Chrysler Pacifica Gas Mileage

captneumo

Hi - I and likely others are interested in hearing - what is your current Pacifica gas mileage? Ours is 14 City, 16 Hwy, 15 Combined - far below what was promised. Please let everyone know Year, City MPG, Hwy MPG, Combined MPG. Thanks!

dcgnlmg

I am getting the same gas mileage in mine. It is frustrating and expensive. I have a 2005 touring edition. I have gotten as low as 12.5 in the city, but fare about 18 on the hwy. I end up averaging about 15 overall.

sumcraze

We just bought the 2007 AWD Touring and are getting an avg. of 20.5 mpg...it's almost all highway miles. I also heard that this should improve as the car "gets used to" my driving, but I'm not holding my breath on this one!

qbrozen

darn. we're now at around 20k miles in our '05 and have never gotten that high, even on the highway. And you have the new bigger engine. congrats!

Jason5

Had one of my lowest average MPG's during the past several days while running the A/C and hauling more people. My "low" was 17.6 which included in town and daily round trip to work. My average prior to that was 19.4-20.5 combined in town and short highway trips to work and back--which are done at a good clip. My last highway trip--with just me and my luggage but at...um...."good" speeds was 24.5. I'm taking a similar long highway trip this weekend so I'll let you know.

qbrozen

that reminds me. We took ours on a trip to Long Island a couple of weeks ago and got our best mileage ever. 20.3 mpg average from start to stop. Terrain really does make a huge difference. We could never achieve that in Jersey due to constant elevation changes in the highways. The relatively flat cruising on LI drove our mileage way up.

aaron_t

I had a 2004 FWD from vehicle mileage 12k to 24k and got a little over 20mpg average for the 12k miles driven in 5 months. Mixed city/highway.

Jason5

First way, traveling at 75-85mph, just under 600 miles, average mpg was 24.1. On the return trip, slightly slower speeds, 25.6mpg.

wzakaras

04 pacifica AWD 37K miles

Hwy 19
City 16

OUCH!!

maverick195

Hi,
I leased a 2006 Pacifica in November 2006. According to the trip thing on the dash, I am currently getting 13.8 average daily millage. I has read 13.8 since the 1st day that I drove it out of the lot. It never changes. But, I am not satisfied. Thank GOD that they would only give me a 2 yr lease.
Does anyone know if maybe the dash reader is stuck and how can I reset it?
THANKS

b25nut

With the EVIC set on reading the Average Fuel Economy, press the Reset button below the Step button. I have found that I sometimes have to do this several times or hold the botton down a while before it resets. You'll know that it's been reset when it starts reading 30 mpg+ when you are coasting. I think you need to do it while it's in park, but I'm not sure.

qbrozen

you can reset it at any time.

maverick, how many miles did it have when you got it?

and, really, number of miles don't even matter. It could have sat still at the dealership at some point idling for hours (effectively registering 0 mpg). That will prevent you from getting the mileage number to raise for a LONG time.

But, forget the reading, what mileage do you ACTUALLY get? You have calculated it ... haven't you?

maverick195

it's about 14.

NOT GOOD

qbrozen

AWD or FWD?

personally, if i was confident it wasn't my driving or WHERE i drive that caused such poor mileage, I'd at least try resetting the ECU (disconnect the battery for a half hour). Then start all over again. If mileage is still bad, well, I would complain to the service department, but I'm sure they'd say its all find and dandy.

maverick195

AWD

waterdr

I have a 2007 AWD. I get as high as 25 - 27 on the highway and typically average 19 - 20 mph.

You NEED to use the cruise control and you will get much better fuel economy. The car's ECU does a much better job managing load then you can with your foot.

The Pacific is really no different then any other car. They suck in stop and go traffic and around town. I do get as low as 12 mpg around town.

My 2003 Saab 9-3 runs 32 - 34 on the highway and 15 mpg around town with a typical average of 26 mpg.

My 500 hp Mustang runs 21 mpg on the highway and about 12 mpg around town.....much less when having fun - lol

As far as the fuel computer, simply press the reset button twice and it will reset right away. These devices are pretty acurate, but expect them to read about 5% high. They do NOT actually measure fuel comsumption, but rather use the fuel tables which are built into the ECU to perform an estimate.

All fuel injector cars have fuel injectors. They are rated to deliver a certain amount of fuel per pulse. As the car adds load, the frequency and length of the pulses increases. The car's ECU makes this determination based on throttle position (TPS), air flow (MAF sensor), and finally the O2 sensor.

