Acura TL Real World MPG

eglewis

I have a 2004 TL with Nav. In mixed driving I get 26 mpg. On pure highway
I can get 29-31mpg. I don't consider myself an aggressive driver.
As for the gas, I use regular and premium. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find 91 octane, so I have to use 93 octane. I don't see any noticeable difference in
MPG when using either grade of gas.

frisconick

I don't think it's mph as the reason to use premium, I have read it has to do with the computer that tries stop knocking. It is my understanding if you don't use the right gas it could mess up the computer. As you can tell, I am no mechanic, so I would appreciate a mechanic's opinion, please?

delmar1

Frisconick....Here is an interesting article regarding the use of Premium Gasoline and effects on a car:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-07-30-premiumgas_x.htm

Essentially...it is USA Today which quotes a senior Chevron Exec to saying:

"I personally use regular even though my owner's manual says you'll get better performance with premium," says Lewis Gibbs, consulting engineer and 45-year veteran at Chevron oil company. He's chairman of Technical Committee 7 on Fuels, part of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Fuels & Lubricants Council. Gibbs knows gas.

I am still interested to learn if it could mess up the computer or other parts. I honestly don't know. One thing I do notice is that my MPG goes up by 1 or 2 mpg when I do a 50/50 mix....which I also don't know what causes that (please...someone help me to understand that one)

[I am still primarily a premium fuel user ...]

frisconick

Thanks for the link, I will read it later. The Chevron exec isn't too smart, don't they make more money on primium?

nightcrawler29

Well today I went to the gas station as I was runing practically on fumes, and that little light by the "E" was on..... so got lucky and found a gas station in the middle of nowhere, and pumped in some 89 grade gas..... this is the 3rd time I fill the tank since I bought the car and haven't seen a gas station that sells 91 grade...
Anyway, according to the manual, this car supposedly has a 17 gallon capacity isn't it??... today I filled the tank with 13.95 gl. (and I mean filled it) @ $2.25/gl of 89 grade. Total gas pumped amounted to $32.15.

Last week filled up tank with 89 grade as well, and run the car for 335 miles (in city and highway traffic) before I ran out of gas today. Per computer, MPG was 25.
The car has been runing really well, and haven't noticed any problems due to gas being lower than required 91 grade...... I sort of wonder what grade of gas the dealer put in when they gave me the car when I bought it....

delmar1

I have a feeling my initial tank of gas was 87 grade. The car ran a little rough...but once I got a few tanks of premium...pure smoothness.

So nightcrawler...are you planning to do mid grade 89 going forward? 25mpg is pretty darn good in mixed traffic compared to a G35 that gets 25mpg pure highway.

frisconick

My last fill up I got 27mph in mixed driving, just awesome for a 270hp car!!!

nightcrawler29

wow 27 mpg in mixed driving is really good!! what did you do frisconick?? did you got out of the car and pushed it when you where in traffic?!?!... well as you said, that's pretty good mileage for a 270 hp car. Have you been pumping in the 91 grade gas? Not sure if it makes any difference if you pump in grade 89 versus 91, but would like to know from someone who has tried using only grade 91 or even 93. So far I have used grade 89 and its been doing real fine. Now, I'm not sure what could be the difference between grade 87 and 89... maybe the price I bet.

frisconick

Well I have to admitt that about 60% of the driving has been on the highway. I have only used 91 or 93 gas, but I don't know if this makes a difference. Plus I have cut down on gunning it.

bodble2

The TL (probably more to do with the Honda V6, because we found the same thing with our Accord V6)) is a car that shows a huge difference between highway MPG and city MPG. So when the % of city driving (especially the slow, stop-and-go variety) goes up, you will find your MPG dropping exponentially.

frisconick

You are correct, stop and go driving just kills TL mileage. I just love the cry Emotorcon lol

delmar1

Not only the stop and go...but the warm up phase. The worst mileage is during the first 3 miles. So if you are planning to have the TL to be a short runner....plan to get lower mileage (23mpg?). After it warms up....the way she goes!

bodble2

I would say these 2 are your favourites: :P

If I had a buck for everytime you used either one.... :shades:

frisconick

I didn't realize that. How did you figure this out? Do a lot of short runs and see your mileage drop like a stone?

delmar1

I filled my tank every 3 miles. NOT.

