Have an auto sport with 4200 miles. I average about 21 mpg with exclusive town driving (not really a city). About 34 mpg for pure highway at 70 mph. I'm no racedriver = what gives here? Should have bought the mazda 3, or a civic. Heck, an Outback does this well.
Just filled up for the first time and calculated about 30 mpg on my AT. That was with primarily in-town driving in cold weather so I'm pleased. I expect by the spring I will be doing very well. Considering I was paying 40 bucks to fill up my Olds every few weeks, $18 for the Fit was a welcome sight.
If MPG was the main goal, then I would have bought a Corolla/Civic with a manual transmission, but MPG was only one factor in my buying decision.
My biggest reason for getting the Fit was interior space, quality, safety feature, price and exterior size. Cars like the civic, corolla, mazda 3, focus, senta, etc. all seem cramped compared to the Fit for people and luggage. I look at the Fit as a micro-minivan. The high roof design makes it really easy to put kids in carseats and allow for a lot of luggage space. Only the Nissan Versa is as versatile, and from what I've read, it gets worse MPG than the Fit.
So why I may complain about the MPG, for $16,500 there isn't another car that would meet my needs except for the Fit (maybe the Versa if it was available right now with ABS and CVT), regardless of the MPG.
Plus if I'm averaging 30 instead of 35MPG, the difference over 20,000 miles a year at $2.50/gal come to about $20/month. Yes, I'd rather have the extra $20 in my pocket, but I'm not going to start looking for another car because of it.
I filled up for the first time this weekend and got 26 mpg with my first tank (auto @ 75% city). I don't know if the dealer really filled it all the way up, but I was a little disappointed. I really feathered the throttle...not letting the car get up above 3,000...but I guess all that city driving and the fact that I got the car with only 5 miles on the odometer hurt.
Back in the day, I had a '90 standard Civic hatch and the gas gauge didn't move off of full until after about 50-75 miles, if I remember right. Amazing that the Fit and that car are almost identical size-wise, but the extra 8 inches of height and the more efficient interior packaging make a huge difference. It is nice having the extra 40 hp, too Any other folks out there who enjoyed rowing that Civic 4-speed manual? I still worship that car. Wish I would have kept it.
Anyway, we'll be taking the car on a long drive over Christmas, so I'm curious to see what kind of mileage I get then.
I filled up for the first time this weekend and got 26 mpg with my first tank (auto 75% city). I don't know if the dealer really filled it all the way up, but I was a little disappointed. I really feathered the throttle...not letting the car get up above 3,000...but I guess all that city driving and the fact that I got the car with only 5 miles on the odometer hurt.
Back in the day, I had a '90 standard Civic hatch and the gas gauge didn't move off of full until after about 50-75 miles, if I remember right. Amazing that the Fit and that car are almost identical size-wise, but the extra 8 inches of height and the more efficient interior packaging make a huge difference. It is nice having the extra 40 hp, too Any other folks out there who enjoyed rowing that Civic 4-speed manual? I still worship that car. Wish I would have kept it.
Anyway, we'll be taking the car on a long drive over Christmas, so I'm curious to see what kind of mileage I get then.
I have not gotten mine but a few words for thought. From what I am reading some of the dealers may not be filling the tank all the way but rather just up till the F is hit on the meter.
Also, the city mileage for the Fit was somewhere around 22 mpgs per consumer reports,but it gets averaged with hwy miles.
I was going to suggest some hwy during breakin because i heard it helps and it will prob increase your city miles.
yeah i was a little disappointed with my mpg until recently. i was averaging about 22-26 with realllllly being light on the gas. thats the same as just everyday driving in my 96 v6 maxima that i ditched for the lev fit... yikes. i even tried a higher octane and that LOWERED my mileage. haha im no mechanic, so i dont know why that would happen. anyway, as the car has gotten more 'worn in' (im at about 6500 miles now) im settling in at about 30-32 mpg, which is nice. just thought id tell you there is a light at the end of the tunnel friend!
I sort of doubt the dealers would only fill up the tank to the F mark on the gas gauge. To do that they'd have to sit in the car with the key on to watch the gas gauge and have someone else pumping the gas. Seems like a lot of work to save a gallon of gas. I think it makes more sense that until the car is broken-in, the mpg may not be that great, with the first tank being the worst.
Just curious, but what kind of range are people getting on the first half tank of gas? I got about 120-130 miles on my first tank and it looks like it will be the same (or a little less) this time. Seems a very short distance to me. (Sport auto)
I have around 4.4K on my Sport/Auto - I get 150-160 or so 'til it reads right at half a tank. I should note that when I fill up I always stop when the pump clicks off the first time, for consistency sake. I don't drive very conservatively and I get around 30 - 31 MPG 100% city. I think this is pretty much the norm, from past posts I've read...
