. This is really bad because it used to much fuel. Press a gas pedal, the car goes only 2 mi/hr more instead of 3.3 mi/hr more
    My question:
    Is there a way for a dealer to program the computer in our car to shift 5th gear in 2000 RPM when it reach 53+ miles per hour?
    In my opinion, It would greatly improve the mileage. I usually drive in the highway with congestion between 53 and 65 mi/hr.
  • harvey44harvey44 Member Posts: 178
    Just measured my wife's first "city" tank - more like suburbs really. 32.6 for a bunch of 10 - 25 mile trips. Hot as heck, AC constantly on full. Sounds good. So on three tanks I'm 33.1, 41.8 and 32.6. FYI - in 100 degree heat - AC does keep up ok. I'd give it an 85 out of 100 on the AC.

    This is our 5th Honda (first not made in Japan) - on each one I've been able to beat the "city" rating with my suburb driving by 2 mpg. I'm also usually up 2 on highway mpg too. So the new civic is consistent with that.

    M
  • longneck1longneck1 Member Posts: 4
    Read #167 first yall.
    711 miles on one tank. Best yet. Works out to just under 48 mpg. Ohhh yeahhhh. No A/C durring the trip. Ughhhh. For what its worth I start out at 985 foot elevation and travel 700 plus miles through the smoky mountains to coastal carolina. Not a big deal but worth mentioning cause I get less on the return trip. I wonder what I can do (without voiding the warranty) to squeeze out another couple of mpgs.........
  • harvey44harvey44 Member Posts: 178
    Longneck - what Civic (model, year, transmission) do you drive? How fast do you cruise?

    M
  • longneck1longneck1 Member Posts: 4
    06 civic coupe . 5 speed stick. Dont know what I was thinking, the brochere said automatics get 1 or 2 mpg farther but I am in this for the long haul and will probably change my own clutch when it is time. I am experimenting on the sweet spot for this car while I cruise on the highway. Anything over 70 mph eats gas big time. 60 mph makes it simple for me to predict time and distance forcast so I am hovering around this ZONE for now. She was built in Canada. Clean as a whistle. 20,000 miles just this weekend.
  • jopadmanjopadman Member Posts: 27
    your first post you said you had 16,400 miles and now 3 weeks later you have 20,000. How far is you daily commute? If you don't mind me asking, when did you purchase you car? Any problems yet?
  • jopadmanjopadman Member Posts: 27
    from your first post on July 17 you had 16,400 miles. 3 weeks later you have put on another 3600 miles!!! When did you purchase your car and how long is your daily commute? How many miles do you think you will put on your car in the first year of ownership? All i can say is WOW!
  • harvey44harvey44 Member Posts: 178
    Well that's basically what I've got. (06 Sedan MT). I find it REALLY hard to go 60, I usually set the cruise at 68. Traveling to the mountains this weekend...mostly highway...let's see what I can do.

    M
  • tomsr1tomsr1 Member Posts: 130
    Did my first fillup.Could have driven another
    week but was curious.200 miles mixed driving
    @ +27mpg with AC on in Automatic Civic EX coupe.
    Far cry from the 14 MPG I was getting with
    my behemoth SUV and a heck of a lot more fun.
    The problem is it is so much fun, on weekends
    when it should be parked I am thinking about
    twisty roads to go driving.The Honda Goldwing
    I once had only got 30mpg and no AC.One cool thing I like is when going up a hill it will
    downshift and you never hear or feel the rpms
    change it is so smooth.If it did not have a tach
    you would never know it.It is geared very high
    and only does 2000rpm at 60 but is not gutless.
    I almost bought the Scion Tc but am glad I did not.To think I was considering a FIT too.For
    $2000 more I got a real car.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    traveled 614 miles one way, NC to NJ. highway miles with manual transmission, worst was 32.2, best was 41.5
  • harvey44harvey44 Member Posts: 178
    Trip to the mountains - tank up was 30/70 city/highway, drove too fast on the highway (72) got 37.1. Added some gas - just driving around on dirt and backroads used 3 gallons - got 33.1. Tank home 100% highway, one traffic jam, came to a complete stop and at one point turned off the engine for half an hour - it wasn't hot so mom and baby agreed - got 41.7 Cruised MOSTLY at 68.

    M
  • crv16crv16 Member Posts: 205
    Up to 81k miles on the Civic. Just set a record with a recent tank of non-ethanol gas - 374 miles, 8.6 gallons of gas - 43.5 mpg. Mostly highway driving. I typically get 40 mpg with the 10% ethanol gas.
  • c_hackc_hack Member Posts: 20
    With 900 miles on the car, got 38.6 MPG on my last tank. It was 320 miles of mixed highway, country, in-town stop/go. A/C on most of the time.

    My 2nd tank of 315 miles in-town / country road with no highway was 35 MPG. :)
  • roverxieroverxie Member Posts: 4
    Having owned my 06 LX /AT for two months and with 2500 miles on it, the MPG is improving steadily. I got 42.5 MPG during my recent trip (80% high way/20%country). Got 36.7 MPG with the tank before (55% country & town mixed / 45% high way). Totally satisfied.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I drive in AL, like you, and have never put any type of fuel additive in my cars (I have a 1996 Accord I-4 that is about to turn over 166,000 miles). It gets regular-grade Chevron/Texaco all the time; it has built-in detergents to help keep your engine cleaner than the cheaper gas brands, so no need for additives. I have no problem with this engine after over 165,000 miles, and have never had one bottle of any type of engine cleaner/additive added. I'd advise against it (and I think the owner's manual on the Accord says to avoid additives too!)
  • roundtriproundtrip Member Posts: 105
    Thanks for the input. :)
    I don't think I will try the additive.
    I've been getting 31-33 mpg mostly hwy w/ air on low (3500 miles so far.)
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