This may be a bad way to gauge this...but I have two points of evidence.

1) I reset the MPG computer multiple times when I started the engine and noticed what type of mileage.

2) I already had >100 miles on the MPG computer gauge...noted the MPG when I started the engine...the noticed how the MPG sank like a lead balloon.

I really believe the MPG computer is rather accurate when I test it against the number of miles driven on a gas tank fill-up (miles divided by gallons to fill the tank).

And as you can see...I fiddle with all the darn electronics in the car. I like that mpg computer.

frisconick

That makes sense, I also believe that the computer is very accurate. I didn't think you filled your tank every 3 miles. :P

bouvsrus

I'm amazed at reports of avg mpg in the low to mid 20's. I have only one type of driving. Daily commute from 'burbs to Washington DC. Based on the car's guages, I consistently average only 20 mpg and the avg. mph is always 25 mph. Slow city driving only. Of course, I didn't by the TL for its mileage (we bought a Toyota Highlander Hybrid last month to address that goal). From several posts I gather mpg results are largely function of type of dirivng but if anyone has happened on some "tips" for increasing mpg let me know.

What a fantastic car!

frisconick

There is not much you can do with city driving. I drive in San Francisco, and the streets are jammed, then I get poor mileage. The only good mileage is freeway driving, there is nothing you can do.

delmar1

I took the following link from the TSX site discussing MPG

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8844563/

myacura1

I've got 7000 miles on my car and my 2005 TL-NAV is reporting only 21 MPG!!! I do mostly highway driving/little AC usage and I do not drive it hard (YET!). What's the deal? I'm seeing some other posts here that they get upwards to 30 MPG!

delmar1

Have you checked your tires and pressure? Are you using premium fuel? Perhaps also consider switching brands (perhaps to Chevron). What speed are you flying at...perhaps go the speed limit? Going constant speed? Is your 21mpg from the computer or calculated from miles/consumption (computer wrong?).

Many variables.

frisconick

At first I didn't trust the computer so I calculated it myself. The results were within a mile or so, close enough. I was just thinking, if I was programming the computer, and I was a loyal Acura employee, I might program it to show higher mileage than actuually attained.

bodble2

Hmm....the conspiracy theory....Oliver Stone...grassy knolle...the lone gunman... :P

frisconick

LOL :P

Hey, at one time I could program a computer to show anything. For example, it would be easy for a computer to add 1.1 miles for every mile turned, very easy.

zeak

My computer mileage was 26 mpg and i metered it to gallons into tank, i calculated 26.7 mpg, highway 80%.

strickly in town and slight open road metered 19.6 mpg.

much better than Porsche or Explorer.

I am satisfied, of course not with +91 octane @ $1.60 +

frisconick

That's what I got too. Not much diff between hand calculated and computer calculated mileage.

laurasdada

"I am satisfied, of course not with +91 octane $1.60 +"

Dude, where is 91+ $1.60!!! I'm moving there!

I've been getting 22-24mpg in mixed commute driving using 93 octane.

bodble2

"...at one time I could program a computer to show anything."

You mean when you were programming using Fortran on punched cards? :P :P

fudgypup

My '05 TL is about three weeks old now and I'm on my third tank of gas. My mileage has been only 14-15 mpg! Ok, you've heard the low mileage complaints, but get this, my '98 Volvo v70 T5 is RATED at 18 city/25 hwy and it actually got 18 city, if not better.

This is apples-to-apples driving. I'm driving the same routes, same season, with air conditioning on. If my volvo is rated for 18 and gets 18 then I should be getting the 21 city mpg in the TL, which it's rated at, not worse than the volvo.

I feel ripped off.

