Acura TL Real World MPG

goodegg

I have 2400 miles on my car now. I punch it a lot. I average 21.5 mpg in about 90% short hop in-town driving. My 4 cyl Accord was at about 24 mpg for comparable conditions. I'm fine with the mileage I get. Its a fun car. It delivers what I thought I bought.

igiban

Anyone 'actually' experienced power or mpg letdown due to using 89 or 87 octane gas over premium? Is driving more aggressively (more flooring...) supposed to make the difference, if any, more significant?

theorphan

The trip computer indicated 20 MPG. I would say the 2006 TL is getting 24-26 MPG. I wish the tank was 18 gallons. Instead of 15 gallons.

laurasdada

I believe the TL tank is 17 gallons. I get 22-23mpg consistently in mixed local/highway commute driving ('05 automatic).

igiban

I got 22-23 MPG on mixed driving also with ave. MPH around 30. MPH is an interesting #. You'd think even on local you drive more than 30 MPH mostly but I guess stop and go can really drag down both # down.

I've found trip computer's MPG pretty accurate, with over-optimism shown at times actually.

ontop

The trip computer in my 06AT seems to be very accurate for mpg. I'm right with everybody else at 22-23 mpg mostly in town driving, even with flooring it now and then.

aaron_mi

At 1900 miles on a 2006 TL/Navi AT I average 22-23 mpg in mixed mostly city driving. I have a 22 mile commute with an average speed of 30 mph (spurts up to 55 or 60 which is above the limit).

Switching to 87 did not seem to change my mileage. I alternate between 92 and 87 octane and haven't noticed much differene. I don't 'punch it' often though due to traffic and johnny law.

I have not taken a pure highway trip yet to validate highway mileage.

goodegg

Wow - that's some amazing mileage for a car you said you totaled last week.

twmark

So far 1400 miles mostly highway and 29 miles per gallon!!! I'm using 87 octane. (No problem with performance at least on the highway.) I can't believe someone got 42 miles/gallon on the highway.

I love this car so much more than my previous BMW330

igiban

I have seen much posting on the theory that using regular would reduce power and/or mpg but have yet to read a post validating that. MPG should be pretty easy to observe so power must be the main difference, but perhaps it's too small a difference to tell in real world driving?

nea1

Ok - I need some help.

2006 TL. Just purchased 3 weeks ago, 800 total miles on the odo. Trip computer says avg 24 mpg on this tank of gas. However, it also says I have approx 50 miles left to empty with 290 miles driven so far. Therefore 340 total miles with a 17.1 gallon tank. I think that translates to 19.88 mpg (340/17.1)

Am I missing something? 24mg w/ a 17.1 gallon tank should yield 410 miles?? With 340 I'm not even close. And most of my commute is hwy.

I had better mileage w/ my 99 infiniti which had a smaller tank.

I'm using the expensive stuff. Where does the computer get it's data from?

landlubber

I think the issue is with the range reported by the trip computer. If I fill up with the range reporting close to zero, I put about 14 gallons into the 17 gallon tank.

Also keep in mind that most people have posted that their mileage has gone up after several thousand miles...

goodegg

Exactly. When the low fuel light comes on I'll drive 20 more miles, fill up, and only put in 14 gallons.

laurasdada

I think all "miles to empty" and "low fuel" warning lights leave a margin for error. Say ~ 2 gallons of fuel. I'm sure this is for a combination of safety and legal reasons. Mostly legal, I'm sure...

nea1

Ok - seems to make sense.

I filled up today and put in 13.516 gallons. I was at 330 with 17 miles left on the counter. So 330/13.516 translates to 24.4 mpg which is what the computer is reporting. I guess I always figured the countdown timer was "til empty". Which isn't the case. I haven't checked the manual, but my low gas light came on this morning with what would have been about 13 gallons used which means a reserve of maybe 4 gallons.

goodegg

First real highway trip in my 06 TL AT netted 32 mpg. And that included a couple visits to 100mph for a quick thrill. The car was pool table smooth at 100....

richtime

Hello,

I owned a 325I and liked it alot. Thinking about getting a 330i but after adding the options I wanted, it would be more affordable to get the Acura TL. Could you tell me what you like about the Acura that is better then the BMW330.

thanks

Rich

pat

Hi and welcome!

You should check out our Entry-Level Performance Sedans discussion. That's probably the best place to compare the two vehicles.

We also have individual discussions dedicated to each vehicle. Here are links: Acura TL and BMW 3-Series.

Any of those would be good places to start. Since this disucssion is specifically about mileage, this isn't your best choice.

