Toyota Camry Real World MPG

janderson8

I have a 2000 Camry and have always been disappointed at the mileage I get, which is about what you are getting 17-18 in the winter and a bit better in summer months, but always under 20. The car is rated at 23 city and 29 highway. We've never gotten 29 on the highway, usually only 25-26. I'll be interested to see if you do better with the premium on your trip. But if you are travelling west, we always get better coming back east as you usually have tail winds in that direction, so all the difference may not be due to the gas you use.

janderson8

I forgot to say the Camry is a 4 cyl LE. We took it to dealer several times in first few years complaining of poor gas mileage and never got any satisfaction. I still feel there is something not working correctly (transmission/oxygen sensor/dragging brakes) but the dealer did not take the time to find it, and until recently, the cost to have it looked at independently could never be recovered in lower fuel costs. I drive very conservatively, and got better than advertised mileage on a Saturn we recently replaced (consisitently almost 30 mpg driving the exact route I now get 18 or so on the Camry.) Those two cars are not that different in weight to cause that big a difference. I would be interested to see a comparison of where each car was manufactured (Japan/Canada, etc) to see if the Camrys getting better mileage predominately originated in one over the other. We settled for a Canadian car when we had hoped to get a Japanese one because we could not wait for a car at the time.

keisl

I am EXTREMELY disappointed with the gas mileage I am getting with this vehicle. I can't find what I wrote, but I thought I was averaging 24 or so MPG in a typical week - two weeks ago I got 22 mpg on a road trip - granted, I was driving 80-85 but it was clear traffic (and no I don't cut people off). Last week, I noticed I was down to 20 mpg. I was told to try the high end gasoline, so I shelled out the big bucks and am now getting between 18.5 and 19.5 mpg. When I called Toyota, all they could tell me was to never use the A/C. I would NEVER have bought a car with that poor gas mileage. Is it just me, this particular vehicle, or this model in general???? :surprise:

faldoc

My V6 was getting between 27 to 31 mpg, mainly on the highway. I was extremely careful with the accelerator. When I started to push it a bit it went down noticeably. If you drive above 70 mph then your mileage will suffer. Try keeping the speed to the speed limits posted. Also, pull away from a stop gently, and do not tailgate, or rush to red lights. Foot off the gas pedal if you think the light will change. I will hazard to guess you mileage will get better.
My mileage is not being measured while the car awaits repair from the infamous transmission "snap ring" issue.

njerald

My '07 XLE 4 cyl. just finished it's 3rd tank. I'm happy.

26.52 average mpg for 1,100 miles of 60% city driving.

The tanks averaged from 26.14 - 26.82 mpg which probably reflects how full the different fillups were.

The car MPG indicator has averaged 27.4 mpg which is farther off from actual of my last 3 cars.

My A/C just started running more about 1/2 way thru the last tank.

I get 21-22 mpg indicated (which probably means 1 mpg less actual) after filling for stop and go city driving until I drive on the highway.

Haven't got a 100% highway reading yet.

janderson8

I can't explain why some get so much better mileage than others. We bought our Camry based on our son-in-law's reporting that he always got 22-24 in city and 30 or better on highway. We've never been able to break over 20 in city driving, and highway driving (which we do little of) seems to be around 25. We also would not have bought our Camry (a 2000 4 cyl LE) if we had known the mileage would be 20-25% under the rated mileage. I am very careful when driving not to jack rabbit start, to watch lights and slow down if a light is red, etc., so either something is wrong with the car or Toyota fudges their mileage stats a lot.

njerald

It's not Toyota's mileage number, it is the EPA's, good or bad.

lmacmil

Next time you take a highway trip, check your tires and set them at the proper pressure (probably around 31 psi) and top your tank off. Set your cruise at 70 (or whatever the speed limit is). Drive at least 200 miles the fill up and see what you get. If you can't get 30 mpg under those conditions, maybe there is something wrong.

keisl

Well, the "EPA sets mpg in 'ideal' conditions" and "Nobody is getting the mileage they should be right now" - which is blamed on what is being added to the gasoline.

Since the check engine light isn't on - "there is nothing wrong with the car". When I talked to the dealer, they gave me the number for customer service. I was told that this was the second call today for the same issue, then was passed on to 'report' the issue. Unless enough people say something, they won't even look into it to see if there is a problem, and with how 'stupid' everybody treats you, you don't want to push the issue. When asked if I always pushed the trip reset when I re-filled the tank, I looked at the guy and said, "I'm not an idiot".