Is this typical in a "running-in" period?

delmar1

Allow your car to get through the break-in period. Please refer to other posts throughout this forum and you will see that the mpg improves over time. 25mpg mixed driving is typical...which is not too shabby for a 270hp car...which compares to 15mpg for the G35.

So you feel ripped off because of mpg? Wow.

fudgypup

I do feel ripped off to an extent based on the facts so far. I mean if I get 18 mpg in the other car and less in my TL, I feel that is a natural reaction. Something doesn't seem right. It's as if the EPA changed their guidelines somewhere to make it easier for a car to get higher ratings.

BTW, I'm using nothing but 91 octane.

Perhaps it does need time to break in and maybe there's a bit of aggressiveness to my driving because the novelty effect of having a new car.

But I'm telling you all, I drive my 236hp v70 t5 the same way and still get the promised 18 city mpg.

I forgot to mention, my sister just bought a TL as well this past weekend and drove it out here to OC from Phoenix and said she got 24 mpg. So that's a 5 mpg deficit, the same kind I'm seeing in my city driving. Maybe it is the break-in period.

I'll come back and let you all know if I see an improvement.

frisconick

Yes Fortran, but not punch-cards, LOL :P

bodble2

Well, don't feel too bad. My '04 TL only gets between 16 - 19 mpg in pure, 100% urban, city driving --- on imperial gallons!

brewtoo

We just bought our first tank of fuel. Our MPG averaged 18.4 - about 95% urban stop-and-go driving.

The car this TL replaced was a 1991 Mercedes 300E which never got less than 20MPG.

frisconick

That's not bad at all for urban driving, not for a 270hp engine.

huters

04 TL Automatic. I have about 22K, always burn 93 octane, and get 24 in mixed driving (speed history shows 35 mph). In fact lately I've seen it showing 25mpg at a few points. I'm very happy with this kind of gas mileage combined with this kind of performance.

nkeen

I have averaged 25 mpg and 39 mph over the last 8K miles on 91+ octane -- the octane rating specified in the owner's manual

nightcrawler29

Its been 1 month since I bought my TL auto and I have spent a total of $156.43 in gas... gulping up 89 grade octaine (since there's no 91 available around here)... On average I've been getting about 330 miles per tank in daily driving including city/freeway... (I add gas as soon as the light comes up, but there's about 35 more miles you can drive before you get to the last drop).

Unfortunately I'm often stuck in traffic at speeds of 40mph. When traffic conditions are good however, computer shows I'm making 25 or 26 mpg... but then on morning rush hour traffic it drops down to 23 or 24mpg.. I think I'm a careful driver and don't force the engine to much, and judging by traffic conditions here in Austin, I would never be able to use the full power of this car!!

But for those of you who are making less than 20mpg, you might consider the following: Check your tire presure, lighten up your car and get rid of all that garbage on your trunk, stick to the speed limit, maybe change your air filter (which makes a huge difference), and well maybe you and your passengers should get on a diet and loose weight for the sake of more gas savings!...or just charge a commuter premium to those passengers over 250lb to make up for the lost MPG due to excess weight you are hauling.

jkgreer2

Not sure what you are doing with your car, but my 04 TL, 6 sp delivers between 26-27 mpg in town at 35-50 mph (w/out air conditioning), and 29-31 mpg on highway at 55-?, with or w/out air condit. Try 91-93 octane at Sam's Club. Good luck.

frisconick

I am still getting about 27 in mixed, but mostly highway driving. I am very pleased with this mileage. I feel sorry for those SUV owners that get 10 gallons to the mile :P

delmar1

Hey Nick....how many miles do you drive in your mix commutes ? I say that the car's mpg is lower during the first 3 miles or so...then it starts to purr out great mpgs.

frisconick

I would say that my commutes are about 15-20 miles and 90% highway, but I do get bogged down in San Francisco traffic sometimes . I really believe that pure highway driving, I would get an easy 30mpg.

delmar1

Yah...the highway mpg is incredible on the TL. Especially when you consider it has 270hp.