The O2 sensors determine if the car is running rich or lean, and adds fuel accordingly. The mpg computer assumes that the correct air fuel ratio is being maintained by the O2 sensors. But, the O2 sensors use narrow-band technology and are not as accurate as they could be. As such, the car "thinks" it is running say 13.2:1 ratio, when in fact, it might be running 12.5:1 and as such, you loose fuel economy directly proportional to the difference in the desired O2 level.

The way to fix this is to have the car tuned on a dyno by a qualified tuner assuming that the O2 sensors are working properly. The tuner will install a wide-band O2 sensor and run the car under hard load. The tuner can also adjust the air fuel ratio and adjust timing to get the proper tune that you want. You can either add hp, or increase fuel economy, but generally not both. The cost is about $500 - $700....it is not cheap. Or, you can simply have the air fuel ration checked for about $70.

If you have seen your mpg drop over time and your car has miles on it, the culprit is probably the O2 sensors. I have not replaced one on a Pac, but it is litterally a 20 minute job on my Mustang and the sensors are a few hundred $ usually. Always buy them from the OEM....the after-market ones usually don't work very well.

Hope this helps.

waterdr

BTW, keep your tire pressure up. I run mine at 40 lbs. Higher pressure will result in better mpg, but a stiffer ride. The manufacture recomends lower pressure for the ride quality.

qbrozen

Higher pressure will result in better mpg

As well as uneven and premature tread wear.

waterdr

Not true. The tires are rated for much higher pressure then what the car manufacturer recomends because their focus in on ride quality.

qbrozen

Well, I never go by the car manufacturer. I go by the pressure on the sidewall. Maybe your Pac's tires are different, but I'm pretty sure most tires still say 35 psi is ideal. Yes, their MAX pressure is higher, but that doesn't mean it won't adversely affect the tire to drive with them like that.

Edit: This is from tirerack's site:
A tire's "maximum inflation pressure" may be different that the assigned tire pressure used to rate the tire's "maximum load". For example, while a P-metric sized standard load tire's maximum load is rated at 35 psi, many P-metric sized standard load performance and touring tires are designed to contain up to 44 psi (and are branded on their sidewalls accordingly). This additional range of inflation pressure (in this case, between 36 and 44 psi) has been provided to accommodate any unique handling, high speed and/or rolling resistance requirements determined by the tire and vehicle manufacturers. These unique tire pressures will be identified on the vehicle placard in the vehicle's owner's manual.

So, what they are saying is, due to changes when the air heats up, rolling resistance, etc, a tire that is inflated to 35 psi COLD can handle more. But inflating to 40 psi COLD would then surpass the tire's manufactured limits when heated up and travelling at 70 mph with a full load.

madmacxxx

Like many others here, we are disappointed with the mileage we're getting from our 2004 AWD Pacifica. Around town we get 13 - 14 and on the highway it's about 17. Thinking about trading it in for the Highlander Hybrid . . . :mad:

waterdr

That is really poor. I have averaged 19 - 19.5 on the last two tanks and see 23 - 25 on the highway. Fuel economy should ntot be that different.....yikes.

BTW, you will be equally ticked about the Highlander Hybrid. While you will do better, plenty of people aggrevated about them as well when it comes to not matching the claimed MPG.

waterdr

I see the Highlander Hybrid is rated in the mid 20's, but folks claiming 20 - 21 mpg average....2 mpg better then what I am getting. All from a car that has a $35k - $40k MSRP and they get a premium for the Hybrids to boot.

I am just not convinced about Hybrids in general. Technology is just not there yet.....not worth the price to me.

farout

8000 miles and 20 to 22 in local hilly area, to 24.3 on 140 mile jaunt. I think 25 is a real mpg on a longer trip.

farout

98ddgram1500

First off the dash readout isn't 100%, the only real way to get your MPG is to take your trip mileage and divide it by the amount of gas used.
2005 Touring, AWD highway I get 18.5. there is a small portion of stop and go (bumper to bumper).
Its a decent car, good in snow, bad on gas. Front end is getting clunky, lets hope its not a ball joint.
Also is due for a tune up, and a timing belt. (80K miles). Just put on new tires by cooper, WOW much better than the junk stock tires.

farout

You might not know that the 07 has a 4.l engine and a 6 speed automatic, which makes better fuel mileage. I do not go by the computer, I use actual gallons used into the miles at the last fill up until now, However the computer is not very far off, compared to other Jeep Vehicles I have owned.

farout

waterdr

I have found the computer to be nearly spot on, but I have not had the car long. My Saab's computer reads consistently 5% high.

