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Toyota Matrix: MPG-Real World Numbers
With the price of gas being what it is, your real world mileage is becoming more important than the estimates on the sticker. This is the place to talk about your real world on the road results!
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Comments
Jim
I live in NYC, so I spend a lot of time in 1st and 2nd gears.
I have been in a lot of long bumper-to-bumper jams - getting 30mpg on those tanks.
I also took a road trip upstate - 660 miles round trip, highway, of course - got over 35.
It's also been very rainy this past month, so I've needed the defogger often, which turns on the A/C, which probably cuts into the mileage a bit.
As Toyota advertises 30/36, I have no complaints.
Supposedly, after 5K, it's supposed to get better, which would be gravy for me.
I love this car except for the following:
1.) Don't buy a black one with black interior. Very hard to keep clean inside and out. 2.) Non-existent illumination on the left side dash controls and steering column mounted controls. Difficult at night to find switches. 3.) Brakes are only adequate at best. XRS has 4-wheel disc but who wants to buy premium gas for a compact car? 4.) Parking brake handle is at an awkward angle in the off or disengaged position. It looks like it's pulled-up or engaged when it's not compared to every other vehicle I've every owned with a center console mounted parking brake lever.
I love this car!!
Cheers,
Steve/OHIO
We took a long 4000 mile trip a few months ago. Averaged 32-33 mpg. Not bad considering part of the trip was in CO mountains and we do not drive slow (75-80 mph).
Just drove to Santa Barbara from Phoenix. A/C on about 90% of the time with temps up to 115 degrees. Averaged right at 30 mpg traveling at 80-85 mph. Like I said we do not drive slow.
In town, 25-28 mpg. Our mileage has improved past 10,000 miles. Very satisfied with these numbers!!!
I bought my 2006 Matrix XR (4WD Auto) in Atlanta with 20k on it already, and drove it all the way to CT. With synthetic oil, i am getting about 37-38 MPG on the highway. Around town it's around 26.
I drive the speed limits all the time (yes, really,) and accelerate fast when i think i should. So, the EPA MPG is about right for me around town, and much lower than actual on the highway.
Average MPG is not as good as i was hoping to have (31 MPG,) but much better than my previous V6 Crapsler Concorde. Hopefully, i can afford a hybrid next time, in a few years... :-)
In high altitude mountainous areas (Colorado) this car is dangerously underpowered. I had to pull in behind the trucks crawling along at 20 mph because I couldn't get enough speed to safely get in the faster lane.
That was a short tank because I was headed up to Yosemite, and there's no gas in the park. The first full tank should come this week, and I will report back. So far I'm at 350 miles on the current tank, and the gauge is only down to about 1/3 tank. This one might get close to 40 if I'm lucky! :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
374 miles, 11.2 gallons, 33-1/3 mpg. :-)
I also discovered that the fuel light comes on with about 11 gallons used, that's what, 2.4 gallons left in the tank?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Here's hoping! :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Love the car.
Cignal
I was a little disappointed, but not a big deal. I still quite fond of the little car. Seeing some of the other mileage stats makes me wonder if something might be wrong? It's well maintained, fresh air cleaner, and so on.
Any thoughts on this? Or did I just get one that's at the lower end of the curve?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
We are back to the summer gas around here now, plus it has been very temperate lately, no really cold mornings, not much A/C use in the afternoons, all of which has helped. Plus one day I was ferrying people back and forth for much of the day, probably did more than 100 miles in a single day that day.
But still, it was nice to see the 36 mpg reading. Mine is an '07 XR 5-speed, now with about 2600 miles on it.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
'24 Chevy Blazer EV 2LT
How fast is that highway driving?
suydam - I think the Matrix/Vibe is a good choice, especially with a stick shift. The Honda Fit is a little smaller outside, but just as roomy inside (remarkably so). It should also get slightly better mpg than a Matrix. Stay with the stick shift though, autos use a lot more fuel in traffic as they are always fighting the torque converter at idle, and can't coast.
I live in Northern Virginia, and I took a trip to Blacksburg. Yes, that Blacksburg. I took it easy - lots of cops around. Drove about 65-70 and only got about 34 MPG. But, it is uphill almost the whole way, and inclines do pull a bit on the engine. On the way back, I got 41 MPG. Really. No lie. And I flew - 75 the whole way back. But, it is downhill the whole way, and I've found that if I'm going downhill, I can shift into neutral and coast for miles, adding a bit to the MPG stat. I don't go below the speed limit, and no, it doesn't harm the engine or the clutch.
I drove to Philadelphia this past weekend, and went there and back on less than a tank of gas (plus intown driving around Philly and those hated tolls) and got 37 MPG.
I have seriously cut back on my lead foot tendencies, and have tried to become a more gentle driver. I very much wanted to cut my use of gasoline, and buying this car was a large part of it. Except for my trips, I usually do not have other passengers, and I keep the car empty of all but the essentials.
I love this little car. It isn't a hot rod, but then, I'm not 18 any more...
Go Hokies!
I was pretty encouraged by that mileage. I think if I were nursing it a bit more (I did a fair amount of passing at speeds of 80 or more), I could pull 40 mpg out of it, and given the size of the car and the decent performance it has, that meets and maybe exceeds my expectations.
It has the 5-speed stick, of course. In the bad old days of my automatic Matrix, I ran about 31 mpg in town, and 36 was about the best I ever got out of it on the road.
Oh, and as far as around town, I am getting a very reliable 34-35 mpg, that almost never varies from that narrow range. I am just about at 5000 miles now, so that average covers a fair distance driven.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
OTOH, if the terrain is NOT mostly flat, you will be able to anticipate the hills (and allow speed to drop on steep or long ones) and the cruise won't, so you will be better at improving fuel economy in that scenario.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Slowing down and taking it easy behind the wheel to save gas is important to me for a number of reasons. My nephew is in Iraq, I do not support this war, I think it is unpatriotic to waste energy. (But then, I've always felt that way. I was just a kid during the 1973 oil embargo, but I remember it well.) I'm spending some of my gas savings on a care package for my nephew
Anyway, it has required some serious effort to slow down but it has been worth it. My commute is only 8 miles - most of the speed limits are 35 or 45 - none over 45. So it's a lot of stop and go, and a lot of opportunities to slip into neutral and coast. The 37 around town is good, but I'm hoping to improve on it. Keep the car completely empty of all extra junk - every little bit helps.
Last night's fill was 11.1 gallons, 390 miles, which is a solid 35 mpg and change. That is all suburban running about, no highway trips in there. My mileage actually seems to be getting a little better now that the engine is getting more broken in. :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
439 miles, 11.0 gallons, I'm going to call that 40!
Did a bunch of driving today coming back from there, all interstate highway, 70-75 mph with occasional faster bursts, A/C running about 3/4 of the time, got 37.5.
Obviously slowing down works a lot better to boost mileage in this model than trying to go easy on the A/C use.
'07 XR, 5-speed, now at 8600 miles (and still no weird signs or sounds from the Goodyear Eagles, treadwear looks even too).
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Gas is up to $3.10/gallon in my area, I am almost up to 10K miles in my not-new-any-longer 'Trix, and my running average is still above 35 mpg. This car truly is transformed with the stick shift, I must say. Not only is it more fun to drive, but the fuel economy is a solid 3 points better for me. It still only takes about $30-32 to fill it up after the low fuel light comes on, and I can go 400 miles between fills. :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)