If I go 70 mph with cruise in my 2006 Impala, my dash read out is 29 mpg. If I go 80 mph with cruise in my 2006 Impala, my dash read out is 25 mpg. Thats with the 3.9 liter (250 HP) engine with a four speed automatic, and next year there adding a 6 speed that should get better gas mileage. If I don't lead foot it (witch I'm not good at), I'll get a combined highway/city mileage of about 25 mpg. It seems like a car that small should get better mileage then what you guys are posting.
I'm really surprised at all the complaints about mileage. As the cold weather has come here in Maryland I've dropped to 33/34 mpg, driving half highway and half city/surburban. This is down from the 37/38 I got in the summer but I'm still more than happy. By the way, here's an amusing story. I took my Fit to pick up a Christmas tree. We chose a 7.5 foot tree. When they brought in out the guy looked at the car and wanted to know if it was "like Dr. Who's telephone booth", capable of holding anything. He wanted to know if the tree would go on the roof but I told him, no, inside. I had folded the rear seats and the passenger seat. It fit (no pun intended) with room to spare. He was quite impressed. While mileage was a big reason for my purchase the flexible space was right up there and it's paid off.
I don't put much faith in the dash readouts. It depends when you reset, how many miles since last reset, etc. Try annotating your miles between fillups and divide the total miles by the number of gallons to get something accurate.
I do occasionally reset my dash, and I have checked by starting with a full tank and crunching the numbers manually at the next fill up. The actual numbers are usually within .5 mpg of the dash readout. I like the way GMs dash readouts brake down instant mileage, or overall mileage since last reset. Sure shows how a lead foot in city driving just kills your overall mileage, and I get my best mileage at 68 mph, about 31 mpg. What did surprise me was long downhill runs with cruise control on get worse gas mileage then on flat highway.
The fact that your trip computer is showing worse MPG on downhills than on flat surfaces, especially if you're trying to get an "instant" MPG rating, shows why the trip computers aren't always accurate. Plus it's pretty hard to imagine any "instant" MPG rating to be accurate because it's trying to calculate MILES per gallon and the trip computer can't do that based on the tiny percentage of a mile that the car moves when you press the "instant" mpg button or first reset the trip computer. I agree that if you drive a few hundred miles, then the trip computer can be pretty accurate.
I had a '99 V6 Cougar with a 3.0 engine that got 32mpg on highway runs and averaged about 25mpg. The Fit isn't nearly as aerodynamic as my old Cougar though, and that will really kill the MPG on fast highway speeds.
Many trip computer systems in vehicles today are amazingly accurate. I'm old fashioned, and check the gas mileage the proven age-old way, but the trip computer on one of our cars is within 1MPG of the calculated method. I certainly don't put any credence in the instantaneous MPG readout as it's inputs include throttle position, intake manifold vacuum, etc, and will read anything from 50MPG to 0MPG. But, the average MPG is consistently accurate within +/- 1MPG.
I read an article this summer that said even though the Fit is new to America, its been around awhile overseas with no major revisions since the original. That could be why some people are not getting the mpg that you would think a car that small would get. Compared to most of sub compacts, the underpinnings of the Fit are quite a bit older.
Hust got home from our 2539 mile trip. So. Mo. to NW New mexico and them to Northern Co., and back home. Fit, Sport, AT. Left home with prox 3120 miles. Milage to Aztec n M averaged 38.33.One tank was 44.63. Lowest was 33.7. Drove at 62-65 MPH, keeping RPM's at 2500 as much as possible. My low mpg's were always with fuel that had 10% ethanol. used cruise as much as possible. Return trip averaged 40.35. No 10% Ethanol was used. Had 4 fill ups. One one fillup I purposly drove 70 MPH. Prox 2600 PRM's. Lessons I learned: Keep your rpms at 2500 all possible Tires were at 40 PSI. Do not use cruise on hilly roads Keep away from ANY ethanol( when you run ethanol, computer adjusts for it, and it take a tank or two afterward to re-adjust to strait gas. My total milage is now about 6500, oil at 30%. Will take it in for a change at 20% and go to synthetic oil. I expect to pick up additional MPH afterward. Love the car, was great on long trip, NO power problems, even at 10,000 Foot Elevations( we ran about 100 miles at 10,000' or above) Lots of room for stuff. The fit was wothth the extra dollars over the Kia, Aveo, Yaris etc. ALSO: My fuel guage is definately NOT linear!! I drive until I get around 350-370 miles before filling. I also found to NOT take off fuel cap unless you Fill the tank. Unless you want the dreaded flashing irritating "loose fuel cap" to start. If you remove cap if tank not full, it creates airspace which allows the fuel spstem to think cap is loose. On first tanks, my low fuel light came on at prox 9 gallons gone. Last few tanks I have put as much at 10 gallons in without light coming on. I think my Fit is sensitive to brands of gas also. If you find a brand/station that gives you good results, stick with them. Wulybugr
Compared to most of sub compacts, the underpinnings of the Fit are quite a bit older.