Most of these devices work by "calculating" the fuel consumption rather then measuring it. I don't know how the Pac works. On most cars the computer calculates fuel consumption by looking at fuuel injector pulse widths. Assuming the car has an accurate O2 sensor (which narror-band units are not the best), you can get a pretty close approximation.

The 6 speed helps a bunch on the newer ones I would imagine.

nuruc7

I just traded my 05 touring in on an 07 base AWD with the 4.0 L engine. I had 89500 on my 05, ,perfect car, no trouble with that car (it was slow though) and it stayed at 19 - 20 mpg on the highway (measured by noting the amount of gas to fill up after trips). I got a good deal on this newer car so I am also hoping that the improvements on the 07 are as good as they say as far as mileage (24 highway). One thing I would like to ask is in my 05 touring the EVIC, gave me a some estimates on fuel economy and distance to empty. This new car's EVIC does not provide the same info, it just tells me is there is an issue or it tells me the service interval - is there anyway to, simple to upgrade or fix this issue?

waterdr

I have a 2007 Limited AWD. The EVIC on my car provides the same info that you claimed your 05 did. I wonder if you have an issue or if it is just setup incorrectly.

Glad to see a PAC owner returning again for a new one.

How do you like the new motor and the 6 speed? Do you have a FWD or an AWD?

waterdr

Sorry to respond so slow....you are correct, but the pressure does not change by that much. I see an increase of about 2 to 3 lbs from cold to sustained highway speeds, but I also suppose it depends on ambient temps as well. I fully intend to pull a few lbs out in the summer.

On my Mustang I routinely run my pressure in the rear tires at about 26 psi as I need all I can to get traction. When drag racing, I drop it to 18 lbs and pump the fronts up to about 42.

The lower the pressure, the larger the footprint.

Lower pressure equals softter ride and better traction. Higher pressure equals firmer ride and better fuel economy. You just need to choose your battle and decide what you want.

nuruc7

Oh the new motor and transmission combination is quite strong. It does get there faster, a lot faster than the 05 touring I traded, and once it is there then is rides comfortably at 2k rpms at the same speeds or greater that the 05 would be running at 3k or better. So it looks like I will be saving a bunch on gas. I am pretty sure that car is not set-up correctly for EVIC. However it is telling me that 3 tires are under inflated and I am gonna review the manual to see if certain faults lock the reporting up until it is cleared/or the problem is corrected. Also I see in the manual that the cars come with the base speedo cluster and the Premium speedo cluster, and mine is a base model with AWD and the 4.0L, and it has the Premium speedo cluster and EVIC controls, so the EVIC is there but appears to be not working correctly. Hopefully there is no difference between the base, touring and Limited as far as the standard EVIC is concerned if it is installed. I know different options would not be present.

I will let you all know what is happening later after the dealer gets back to me. Yes I could not pass up the deal they were giving me to get me oput of my upside down 05 car with 89k on it. However the car did run great, no issues, and was a touring with full leather and most of the amenities. I will probably do this one like I did the last one and put in some add-ons. I added satellite and the DVD player and drop down scrren. This one comes with Sirius satellite so I am set there. Still debating on upgrading the seat upholstery to the comfortable leather. Don't have sunroof, but could get that installed - probably won't as, i really did not use it at all. I kinda opened the moon roof shade, but ended up not even using that. This has more headroom so I am fine.

nuruc7

Got the tires inflated to 35 each and the alarm cleared - EVIC still does not provide trip mileage or compasss readngs like the 05. I am still trying to find out what I can upgrade to on ths car - I checked up in the overhead console and there was no additional cable for the AutoDimming Uconnect Mirro like there is on the 05. I called Chrysler Customer Service and they could not tell me what the car could hae as options. They indicated that it did not list even UConnect as an option. They told me they could not tell if it was pre-wired or not, even though it has the Satellite/Cellular antenna installed :surprise:

The Options I really want for this car are:

Automatice Temperature Control
Uconnect
Multiswitch with both fog and Automatic headlights
DRLs activated

I also looked up what a 2007 Service Manual on CD would cost and it was $120, up 30 bucks from 2005.

