In _general_, gas engines are most efficient with a wide-open throttle. With a partially open throttle there are pumping losses, and effectively a lower compression ratio, since the piston isn't compressing as much air. Finally, a higher-revving engine is losing more power due to internal friction.
This is why standard cars (i.e., non-hybrid) don't get their best gas mileage at low speed - there's less wind resistance at, say, 30 MPH, but the engine's efficiency drops off so much that it matches the reduction in friction.
Now, with older carbureted engines, there were frequently fuel enrichment valves which opened when the throttle was wide open. The requirement for emissions control curtailed that somewhat, and I'm certain that fuel-injected engines now don't have such a feature.
So you'll find a standard emissions-controlled gasoline engine gets its best mileage with a wide-open throttle at low RPMs.
If you check out people who compete in gas mileage contests, you'll see they use this feature of gasoline engines, putting the car in top gear, flooring the throttle at 10 MPH (!), then putting the car in neutral and turning off the engine at around 30 MPH. Once they've coasted down to about 10 MPH they repeat the process.
This, also, is the biggest reason hybrids get better gas mileage, and much more so at city speeds than on the highway. A hybrid will generally run its engine with a fairly wide-open throttle while charging up the batteries, then turn off the engine and run on electric alone until the batteries' charge drops to a specified amount (it's the electronic equivalent of the 10MPH-30MPH-10MPH mileage fanatics).
Unfortunately for the Fit, it (at least the automatic version running at 5000 foot altitudes) simply doesn't have enough oomph to keep going 75 up most inclines while in 5th gear (I tried this during the last trip from Casper to Denver). So it's a viable option only when running at the speed limit is NOT a high priority, and when traffic is light enough that you're not causing a jam by slowing down on the uphill segments.
I guess it's just as well that the Fit isn't as powerful as my '93 Civic (it _does_ have maybe 5% more horsepower, but the Fit is much taller, and weighs about 20% more, so the Civic can make the entire Casper-Denver trip at 75 mph in 5th gear). Why do I say that? Because our Fit is SO quiet and smooth that it would be quite easy to be doing 90 or more without knowing it, if the car actually had enough power. Our insurance is high enough without incurring big speeding tickets.
If I'm at highway speeds, 55-65 mph, does turning on my air conditioner decrease my MPG or am I just using wasted engine torque? Is there a source of information to find out if my particular car, 96 Riviera supercharged V6, gets better MPG at 55 mph or 60 mph, all else being equal? Is there a rule of thumb concerning when to use AC vs. roll the windows down when it comes to MPG? Does using the sun roof vent increase drag enough to affect MPG? Comment: Synthetic oil, performance air filter, and slowing to 55-60 mph has gotten me up to 28 MPG on my mostly freeway commute.
You can probably do a Google search to verify, but from what I've read, at highway speeds the increased drag from open windows, sunroofs, etc., hurt the MPG more than AC use, and at lower speeds where drag doesn't affect MPG as much, then it's better to open the windows/sunroofs.
That being said, the affects of open windows and AC use on MPG will vary between cars. If you have one of the old cars with giant V-8, then the fact that the AC is on may not be significant enough to make much of a difference in MPG. It will affect it, but maybe by only a fraction of a percent. On the other hand, if you have a tiny 4cyl engine, the affect of the AC may have a greater percentage loss of MPG.
It's sort of the same as if you have a 4cyl Kia Rondo with 1 passenger and a Suburban with 1 passenger. Check the MPG. Then add 6 more passengers of equal weight to each vehicle and check the affect to MPG. And then crank the AC in both cars. I'd bet that the MPG drop as a percentage will be greater in the Rondo.
I've had my 2007 Fit Sport manual for about 4 months now, still less than 2000 miles on it (I mostly bike to work). I live in West LA and usually take short hops of 2-3 miles, but the mileage has been lousy, around 24-26 MPG, a little better if I do more highway driving.
I am not an aggressive driver, and it's not that hilly where I am. The traffic can be very stop-and-go, though. I haven't yet taken it on a long road trip so cannot say about true highway mileage.
I'm disappointed to hear about the variation in mileage and that Honda can't figure it out. I definitely plan on complaining to the dealer at my 5K oil change if things aren't significantly better.
if your drive is only 2-3 miles, and you have the a/c on, and there is a lot of stop and go, you have the perfect recepie for bad gas mileage.
