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Scion MPG-Real World Numbers
This topic is for Scion owners to report their actual mpg.
"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates
Save Money on Gas
"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates
Save Money on Gas
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Comments
the way I take mpg readings is I fill up with gas... take an odometer reading and or set the trip meter to 0... then I drive untill i need a fill up (the closer to empty the more accurate). I fill up with gas and take the trip meter reading (lets pretend 344miles) and divide that by the number of gallons that I just filled up with (lets say 12.6) 344/12.6 = 27.3 and vwhala! mpg! :P
Here's the skinny; I've gotten no tanks less than 35.4mpg (these are rare). I've gotten no tank over 39.5 (these too are rare). With the A/C running I usually get very close to 37mpg - sometimes a little less if I've got a lot of highway miles involved. Or - a lot of trips up and down the hill to town (you would think they would average themselves out - but the rpms coasting don't negate the rpms climbing). With the A/C not running I consistently get 38+. In fact, I'm hoping to top the 40mpg mark when the weather cools off. That tank (if I get there) will be posted all over these boards.
You probably get the idea I strive for that high milleage mark with my driving style. Wish me luck
Just kidding, sort of. It sounds like you're getting honest tC mpg numbers, johhnyringo, considering the tC weight and engine and hp and ft-lb.torque numbers. Do you have the manual or automatic tranny, johhny? You bought a great looking car, BTW. Are you having the creak and moan problems, like some tC owners?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Been doing this a long time. Know how to top off the tank over and over again - even know which pumps are more difficult (sensitive to the auto shut-off) and carry a calculator so as not to depend on math skills. ThankYou
I understand that no one will actually drive 55 in the US... hell sammy hagar wrote a song about it "I Can't Drive....... 55!!!!!" I was just saying that it was the best way to gain fuel economy. I am a lab rat for 3Ms research and development labs so I have a bit of an analytical approach to life. I get board driving the 70 miles round trip to work and back so I do silly experiments to see if i can get better mileage, and thats where my last post came from... I still over inflate my tires... works better than anything else. I am waiting for my warranty to run out before I try different intake systems. I also want to do a bunch of suspension work like sway bars and maybe 2"lowering springs... lol I'm a 32 year old asian car tuner... my wife says mid life crisis but wouldn't I have a real fast car if that were true?...
this month popular mechanics has an article where some guy spent 3000.00 modifying his pris and now runs mainly on batteries and claims to get 250 mpg. that would rock! but doesn't say weather he drives highway or just tooling around town.
I drive like my grandpa used to drive, and hence, get optimum gas mileage. I signal all of my lane changes, too. I have noticed the manners of drivers getting worse in this country and getting worse fast. Semi-truck drivers are as bad as the worst car drivers, too. Gotta get there fast, who cares who we pester doing it. I don't really like any of America's interstates anymore. I prefer back highways and town streets and secluded country drives if I can fit them in. Being in the middle of South Dakota that accounts for about 95% of my driving, so I'm a happy camper in that respect!
I agree about slowing down on the freeway system. I have always driven that way, not just in a gas crunch. Good to hear of somebody else doing it.
Keep us up to date with any more Pop.Mechanic's car propulsion/energy updates, johhnyringo. I think some Americans are starting to want to tinker a bit, too!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Thanks,
Steve
I expect no less than 38+ based on the highway estimate of 35-36?. I've yet to own a car that produced less mpg than the window sticker. I got 28-30 in the Sable wagon, and the same in my Buick Reatta. It is all about how you drive.
I would ask you what the epa estimates for your Corolla LE are? Do you excede these? If so, you will likely do the same with the xA.
By the way - I drive an auto xB '05
Good luck with the decision making process.
Hope to hear from someone!
In town I get 25-26 and about the same on the freeway.
I think the "aerodynamics" of the xB really take a toll at higher freeway speeds.
If I drive at 65-70 the milage is about 28, with AC and the Auto trans.
I have a 150 mile trip next week, I'll try to drive easy and report back.
If you truly are convinced it is the individual cars, and you want to keep driving and xB, trade. It appears these cars are retaining great resale/trade value. Give it a shot!