Dunno if i want to spend that much on a car with a lifetime wraparound warranty :confuse:

miser1

Just purchased 2007 fwd Pac has 41000 km using regular gas posted just under 25 mpg if didnt have to stop for shopping would have exceeded 25mph. Will continue to monitor and post when results are in. Average speed probably 60-65 mph using cruise control. Very comfortable ride at that speed.

nuruc7

My mpg was averaging ~ 20, then all of a sudden it jumped by quite a bit. i used to go 4 days and then have to fill up again as I did with my 2005 Pac Touring, now with this 2007 AWD base, I can go 5 days and then fillup. I believe it has jumped up to about 23mpg - 19 gallons each fillup, and over 400 miles traveled

i have about 2500 miles on it now

nuruc7

I used to get the same type of performance on my 05 touring at the same level of speed and the longer I went the better. I got 23 - 24 mpg on 400 mile trips, and still had over 1/4 tank of gas left sometimes. great car but slow, the 2007 is a lot quicker and much easier to drive and with the larger mirrors and the slight body changes, it is much easier to see to the sides and behind you.

starcruiser

I just recently purchased a 2007 Pacifica and I am getting POOR gas mileage. What can I do to improve it. When it was purchased it only had 23,000 miles. (I have had the car exactly 2 weeks and we replaced the air filter and I am taking it into the dealer for an oil change so I can talk with them about the MPG) I am lucky if I get 16 miles to the gallon on the weekends when I do a lot of local driving and I get anywhere between 18 to 20 miles (20 MPG was at one fillup but mainly I get 18 MPG) to the gallon during the week driving mainly highway. Help!!!!!!!!! this is the first Chrysler I have ever owned and not sure if I want another one. Love the car but with the way gas prices are I am becoming disappointed.

qbrozen

FWD or AWD?

Your mileage matches mine, so I dunno what the problem is. It fits in the EPA estimates. But ours is AWD.

farout

You have not said if you have the 5 seat or 6 seat model. That makes a HUGE difference in what engine and transmission you have. The base 5 seat model with fwd has the 3.8 L engine with the 4 speed auto matic trans. The 6 seat (3 rows) has the 4. L engine with the 6 speed automatic trans. The mileage you are saying fits the 3.8 L engine, infact I would call that "excellent" for the 3.8 L with the 4 speed automatic.
However if you have the 4.L with the 6 speed automatic then the mileage is not the greatest. If this is what you have check the tire pressure, and I would suggest a good brand of 87 octane gas, not E-10, avoid any bio fuel! After the oil change you might see some difference, maybe. However the dealer you bought this from should have had all this done befor you bought it! Let us know how you make out! Welcome to the forum!

farout

nuruc7

I recently traded in a 2007 5 seat AWD with the 4.0L engine and at 2700 miles it was really starting to get very good gas mileage (22 - 25 on highway, almost 20 on the street), but I traded it in anyway. Now i have the touring with 6 seats and the mileage stunk at first and now it is climbing too. Maybe it is my driving style - hardly ever below 65 on the highway, or something else, but its gas mileage is starting to aproach the 5 seater with the same drivetrain and engine combination,.

nuruc7

OBTW, the car that I traded for had 13.5k on it, when i got it.

farout

Most of our driving around the lake is any where from 45 to 55 mph, with stop anbd go. We typically get 22 to 24 mpg here and on the freeway is the better mpg at 24 to 26 and every once in a while with a good tail wind we have got 28 mpg once. So We really think this is the best AWD vedicle we could ever get. Our PAC has 11,800 miles on it now.

farout

nuruc7

I think 28mpg would be the best any Pac would get! Probably going in a downhill direction, but it is a lot better than the 2005 touring I had. :surprise:

thimmaker

I used to get a consistant 23 to 23.5 on highway only trips of about 600 miles and 16 to 17 driving around town. With 110,000 on it, i'm down to 21-22 on the highway and 14-15 around town. It an 04 built in may of 03 and has the AWD. No complaints on mileage yet.

pssimon

A couple of questions as I debate whether to upgrade from a 2004 Pacifica FWD to a 2008 Pacifica, probably also FWD, but with the 4.0L engine.

Does the 4.0L require 89 octane or an I get away with 87? (that extra dime/gal is really annoying me :mad: )?

Right now with 116,000 miles on my '04, if I really work at it, I can get 23mpg on the highway. Will I do any better with the 4.0L and the 6 speed transmission?

All thoughts appreciated...

