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Real world gas mileage for sedans

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Comments

  • gubtelgubtel Member Posts: 3
  • gubtelgubtel Member Posts: 3
    95 Nissan Altima with 134,000 miles, averages 26-28 m.p.g. on my 40 mile (one-way) commute, mostly highway (65-75mph)
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    1996 Isuzu Oasis(Honda Odyssey) 30 mpg @70 mph 27 mpg @ 75 mph 20 mpg around town. 2.2liter 4- cyl

    1990 Acura Integra (5-speed) 40 mpg @ 60 mph, 36 mpg @70 mph, 32 mpg @75-80 mph (no cruise control) 26 mpg around town. 1.8 liter 4- cyl.

    1980 VW Scirocco (5-speed) 43 mpg @ 60 mph 37 mpg @ 70 mph Always above 30 mpg in city driving. 1.6 liter 4-cyl.

    2000 VW Passat wagon (5-speed manual) 39 mpg @ 60 mph. 35 mpg @ 70 mph. Lifetime average is over 30 mpg. 1.8 liter turbocharged 4-cyl.

    1990 Toyota Corolla wagon (5-speed manual) 48 mpg @ 60 mph, 43 @ 70 mph, 38 mpg @ 75+ mph. About 30 around town. 1.6 liter 4- cyl.
  • fastpaulfastpaul Member Posts: 11
    New - 3300 miles - average 19.5mpg (trip computer)in 70:30 city:highway driving. Seems a little low - ?not broken in/heavy foot! Two previous Audis also seemed less frugal than comparable performance cars. I'll wait and see if it improves.
  • jpelderjpelder Member Posts: 235
    Drove this car 1-1/2 weeks in Georgia summer heat (translation, air conditioning full blast). Over 3 tankfuls of gas:

    Mixed driving: 32 MPG

    Highway: 34.5 MPG

    Why drive a small car?
  • bertram60bertram60 Member Posts: 113
    Here are some averages
    1999 Porsche Boxster 5 spd - 3,500 miles - 15mpg city 19mpg highway
    1998 Audi A6 2.8 - 36k miles - 18mpg city - 26mpg hgwy
    1998 Ford Explorer 5.0 V8 43k miles - 16mpg city - 22mpg hgwy
    2000 ML430 V8 19k miles - 18mpg city - 24mpg hgway
    2000 Audi A8 4.2 quattro 43k miles - 19mpg city - 28mpg hgwy
    2001 BMW X5 4.4 6k miles - 18mpg city - 24mpg hgwy.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    2002 VW Jetta 1.8T Tiptronic:

    700 miles on the car, averaging 21.5 mpg with 70/30 highway/city split. Not too bad for a "green" engine I don't think. And I am using premium fuel too.
  • crackerjack_17crackerjack_17 Member Posts: 6
    All of our cars have a trip computer, so these are according to those averages.
    city/hwy
    1990 Chevrolet Beretta Indy 3.1 V6 5 spd -------- 22/34
    60,100 miles
    1992 Pontiac Bonneville 3.8 V6 Automatic ------ 19/27
    62,800 miles
    1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.2 V8 Automatic - 15/19
    41,000 miles
    2001 Dodge Ram 4x4 5.9 V8 Automatic --------- 12/17
    2,500 miles

    The Grand Cherokee is quite a dissapointment, but it has Qudra-Drive, so it is always in four wheel drive. The Beretta and Bonneville are a true testament to GMs gas mileage. The Ram is barely broken in, so hopefully the mileage will improve.
  • bobparks1bobparks1 Member Posts: 6
    This car is conservatively driven about five over the speed limit. Mix of city and expressway driving. 17 to 18 miles per gal. This car is great except for the noise. I suspect it was not properly soundproofed. Bob Parks
  • echosoxechosox Member Posts: 6
    Aging '94 Nissan Sentra (automatic) got about 24 mpg city, 28 mpg at 75mph+, and about 35 mpg when cruising around 60mph.