I had a 200 mile trip to take today so I pumped up the tires to 35 psi, topped off the tank, drank some decaf and and swore I'd drive easy.
I never went over 70 and never floored it. - I did have the AC on the whole time...34.7 mpg!
Best on a trip was 32. You won't find any eggs between my foot and the pedal either!
Getting much better than I ever expected from this car, MPG and otherwise.
MPG: It is a cold hard fact, driving style affects the mpg of these small engined vehicles much more than, say a six cylindar in a midsize. I know this because of experience with both. I know this because of the difference in mileage TheWife gets vs what I get. Also, say you get so few or so many miles per tank will not give you an accurate mpg reading. You must do the full math computation. I suspect you are not getting the tank full when refueling.
PAINT: Others have complained of chipped paint. Me too. But not any more than other vehicles I've owned.
Dents: ????? You admit to not knowing how they come about. Good luck with that.
PURE PRICING: Obviously that means something different in your part of the country. I checked out three dealers - all abided by the PurePrice policy put forth by Scion. No tricks - what was on the sticker was the price. And they all had the same destination fee. In fact, I went online, built and ordered the car. The price at the web was the price I paid. You knew about the process up front - at least if you did any research.
Sorry for your perceived bad experience. One man's junk is anothers treasure.
GoodLuck with the suit. :confuse:
Im prettty sure that the people that were getting this car because of great mileage are very disappointed. I
That's an enormous generalization. You would have to have a lot more evidence than a handful of disgruntled posts from this web site to be able to reach any conclusion like this.
There are MANY of us, in fact, the overwhelmingly vast majority of us who are pleased with our mileage.
You can visit other Scion sites, and I recommend you do, such as scionlife.com and inquire as to how many people are having fuel mileage issues.
I've had my xB for a month or so and have around 1,700 miles on it now and am consistently getting 32 miles per gallon in a mix of city/highway that is about 40/60. That's just fine by me.
Darci
Someone commented about doing the actual math-not just reading the tripometer. We've calculated the mileage since the day we got it-doing the full math.
As far as the paint, I never mentioned that before, but I have problems with that too. When I originally looked at the car, i looked at silver. Each one I looked at had streaks. Dealer claimed it was just the silver paint on all Toyotas and had to be buffed out. I backed out of that deal and got my Black Cherry Pearl. The car scratches if I just look at it. It has little scratches everywhere. And I have seen other complaints about the paint on other websites, not just here. With the same description-little tiny scratches all over. It's like there's no clear coat anywhere! Not a happy camper. We're probably going to keep it at least one year because I really don't have the money to put down on another one and keep the monthly payment the same. I'm just having it professionally waxed the end of this month to hopefully help protect it.
I'm glad someone else also saw the ads for a fuel efficient car. Since the Scion Customer Service rep. told me they would never say that, never advertise that and I saw it in their ad.
And, by the way, I too am not difficult to please. I bought what was advertised to be an economical car and didnt' get it. I believe it's called false advertising!!
I bought, as advertised, a $15,045.00 dollar car. - no dealer add or come ons.
I bought, as advertised, a relatively high mpg car (see window sticker). I get 36.5 to 39.4 mpg consistently. I'm still convinced 'some' folks do not understand how to calculate fuel mileage - the entire process from 'fill up' to 'fill up'
I bought, a compact car - a Scion / a Toyota (not a new car company at all) - because I was NOT possitive I'd be happy with such a small vehicle. I felt it would hold its resale/trade value better than most small 'economy' cars (read Ford Focus). _ I've not been dissappointed based on what I'm hearing used xBs selling for.
I've not experienced any mysterious little dents.