Considering the fit is rated at high 20's for city mpg, your 26 average for the conditions (which are quite bad) you drive in are not too shabby.
try going on a long road trip, you'll be happier. don't worry about inconsistencies either, as sites like this are foodder for people who love to report bad gas mileage. for all you know, someone could just have it out for the fit, and make up some legitamite sounding story just to talk crap.
"When the AC light is on, the compressor is running. If it is too cold, you can add heat, or turn down the fan, but the compressor is still running until you turn off the light. That's the way it works on our CR-V."
I know on the Fit the a/c cycles on and off even when the ac light is on. So perhaps the Fit ac is different the Cr-v. What I don't know is if adding warm air makes it cycle off more or whether it's just wasting energy.
"but lately we've had a horrible heat wave and I'm having to use a/c almost constantly"
It's a bit of a pain, but you can decrease a/c cut into mpg by turning off the a/c when you're accelerating and climbing hills. After a while it becomes second nature to turn the button on and off.
The A/C will cycle on and off regardless of how much warm air you dial in (most cars if not all will cycle the compressor when the A/C is engaged - keeps it from freezing up). You WILL be wasting energy if you add warm air and don't need it. ALL the temp knob adjusts is how much warm air is added in; its independent of A/C operation.
I agree! The compressor will cycle as part of a survival thing to keep from freezing the system. It will do that with most any type of AC. However, except for survival, it strives to run full time in a car. ie, it doesn't cool the car to a preset point and shut on and off to maintain that temperature as the home types do.. To maintain a given temp we can add a bit of heat, or have Climate control which will strive to maintain the temp by adding or not adding heat!
With the "NON" Climate Control systems, the temp knob can be used to act as kind of a POOR MANS' climate control.
Personally, I put the "Recirculate" into action and turn the AC on and off when needed. Usually ON when going down hill. :shades:
Speaking or recirculate, I notice with the Fit that the "fresh" air a/c comes out of the vent colder than the recirculate air! No idea why this should be so. But I therefore put my a/c on fresh air most of the time, figuring it's more efficient. The only time I use recirc is for the last few minutes of my drive, when I turn off the a/c, put the fan on 4, and "wash out" all the cold air from the coils.
I managed to get 39.7mpg last tank _with_ a/c on some of the time this last tank (100+ degrees out!), so I must be doing something right. ;-)
Are you sure you don't have that reversed? Or are reading the icons backwards. It seems hard to believe that if it's 100 degrees outside and you have the vent set to bring in outside air that the air coming out of the vents would be cooler than with the lever in the recirculate mode with the AC on.
100 degree Outside air coming into the car thru the AC will be a bit cooler than recirculate, only if the car has been sitting and gotten really hot inside. However once the inside has dropped to below the temp of outside, the AC will be much more efficient (Colder) on recirculate. The colder the inside gets, the colder the AC gets.
If my car has been sitting in the sun and heated up inside, I will usually get it moving with the windows down for long enough to get that hot air out. Then to recirculate mode. :shades:
Averaged 32.6 mpg driving mostly in suburbia with 95+ degree weather, and with tons of boxes in the back (finally finished our move!). Not to shabby for an engine that just BARELY completed its break in. (we've got about 650 miles on him now, and we got him last thursday.)
looking forward to this next tank, as it will involve our normal freeway/highway route to and from work, with lots of cruising.
I agree with some of your other responders. MPG will vary greatly depending upon driving conditions (weather, hills, City/highway driving mix, individual driving habits will all effect MPG. Two different people driving the same car in the same terrain can see different MPG numbers based upon their driving habits. The city/highway mix is another key item. When Consumer Reports say they get 32 MPG overall for the fit automatic and 34MPG for the FIT manual transmission, they are talking about driving over a test course with a fixed ratio of highway/city driving (probably no A/C). Their test range favors highway driving, meaning the test course consists of mostly highway driving with some city driving mixed in. For the conditions you describe, you will get lower numbers than what CU got. Your conditions (mostly city) might be a case where a hybrid would actually achieve the higher mileage they claim, because most hybrids shut the engine off at lights etc. and tend to boost city mileage.
we were putting to many miles on him, and the service was getting out of control. While the vw held its value better than i thought, its still no honda.
