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Comments
233.6 miles driven / 6.453 gallons = 36.2 MPG
This is 50/50 city and highway driving.
Highway driving is 65-70 MPH on cruise control.
I almost always run the A/C. No spirited driving. (Maybe once in a while.) I did boost my tire pressures to 34 psi COLD. I'm still in the break-in period so I know that it can go up from there. (There are only 561 miles on the odometer so far)
I'm getting a good feeling about the fuel economy of this Fit. I think that it easily achieves 33 in the city and probably in the low 40s in pure highway driving. More data is still needed, but I am very pleased so far.
I would be happier with a Fit that just had a small engine, non-hybrid, especially a clean-burning diesel. 67 hp is just enough and could approach 55-60 mpg at 60 mph, same as the proposed hybrid Fit, as the electical system gives zero benefit at highway speed.
I've called Honda before and if you feel the same as I do please call them at 1-800-999-1009. Tell them you want a 70-80 hp conventional or clean-diesel realworld 40/55 mpg Fit, hold the hybrid.
Total miles: 616.2
14.549 gallons (2 tanks of gas)
MPG: 42.35
Not having to stop for gas near Barstow certainly makes the trip go faster...
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/11/toyotas_new_com.html
With the US engine it gets with the Manual 37 Yaris vs. 35.5 Fit.
With the Auto 36.5 Yaris vs. 34 Fit.
Better fuel economy but only by a little. The numbers would be far higher for both if we got the smaller engines sold overseas.
Interesting consideration: improving a car from 45 mpg to 50 mpg only saves roughly 10% or 30 gallons of fuel a year, 15,000 miles. For some, trading 30 gallons a year for enough power to merge onto the freeway might be worth it. Part of a sane energy policy might be the return to the highly unpopular 55-60 mph speed limit.
I'm all for diesels, now that the US will be making the cleaner-burning low/no sulphur version of diesel fuel which should result in lower emissions.
BUT... I don't know about 67 hp being 'enough'. Maybe its a California thing, but out here, merging onto the highway with my 135 hp CR-V is often a SCARY experience. People drive VERY fast, and do NOT slow down to let you in unless they're in imminent danger of slamming into the back of you. Even then, its a very grudging slow down.
Sorry, as eco-friendly an idea as it is, I don't think I'm quite enough of an adrenaline junkie to drive a 67 hp car. :confuse:
miles: 4158.6
gallons: 113.333
mpg: 36.69
Sport AT, some city, but mostly highway consisting of slow and go, high speeds, and lots of elevation difference. Includes 2 trips SoCal to Vegas and return. The Fit is a nice mix of economy and power, I'm happy.
I spoke with Honda today. The well-informed agent told me that Honda had surveyed the market and decided not to offer a second, smaller engine option for the 06 Fit. Their thinking was that it just couldn't keep up with American conditions. I told him the first company to offer a conventional car that actually gets 40 mpg would get my business, i.g., a Fit with a 1.3 or less.
Honda: 1-800-999-1009. Tell them to offer that option for 07!
Actually, though I'm not keen on hybrids due to costs and heavy metals, I'm thinking that the Insight drivetrain might be a good one. The tiny 1.0 liter engine makes about 65 hp but when the modest electric drivetrain kicks in it goes up to about 73 hp and a respectable 89 ft-lb of torque. That's enough to allow the 1900 lb. car to do the quarter mile in 18 seconds, with a speed of 75 mph. That's few second behind my Civic but way ahead of the Datsun 210 I owned in the mid-70s, 35 mpg average, 40 mpg all highway, 55-60 mph.
It's not being optimistic...it's the mileage I have been getting.
So far in 50% highway (constant speed: ~70mph) and 50% city (and stop/go rush hour) driving I have been averaging about 35-36 mpg with the Fit. In similar driving conditions I average about 31-32 with the Civic.
I am also not saying that someone else who has a 2002 Civic EX coupé can't do better. It may be the way the car was broken in. I have been very careful with the Fit to break it in properly (now at 1100 miles), but I am not sure how the Civic was broken in. We purchased it last year with over 60,000 miles on it. Maybe the mileage difference would only be 1-2 mpg if I had the Civic since new.
"Their thinking was that it just couldn't keep up with American conditions."