Not really. For example, the 1.6L engine of the Accent and Rio is a fairly old iron-block design that has been updated with a CVVT head. The Yaris' engine is an updated version of the unit used in the ECHO. The engine used in the Aveo is also an old design. The Versa has possibly the most recent engine design, but no one is singing the praises of its fuel economy, even with its new CVT.
The Fit's engine uses Honda's CVVT technology, and the 5-speed automatic transmission is a recent design, adapted from the 2006+ Civic. So while the chassis is about five years old, the "parts that make it go" are pretty current by small car standards. And its fuel economy is really quite good. In tests by the auto mags, it typically ranks at or near the top of the class, along with the Yaris. I am wondering if the people complaining about its fuel economy are driving it like an economy car, for maximum fuel economy, or like a sports car.
It's a shame that auto companies can't make enough money off small cars to update them as often as more profitable mid size cars. Even the Japanese are guilty of milking older small car designs compared to their bread and butter rides. I'd like to see what the gas mileage would be on a sub compact if it was an all new design from top to bottom. Seems like every time an automaker brings out a new sub compact their are more carry over parts then more expensive models. If GM let Daewoo redo the Aveo like the Silverado was redone, I bet the gas mileage would be a lot better. They just can't spend a billion on R&D for such low profit vehicles.
34.5 mpg on my last fillup with 70/30 mix highway/suburbs with my auto sport. I put in 9.9 gal at the 342 mark. The low fuel light came on at about 320 miles. The only change since my last mpg update (at 30.5mpg) was that I increased the tire pressure from 32 to 35psi. Also, I just turned over 1000 miles on the Fit, so maybe it's getting better MPG as it's breaking in.
As a reference, the auto shift points are normally at about 3000rpm and on the highway, I generally drive right at 70mph plus or minus a little depending on traffic. If it stays in the mid-30s range with my driving style, I'll be satisfied. I have yet to do a long road trip to see how it is at 100% highway. We're taking a 6hr road trip next week, so we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping for 40mpg!
"Just curious, but what kind of range are people getting on the first half tank of gas? I got about 120-130 miles on my first tank and it looks like it will be the same (or a little less) this time. Seems a very short distance to me. (Sport auto)"
If if driving moderately (agressive/top speed wise) I get to about 190 miles when the needle hits the halfway mark.
Wow. That's pretty impressive. Is that with a considerable amount of highway driving? On my third tank now and it looks like I'll still be getting 120-130 at the halfway point with almost 100% city driving.
the easiest way to tell for me is merging on the freeway. If I gun it on the ramp, so that it's upshifting around 4000 rpm, then I get to 5th gear, it'll stay and about 3400 RPM up through 75 mph. When I let off the gass a bit, and the car realizes I'm done accelerating, the RPM drop to 2800. I can cruise at 75, then 80, then 85, and the rpm gradually increase.
I don't think VTEC "automatically" kicks in a X rpms. It depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
my limited understanding is that the timing of the engine changes to give you more rpms then you would normally have, to increase acceleration, or extend the powerband of the engine. But once you don't need acceleration, it resumes to normal timing.
See my above example. In practice it seems like an in-between gear.
The Fit has two intake valves per cylinder. VTEC manages the use of the intake valves so that only one is fully opened when cruising (some combination of low RPMS and throttle opening), but both open when more power is needed (higher RPMS and more throttle opening). Some Hondas with VTEC have a light that comes on when VTEC engages to fully open the second intake valve. Someone has installed one on the Fit and reports that VTEC engages somewhere between 2300 and 3400 RPM, depending on the throttle opening.
I am in Vancouver Canada and expereincing very poor fuel consumption on my 2007 automatic Fit- i saw you were in Vancouver as well, reporting something similar. I'm averaging 10litres/100km, much worse than Honda's posted rate. I am not an agrresive driver so these rate astound me. I also notice that if i put in only 1/2 a tank of gas, the consumption is worse than the "top half of the tank" when a full tank is put in.
The more people that apporach Honda with this issue the better. any help or comments appreciated
I also notice that if i put in only 1/2 a tank of gas, the consumption is worse than the "top half of the tank" when a full tank is put in.