Oh...I tested out the concept of lower octane (87 when it recommended 91)....on my wife's TSX (wasn't going to hurt my baby tl). Results.... The car didn't have the pep and spunk that I knew the car to have. It didn't ping or anything like that...so figure no harm done. MPG was similar...no noticable difference. So conclusion? Well...mixed. Seems like no harm no foul....however stinks not to have the pep. Next step....try mid-grade...stay tuned.

Also...asked a buddy that is a hard core track racer that has a Porsche he carries on a flatbed with 600hp. He as saying that gas brands do differ. Some purer than others. For instance...he was recommending Chevron, Texaco, Shell, 76...because they are more 'refined'. He may stretch into Mobil...maybe. Arco, Costco, no namers....he wouldn't touch as the are hodge podge less refined gas brands.

frisconick

(wasn't going to hurt my baby tl).

LOL :P

I only buy Chevron because I have been told it's the best, but I will buy Shell in a pinch. But I will not put anything in my TL that Acura does not recommend.

delmar1

I think Chevron is the Northern Calif fuel of choice. Probably because of its presence in the Bay Area?

However...I also prefer Chevron.

Another point my buddy (who installed a hydralic floor lift in one of his garages) has made about fuels. He mentioned that current cars are built to even tighter tolerance than in the past. High HP coming from higher compression engine. But bigger yet is that technology has advanced so much that cars are built mechanically with even tighter tolerances. So...he recommends really paying attention to oil types. For instance....follow the oil vicosity recommendation. For the TL...it is something like a 5w-20. Reason is that the thinner oil is required not for fuel mileage...but because the moving parts are so much more 'tighter fitting' and the cylinders have less 'gaps'...so the oil needs to flow that much more easily. The parts are engineered to have oil flowing at the indicated vicosity.

frisconick

Great info delmar!!! Yes, the Chevron refinery in the SF bay area is the biggest west of the Mississippi, Chevron has a huge presence here, for example, their HQ is here. In fact my brother-in-law is an employee of Chevron. But regardless, it is supposed to be excelleng gas.

nightcrawler29

I haven't really read many comments about the tiptronic transmission on the TL...and my first question when I was told it was included, was if it gave you more MPG if you manually changed gears, rather than let the transmission do it automatically. I used to hear that manual transmissions where better in terms of MPG, but with today's technology, I wonder if there's much difference. I used to use the Tiptronic tranny on my previous Jetta GLS, and would work great... especially when I wanted to go uphill. Has anyone had any experience with this or any knowledge about MPG as related to the TL? Tiptronic trannys as in the ability to switch between automatic to manual and viceversa.

frisconick

I don't know if it's the trans, but the TL does get excellent mileage for a 270hp engine. I don't believe it matters much these days, in terms of mileage, if you have a MT or AT.

delmar1

I do not have raw facts on the MPG with the tiptronic tranny. However my guess would be that it is negliable as manual transmissions generally get better mileage compared to automatics is because of less torque loss. I believe that is the case...correct me if I am incorrect.

Also...my guess is that the TL's automatic shift logic is very optimized. So that I would believe that the car is a smarter shifter than most.

nightcrawler29

So if I decided to use manual instead of automatic transmission on a tiptronic, the mpg I would get could be equal to using auto transmission?.. I guess it would depend on how hard you drive the car, and how high the rpm's go before you switch into the next higher gear.

So when it comes to the TL's tiptronic transmission, one could say that you can not do better than the car's computer when it comes to properly deciding when to switch gears...while at the same time take into consideration that you want to achieve optimum mpg. So sounds like the manual feature of the tiptronic tranny is not the same as a regular manual tranny, although you use it the same way.

Well I just kind of wondered how different this was from a regular manual transmission. But if someone wondered why they would need the ability to switch into manual from auto, then try driving uphill one day.... this feature is useful because it allows you to select the gear you want to get the power you need to go uphill. This could be also used on freeways as an auto tranny could go back and forth from one gear to the other... but don't know what's the impact on mpg. Well what's your experience on this?? or you just have it there for decoration?