I missed the big H. Still a v dub fan, but even when i do get to the point to where a 4 door gti is doable, i dunno if i can deal with the service. At that point, a 4 door si looks tasty!
we love it. the process was quick and painless, and i like breaking 30mpg now!
the handling is superb as well. My bunny was no slouch, not at all, but its not as taut, and tuned for high speed cruising, not exactly corner carving.\
Honda Fit Sport 5AT. Blue 27 MPG. Worst 41.4 MPG. Best mileage. 300 mile round trip with 50% A/C 33-35 MPG. Everyday *
*This is mixed City/Hwy with A/C and hilly Cincinnati terrain. 30 mile round trip. Still going easy on the engine and have yet to open up the throttle. The car is always run in "D" mode. I engine break on hills and during stopping cycles.
My first fill-up was about 37MPG and I was bragging like I just had my first child. The next couple of fill-ups were in the 27MPG range which is good, but 5 less than my 2000 Civic.
Took a day trip from Cincinnati to Granville OH. A/C was running during the outbound leg. My Fit ran 41+MPG. I was jumping for joy.
I now have about 1800 miles on the car and am getting 33-34MPG on my workday commute. The A/C is running about 65% of the time.
I expect my MPG to increase by 2-4 with the AirCon off. Agree?
The stick revs pretty high unfortunately. It is 2900 and change at 60 mph. The automatic is under 2200 rpm at 60.
To get the revs at 40 and 50 just do the math - it is directly proportional.
A 6 speed manual would be welcome - as long as the first 5 gears stayed the same and the 6th was taller. The Versa has a 6 speed and still revs about the same as the Fit - makes no sense to me.
i have about 1500 miles on my new(ish) Fit and I'm still getting about 28mpg-31mpg at best. Any tips for how what I'm doing wrong in terms of my driving habits? Also, I drive mostly around the Boston area, anyone else?
According to the Ford webpage, the 2007 Focus has EPA ratings of 27/37 city/hwy, so that's not much different than the Fit. A lot of folks are averaging in the low to mid 30's mpg average.
Hard to compare models from different generations and with major drivetrain changes. The 2002 Accord with only 135 hp got what 23/30? Also if he had a 2002 Focus with the 110 hp engine, then it got 36/28 which is not far different than the Fit especially on the highway.
I had a '91 Escort and I was getting in the mid 30s mpg average. I'd get in the mid 20s and low 30s mpg with my '99 Cougar V-6. That's why it's better to compare with other vehicles of the same year, so compare the '07 Fit with an '07 Versa, Corolla, Civic, Focus, etc...and you'll find the EPA estimates for all of these are about the same.
I am an old motorcycle rider (60 years of riding) and I have found you develop a sense of when to shift. Just that right "sweet spot" when the motor is singing but not straining, and it picks up strongly right after the shift. When this occurs it seems to be getting the most performance with the least amount of work. Result - good mileage for whatever vehicle you are driving.
Try it and listen to your machine. It will tell you when the time is right to shift.
I'm only getting between 26-28 on my Sport manual, with 80% urban driving. That's a far cry from the 33 EPA rating for city. I'm wondering if my optional 16" wheels have any correlation (are they heavier? tires grippier?). I generally only floor it when merging onto the 93 Expressway here in Boston, otherwise I shift up pretty early, usually between 2000 and 3000 RPM.
On a 200 mile roadtrip to New Hampshire, I still only averaged about 30 mpg with minimal congestion or stopping. I'm hoping things improve after the car is fully broken in.
The new EPA estimates for the Fit are 28 city/34 highway, so if you're getting 28mpg with 80% city don't be too surprised.
People driving a lot of bigger cars/CUVs/minvans with 18-20 EPA mpg city ratings often find that they only get about 15mpg in city driving, or about 20% less than the old EPA. So if the old EPA for the Fit is 33mpg and you're also getting 20% less, that would make it 26-27mpg real-world city.
The driver makes a difference too. For example with our Fit, my wife has been driving it most of the time lately and the last MPG was only 28. The worst I've ever had was 30mpg. And the MPG variation is pretty big too. With my wife driving 100% of the time in city/suburb driving, I can easily see our Fit only getting 26MPG, while if I'm driving in the same conditions I'd get about 30mpg. On the highway I can get just over 40MPG if I keep the speed at 65mph. We have a sport auto Fit.