Since the engine doesn't know how much fuel is in the tank, if you're saying that your manually calculated MPG is worse when you only put in 1/2 tank of gas as the starting point, maybe it's because you're not calculating mpg correctly. I hope you're not trying to calculate mpg by looking at the gas gauge and seeing how many miles you get on the first half as compared to the second half.
On my 2nd tank, my base Fit (5MT) got 8 litres per 100 kilometers (I think this is roughly 30 miles per gallon) in city driving. Hoping this might improve a little as the engine is worked in.
Does fuel efficiency generally improve by keeping RPMs down?
"When I let off the gass a bit, and the car realizes I'm done accelerating, the RPM drop to 2800."
I could be wrong, but to me your description sounds like the performance of an automatic transmission, rather than VTEC. I have a feeling the "in-between gear" you are referring to is the torque convertor, which is designed to operate in all 5 gears.
In my Fit (5MT), if I let off the gas at freeway speeds, my engine stays at the same RPM. The 3500 RPM (I should have said 3400) I listed previously is the engine speed when VTEC activation usually activates, per Honda's website. As for a later post on the VTEC timing, such a wide range of 2300-3400 surprises me a bit since the Fit still uses the older VTEC, and not the variable valve timing. However, I haven't installed any VTEC light, so I could be wrong.
Both our Honda (not Fit) emit a definite "Growl" when the VTEC kicks in at full throttle. That be somewhere around 3500-4000 or so. Definitely a power surge when it does.
Thing I don't under stand is: Say the throttle is on the floor, tranny is in "D" and the engine is Growling and winding to near RED line. Everything is GOOD!
Throttle is still on the floor! The shift takes place. :sick: It seems the VTEC takes a break for a couple of seconds then kicks back in until the next shift.
Wonder why!
The shift does happen a couple of hundred RPM before actual red line mark on the tach. Probably in the scheme of things it wouldn't make much difference in acceleration.
It just seems like something is wrong!
Wonder if manually shifting at or slightly above red would result the same? Or would VTEC stay hooked up?
Off Topic, but Gas Golf Cars bother me the same way. Stop and the engine goes dead. I know they are designed that way. Still doesn't seem right!
The below website seemed to explain Variable valve Timing and lift Electronic Control (VTEC) pretty good. VTEC opens the valves wider at the higher RPMS for increased power, but keeps them smaller for normal driving to better MPG. That's why you can get like a power boost when you hit the RPM that triggers VTEC to open up the valves.
Even without VTEC, it's still better to keep your RPMs low to get better MPG.
I'm not sure what happens when you start getting close to the redline. Maybe because the RPMs are so high the valves start to close to prevent engine damage in the redline.
The solution that Honda came up with is the VTEC mechanism: open the valves nice and wide at high RPMs, but open them not as much at low RPMs. So now you have a engine with smooth operation at low RPMs, and high power output at high RPMs.
"I'm not sure what happens when you start getting close to the redline. Maybe because the RPMs are so high the valves start to close to prevent engine damage in the redline."
OK, That would make some sense. Surely Honda has a good reason for it! Just wondering if others had noticed it!
Still bugs me! It would be so nice if the world would dance to my tune!
Has anyone figured out how much lower their mpg drops when they use AC all the time, versus none of the time? Is this drop consistent across different models? And, finally, can someone tell me why AC affects mpg? ?
Our experience says it lowers mileage 1-3 mpg. This would depend on the type of driving.
At highway speeds I understand the AC will use less fuel than having the windows open. Open windows tend to make our cars a lot less aerodynamic.
Running the AC involves operating a compressor that the engine has to turn. You know when the AC at your house comes on the lights may dim a for a moment. That is because the AC takes a goodly amount of electric power to start the compressor. Once started it requires considerably less power to run. But still uses power.
With your car there is a belt from an engine pulley to the AC compressor. The pulley on the compressor turns anytime the engine is running. It is simply freewheeling if the AC is not being used.
When the AC is selected an electric clutch engages and connects that freewheeling pulley to the business part of the compressor. You may notice a click, another fan startup, or a little bump on the engine. On the road at a constant speed, turning on the AC may result in a sensation as though a single gust of wind had hit the front of the car.
Climate control may run the compressor all the time and simply add heat to maintain that perfect temp. So even in cold weather you may be using extra gas if Climate control is operating. Many cars have a switch or button for cutting off the AC compressor while the "HEAT" part of the climate control is keeping the winter car toasty.
Years past we needed to adjust idle for winter or summer. The AC could cause the engine to idle to low for smoothness in the summer. So we would turn up the idle a bit. Now the compressors are more efficient and our car's computers deal with idle speeds and such
here in Phoenix they switch over to 10% ethanol in October, or maybe November, but whereas I used to get to 190 miles at the half-tank mark, I'm now getting about 170-175.