Enjoy!

spartan80

My '06 TL has about 3,000 miles on it. The gas mileage just jumped from a steady 22.5 in mixed driving, to 23.9 on the last tank. I'm in suburban Chicago. I know the "winter blend" of gas is formulated for cold starts, not good mileage. Either the car has decided it's broken in, or the switch has been made at my local Exxon station.

drcohen

So far with 8500 miles, I get 19-20 MPG in mostly urban traffic riddled LA. Current MPG on travel (Hwy 101) about 28-29 with cruise at 65MPH or 1900 RPM.
Great car. Has anyone seen / heard any information on how the 2008 refresh may look like? I anticipate front & rear change with dash as well, etc.
DC

jiminthehills

I'm shopping the TL right now, so can't comment on my actual MPG's yet, but my thinking is you are correct on the different blends yielding different MPG's.

Here in So Cal, we have the blend too & since it is not 100% gasoline, there is less punch out of a gallon, so the MPG drops according to the % additive in the mix.

jiminthehills

I'm thinking a refresh in 2007 is more like it.....where did you hear this about a 2008?

The HondaAcura product cycle has been extending to what seems like 5 or 6 years now w/ a refresh in year 3 or 4.

The Accord went thru 2003, 2004, 2005 (w/a minor change to an all red tail light, to a refresh in 2006.

The TL has gone 2004, 2005, 2006 w/ no refresh yet, so 2007 is a good bet. Also, the new G35 and IS250/350 will add some pressure to the TL in 2007.....

animalsrush

My car is currently averaging about 19 miles a gallon in short trip driving.. It has about 300 miles on it in 2 weeks .. Need to take the car for long drives and see if the mileage improves

tl777

Hello, FYI...cars always get worse gas mileage in the first few thousand miles, until they are truly broken in. I now get 24-28 mpg. I am an ex car dealer, i had to address this question hundreds of times.

goodegg

No car gets good gas mileage on short trips.

Just got 32 mpg highway over a 70 mile interstate trip in my 06AT. That included a quick run up to 105mph to separate myself from a convoy of gravel trucks.

animalsrush

Thanks for the info guys.. I will really start watching my mileage after few thousand miles.. for now i will fill it shut it and forget it

drcohen

Sorry for the late reply, I meant 2007 model. I anticipate these changes in the Honda cycle. The G35 is allready out and in the dealers Sept/Oct., WHAT A BEAUTY. Hmmm, wonder what the front/rear will look like? I do not anticipate major changes, just minor tweeks. Acura historically been very quiet and will not display anything before it's time.
Maybe a spy photo in the mags.

rockylee

I had a 2005 Anthracite Acura TL w/ a 6-speed and Navi. My best HWY MPG in 6th gear was 36 mpg. 42 mpg ? :surprise: Well maybe. Sure it's hard to believe, but so was my 36 mpg I was getting runing 91' octane.

Rocky

aaargh

42 mpg ? Well maybe.

Perhaps the average MPH was 42, but not MPG. Even if the guy was running 55, I don't see the MPG getting anywhere near there.

rickwjenn

Picked up a TL w/Navi and auto trans yesterday. Got 29mpg on the 52 mile drive home from the dealer - did between 70 and 80 mph the whole trip.

Car now has 63 miles on it and I am very impressed so far with mpg.

aaargh

It will only get better as it breaks in.

Have fun! :shades:

laurasdada

That sounds reasonable, it should go up a little when broken in. I consistently average 23mpg for my 40 mile/day mixed route commute. My neighbor is bummed because his new Infiniti M35x is only avg. 18mpg so far...

bartalk3

Infiniti M's are real gas guzzlers, partly because they've got the engine revved up high, something like 2,500rpm at 60, compared to more normal 2,000 or even 1,800.

laurasdada

Not to mention the added weigh/energy required for AWD...

Nice car, anyway, the M.

ct_driver1

Salesperson I dealt with at Devan said he'd heard rumors of RL engine in the 2007 TL (i.e., close to 300 hp). Said they'd be getting word of new model specs in mid August.

huters

I have an 04TL with about 30K miles on it. I consistantly get 23-23 mpg in mixed driving (probably 50/50%). On a recent trip from Baltimore to northern NY, averaging 70-75mph, I got 31-32 mpg. I was, and remain, very pleased with mpg and nearly every other aspect of this car.

Steve

goodegg

Where do you get 91 octane fuel? Premium on the East Coast is 93 octane, and plus is 89.

I always use the 93 'tane and get 32 mpg on the highway.

dwarfl0rd

I have an '05 TL with just over 10k on it and I was getting 36 mpg coming back from Nags Head this last week. I had windows up, no AC and was at a constant speed of about 59mph. I had this over about 200 miles. I can easily get 33 mpg at 70mph and no AC. I find that turning on the AC gets me about 2-3 mpg less. Around town in Norhtern Va. I get 23mpg w/ AC on and mostly city driving. No complaints here. In my 01 prelude I was getting 25 and in my '00 Vette (with Auto) I was getting 21. Im not a granny driver either....

meateater

59mph the whole way.....and you're not a granny driver?