Complete nonsense. The L13A would be fine...throw on the 6-speed manual, and it would be great.
This last fill up is:
Driving mix: 50% city/50% highway
a/c use: half the time
Model: Fit Sport m/t
Miles driven: 273.2
Gas used: 7.877 GALS
MPG: 34.68 MPG this tank
OVERALL MPG
------------
Driving mix: 50/50
Miles Driven: 702.2 miles
Gas used: 20.016 GALS
MPG: 35.082 MPG average so far
I wonder if I have hit the actual limit of fuel efficiency so far. My car has 823 miles on it to date. I'll keep posting my results.
Actually, I shouldn't be too discouraged because this is right within the Fit's EPA ranges, I've just been expecting it to really do better.
------------
Driving mix: 50/50
Miles Driven: 702.2 miles
Gas used: 20.016 GALS
MPG: 35.082 MPG average so far
I wonder if I have hit the actual limit of fuel efficiency so far. My car has 823 miles on it to date. I'll keep posting my results.
Actually, I shouldn't be too discouraged because this is right within the Fit's EPA ranges, I've just been expecting it to really do better."
Discouraged? Huh?!? :surprise:
Personally, I'd be ECSTATIC to get 35 mpg in a 50/50 mix of city-hwy driving.
Of course, I'm still in my '99 CR-V for the momemt, which gets like 21 mpg, in mostly hwy driving. So I can only look on in envy, scratching my head at your discouragement.
Like you said, it met the EPA ratings, and not many cars do that.
I still love driving the car and now that I am over 600 miles I will have a little more fun with it. Thanks for the tips, and yes please keep posting your results.
I also have a Sport Fit A/T. My driving is about like yours posted above. I have gotten 29 mpg on two tanks and 30.5 mpg on one tank. The 4th tank looks like it might be between 31 and 32 mpg because at 1/2 a half I had 172 miles on it.
boatfloyd
Second tank: 32 mpg
Third tank: 34 mpg
I have the Fit Sport Manual and do an even 50/50 city/highway driving.
After my last posting I was a little depressed that my Fit was not getting better MPG. My overall average was 35+ with a 50/50 mix and using the a/c. Not really bad, but I was hoping that the Fit would beat its ratings by a lot. Also my odometer was getting close to the 1000 mi. mark and I thought I could quit babying it and start driving a little more agressively. I am pleased to say that my MPG did not go down, but up! Here are the figures:
Model: Fit Sport m/t
Mix: 50/50 city/hwy
a/c: almost all the time now (it's been getting hot lately!)
Miles Driven: 155.6 miles
Gas Used: 4.223 GALS
MPG = 36.85 MPG!
A couple of things are becoming clear:
(1) maybe the effect of being past break-in is now benefitting my MPG
(2) What I consider "wasteful" or "fun" driving must be really tame by everyone else's standard
(3) Warmer temperatures do improve your highway mileage a bit (thinner air = less wind resistance)
For you hardcore statistic freaks, here is OVERALL running MPG:
Miles Driven: 857.8
Gas Used: 24.239 GALS
--------------------
MPG = 35.39 MPG OVERALL AVERAGE
I'm still very hopeful. I don't want to start thinking I should've bought that Yaris!
(1) maybe the effect of being past break-in is now benefitting my MPG"
Yesterday Honda called me for a survey now that I have had the car for a while. They asked for "things I want the factory to know" and some other questions. I told them I have been averaging 35 mpg since the 600 mile "break-in". The person responded that Honda only considers a car truly and fully broken in at 10,000 miles, and I should still see a several mpg improvement following that point. I am at 1300 miles now with my Fit (base) 5MT.
Below is how my last 3 fill ups fared:
-2 hour stop/go traffic/all hwy averaged 35.8mpg
-All hwy averaged 39mpg (5 passengers 65-80mph)
-2.5 hour stop/go traffic/hwy averaged 35.6mpg
Its nice it doesn't go below 35mpg but I do want it to go past 40mpg
Miles Driven: 353.5 miles
Gas Used: 8.992 GALS
----------------------
MPG = 39.313 MPG
That is my best so far and EXCEEDS the official EPA rating for the Fit (33/38) comfortably. This proves to me that the Fit can do better than I first thought. I'm very pleased.