    '01 Toyota Echo (automatic) gets about 33 mpg in traffic, about 38-39 mpg at 75mph+, and about 45-46 mpg at 60mph or so.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    Drove 441.40 miles and it took 9.892 gallons to fill the tank. This translates to 44.61 miles to the gallon for a 2001 Toyota Echo with a manual transmission.
  • jsylvesterjsylvester Member Posts: 572
    Why ever buy a Prius? I don't see the advantage, as it is similar in size to the Echo.
  • miagarfuncklemiagarfunckle Member Posts: 51
    Anybody out there have an 89 Ford Taurus because I consistently drive 8.5 miles one way in fairly consistent stop and go traffic and can only seem to get 18-20 mpg. One time on all highway with the car loaded to the max and 70-75mph got 34mpg.
    I live in Az and all cars get worse in the summer as A/C is on and 105+ temps. Without the a/c and
    60-75 temps Taurus sucks in town. Anyone else have this problem.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    That's actually about average in town for a V6 engined car. 20mpg is pretty good in stop and go driving, especially with the AC on.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    2001 chevy malibu - V6 170hp engine (7200 miles)

    100 % highway - 28-31mpg (depends on how fast i drive @28 - 75-80 mph, @31 mpg - 60-70 mph)

    50 - 50 city/highway - 23-24 mpg

    80 - 20 city/highway - 22 mpg (worst tank of gas so far with vehicle)
  • jpelderjpelder Member Posts: 235
    All of these vehicles come with the front and rear air conditioners:

    1998 Grand SE (3.0 V-6) 23-24 Mixed

    2000 Grand SE (3.3 V-6) 21-22 Mixed

    2001 Grand LE (3.8 V-6) 23-24 Mixed
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    ........remember, that's a 13 year old car with a V6 and weighs over 3000 pounds. I don't know how you ever got 34 on the highway.

    I have a 90 Saab 900S 5-speed (4 cylinder, non-turbo). I typically get 20-24 in the city, and 26-28 on the highway.
  • isseyvooisseyvoo Member Posts: 121
    1992 Chevy Cavalier, 2.2l 4 cyl., 5 sp. manual: Never lower than 21 in winter/city, never higher than 40 summer/highway. Generally high 20s city, low to mid 30s highway. 93K miles

    2001 Olds Alero, 2.4l 4 cyl., 5 sp. manual: lowest, 25, highest, 29, mixed driving. 4.5K miles.
  • supremesupreme Member Posts: 38
    12-22-2001
    Well folks, 2000 Kia Sephia, prime feature:
    low cost, $8600 incl tax & title in service
    April 2000 reached 37,417miles December 18,
    2001. Measuring Nov 4, 2001 @ 35,191mi; 68.48 gal;
    2,336 miles; yield 32.51 mpg combination town & country. It gets the job done and still a heck of a good looking vehicle.(it may have gone two weeks without being washed since purchase).
  • britton2britton2 Member Posts: 305
    excellent vehicle - last tank (city driving) averaged 31.5 MPG using 89 octane
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    You are wasting gas money, putting 89 in that Corolla. It calls for 87, and using a higher octane in such a new car only hurts it (carbon build-up). Cut back to 87.
  • offset_98offset_98 Member Posts: 31
    1994 Mercedes C220
    24 city 30 hwy

    1995 Nissan Altima
    23 city 28 hwy

    1996 Ford Explorer
    15 city 17 hwy

    2002 BMW X5
    16 city 19 hwy
  • britton2britton2 Member Posts: 305
    I agree with you that 89 octane is not a requirement - but I do like to alternate between 87 and 89 - the only difference is about 2 more MPG using the 89 - I ran my '86 Honda Civic on the mid-range gasoline probably 70% of the time - I had it for 14 years/7 months - the car had no major mechanical problems the entire time I owned it - in addition - a Toyota mechanic said that 87 octane gas is more like 85...89 like 87, etc
  • homerkchomerkc Member Posts: 113
    After reading some of these figures, I am pleased with my current cars, both mid-priced, mid-sized American made sedans. My 1998 Malibu (6 cyl) gets 20 mpg around town, and 30 on pure highway travel. My 2000 Intrepid (2.7l) delivers 30 on the highway (even over the Rockies) and 26 in my commute, which is 75% highway. I don't think I could do much better in a much smaller car. My brother drives a Ford Focus hatchback, with 5 speed, and his mileage isn't much different than my Intrepid.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    The 2.7 6 in the LH cars is known for delivering high fuel economy for a larger car.
  • tgozdalskitgozdalski Member Posts: 5
    with 25% city and 75% highway average mileage is 28.5 m.p.g. Usually I travel at about 85 m.p.h. on the highway.
    Tom
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    In my '97 5-speed bmw 328i has been 26.7 MPG. I'd estimate that that reflects perhaps 60% "city" driving which includes some highway commuting. I drive sportily but i keep mileage (and tickets!) in mind, too.