So those of you with ethanol all year round, that may explain lower mpg numbers.
Did roadtrip from Illinois to Louisiana and was able to get 34 mpg with 100% hwy driving (65/70 mph). Still only have about 1,400 miles on the car, so hopefully mileage will continue to improve. (sport/auto) Will be returning to Illinois later this week and will try to report more then. A little disappointed that it didn't make the posted hwy mileage figure of 37 or better.
I love my 5AT Fit Sport except I have been getting horrible gas mileage since I received it in May. When I say horrible, I mean the best I received was 28mpg highway when I first received it and recently I received 14mpg(!!!!!!)city/highway mix. It has been going down since I received it. I have been in touch with Honda Customer Care and brought it in for an evaluation. I was told that there was nothing wrong with my car and that the mileage should improve after the break-in period. Currently there are about 3500 miles on it. I do not drive it very often as I take public transportation to work so it is a long time between fill-ups and at this rate it will be another 7 months before my sceduled oil change and thus ending the break-in period. Can someone please tell me if it is possible to get such LOW mileage on a car that others are getting 40mpg??!! I have never had such issues with any other car so it is hard for me to believe it is my driving technique but at this point I am willing to investigate any possibility. Thank you for your time and I would appreciate any help or advice. Jen
Regarding b10chem's problem with mpg. I now have almost 7,000 miles on my Fit Sport, AT. I recently took a prox 2600 mile road trip. My mpg averaged about 38-39. When I got home, I had a full tank of suburban driving. the mpg went down, and continued into the next tank(I wait to fill up until I can put in at least 9 gallons). The following tank was all highway, and the milage went up. The next tank was again all highway, and I am now back up to my 38-39. It appears your computer programs the car for the type of driving you do over about 1 tank of gas(or equivilent) The computer stays there until you a different type of driving, and again, over a tank, it is modified to the most recent driving pattern. In summary- yu will probably get much better mpg on a road trip, but not the best until you run 300-400 miles. When u go back to seldom driving, and in all city, the mpg will gradually reduce. Pls let us know your observations regarding this. I have a diesel truck that this also happens to. I have a hunch that if you do an ILP just prior to a road trip, you will get the higher MPG faster. My little motor seems to travel almost anywhere and rarely exceeds 3500 rpm (only when downshifting on steep hills) I try to keep it at 2400 to 2600 rpm's. And DO NOT use cruise in hilly country-that hurts mph. On flat country, the cruise is great, but you need to speed up downhill to get rolling to climb the other side without much downshift.
...I have a hunch that if you do an ILP just prior to a road trip, you will get the higher MPG faster. My little motor seems to travel almost anywhere and rarely exceeds 3500 rpm (only when downshifting on steep hills) I try to keep it at 2400 to 2600 rpm's. And DO NOT use cruise in hilly country-that hurts mph. On flat country, the cruise is great, but you need to speed up downhill to get rolling to climb the other side without much downshift.
Just a thought here - if you are only driving about 100 miles per WEEK, and that is mostly in short trips to the store and whatnot (you mentioned you commute on public transit), your driving PATTERN could be partly to blame for your low mpg returns. This prompts me to ask: (1) what was your gas mileage in your last car before the Fit, and (2) what kind of car was it, and (3) was your driving pattern similar then (very low miles per year, commuting on public transit)?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Thanks for replying. I cannot even begin to tell you how frustrated I am with this. . . . I am afraid I do not know what an ILP is. Could you please explain what that is? I do not have any road trips planned but my last long trip was from Boston, MA to Pittsburgh PA. The poor little car was packed to the rafters for the entire trip and I was getting low 20's for MPG. I did not pay much attention then as I figured it was due to the weight of load. As far as the terrain, it is quite hilly here in Pittsburgh compared to Boston. Is there something I should be more aware of to help keep the rpm low while climbing fairly steep hills? In response to nippononly, my last car was a 1998 Honda CRV AT. Mostly highway driving (although a typical commute into Boston is stop and go) and I was getting around high 20's on average. I drove much about 15-18K per year with that car. Thank you both again. In the meantime I will try to keep my rpm under 3K. Best Jen
I don't think I know what an ILP is either without some type of reference other than the initials. Anyhow, with regard to your unreasonable fuel economy. I usually debunk people who post "pie in the sky" economy as unrealistic e.g "yeah I get 50 mpg at 85 mph" but your case is something new. I don't think I can conceive of any conditions where a Fit would get as low as 14 mpg or even low 20's on a road trip..you are in SUV or V-8 pick-up truck territory. The fact the car was loaded might lower economy somewhat but if you drove a reasonable or normal speed (65-72 mph) you absolutely should have seen mid to upper 30's. I also live in Pa and I am familiar with the mountainous terrain in the western part of the state. And yes, the lower you keep your engine speed (RPM)the better fuel economy BUT this is generally considered a ratio of engine speed to road speed. The trick is to keep up cruising speed without unecessary downshifts...cruising in top gear at 65-70 mph on a moderately level road is ideal BUT steeper hills or mountains WILL provoke an automatic downshift if you want to keep up speed. In most cases there is little you can do about it other than let the car naturally loose speed by not booting the throttle. But once again even this type of driving occasionally should not provide such low numbers. I can only provide some ideas...1)someone is stealing your gas, not easy with new cars and probably not likely. 2)you are calculating fuel economy improperly. 3) there really is something wrong with the car BUT if it were delivering such poor economy it would be running poorly too.4) there is a small puncture in your tank..you don't smell gas do you? 5) your tires are critically low on air pressure. Did you ever talk to a Honda dealer concerning this? OK I reread and see you did and received the old "it will be better after break-in" speech. It might be marginally better but it should NEVER be this low in the first place. Try another local Honda dealer. Long winded post but a Fit should never be in the low teens.