In general our Fit gets about 40% better MPG than our bigger car, a Ford Freestyle, in the same types of driving conditions.
If MPG was our sole issue, then I would have just bought a Civic or Corolla, but then on weekend trips, vacations, for large grocery trips, etcs, we would have had to take the Freestyle because a Corolla or Civic wouldn't have had the space to hold everything. With the Fit's spacious and versatile interior, we're able to use it instead of the big car, so the spaciousness and versatility outweight the poorer MPG as compared to a Civic/Corolla.
Good to know the new, revised EPA figures.... but with some people here reporting 35 to 40 mpg real world, and myself being an experienced driver who's been able to achieve or exceed EPA claimed mileage in my past vehicles, I'm wondering if there could be another factor besides.... me and my foot.
It seems that almost every low mileage claim in this thread is countered by apologists for the Fit, as though there's no possible way that poorer-than-expected mileage could be any fault but the driver's, or just be happy with the mileage you do get because it's still better than other cars.... not so helpful!
My original question pertained to my optional wheels (whether they're adding weight), and I'm also wondering if the engine computer could be set to a fuel/air mix that skews high. And to cover all bases: I've double checked my tire pressure and my A/C use has been low to moderate.
I'd say for people that generally get higher then the EPA estimates (like myself) who are finding that with the Fit they're right in the EPA estimates, it's possible that the EPA estimates are just more accurate for the Fit.
On the other hand, MPG is affected by the driver, conditions and car, so if the driver and the conditions remain constant, then I'd look to the vehicle. Every Fit is mechanically different than every other Fit. It's true with any car. I'm sure some Fit owners will have engines lasting 200,000+ miles, while others may have multiple problems before reaching 50,000 miles. It's due to the fact that each component of any car is made up of parts that are not manufactured 100% identical, so the sum of the little differences can add up to mechanical breakdowns at different points.
In the same way, MPG for any car is a broad range. Perhaps this is the first vehicle you've bought where mechanically it's at the low end of the EPA range and you're pretty much stuck with this fact no matter how much you modify your driving style.
So yes, while driving style and conditions affect MPG, the inherent MPG of a vehicle is a range and not a specific number. Some folks are lucky to get cars high in the mechanical EPA range while others do not. Most are somewhere in the middle. And then you add to that conditions and driving style.
If you're used to beating the EPA estimates and now you're not, get the vehicle checked out by an independent mechanic and if there's nothing mechanically wrong, then you'll just have to live with the MPG you're getting, but you can't blame the whole line of Fits...just the particular one you're driving.
but you can't blame the whole line of Fits...just the particular one you're driving.
Wow, I'm not quite sure where you got that I was blaming the whole line of Fits. If I'm citing how others here get great mileage and I want to figure out a way to match them, obviously I believe their reports are true! And, by the same virtue, I think there might be something amiss with the particular Fit I'm driving.
Anyway. I guess I'll ask the dealer when I bring it in for the first scheduled maintenance to check it out. Do you think there's a real advantage to asking an independent mechanic? Would Honda have an incentive not to help me get better mileage? (not sarcasm, a real question)
My error...I meant "you" in general terms, not you specifically. I should have said, "...a person can blame"
Actually, there is no incentive for Honda to spend a lot of time trying to test an analyze your low MPG. It's easier for them just to say, "it's in the appropriate range." at least as a warranty item. Now if you're willing to pay them $80/hour (or whatever the rate in your area) for them to run different tests you can do that and it should be okay.
Just took my AT sport Fit for a Sunday run in a fairy steep hilly hwy for total of 340 miles. I was doing just under 70 mph most of the way with a strong head/cross wind about 70% of the time and 50% AC usage (on #2 fan setting). The total fuel usage was 8.823 US gallons which calculated to about 38 mpg. Not too bad considering the conditions. I had in previous trips gotten to a high of 47 mpg in better conditions (less wind and without using AC) and the max speed was kept under 65 mph.
I did a double take too when I first gotten that number and went back to redo the calculation, but they all turn out to be the same. I think it was mostly got to do with the terrain I was driving in, mostly flat with a slight downhill, plus a calm and not too hot day.