On another MPG note... I have tried many myth type tweaks to get better mpg out of my tC... interestingly enough I was filling up with the lowest priced gas I could find in the twin cities 87 octane...at SAM's club... last week I paid .10 more per gallon at the gas station across the street for there version of 87 octane and to my surprise I got 3-4 more mpg than I had been getting... I have been buying this gas sense to see if it was real.. I'm on my third tank now and averaging 30-31mpg finally in my tC... I work in a lab so i'm a little obsessive compulsive about testing things and basically my daily routine is to drive to work and on my way home I stop at the same gas station every day to top off just so I can get an accurate dollar amount per day averaged over a week... before finding the magic gas station i was spending 11.00 -12.00 a day getting about 27 mpg (I drive 80 miles round trip per day) I switched gas and even with the .10 higher price I pay per gallon I only am spending 9.00-10.00 per day now...
my suggestion is to try a different brand of gas (not a different octane) or a different station that one you may usually use to see if that has an impact on your mpg...
"My paint is chipping off." One of the paint chipping problems is on the back bumper right below the bumper decal for the foot step.By the way I do know that alot of people that have commented on this, I have 2 repairs already to fix debris cracking my window.
Response: "Stop driving so hard, the rocks are picking up and hitting your car hard, thats what is chipping your paint."
"My car dents very easily." I understand this will happen over time, I have had my car since early April. I have 4 pretty good dings in my car and since I have a yellow XB, I'm afraid that its going to start looking like swiss cheese.
Response: "You probably drive to much behind big trucks."
"I get poor gas milleage, like around 20 miles a gallon."
Response: "Stop driving so hard, its breaking in. You push the gas too much. We have tested it on the fuel consumption test, and it scored a 25.1 a gallon."
Rebuttle: "But it is advertised as having a minimum epa of 28." Side note, the first dealership told me that there is no way to test out the mpg, if no check engine lights turn on there is nothing that we can do.
This is just some of what hell that I have been going through, i hope everyone understands now why I am not happy. If anyone wants to hear chapter 2 of what issues that I have with XB and problems with the dealer I purchased it from, just let me know.
:lemon:
For the question about how to calculate - the individual spelled it out very well.
The key is to top off, top off again, and top off again. Very important for acurate calculations.
Topping off is supposedly bad. I've not had a negative experience in some 30 years.
Any comparisons out there of cars with and without these options?
Unfortunately, a lot of people out there are getting different mileage numbers and it's hard to tell why there is so much inconsistency in experiences with mileage.
I have auto without cold air and trd muffler. I seem to have varying averages, based on use of AC, how much in-town driving, high speed, etc. I do not have a heavy foot, but not very light either. My in-town mileage is miserable - averaging 26 or so. But, on the highway I am often getting 34-36 mpg, even with some high speed (75 plus) driving and AC on. This is surprising to me, because it would seem that aerodynamics are the big thing going against this car on mpg, but it is local driving where the car is simply not meeting the EPA/Toyota ratings for mileage.
Like you, I love my car, just hate the mpg problem. And I don't care what anyone says, I believe I bought that car under false pretenses, false advertising. They don't tell you that you have to drive this supposedly "hip young sporty" car like an old lady. Can't even get on expressway without going above 3000 rpm!
I really believe that there is some defect that is showing up some of these cars. There seems to be two distinct camps of people. With about a 10 mpg difference-that's too much to be due to driving differences. I think some roll of the line one way for whatever reason and some the other. And nothing shows up on their little computer test. I knew there weren't any fuel line leaks-that's the other thing they checked. :lemon:
Call it like, The Twenty Somethings.
You could have local meets and events.
Have a contest to see who can go through five gallons of gas the quickest on a closed circuit - Sponsored by Mobil or Exxon
Have the Mysterious Dent plaque as well. Plus, give touch up paint to all in attendance. Certainly a local body shop would pitch in.
Try to get one of those industrial laundries to provide Crying Towels for all attendees.
You know, make lemonade :lemon:
If your odometer is off, the result is that your mpg is 5% higher than your calculation.
The cause of this problem is that US models use different sized tires than Japanese ones (the US diameter is larger).
As for my mpg after 9000 miles--suburban driving about 30mpg, highway driving 35. If I drive at 55 or 60 on a highway I get 39 mpg, but since I mostly drive closer to 70 the mpg falls off dramatically. Its just the aerodianamics of the vehicle.