Over the holidays, I drove from Nashville, TN to Dillsboro, NC. Around 300 miles. First time for my new Fit to take a Road Trip. MPG average for round trip was 41. I was thrilled!
Comments
My biggest reason for getting the Fit was interior space, quality, safety feature, price and exterior size. Cars like the civic, corolla, mazda 3, focus, senta, etc. all seem cramped compared to the Fit for people and luggage. I look at the Fit as a micro-minivan. The high roof design makes it really easy to put kids in carseats and allow for a lot of luggage space. Only the Nissan Versa is as versatile, and from what I've read, it gets worse MPG than the Fit.
So why I may complain about the MPG, for $16,500 there isn't another car that would meet my needs except for the Fit (maybe the Versa if it was available right now with ABS and CVT), regardless of the MPG.
Plus if I'm averaging 30 instead of 35MPG, the difference over 20,000 miles a year at $2.50/gal come to about $20/month. Yes, I'd rather have the extra $20 in my pocket, but I'm not going to start looking for another car because of it.
Back in the day, I had a '90 standard Civic hatch and the gas gauge didn't move off of full until after about 50-75 miles, if I remember right. Amazing that the Fit and that car are almost identical size-wise, but the extra 8 inches of height and the more efficient interior packaging make a huge difference. It is nice having the extra 40 hp, too
Anyway, we'll be taking the car on a long drive over Christmas, so I'm curious to see what kind of mileage I get then.
Back in the day, I had a '90 standard Civic hatch and the gas gauge didn't move off of full until after about 50-75 miles, if I remember right. Amazing that the Fit and that car are almost identical size-wise, but the extra 8 inches of height and the more efficient interior packaging make a huge difference. It is nice having the extra 40 hp, too Any other folks out there who enjoyed rowing that Civic 4-speed manual? I still worship that car. Wish I would have kept it.
Anyway, we'll be taking the car on a long drive over Christmas, so I'm curious to see what kind of mileage I get then.
I have not gotten mine but a few words for thought. From what I am reading some of the dealers may not be filling the tank all the way but rather just up till the F is hit on the meter.
Also, the city mileage for the Fit was somewhere around 22 mpgs per consumer reports,but it gets averaged with hwy miles.
I was going to suggest some hwy during breakin because i heard it helps and it will prob increase your city miles.
Hope it lives up to your expectations.
If I go 80 mph with cruise in my 2006 Impala, my dash read out is 25 mpg.
Thats with the 3.9 liter (250 HP) engine with a four speed automatic, and next year there adding a 6 speed that should get better gas mileage. If I don't lead foot it (witch I'm not good at), I'll get a combined highway/city mileage of about 25 mpg. It seems like a car that small should get better mileage then what you guys are posting.
By the way, here's an amusing story. I took my Fit to pick up a Christmas tree. We chose a 7.5 foot tree. When they brought in out the guy looked at the car and wanted to know if it was "like Dr. Who's telephone booth", capable of holding anything. He wanted to know if the tree would go on the roof but I told him, no, inside. I had folded the rear seats and the passenger seat. It fit (no pun intended) with room to spare. He was quite impressed.
While mileage was a big reason for my purchase the flexible space was right up there and it's paid off.
I like the way GMs dash readouts brake down instant mileage, or overall mileage since last reset. Sure shows how a lead foot in city driving just kills your overall mileage, and I get my best mileage at 68 mph, about 31 mpg. What did surprise me was long downhill runs with cruise control on get worse gas mileage then on flat highway.
I had a '99 V6 Cougar with a 3.0 engine that got 32mpg on highway runs and averaged about 25mpg. The Fit isn't nearly as aerodynamic as my old Cougar though, and that will really kill the MPG on fast highway speeds.
