Kia Spectra: MPG-Real World Numbers

PF_Flyer

With the price of fuel being what it is, the mileage you're getting is becoming more important. This is the place to discuss the mileage performance you're getting out int he real world.

hickenb

Just drove 333 miles,fill was 10 gallons. Looks like that is 33 M.P.G.2006 Spectra EX with 3000 miles. Seems good to me.

sheerwater

I know for a fact I don't get anywhere near what it said on the window sticker when I bought the car a year and a half ago. The best highway milage I have gotten has been 26MPG and I usually get 20MPG driving around town.

theolus

I drive 38 miles a day round trip to work.. I now have 22K miles on my EX. In mixed driving I usually get 30MPG... My last tank was mostly highway with three people I got 33MPG.... My highest MPG was a 252 mile trip by myself which was only highway- 36MPG.... The more miles I put on my spectra, the better the mileage seems to get.... When I first got it, I would get 26 - 28 in mixed driving... I am very pleased with my mileage on this car... In most cases I equal or exceed the EPA estimates....

kentuckyranger

I hope you're right because I just bought the 2006 Spectra 5, I drive 100 miles round trip to work and so far with 3000 Miles on it I'm only getting 26 MPG.
That's nowhere close to the 34 MPG they advertised.
I thought the Milage would improve after a few thousand Miles,I have my fingers crossed but after 3000 Miles I've stopped holding my breath... :confuse:

kentuckyranger

Good news about My Spectra5.
When I first purchased this Car I was worried about the Gas Millage after reading this post. Well, Here are some nubers and they are very good! This is mixed driving with the majority being my 100 Mile Commute to work Mon-Fri, driving 15 Miles to the Grocery and just puttering around tow visiting Family and Friends. I can't wait to go on a long trip where it's all Highway Miles. Anyway, here are the numbers, I've calculated every tank since I bought the Car and averaged the numbers. The last Odometer was today at the Gas Station.
Milage/MPG
0-1,000/24
1,000-2,000/26
2,000-3,000/28
3,865/31
As you can see, as the Spectra breaks in the millage is increasing at a very nice linear rate.
I'll keep posting here as the Miles rack up! :shades:

kentuckyranger

Before everynoe calls B/S on the fact that the numbers on My first post and the one I just made hang on, is because the Millage was at 2,800 Miles and I hadn't filled up till I had 3,122 Miles.
The Millage took quite a nice leap between fillups and as I said, I'm averaging tanks, using Thousand Mile increments as a benchmark. :P

prosource1

DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT IS ON THE WINDOW by the EPA. These are not accurate and most people get 20% less due to real world conditions. Noone drives 50mph all the time on flat ground. If you are getting anything over 20 in city driving and anywhere near 30mpg around town, you are doing well.

kentuckyranger

!!!ALERT!!!
I just filled up and did the math on the last tank.
I filled up at a different Gas Station (Sell vs Marathon)
The Tank of Shell Gas actualy made My milage drop!
I only got 24 mpg on Shell Gas!
There was no difference in Driving habits, everything was the same pertaining to the other Tanks exept the fact that I filled up at Shell.
All I can say is no more Shell for this Car! :P

pat

Was the Shell formulated with ethanol and perhaps your other gas was not?

Here in my part of Virginia, ALL gas is 10% ethanol for the summer - that has lowered my mileage. :mad:

kentuckyranger

Very good point! I'll have to check and see, it wasn't advertised as being a mixed blend.
The drop in Millage would be OK if the price was allot lower, but it isn't and that sucks!
I know it's not the Car. My last tank the milage went back up to 31 mpg so it has to be something with Shell's blend.

pat

The ethanol formulated gas here is not any lower in price, if anything it's higher ... let us know.

spectraman

I computed a record 35.9 mpg with my Spectra last night over 150 miles.

I made 3 40+ mile trips on the highway, and then decided to fill up early. I even squeezed extra gas in after it shut off. Cruise control was used a lot, and the A/C was off for at least one of the runs. Four people were in the car for two of the trips though.

The funny thing is, the previous mileage check which included heavy A/C use and no highway driving only came in at 23 mpg. I also ran the tank down to nearly empty before filling.

I can definitely vouch for the highway/cruise control effect on MPG!

Btw, my car has 24k+ miles on it, and the automatic trans.

-SM

kentuckyranger

Great! I hope that when Fall gets here and I can run without the AC I'll see a big improvement in Milage.
With the new rotary compressors car manufacturers use today I'm not sure if the Millage would improve that much though.
I had a 68 Chevelle Malibu and I could get a 10 mpg increase by turning the AC off and rolling the Windows down.
Of course, the AC compressor was almost as big as the engine in My Spectra...

spanglespectra

I have 3500 miles on my 2006 Spectra 5 and so far I am averaging 30 mpg with daily driving and have obtained as high as 36 while highway driving but the norm is usually around 33-34 mpg. I should note that I use my A/C a lot but also am easy on the throttle. I usually shift around 3200-3800 RPM and always use the cruise control on the highway. The lowest I have ever gotten on the highway is 29 mpg with 3 adults, 2 kids, a full load of luggage, the AC on and going over a mountain pass.