Paul in Southern NJ

farout

Paul: I have tried 89 twice in 15,300 miles, and it made no difference at all. Perhaps pulling a trailer at high altitude the 89 might give a little more pep. We have the AWD Touring, and get 22.4 in hilly stop and go traffic, and have an avrage 24 mpg combined mpg. Unless you get the Touring or Limited with FWD then you are NOT getting the 4.L 6 speed automatic. Unless its new you won't get the Lifetime warranty, so check it real good.

I would think the 08 would be a good bet.

farout

pssimon

Thanks for the insight.....

My plans are to locate a new Limited '08. I do not want a used one.

Are you sure about the 4L/6 speed combo in the Limited if its AWD? The way I read the Chrysler bragsheet, thats the only transmission that comes with the 4L. Still haven't decided whether I need the AWD..... my '04 doesn't have it and I seemed to do pretty well without it.

On the other hand, the person I carpool to work with has a Ford 500 with the AWD, and he loves it and says he can feel it kick in on wet pavement! I can't tell.

Can you tell when you change from FWD to AWD? Is it noticable? How can you tell it is actually doing anything?

Thanks....

Paul

farout

The only PAC that comes with the other engine and 4 speed automatic is the Base PAC. Allthe others have the 4.L engine. Sorry if I was not clear on that.
As for the AWD, my mpg is the sme as those that have the FWD. I don't think there is any change in AWD as it is always in all wheel drive. We live on a steep hill that has lots of gravel (large rocks) and dirt and mud and and ice sometimes in the winter. We had Jeep Liberty's before, and the PAC AWD does the job just as well except we are not getting beat up so bad! If the AWD was not working we would never make it up in the snow and ice.
You may have heard but Chrysler LLC was down 23% in sales last month, that hurt them bad. Most likely because that the PAC has about stopped being made (somethim this month) and there is a 77 day supply of vehicles and perhaps more than that with the PAC AWD you can get a super good deal now.
Last August we got $7,000. total off and 6.9% for 72 months. So we feel we got a good deal. That with the Lifetime Powertrain Warranty and we got the Max Care Chrysler Wrap Warranty and this just might be the last car we need to buy. (we are retired) Already owning a PAC and if you are getting 23 mpg you will surely do better with one of the new 08. The power of the 4.L is great and it goes quick and smooth. Hope this helps, let me know how it turns out.

farout

nuruc7

I have had 2 2007 AWDs with the 4.0, the base model and the touring model, both have the 6 speed engine with the 4.0L engine - very good gas mileage compared to the 2005 touring I had. The 2007 touring gets 24 or so on the Freeway, 20 or so on the streets (not a lot of stop and go )

ddunnings

I own a 2006 Pacifica Touring with 51,000 mi. First I changed the oil to Royal Purple synthetic oil. Then, I added a K&N oil and lifetime air filter. And finally I added a cyclone fuelsaver. The following is a list of MPG @ DIFFERENT speeds:
@ 45mph 33 mpg
@ 55mph 30.5 mpg
@ 62 mph 29.1 mpg
@ 70 mph 27.0 mpg

waterdr

Hey, everything is looking for the "fountain of youth" when it comes to getting better MPG. Synthetic oils have very little impact. There have been tons of independant studies done and none have shown this. Also, additives don't work either. IF, a motor has that much friction such that changing oil would save fuel, there would be enough heat produced that the motor would melt. K&N filters will provide a legitmate improvement of a few %. You might actually see a 1 mpg improvement from one. I use them.

Cyclone fuel savers are completely, 100% bogus. First, someone has to prove that simply taking air and swirling it does anything, THEN you need to explain how the swirling effect is then able to bend around corners and angles in the upper intake. Let us not forget too that the air enters the combustion chambers by way of valves which open and close. If you have ever seen what an upper intake looks like, you would not have installed one.

In fact, these devices can actually make complete havick of your MAF. The MAF is designed to measure airflow in the intake. It is imperative that the flow be laminar in order for them to function properly and the sample tube is designed as such.

As to your data, unless you were driving on a flat surface for many miles at these speeds and verified with fill-ups, the data is not very accurate. The MPG reading uses data provided by the ECU off of the fuel tables. In the event that the MAF is now reading correctly, it is entirely possible that the car is now running incredibly lean.

judykathleen

My 2004 Pacifica is in the toilet regarding gas mileage. It gave me a readout of 14.5 average. Is this an eye opener for any other owners? I'm thinking tune up, fuel filter, air filter or something cold help, or is this just the nature of the beast (bad mpg)?