Drove at 62-65 MPH, keeping RPM's at 2500 as much as possible. My low mpg's were always with fuel that had 10% ethanol. used cruise as much as possible.
Return trip averaged 40.35. No 10% Ethanol was used. Had 4 fill ups. One one fillup I purposly drove 70 MPH. Prox 2600 PRM's. Lessons I learned:
Keep your rpms at 2500 all possible
Tires were at 40 PSI.
Do not use cruise on hilly roads
Keep away from ANY ethanol( when you run ethanol, computer
adjusts for it, and it take a tank or two afterward
to re-adjust to strait gas.
My total milage is now about 6500, oil at 30%. Will take it in for a change at 20% and go to synthetic oil. I expect to pick up additional MPH afterward. Love the car, was great on long trip, NO power problems, even at 10,000
Foot Elevations( we ran about 100 miles at 10,000' or above)
Lots of room for stuff. The fit was wothth the extra dollars over the Kia, Aveo, Yaris etc.
ALSO: My fuel guage is definately NOT linear!! I drive until I get around 350-370 miles before filling.
I also found to NOT take off fuel cap unless you Fill the tank. Unless you want the dreaded flashing irritating "loose fuel cap" to start. If you remove cap if tank not full, it creates airspace which allows the fuel spstem to think cap is loose. On first tanks, my low fuel light came on at prox 9 gallons gone. Last few tanks I have put as much at 10 gallons in without light coming on.
I think my Fit is sensitive to brands of gas also. If you find a brand/station
that gives you good results, stick with them.
Wulybugr
Not really. For example, the 1.6L engine of the Accent and Rio is a fairly old iron-block design that has been updated with a CVVT head. The Yaris' engine is an updated version of the unit used in the ECHO. The engine used in the Aveo is also an old design. The Versa has possibly the most recent engine design, but no one is singing the praises of its fuel economy, even with its new CVT.
The Fit's engine uses Honda's CVVT technology, and the 5-speed automatic transmission is a recent design, adapted from the 2006+ Civic. So while the chassis is about five years old, the "parts that make it go" are pretty current by small car standards. And its fuel economy is really quite good. In tests by the auto mags, it typically ranks at or near the top of the class, along with the Yaris. I am wondering if the people complaining about its fuel economy are driving it like an economy car, for maximum fuel economy, or like a sports car.
If if driving moderately (agressive/top speed wise) I get to about 190 miles when the needle hits the halfway mark.
What is the RPM at 70 with AT?
And I wouldn't worry about mpg until at least 1000 miles.
Thanks,
Bubba
I don't think VTEC "automatically" kicks in a X rpms. It depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
See my above example. In practice it seems like an in-between gear.
The more people that apporach Honda with this issue the better. any help or comments appreciated
Since the engine doesn't know how much fuel is in the tank, if you're saying that your manually calculated MPG is worse when you only put in 1/2 tank of gas as the starting point, maybe it's because you're not calculating mpg correctly. I hope you're not trying to calculate mpg by looking at the gas gauge and seeing how many miles you get on the first half as compared to the second half.
Does fuel efficiency generally improve by keeping RPMs down?
I could be wrong, but to me your description sounds like the performance of an automatic transmission, rather than VTEC. I have a feeling the "in-between gear" you are referring to is the torque convertor, which is designed to operate in all 5 gears.
In my Fit (5MT), if I let off the gas at freeway speeds, my engine stays at the same RPM. The 3500 RPM (I should have said 3400) I listed previously is the engine speed when VTEC activation usually activates, per Honda's website. As for a later post on the VTEC timing, such a wide range of 2300-3400 surprises me a bit since the Fit still uses the older VTEC, and not the variable valve timing. However, I haven't installed any VTEC light, so I could be wrong.
Both our Honda (not Fit) emit a definite "Growl" when the VTEC kicks in at full throttle. That be somewhere around 3500-4000 or so. Definitely a power surge when it does.
Thing I don't under stand is: Say the throttle is on the floor, tranny is in "D" and the engine is Growling and winding to near RED line. Everything is GOOD!
Throttle is still on the floor! The shift takes place. :sick: It seems the VTEC takes a break for a couple of seconds then kicks back in until the next shift.
Wonder why!
The shift does happen a couple of hundred RPM before actual red line mark on the tach. Probably in the scheme of things it wouldn't make much difference in acceleration.
It just seems like something is wrong!
Wonder if manually shifting at or slightly above red would result the same? Or would VTEC stay hooked up?
Off Topic, but Gas Golf Cars bother me the same way. Stop and the engine goes dead. I know they are designed that way. Still doesn't seem right!