So far I am thrilled with the gas mileage and the car.

spanglespectra

Update. Just got back from a weekend road trip. My best average on a tank of gas was 37.5 mpg while traveling a relatively flat stretch of highway with no a/c on setting the cruise at 64 mph. My worst was 30 mpg while loaded up with camping gear and climbing a lot of hills.

smalltown

I have a 2005 Spectra5 with a little over 30,000 miles. My "check engine" light would come on and go off in a day or two a few times a month for the past 3 or 4 months. The dealer was finally able to isolate it to a bad CO2 sensor. After a replacement under warranty, my mileage improved a little. On the highway it went from 29.5 to 32.5 MPG. In town MPG went up about 5%.

lamronh49

I've gotten anywhere from about 24 to 38. I need to update my MPG chart, I was keeping an overall tally but I stopped about six weeks ago. I believe I will get 40 or better in strictly highway driving, if I don't have to use E10.

lamronh49

OK, I found and updated my graph paper.
First tank was 36.6, and from there I've gotten 31.0, 21.9 (two tanks of E10), 31.9, 30.7, 26.2, 29.6, 33.7, 29.5, 39.9, 31.1, 35.5, 32.5, 26.1, 37.2 on last tank.
Total of 3729 miles, 115.76 gallons = 32.2 MPG overall.

mityhid

I get anywhere for 27-32. Mostly shorter trips, but have taken it on some longer trips and can't get any better than 32.
Could be that I don't have cruise but for some reason on my 06 it wasn't installed.
Even though it has been on every automatic that I see. What's up with that KIA?

lamronh49

Cruise is optional on most/all Spectras. Mine had it ($250) and pinstripes ($0) but it was not standard on most Spectras.

mityhid

But I have yet to see it on a manual transmission car(which I have).
Test drove an automatic before I bought mine, and it had cruise.

Ripp1971

I have a 2008 Kia Spectra5 5 spd manual transmission.I am getting around 30 MPG running around town and 35 on the HWY running at 78mph on cruise control im sure if I slowed it down to 65 or 70 it might have gotten around 38 to 40 MPG... The only Modification I made was to add a K&N air filter which increased the air flow to the engine. I plan on adding a cold air intake to it which will boost the Horse Power and also allow even more air flow to the engine which will increase the fuel economy.

cmhj2000

Increasing air flow will not improve the mileage on an EFI engine.

lamronh49

Since my 37.2, I've gotten 25.9, 28.6, 29.0, 24.3 (winter snows begin), 27.9, and 33.4 on the last tank. Overall average at this point is just under 32.
I would expect at least 35 on a road trip, and given a 14.5 gallon tank, that gives a stretch-out range with one gallon reserve is over 470 miles.
At 38 MPG that makes 513, and 40 give you 540. IMO that's doable.

bbb99

How much did you guys pay for your spectra? They are advertising 09's for $7900.

Ripp1971

Be careful with that one it must not have anything but an engine ... Be sure to find out what its got. If you can get the SX model it will have a few more sporty upgrades body kit 16 inch rims etc.. Mine was 18500 but with my trade in I got out the door for 12,500....

lamronh49

This will be an LX stick w/o air. Base model.
That's a good price, lowest I've seen them around here is about $10,000. Figure $1,000 for AC as a dealer-added option, you're still getting a new car for 9 grand. Hard to beat that deal.

These purchase price posts should go in the purchase price thread. There is one specifically for that topic.

harley4jcs2

This type of add is well know as bait & switch..Legally they have to have one BUT I can guarantee, U will never see it nor will they actually sell it..They need it to run the add..I would suggest that U not do business with this type of scum dealer. NOW to the actual topic of the thread.......Just bought a 07 with 44k on the clock. Paid 5K for the little squirt. Drove it 200 miles home at 70-80 MPH and it returned 35.6 MPG..YAHOOOOOO

marley0730

Long drive -- averaged 35 MPG. As for city, maybe 30? Still haven't made a marker for short trips and calculated.

What a great little car: New '09 Spectra EX.

With Cash for Clunkers, we got it out the door (with an $8500 discount) for $10097, including taxes/fees.

Should've low balled the dealer -- car salesman said Kia doesn't do it, which I wasn't really buying.

Sticker price/MSRP was $17250 (plus $1100 taxes/fees) -- not sure why it ended up as $10097, but we'll take it.

If you're curious about our discount, it was $3500 factory offer, $4500 clunker and $500 credit union membership.

jharrelson

July 09 .. I bought an 07 Spectra with 42000 miles on it, from Reno Kia for a total "out-the-door" price of $7000 with $500 trade-in.. and it came with a year warranty, plus I bought a three year extended warranty.

it was originally an Enterprise Rental car that dealers bid and buy in groups of 10 or 20 vehicles and then have big "Blow Out" sales to attract customers into their dealerships.

So Far - So Good... no problems and am totally satisfied with the car and price I paid.