How can you advertise a number you know to be inaccurate and say that the car gets great gas mileage for the type of car.....

janderson8

I agree! If we always got mileage under the rated numbers, I could blame our driving, but that isn't the case. If the numbers were within 5% of the rated mileage, I wouldn't have a problem, but 20% to 25% under is too much! The dealer doesn't seem to care once the car is sold. Next time we buy, we'll insist on a several 100 mile test drive before signing or accepting the car. If the dealer won't agree, then we'll find a different car to buy.

210delray

I don't know how anybody can drive 80-85 mph and expect to come close the EPA highway mpg. Did you know the highway test is run at a simulated average speed of 48 mph with a top speed of 60 mph? Also, the a/c is not used during the test.

Even so, the EPA takes 22% off the highway mpg test value to "adjust" for more realistic conditions -- this has been done since the 1985 model year, and this is what gets posted on the window sticker. The adjustment for the city mpg is 10%.

As I reported before, my '04 Camry LE 4-cyl. 4A gets about 23 mpg in the city (small town in our case) and about 35-38 mpg on the highway (going no faster than 65-70 mph posted speeds in our area). I got 30+ mpg overall on our 3600-mile Los Angeles to central VA road trip this past December, with 3 people and a full load of cargo, driving mostly on 2-lane roads, up to a legal 75 mph on western interstates.

My '05 Camry XLE 4-cyl. 5A doesn't do as well - about 21 mpg in town and 32 mpg on trips.

janderson8

I would be overjoyed if I could get your numbers for our 2000 4 cyl. Camry LE. I never drive 80 or even 70 mph and am very careful while driving around town to maximize our mileage, yet never do better than 20 mpg (city) and usually only 18 to 19 in summer and 17-18 in winter. My trips are usually 5 miles long, so that could account for a mile or so less, but not 5-6 mpg. I think some engines just come off the assembly line with less than optimal efficiency, and we got one of those...or there is a faulty part the dealer doesn't want to look for. We have never gotten 30 on the road. I think ONCE in 6 years we averaged 29 on a long trip driving back from Colorado, mostly downhill with a tail wind. Otherwise about 25-26.

What grade of gas do you use? Do you think the CA rules for cars make cars sold in CA more efficient than those sold other places?

ray_h1

In California your car's I4 engine is set up as a "PZEV" (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) for minimal emissions which also combines to further reduce fuel economy - particularly at low speeds. On the off-chance that there is a defect in your car, rather than continue fighting with your selling dealership, why not try a different dealership's service department. There's nothing in your warranty that obligates you to go to a particular dealership for warranty service. On the plus side, PZEV compliant vehicles' emissions systems are warranted for 15 yrs./150,000 miles.

lev1

Boy, do I LOVE :mad: pundits who keep blabbing about "imaginary to imperceptible" even AFTER given exact features that higher grade gas has brought to me (as well, as Toyota saying the same in writing)!
Taking into account that he also comments on a bunch of other cars, he must either have the big garage or is a paper tiger who gets his information from EPA hand-outs.
If you drive as if you are steering a luxobarge, 87 is just fine, for better gear shifts higher grade delivers - I hate that auto transmission hiccup when it downshifts and loses all the power in the middle of the sharp turn. :P

210delray

I always use regular (87 octane). The only exception was when we were in NV, UT, and CO (high altitude), and we used plus, which was 87 or 88 octane depending on the brand. (Regular was 85 octane in these areas.)

Short trips are killers for city mpg -- at 5 miles, your engine won't even be fully warmed up in the winter. Add in extensive idling at traffic lights and your mileage will go down even more. I don't have an explanation for your poor highway mileage though.

As ray_h1 said, CA cars would probably be a little less fuel efficient.

lmacmil

I think people forget (or won't acknowledge) that if an engine is optimized for premium fuel, it can run on regular with reduced performance (and maybe mileage). OTOH, a car optimized for regular will not benefit from premium.

So are you saying your downshift hesitation is reduced when running premium instead of regular?

lmacmil

"I don't know how anybody can drive 80-85 mph and expect to come close the EPA highway mpg."

You must not have read the guy's post on the entry level sports sedan board who claims to get well in excess of 30 mpg in his 3 series BMW at 90 mph. I'm a little skeptical

bjw1

i recently came back from a weekend trip and got 32 mpg on highway going 80-90 even going up hills, i know sticker said 34 but that is pretty good since i was driving so fast , tripodometer was at 278 mi and still on half tank mark, my camry now has 5000 miles, but with gas prices lately i wont be driving anywhere anytime soon.

njerald

...so you have no idea what your mpg really was?