I believe that on this drive I would have broken 40 MPG if the first 25 miles had not been around town.
Another thing to note is that I used the a/c 100% of the time on this tank. The drive to the mountains involved about a ~5,000 ft change in elevation and I drove at the speed limit or a little above the whole way which is 65-70 mph.
Some of the hills were long, steep climbs and I was amazed at how well the Fit cruised right along in 5th gear with the a/c running and did not get bogged down.
Another thing that I will note here and elsewhere for other Fit owners and prospective buyers -- this little car is a very comfortable cruiser on a long drive! The engine and transmission at highway speeds are smooth and quiet. The cabin is quieter than my Nissan Altima was. The stereo works very nicely (once you get the equalization and fader set right). The cruise control works better than Toyotas that I have driven. On a well-paved road the ride is very smooth. On cracked pavement you feel the bumps, but it is not as harsh and punishing as other cars this size.
It looks like Hungarian83 and I are getting very similar results with our Fit m/t's. I am glad he also mentioned the bit about the 10k point and break-in. I thought that break-in was 600 miles. Well, anyway that is encouraging news from him and aaykay.
This is a great car!
According to the owner's manual, the break-in is 600 miles. However, from what the Honda associate told me on the telephone, the 600 miles sounds like the initial break-in where you want to treat the nicely by avoiding fast starts and driving at the same engine rpm for longer periods of time. The car still needs until 10,000 miles to be fully run-in.
The TOV Asia website has done several reviews on the SE Asian market Jazz and the L-series engine. According to one of the articles, the author reported his own car (Jazz 1.5 VTEC) to feel more responsive, smoother, and yet consume less fuel after 19,000km (~11,800 miles) than when it was brand new.
Overall now is:
miles: 5522.9
gallons: 151.554
mpg: 36.394
This is a bit less than last week, probably reflecting a horrible tank Friday in major stop and go traffic. I'm still delighted with the figures.
A side note, I also figured out how much it's cost me per mile for gas - the first 2 times I figured up total figures it was 9 cents per mile. This time the overall cost per mile was 18 cents. I know this is sort-of a meaningless figure for comparison purposes, but I thought it was interesting (more a reflection of the price of gas).
A/T Sport, with almost all miles driven in city commute, with mostly short (< 10 miles) trips.
I'm not pushing the car at all, keeping RPMs below 3500, have an occasional short sprint to 60 on the interstate. With 885 miles on the car my overall mileage is only 28.82 mpg, and that's including today's 200 mile 60 mph easy hwy drive that got me 34.4 mpg (no AC, windows up, very little elevation change). Prior to today's trip my overall mileage has been barely over 27 mpg.
Tires are inflated to 34 psi, mechanically everything seems to be okay as far as I can tell. Even if all the stop and go driving significantly impacts mileage, I'd expect my 200 mile cruise today to have resulted in a better mileage figure.
I hope I'll eventually get to a 30+ mpg average as the car gets more broken in.
Anyone with suggestions?
Thanks!
To be fair though, I do it to myself. I average 80+ mph on the freeway, and even in the city, I'm pretty much a 'combat driver'... quick starts, sudden stops, and fast fast fast. I'm sure if I slowed down and took it easy, I'd do better.
For instance, I read somewhere that a 4-cyl Camry gets 30 mpg on the hwy if going 75 mph, but that shoots up to 35 mpg if the driver slows to 65, and hits 40(!) mpg if he drives 55.
Of course, where can you drive 55 without being a hazard to those around you? Nowhere in California, I'll tell you that. Someone would plow into the back of you. :surprise:
I guess I just ignore those folks that drive 80-90 and stay to the right (give them somewhere to go to pass me). I've noticed that there are more and more people driving slower - I find that I'm not the only non-18-wheeler driving 65 on the I-5 Grapevine any more.
Being a new model in the US, nobody here has a car that's even close to being broken in. You'll probably experience more power and mileage after 20-30K miles.
Let your cars loosen up before getting frantic over mileage numbers that don't seem high enough, especially on 1 or 2 tankfuls.
I have an Aveo (thinking about a Fit for next car) that's getting its best mileage now, at 70,000+ miles -- beating the EPA highway figure in combined highway/stop-and-go.