Forty-seven is too high....When I got high mileage like yours , it was because I pumped gas into the tank as much as I could to the point of overfilling. And then sometimes my wife would fillup but to the first fuel stopping point. Therefore I was calculating less fuel input for a previous odometer total mileage reading prior to refueling. But since i found out that that overfilling is dangerous, I stopped.
I drive my Sport AT in florida (almost always a flat terrain with very few inclines due to expressway overpasses) with AC always on and driving in suburbia/expressways/short/long distances and drive an average of speed limit plus a few miles over but never over 35-45 in city streets and 75-80mph on the highway. I have calculated an overall average of 25 city/ 34 highway.
47mpg isn't necessarily too high if you're keeping speeds under 65mpg with no AC on a slight downhill as the previous poster indicated. On flat ground at 65mph with AC I can get 40mpg.
It was based on the first part of the trip, from Calgary to Vancouver, I remember it was close to 400 miles on my first fill up in the middle of the Rocky mountain.
Comments
Actually, that's not true.
In _general_, gas engines are most efficient with a wide-open throttle. With a partially open throttle there are pumping losses, and effectively a lower compression ratio, since the piston isn't compressing as much air. Finally, a higher-revving engine is losing more power due to internal friction.
This is why standard cars (i.e., non-hybrid) don't get their best gas mileage at low speed - there's less wind resistance at, say, 30 MPH, but the engine's efficiency drops off so much that it matches the reduction in friction.
Now, with older carbureted engines, there were frequently fuel enrichment valves which opened when the throttle was wide open. The requirement for emissions control curtailed that somewhat, and I'm certain that fuel-injected engines now don't have such a feature.
So you'll find a standard emissions-controlled gasoline engine gets its best mileage with a wide-open throttle at low RPMs.
If you check out people who compete in gas mileage contests, you'll see they use this feature of gasoline engines, putting the car in top gear, flooring the throttle at 10 MPH (!), then putting the car in neutral and turning off the engine at around 30 MPH. Once they've coasted down to about 10 MPH they repeat the process.
This, also, is the biggest reason hybrids get better gas mileage, and much more so at city speeds than on the highway. A hybrid will generally run its engine with a fairly wide-open throttle while charging up the batteries, then turn off the engine and run on electric alone until the batteries' charge drops to a specified amount (it's the electronic equivalent of the 10MPH-30MPH-10MPH mileage fanatics).
Unfortunately for the Fit, it (at least the automatic version running at 5000 foot altitudes) simply doesn't have enough oomph to keep going 75 up most inclines while in 5th gear (I tried this during the last trip from Casper to Denver). So it's a viable option only when running at the speed limit is NOT a high priority, and when traffic is light enough that you're not causing a jam by slowing down on the uphill segments.
I guess it's just as well that the Fit isn't as powerful as my '93 Civic (it _does_ have maybe 5% more horsepower, but the Fit is much taller, and weighs about 20% more, so the Civic can make the entire Casper-Denver trip at 75 mph in 5th gear). Why do I say that? Because our Fit is SO quiet and smooth that it would be quite easy to be doing 90 or more without knowing it, if the car actually had enough power. Our insurance is high enough without incurring big speeding tickets.
And city MPG is worse than highway mpg due to the physics of moving a stationary object (ie stop and go traffic) versus one in motion.
And hybrids get better city mpg because they're running on pure battery.
Is there a source of information to find out if my particular car, 96 Riviera supercharged V6, gets better MPG at 55 mph or 60 mph, all else being equal?
Is there a rule of thumb concerning when to use AC vs. roll the windows down when it comes to MPG?
Does using the sun roof vent increase drag enough to affect MPG?
Comment: Synthetic oil, performance air filter, and slowing to 55-60 mph has gotten me up to 28 MPG on my mostly freeway commute.
That being said, the affects of open windows and AC use on MPG will vary between cars. If you have one of the old cars with giant V-8, then the fact that the AC is on may not be significant enough to make much of a difference in MPG. It will affect it, but maybe by only a fraction of a percent. On the other hand, if you have a tiny 4cyl engine, the affect of the AC may have a greater percentage loss of MPG.