Maybe it was 36 or even 38?

Fantastic!!!!!

faldoc

I am driving a loaner '06 Camry V6 LE while my '07 is getting worked on, and the mileage I am getting with about 85% highway, 15% city is 27.83 mpg. It has about 5400 miles on it.

I am not driving for best fuel consumption. I think with some effort I could easily get 30 mpg.

keisl

I used to get close to 40 mph on road trips in my '02 Corolla - driving 80-85 most of the way - that is into Tahoe - a couple hills (oh, and about 55-65 mph once I hit the curves)- with the AC running - which I guess is why I can't understand why I've been driving 70 - no AC (and sweating for my effort, leaving the windows up to help with the aerodynamics) - watching my starts to be sure I'm going slow - letting the car warm up for about 30 sec before going (per the Toyota customer service) and driving extra slow the first couple miles - hmmmm I think there was something else, and can't get over 21 mpg. This is at LEAST 30% highway - although I think it's over 50% (starting to write exact miles for city/highway and traffic conditions with next fill-up) and avoiding heavy traffic in my '07 Camry 4 cyl. It doesn't seem right. I NEVER expect to get the EPA mileage, but something close to the low average should be fair to expect if I'm trying to drive in a more 'economical' manner - I shouldn't have less than 24 mpg given my more careful driving habits, and I'm LUCKY to hit 20. Any more suggestions as to what I can be doing, because I need to turn the AC back on - I don't do well with heat. :sick:

ezshift5

... I NEVER expect to get the EPA mileage, but something close to the low average should be fair to expect if I'm trying to drive in a more 'economical' manner - I shouldn't have less than 24 mpg given my more careful driving habits, and I'm LUCKY to hit 20. Any more suggestions as to what I can be doing, because I need to turn the AC back on - I don't do well with heat.

...the EPA Highway rating (the one on the right, hombre)...

..on my last three cars(Supra Turbo/Solara V6 5M/AV6 6M)..

.has been exceeded by using the Smith System of Space Cushion Driving plus some home grown mods.......use your favorite search engine: check it out/save fuel dollars.....

I feel your fuel cost pain (just not at your level) Go ahead - use the AC!

..ez..

njerald

Last tank, 28.5 indicated, 26.45 calculated.
Last 4 tanks, 27.7 indicated, 26.5 calculated.

60% city driving.

MPG indicated has been high every time: .56 - 2.05 mpg high.

fatrap

I just filled the gas tank and measured my MPG and it was only about 18! (About 760 miles on the odo.) The fill before that was about 24 MPG (about 60% were highway). This seems really low to me for a 4 cyl Camry. Our 97 Camry got 24 in town and 33 highway with the AC on. Now, this is the first time we've bought one brand new.

Is there some MPG break in or something?

njerald

Maybe you didn't fill it up the first time???

What does your trip computer show?

I've been 26.x mpg from the first tank.

If I was strictly city with lots of stopsigns/stoplights it woulds run about 20-21 mpg.

'07 XLE, 4cyl.

keisl

That's about where I'm at - I have just over 2500 miles. I had almost 24 mpg with my last fill up. I didn't run the AC one time (sweating like crazy - hot and grumpy) - about 75% highway, and only about 20 of the 360 miles were in traffic (about 1-2 miles of moderate traffic spread out over the day). I watched everything, and it looks like this is the BEST I can do. I had to turn the AC back on, and looking at the gauge right now, I don't think I'm going to hit 20mpg with the next fill up (nearly half a tank - 18.5 gal tank) and I'm at 160 miles ... doesn't look good. Have you called Toyota to ask them what you can do, it may be nothing, but they are taking reports, and if they get enough calls, they may start looking to see if there is a problem....

ray_h1

entails too many variables to judge fuel economy potential. Straight city-cycle driving is even worse because it's too dependent on traffic flow. Or lack thereoff - you get "0" mpg when stopped. Consider the differences between a small or medium sized midwest town at midday, with two or three stops on Main Street, and New York City during rush hour... The best way to get some idea whether you really have an excess fuel useage problem is to do a straight highway-cycle of extended driving at a steady speed over reasonably flat terrain. (You're virtually guarenteed no bragging rights if you choose a route with lengthy 6% uphill grades...) A two-hundred mile romp at steady maximum legal freeway speeds should give a reasonably reliable result. The tire pressure should be adjusted to no less than the owner's manual recommendation when cold (no more than two or three miles since leaving the garage) and the fuel tank should be full before starting the test run and should be refilled as soon as practical after completing it. (Running tire pressure two or three pounds over the recommended pressure will enhance fuel economy and tire life.) Do the mileage calculation by hand or with a hand calculator - onboard fuel useage computers with their real-time readouts tend to be optomistic by one or two miles per gallon. Oh, and A/C? Use it unless you enjoy drenching your clothing in sweat. You're after real-world results.