Strictly city commuting in a 4-cyl AT is a killer, though. Can easily chop 5-10 mpg off the car's best mileage.
Do you have the MT or AT?
Miles 337.8
Gallons 8.318
Avg MPG 40.61
Miles 337.8
Gallons 8.318
Avg MPG 40.61
Heh. Somewhere, the Cadillac Escalade and Ford Excursion owners are weeping.
40, 37.7, 41 mpg..
65 - 70 mph with A/C on.
They already are. My coworker is driving a leased GMC Envoy and he is seething to get rid of it since he pays around $60 a tank I believe.
Yes, there is much weeping amongst the Escalade/Excursion/Suburban/Navigator crowd right now. I just smile now when I go to the gas pump!
I mean, yeah, if you actually do NEED one, as in you have a huge family or like to go camping with everything but the kitchen sink, that's cool.
But if you're like the 80% of the monster SUV owners who buy one as a status symbol or to intimidate smaller vehicles (yes, I've encountered this) or because you think they're very safe (they aren't actually- much more vulnerable to rollover, and rollover crashes are a lot more likely to be fatal), then you're silly and I have no sympathy for your $80 fill-ups. :P
Monster SUVs, for all except the few who truly need them, really do belong on the ash-heap of history... this is one of the reasons that I actually HOPE gas stays at $3 a gallon indefinitely.
The Hummer H1 being put out to pasture is one hopeful sign:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/12/hummer.ap/index.html
I could never figure what the attraction of SUVs that don't have 4x4. Now I CAN see having a 4x4 and exploring places where the crowds aren't. Or putting the top down on a Wrangler when you're exploring some dirt trail up in the Sierra mountains. I still love to do that - that's why my daily driver shrank from an Unlimited to a Fit. It allows me to be able to afford the off-roading.
Miles: 336.5 MILES
Gals: 9.592 GALLONS
-------------------
35.081 MPG
Driving Mix: 60/40 City/Hwy
A/C use: 100% of the time
TO DATE FIGURES
Miles: 1547.8 MILES
Gals: 42.823 GALLONS
-------------------
36.144 MPG
The rational ones are already leaving the monster SUV camp... the semi-rational ones are starting to climb the fence.
But there IS a certain kind of well, let's just say it- thought-challenged type of individual who's holding onto their ill-thought out 11 mpg vehicles with a steely grip, whining piteously that its their God-given right to pollute the hell out of the atmosphere and make the USA more dependent on crazy Middle Eastern regimes and their oil.
THOSE fools probably won't 'get it' until and unless gas hits $5 a gallon. But at least they'll have a lot less company if current trends hold.
However, even those guys DO have a point... a lot of short solo trips can certainly be handled by bicycle, IF your city or town is bike-friendly. There's a lot of roads, though, that bicycles have no business being on. Simply too much traffic, moving too fast, with not much regard for human life. :surprise:
I have been reporting my MPG regularly. Right now my overall average is 36.144 MPG. My lowest reading ever was 34.4 and my highest was 39.313.
As far as your mileage goes, let's eliminate some variables:
Terrain: I drive in the same terrain
Climate: I drive in the same climate. Yes it's been hot except for today. I have been using the a/c almost 100% of the time.
Gasoline: we don't yet use the dreaded E85 ethanol gas here. That does hurt mileage. Where do you buy yours? (I get mine at Costco - 87 octane regular only)
Transmission: You have a/t and I have m/t. That will penalize you by about 2 MPG right there.
Tire Pressure: I increased mine to about 35 psi COLD (from the recommended (up from 32 psi). Check your tire pressure! If you adjust it, make sure it is the COLD pressure, when the car has not been driven for 4-5 hours.
Driving Mix: Overall my driving mix is about 50/50 city/hwy. What is yours?
Break-in Driving: I am past my 600 mile break-in. I have a total of about 1600 miles so far.
Other than that you may want to have the dealer check for a mechanical problem or possibly an odometer/speedometer problem. I've read that Toyota Scion owners experienced this and their main sympton was low MPG readings.
Does any of this shed any light? You can email me through mycarspace.com to see if I can think of anything else that may help.