And no AC? In July? C'mon.

I get 32 mpg highway going 80 mph with the AC ON !

jerseyguy3

I've just purchased an "06 (have 650 miles) and average about 17-18 mpg intown (with the air on) and 29 mpg on my one road trip of about 300 miles. I don't have a lead foot and averaged about 65 on the road trip. I've read that the mpg's should improve after about 1-2,000 miles. Hope so. Any thoughts?

dwarfl0rd

I had the kids in the car coming from the beach...hence the 59mph, but not in the vette.... The vette saw 59mph, but only on the way up to 135

laurasdada

My local Sunoco station offers four grades including 91. But I can usually buy 93 a mile down the road for less than what the Sunoco station charges for 91.

I think all Sunoco's offer the four grades?

dgenx

Jerseyguy,

You case is much better than mine. I bought 06'TL last night, average'd about 12 miles / gal on my way home and about 13 miles this morning. That is ridiculous number, but i am being patient.
Does any body else experienced similar? I am hoping it should improve.

ty1234

I just recently returned from a rather long road trip (3300 miles) in my 1 month old TL. I left for the trip with about 1200 miles on the car so I felt it was adequately broken in. The car ran absolutely wonderful with no trouble at all to speak of. The first leg of the trip I managed to get 32 MPGs with AC on driving with the cruise control set at 85+ through Utah and Colorado. It was ideal driving conditions with hardly any other car on the road, not even highway patrol (thankfully!). I’ll have to say, I’m glad that the gas light comes on and gives you a generous cushion before you’re in trouble because I drove with the distance to empty reading 0 for a good 30 miles before I could find a gas station. When I filled up it took right about 15 gallons telling me I still had at least 2 gallons and 60+ miles to go… all the worry for nothing!! On my return trip I went a different route and managed to squeeze 33 MPGs again with the AC, but a little slower this time, about 80 using the cruise. Back to reality though, I have a rather short commute to and from work, maybe 10 miles round trip. If I don’t drive on the freeway much during a tank of gas, my MPG plummets to 18 sometimes 20 at best. I have not complaints, I knew when I bought the car it wasn’t going to get excellent around town economy, but when I take a long trip I can almost always count on 30+ MPGs… not bad for a 258 horse power engine.

jdelabre

I read about a new TL-S after 3 runs averaged 297 h.p. on the dyno. And 271 ft.lbs.!!!I believe it. Mine KICKS A@@

carteach

I have 1000 miles on mine. I do a lot of short drives on interstate and then in-town driving. I'm just getting 22 mpg. Is this something that should improve? BTW.. can you reset your display so you can see your mpg on a trip?

richey02hg

i also am around 1100 miles on my 07 TL and am getting 19/20 mpg with about a 70% city 30% highway driving. I have yet to do any long trips of just highway, but I have seen improvements since hit 1000. Before I was lucky to get 20 MPG, I usually got 18-19

PS. just hold down the middle button on that screen just like you do on the first screen (trip a/trip b Screen) and it will reset that trip display as well. I only wish it would do it automatically when you reset it on the other screen but I can understand why they wouldnt.

laurasdada

I consistently average ~23mpg in my mostly commuting miles. 40 miles/day, mix of stop/go local and stop/go highway. Not bad at all. Strictly highway, 30+mpg isn't hard to achieve. Keeping it under, say 75, to achieve the 30 is hard to do!

taxesquire

When I first got my TL and drove it for a while, I got it in my head that for gas mileage, it was best to keep the RPMs between 1 & 2,000. Less than that would stress the engine and more was for better accelleration, not MPG.

Anyway, I never did official tests - I just know that my ave morning commute with lots of stop-and-go got me 20-21 mpg.

Anyway, the last few motnhs I decided to try keeping the RPMs between 2 & 3,000 RPMs and I'm noticing my ave MPG rose to 23 mpg.

Basically, now when I have a long straightaway, I don't shift into 6th unless I'm going more than 65 mph, and I stay in 3rd and 4th more than I have in the past.

Any of you have a similar or different experience? Is this all in my head? :confuse:

z71bill

This has been talked about many times over in the pick up truck section - guys that tow and haul heavy loads -like an RV - will turn the overdrive off - or shift into 3rd (4 speed tranny) and get higher MPG. Going real slow in a higher gear makes the engine work harder - and can use more gas - FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK that is getting done.


This is a gross over simplification - but in general terms -

Look at the torque curve of an engine - the section before and after the peak of the curve is the sweet spot - get too far under (because of low RPM's) or over (because of high RPM's) and your engine will use more gas.

Your engine does not use the same amount of gas for every revolution the engine makes.