210delray

Excellent post! You really need to do an extended highway-only trip for an "apples to apples" comparison.

BTW, for those who may be worried, our '04 Camry 4-cyl 4A at its worst gets 23 mpg in "city" driving (small town in our case) and our '05 Camry 4-cyl 5A gets 21 mpg under the same conditions.

Given harsher city conditions, 18 mpg isn't out of line. Also, a single tank is only an indicator, since you may not have filled the tank to the same level before and after.

phd86

Hate to break the news to newcomers, and new owners, fatrap and janderson8:

there's no "break in" period for mpg. the only thing that is being broken in is you and your wallet, by sales talk from toyota, and if you complain about it after the purchase, enough lip service to give you an ear ache. One thing they will not be able to do is improve the mileage on the car because it simply does not get any better.

What you report is right on the money of what the car gets (I also own two camrys). I'm guessing you didn't read this particular forum before your purchase. I encourage you to continue reporting, whatever mpg you get, to inform others.

210delray

Well, phd86, I thought you were gone for good!

Newcomers, don't despair -- his Camry gets really lousy mileage, so all others must too.

Anyway, here's a previous post of mine to show you there is hope!

210delray, "Toyota Camry: MPG-Real World Numbers" #125, 24 Mar 2006 7:10 am

I'll get around to updating this for my '04 Camry when I have more gumption (and time). Needless to say, it's still doing great, 29-30 mpg in my normal commute, which is an against-the-flow, mostly highway (but not freeway) jaunt.

And tomorrow, I'm going to post some little-known refueling tips from a Ford owner's manual that'll make your mpg calculations more accurate!

melissa1028

I have had my Camry about a month now and have a little over 1000 miles on it. So far my MPG has been as follows

1st fill-up 24.5 MPG (about 70/30 Highway/City driving)

2nd fill-up 21.2 MPG (all city driving) this was my worst tank so far

3rd fill-up 22.5 MPG (20/80 Highway/City) The city driving here included about an hour of bumper to bumper traffic!

4th fill-up 26.5 MPG (40/60 Highway/City) My best so far!

I have been using the AC the whole time.

Mine is improving with time. I have not quite used a 1/4 of a tank yet and have 92 miles with all city driving. I do believe it improves over time or at least mine is seeming to.
I had a 2000 Camry that faithfully got 25 in the city and 30 on the highway. I am hoping to at least get near that eventually. I will keep posting to let you know what I continue to get.

njerald

Incomplete info:

What engine?

What Transmission?

melissa1028

oops...sorry

4 cylinder engine and automatic transmission

210delray

Turn the ignition switch off (don’t leave the engine running) -- [you already know this].

Use the same filling rate setting from the pump (low, medium, or high) each time the tank is filled.

Allow no more than 2 automatic click-offs when filling.

Always use fuel of the recommended octane rating.

Use a known quality gasoline, preferably from a national brand.

Use the same side of the pump of the same pump and have the vehicle facing the same direction each time you fill up.

Have the vehicle loading and distribution the same every time.

(Obviously, if you're on a trip, you can't follow all of the above.)

njerald

or keep track of all miles and fuel used for an accurate running average mpg and forget about all of Ford's suggestions.

phd86

"I have not quite used a 1/4 of a tank yet and have 92 miles with all city driving. I do believe it improves over time or at least mine is seeming to.
I had a 2000 Camry that faithfully got 25 in the city and 30 on the highway. I am hoping to at least get near that eventually. I will keep posting to let you know what I continue to get. "

welcome melissa 1028 (to the club of formerly gas-economic camrys who bought new ones that are not). I'm sure there are several of us (myself, janderson8, kiesl, etc.) who wish they could get your 21 mpg in the city. Sounds like the 2007 may be an improvement over recent years.

judas1

Doesn't mean much since it was just my first tank, and it was only have a tank at that, but I got 28.6 mpg with 25/75 city/highway. 70-75 on the highway. I'll provide some much more meaningful info once I've got a thousand miles or so under my belt.

rjrjrj

I've had my 07 camry for less than a month now, with two fill ups .