Kip
Even without VTEC, it's still better to keep your RPMs low to get better MPG.
I'm not sure what happens when you start getting close to the redline. Maybe because the RPMs are so high the valves start to close to prevent engine damage in the redline.
The solution that Honda came up with is the VTEC mechanism: open the valves nice and wide at high RPMs, but open them not as much at low RPMs. So now you have a engine with smooth operation at low RPMs, and high power output at high RPMs.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question229.htm&url=http://www.l- eecao.com/honda/vtec/whatsvtec.html
OK, That would make some sense. Surely Honda has a good reason for it! Just wondering if others had noticed it!
Still bugs me! It would be so nice if the world would dance to my tune!
Thanks for info!
Kip
At highway speeds I understand the AC will use less fuel than having the windows open. Open windows tend to make our cars a lot less aerodynamic.
Running the AC involves operating a compressor that the engine has to turn. You know when the AC at your house comes on the lights may dim a for a moment. That is because the AC takes a goodly amount of electric power to start the compressor. Once started it requires considerably less power to run. But still uses power.
With your car there is a belt from an engine pulley to the AC compressor. The pulley on the compressor turns anytime the engine is running. It is simply freewheeling if the AC is not being used.
When the AC is selected an electric clutch engages and connects that freewheeling pulley to the business part of the compressor. You may notice a click, another fan startup, or a little bump on the engine. On the road at a constant speed, turning on the AC may result in a sensation as though a single gust of wind had hit the front of the car.
Climate control may run the compressor all the time and simply add heat to maintain that perfect temp. So even in cold weather you may be using extra gas if Climate control is operating. Many cars have a switch or button for cutting off the AC compressor while the "HEAT" part of the climate control is keeping the winter car toasty.
Years past we needed to adjust idle for winter or summer. The AC could cause the engine to idle to low for smoothness in the summer. So we would turn up the idle a bit. Now the compressors are more efficient and our car's computers deal with idle speeds and such
Kip
Merry Christmas........
Bubba
BTW I hope you're all having your Christmas BBQ today-
Saturday was Pork BBQ and Brunswick Stew .
Christmas eve was 30 or so folks and everyone brought finger foods and deserts.
Christmas day was 8 folks and mainly medium/large Boiled Shrimp, Turkey Breast, and other stuff! Mainly Boiled Shrimp.
Then there were deserts! :sick:
Kip
So those of you with ethanol all year round, that may explain lower mpg numbers.
Thank you for your time and I would appreciate any help or advice.
Jen
went down, and continued into the next tank(I wait to fill up until I can put in at least 9 gallons). The following tank was all highway, and the milage went up. The next tank was again all highway, and I am now back up to my 38-39.
It appears your computer programs the car for the type of driving you do over about 1 tank of gas(or equivilent)
The computer stays there until you a different type of driving, and again, over a tank, it is modified to the most recent driving pattern. In summary- yu will probably get much better mpg on a road trip, but not the best until you run 300-400 miles. When u go back to seldom driving, and in all city, the mpg will gradually reduce. Pls let us know your observations regarding this.
I have a diesel truck that this also happens to.
I have a hunch that if you do an ILP just prior to a road trip, you will get the higher MPG faster.
My little motor seems to travel almost anywhere and rarely exceeds 3500 rpm (only when downshifting on steep hills)
I try to keep it at 2400 to 2600 rpm's. And DO NOT use cruise in hilly country-that hurts mph. On flat country, the cruise is great, but you need to speed up downhill
to get rolling to climb the other side without much downshift.
My little motor seems to travel almost anywhere and rarely exceeds 3500 rpm (only when downshifting on steep hills)
I try to keep it at 2400 to 2600 rpm's. And DO NOT use cruise in hilly country-that hurts mph. On flat country, the cruise is great, but you need to speed up downhill
to get rolling to climb the other side without much downshift.
Good post!
Kip
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I am afraid I do not know what an ILP is. Could you please explain what that is? I do not have any road trips planned but my last long trip was from Boston, MA to Pittsburgh PA. The poor little car was packed to the rafters for the entire trip and I was getting low 20's for MPG. I did not pay much attention then as I figured it was due to the weight of load. As far as the terrain, it is quite hilly here in Pittsburgh compared to Boston. Is there something I should be more aware of to help keep the rpm low while climbing fairly steep hills?
In response to nippononly, my last car was a 1998 Honda CRV AT. Mostly highway driving (although a typical commute into Boston is stop and go) and I was getting around high 20's on average. I drove much about 15-18K per year with that car.
Thank you both again. In the meantime I will try to keep my rpm under 3K.
Best
Jen
Just wanted to pass on the good news!
Suzecruise