It's sort of the same as if you have a 4cyl Kia Rondo with 1 passenger and a Suburban with 1 passenger. Check the MPG. Then add 6 more passengers of equal weight to each vehicle and check the affect to MPG. And then crank the AC in both cars. I'd bet that the MPG drop as a percentage will be greater in the Rondo.
I am not an aggressive driver, and it's not that hilly where I am. The traffic can be very stop-and-go, though. I haven't yet taken it on a long road trip so cannot say about true highway mileage.
I'm disappointed to hear about the variation in mileage and that Honda can't figure it out. I definitely plan on complaining to the dealer at my 5K oil change if things aren't significantly better.
Considering the fit is rated at high 20's for city mpg, your 26 average for the conditions (which are quite bad) you drive in are not too shabby.
try going on a long road trip, you'll be happier. don't worry about inconsistencies either, as sites like this are foodder for people who love to report bad gas mileage. for all you know, someone could just have it out for the fit, and make up some legitamite sounding story just to talk crap.
I know on the Fit the a/c cycles on and off even when the ac light is on. So perhaps the Fit ac is different the Cr-v. What I don't know is if adding warm air makes it cycle off more or whether it's just wasting energy.
It's a bit of a pain, but you can decrease a/c cut into mpg by turning off the a/c when you're accelerating and climbing hills. After a while it becomes second nature to turn the button on and off.
With the "NON" Climate Control systems, the temp knob can be used to act as kind of a POOR MANS' climate control.
Personally, I put the "Recirculate" into action and turn the AC on and off when needed. Usually ON when going down hill. :shades:
Kip
I managed to get 39.7mpg last tank _with_ a/c on some of the time this last tank (100+ degrees out!), so I must be doing something right. ;-)
100 degree Outside air coming into the car thru the AC will be a bit cooler than recirculate, only if the car has been sitting and gotten really hot inside. However once the inside has dropped to below the temp of outside, the AC will be much more efficient (Colder) on recirculate.
The colder the inside gets, the colder the AC gets.
If my car has been sitting in the sun and heated up inside, I will usually get it moving with the windows down for long enough to get that hot air out. Then to recirculate mode. :shades:
Kip
Averaged 32.6 mpg driving mostly in suburbia with 95+ degree weather, and with tons of boxes in the back (finally finished our move!). Not to shabby for an engine that just BARELY completed its break in. (we've got about 650 miles on him now, and we got him last thursday.)
looking forward to this next tank, as it will involve our normal freeway/highway route to and from work, with lots of cruising.
Did you trade something in on it? The bunny?
we were putting to many miles on him, and the service was getting out of control. While the vw held its value better than i thought, its still no honda.
I missed the big H.
we love it. the process was quick and painless, and i like breaking 30mpg now!
the handling is superb as well. My bunny was no slouch, not at all, but its not as taut, and tuned for high speed cruising, not exactly corner carving.\
But yeah, we love it!
Honda Fit Sport 5AT. Blue
27 MPG. Worst
41.4 MPG. Best mileage. 300 mile round trip with 50% A/C
33-35 MPG. Everyday *
*This is mixed City/Hwy with A/C and hilly Cincinnati terrain. 30 mile round trip. Still going easy on the engine and have yet to open up the throttle. The car is always run in "D" mode. I engine break on hills and during stopping cycles.
My first fill-up was about 37MPG and I was bragging like I just had my first child. The next couple of fill-ups were in the 27MPG range which is good, but 5 less than my 2000 Civic.
Took a day trip from Cincinnati to Granville OH. A/C was running during the outbound leg. My Fit ran 41+MPG. I was jumping for joy.
I now have about 1800 miles on the car and am getting 33-34MPG on my workday commute. The A/C is running about 65% of the time.
I expect my MPG to increase by 2-4 with the AirCon off. Agree?
oh, and my third tank was another 32 mpg. a/c on about 90% of the time, with about 70/30 highway/city.
To get the revs at 40 and 50 just do the math - it is directly proportional.
A 6 speed manual would be welcome - as long as the first 5 gears stayed the same and the 6th was taller. The Versa has a 6 speed and still revs about the same as the Fit - makes no sense to me.
Try it and listen to your machine. It will tell you when the time is right to shift.
[non-permissible content removed] luck!