First fill-up was 18.8 mpg
Second fill-up was 18.4 mpg

60/40 city/highway
mostly without encountering any extremely heavy traffic in both city and highway. I live in the San Gabriel Valley in SoCal. I don't drive with a heavy foot on the gas pedal, or anything like that.

Both times I've gotten 280 miles from full to when the fuel light comes up and it shows it to be empty, but fill-up is about 15 gallons both times.

My old 95 camry is getting better mileage than my 07 camry, and I don't take much care of that car.

:confuse:

I'm not expecting the mpg that Toyota advertised, 24/33
but I do expect to be getting somewhere around 400 plus miles per fill-up or at least up in the high 300's

faldoc

You may have a problem: even my 07 V6 Camry with similar driving seems to be getting mid-20s, estimated on the trip computer. On the highway it gets 31 mpg by my actual calculation.

I would bring it back and talk to the dealer about it. Good luck!

njerald

Something wrong -

At the same ratio city/Hwy as yours, my fuel light comes on at about 380 miles and the most I've filled up with is 14.7 gallons.

210delray

I don't think there's anything seriously out of line. I've already reported my '05 Camry 4-cyl. 5A gets as low as 21 mpg in short-trip driving in our relatively small town. And the '07 Camry is 100-200 lbs heavier than the previous generation, which isn't going to help the mileage.

If you're in SoCal, you've got to be hitting some traffic. I visited LA in December, and it's difficult not to get stuck somewhere, even on weekends.

The only way you'll know for sure on the mpg is to take it on a highway-exclusive trip (without traffic backups). But I'd wait until the official break-in period is over (1000 miles).

BTW, for both my '04 and '05 Camrys with the same 18.5-gallon fuel tank, when the low-fuel light first comes on, it takes about 15 gallons to fill up.

ray_h1

rather have the "Low Fuel" light come on a little early than a little late...

nifty56

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/tools/fuel-trip-calculator/fuel-calculator- -input.cfm?attr=24

Bottom of the page a fuel consumption calculator. U.S. and Imperial gallons. Quick and accurate

dougb10

Nifty56....that is really "nifty".

Thanks Doug

calipso27

Just bought my Camry a little over 2 weeks ago now.

40/60 highway/city (350 miles on 3/4 tank). Ended up around 29.5 mpg.

Will update when I put some more miles on it. Overall am quite happy with what I've gotten so far. :shades:

dhg

California: octane 87, SE V6, first fill up, gauge little below 1/2, driving conditions were: 1 hour stop and go, followed with mostly highway, a little city and a 40 mile long mountain pass elevation 1400 ft. drove 338 miles, used 10.88 gallons equals 31 mpg. I tried to kept the speed below 65 except when going down hill. I really babied it.

njerald

My 5th fillup and most city driving at 80-85%.

24.56 Actual 26.0 Trip Computer

26.07 Actual 27.3 Trip Computer Avg. for 5 tanks

Most gallons on fillup was 16.13 with tank indicating empty and 5 miles after range dropped to zero.

cwopete2

350 mile trip yesterday; OD reading at start was 900 miles; drove 350 miles; avg speed 65 mph; avg mpg 30.9...not bad, eh? :shades:

faldoc

Not bad at all...
Here is my overall mileage over 2487 miles, 82.864 gals, 30.01 mpg, about 90 to 95% highway, constant 70 mph.

I have not been babying the car since I got it back, and only lost about 1.5 mpg compared to when I was light on the pedal. Sure is a lot more fun for the difference!

sjgbrown

My 4-Cyl (Automatic) 07 Camry is a BIG disappointment!! Here is what I have gotten so far:

First (calculated) tank- 19 MPG (mostly city)
Second- 21 (mostly city, some even without my AC on)
Third- 21 (mostly city)
Fourth- 24 (Half city/half highway)

My crappy Mazda MPV (V6) got 18-19 city!!! Should have kept it. I bought this Camry to get the published 25 city/31 highway!!

Oh, and NO I have not been driving it fast and hard. I have babied the thing for these first 2,000 miles. I have not accelerated quickly or been speeding. So, that can NOT be their reason for the bad gas mileage. My brother, who is a certified mechanic says it is idling too rough. Not sure if that can affect the mileage or not. I am wondering if this VVII-i (Variable Valve) addition is actually hampering the gas mileage instead of helping it. Sure seems like it makes that RPM gage hop around alot.