Phil
Mileage is a big concern of mine.. I'm looking at the Civic Hybrid & Priuis also. I can accept the lower MPG on the Xb vs the MUCH lower cost vs Prius & HCH... even including the tax CREDIT next year. That plus I fit well in the Xb ( 6'2", 250+)
I always drive with MPG in mind (I can get 30mpg on my 98 Lumina with 164k miles on the odometer if I do highway (about 28.5 80% Hgwy), so I am looking at your posts with interest. I live in an area with lots of hills, some 1000 ft ones (Hudson Valley in NY).
Looking for some opinion. Thanks! :confuse:
I agree about slowing down on the freeway system. I have always driven that way, not just in a gas crunch. Good to hear of somebody else doing it.
Make that another... When I do 65 on the New york Thruway, I feel like I am standing still some times.
It can only be used three ways:
It leaks/evaporates --If this was happening, you would see/smell fuel or there would be an obvious issue with your evaporative emissions system, and the computer would know this and your check engine light would be on.
It is somehow consumed do to a "too rich" condition- If this was happening, your "check engine" light would be on, the car would be obviously be running very poorly, and it would be very apparent with any diagnostic test.
I think you are unaware of how you are pushing your little car I think you drive too hard. My MPG can vary up to 10 mpg on an identical trip depending on how I drive and my mood.
.
Fact: Your xB has a tiny engine and is shaped like a brick, respect that.
My wife (and every woman I know for that matter) drive with the "toggle switch" style.
Floor it, wait until you are about to rear end someone, stand on the brakes. Then floor it again. Coasting for even the slightest moment is never an option.
Some pedal must be pressed hard at all times.
She complains her Expedition gets 11mpg, but when I drive it I get 16.
As far as the complaints about "fraud"; The US Government EPA sets the quoted MPG figures. Manufacturers have no say in how the tests are done. They are required by law to report the figure the EPA gives them.
I've accepted the low mileage, don't want to hash about it anymore, before others learn about the problems and the resale value begins to drop. It's already dropped since August. :shades:
The exception being the offended one.
I too get better mileage driving TheWife's car than she does.
Of course there are exceptions - especially in their own minds
One of the many pleasures in life is driving - be it fast and furious, or slow and easy. Adding a fuel mileage goal just adds a little for us cheapskates. Luckily the xB does not have the mpg gauge - the one where you can actually get 'feedback' while driving. I suspect it would be too much of a daily distraction. I also enjoy watching the brake lights of the cars in front of me. On and Off - On and Off. All the while I'm just coasting along until we are all stopped TOGETHER at the next light or intersection.
For the individual considering buying a Scion - 18,500 miles after buying my 05 xB - I'd do it all over again. That is the single best gauge I can think of. Been back to the garage twice - both for free oil changes and tire rotations. Then, I'm easily pleased, as well as amused
However I can state, EVERY woman I know uses the toggle switch method of driving. On,Off -- nothing in between. Mother, Wife, Girlfriends (from before I was married!) co-workers, etc...
You quoted Scion's website. Where did those 30/33 numbers they quoted come from? Oh yeah, straight from the EPA.
My xB is economical, (34+mpg) When I drive it that way.
It's also thirsty when I drive it that way too. It all depends on the driver.
I know for a fact, my xB's mileage can vary by 10 mpg over the same exact same course depending only on style.
Also, You didn't answer, if the car runs fine, where do you suppose the "extra" gas is going?
I have been following this board for awhile as we are considering purchasing a 2006 XB. I see a lot of flucuation on the actual MPG and am curious if any type of study has been done on "normal" driving conditions as opposed to "ideal" driving conditions. The MPG is the main reason we are looking at the XB as we have a long daily commute. Two other things I'm curious about but can't find any other boards on are:
1. those who use this as a commuter vehicle or take long road trips. Is it a comfy ride?
and an important one
2. Does anyone live in a high snow area. I live in the chicago/nw indiana area and have visions of coming home from work after a snowstorm and not being able to get into my driveway because the xb is so low to the ground.
Anyone have any help on these two???
Thanks!