Jack H.
On a 200 mile roadtrip to New Hampshire, I still only averaged about 30 mpg with minimal congestion or stopping. I'm hoping things improve after the car is fully broken in.
At what speed do you drive on the highway going to New Hampshire?
Highway cruising between 70 and 75, occasionally faster (never more than 80) but more often slower.
People driving a lot of bigger cars/CUVs/minvans with 18-20 EPA mpg city ratings often find that they only get about 15mpg in city driving, or about 20% less than the old EPA. So if the old EPA for the Fit is 33mpg and you're also getting 20% less, that would make it 26-27mpg real-world city.
The driver makes a difference too. For example with our Fit, my wife has been driving it most of the time lately and the last MPG was only 28. The worst I've ever had was 30mpg. And the MPG variation is pretty big too. With my wife driving 100% of the time in city/suburb driving, I can easily see our Fit only getting 26MPG, while if I'm driving in the same conditions I'd get about 30mpg. On the highway I can get just over 40MPG if I keep the speed at 65mph. We have a sport auto Fit.
In general our Fit gets about 40% better MPG than our bigger car, a Ford Freestyle, in the same types of driving conditions.
If MPG was our sole issue, then I would have just bought a Civic or Corolla, but then on weekend trips, vacations, for large grocery trips, etcs, we would have had to take the Freestyle because a Corolla or Civic wouldn't have had the space to hold everything. With the Fit's spacious and versatile interior, we're able to use it instead of the big car, so the spaciousness and versatility outweight the poorer MPG as compared to a Civic/Corolla.
It seems that almost every low mileage claim in this thread is countered by apologists for the Fit, as though there's no possible way that poorer-than-expected mileage could be any fault but the driver's, or just be happy with the mileage you do get because it's still better than other cars.... not so helpful!
My original question pertained to my optional wheels (whether they're adding weight), and I'm also wondering if the engine computer could be set to a fuel/air mix that skews high. And to cover all bases: I've double checked my tire pressure and my A/C use has been low to moderate.
On the other hand, MPG is affected by the driver, conditions and car, so if the driver and the conditions remain constant, then I'd look to the vehicle. Every Fit is mechanically different than every other Fit. It's true with any car. I'm sure some Fit owners will have engines lasting 200,000+ miles, while others may have multiple problems before reaching 50,000 miles. It's due to the fact that each component of any car is made up of parts that are not manufactured 100% identical, so the sum of the little differences can add up to mechanical breakdowns at different points.
In the same way, MPG for any car is a broad range. Perhaps this is the first vehicle you've bought where mechanically it's at the low end of the EPA range and you're pretty much stuck with this fact no matter how much you modify your driving style.
So yes, while driving style and conditions affect MPG, the inherent MPG of a vehicle is a range and not a specific number. Some folks are lucky to get cars high in the mechanical EPA range while others do not. Most are somewhere in the middle. And then you add to that conditions and driving style.
If you're used to beating the EPA estimates and now you're not, get the vehicle checked out by an independent mechanic and if there's nothing mechanically wrong, then you'll just have to live with the MPG you're getting, but you can't blame the whole line of Fits...just the particular one you're driving.
Wow, I'm not quite sure where you got that I was blaming the whole line of Fits. If I'm citing how others here get great mileage and I want to figure out a way to match them, obviously I believe their reports are true! And, by the same virtue, I think there might be something amiss with the particular Fit I'm driving.
Anyway. I guess I'll ask the dealer when I bring it in for the first scheduled maintenance to check it out. Do you think there's a real advantage to asking an independent mechanic? Would Honda have an incentive not to help me get better mileage? (not sarcasm, a real question)
Actually, there is no incentive for Honda to spend a lot of time trying to test an analyze your low MPG. It's easier for them just to say, "it's in the appropriate range." at least as a warranty item. Now if you're willing to pay them $80/hour (or whatever the rate in your area) for them to run different tests you can do that and it should be okay.
I drive my Sport AT in florida (almost always a flat terrain with very few inclines due to expressway overpasses) with AC always on and driving in suburbia/expressways/short/long distances and drive an average of speed limit plus a few miles over but never over 35-45 in city streets and 75-80mph on the highway. I have calculated an overall average of 25 city/ 34 highway.