    I've seem my daily average vary between 20-25 and gotten between 30-34 on highway trips.

    dave
  • belljobelljo Member Posts: 15
    The Avalanche has 8K miles in the last 8 weeks, continues to ave 17.5, no in town driving at all. The 914, 2.0L , 1976 continues to produces excellent results, ave Hiway mileage is 30, that's after 162K miles and still going strong.
  • kirbstoykirbstoy Member Posts: 53
    Background on the car:
    2001 Ford Focus, 5-sp. transmission, K&N air filter, use Mobil-1, 5W-30. Commute driving: (about 50/50) highway and city - average 24.5-25.5 mpg. Freeway only: average 31.4 mpg.
    Note: these averages go down about 2 mpg in the spring/summer when the a/c is used extensively.
    Also, because the car is underpowered, I use higher shift points which lowers mileage. Its the best overall commute car I've had in the past 34 years - just three to retirement!
  • kmbusakmbusa Member Posts: 1
    1.8T automatic
    25-30 mpg
    89 octane (as VW recommends)
    The trick is not to flog it!
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    With or without A/C, it makes little difference: our 2000 Alero with 3.4L V6, 4spd auto gets 34mpg (U.S.) on the highway. We tend to travel at 110 km/h (68mph).

    Overall, so this would be "mixed driving", we are getting around 28 mpg. Altogether we're quite happy with that, and that's for an engine with 34,000 miles on it now.

    Comparatively, our former 1993 Corsica (3.1L V6, 3spd auto) got 28mpg highway, and around 22mpg overall. Running with A/C dropped highway mileage to around 26mpg.

    Going further back, but there's still some of this "version" on the road, my '87 Taurus (3.0L V6, 4spd auto) would get 26mpg highway without A/C and 22 mpg with A/C.

    When I look at this overall, it's interesting that I've been going to larger & larger displacement V-6's, and getting more & more power, but at the same time - because these are newer designs and have better engine management systems - getting increasing gas mileage. The lack of effect of A/C on our current Alero is really surprising. We'll see if that holds true with more experience.
  • scrajscraj Member Posts: 10
    SFO - Bay Area

    Pontial Bonneville Ssei 1996 (Loaded to the gills in 96)

    City : 21-24 mpg
    Freeways : 27-30 mpg

    Ford Mustang (Base Coupe - Auto) - 1996

    City : 22-24 mpg
    Freeways : 26-29 mpg
    (It was giving me nearly 32 mpg for nearly 4 months in a previous job where i was driving 52 miles (one way) and all on freeways againts traffic)
  • y2112yzy2112yz Member Posts: 19
    2001 Buick Regal GS with the 3800 Series II supercharged V6 with the Hydra-Matic 4T65-E transmission w/ heavy duty gearbox. 24,000 miles.

    City:16-18 mpg; 15 mi trip to work at 40-50 mph with stop lights in Chicago suburbs.
    Highway 27-30 mpg; depends on how many times I stand on it from a tollbooth or punching it to get around a slow poke. Same for the city.

    I also switched to Shell Premium instead of Amaco Ultimate a few months back and the mileage did go up by .5 to 1.5 mpg, plus the performance is better with Shell.

    But, with any of the Supercharged 3800 Series II vehicles (Grand Prix, Regal, Park Avenue, Bonneville) most are rated in the 18/27-28 range.
  • britton2britton2 Member Posts: 305
    4 speed automatic - 34 MPG, city driving - this is the best I have gotten so far - have had the car for almost a year - on fueleconomy.gov, they give you tips on obtaining better MPG - I followed their advice and it's paying off - the sticker on my car said city would be 30 and highway 39 - this car has exceeded my expectations!
  • lmacmillmacmil Member Posts: 1,758
    Same 1450 mile trip: Indiana to NYC and back, almost all at highway speeds: 70-78 mph.

    2000 Intrigue with 3.5l: 30.0 mpg
    Explorer with 4l ohv V-6: 16.6 mpg
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    1982 VW Rab DSL PU: 37city/44hwy
    2000 Solara SEV6/5spd: 24city/32hwy
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  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    5-speed manual
    All highway: 54mpg
  • th83th83 Member Posts: 164
    Best City: 20mpg(kept it under 3k rpm)
    Worst City: 13mpg(floored it a lot)
    Best Highway: 24mpg(easy 200 mile cruise)
    Worst Highway 20mpg(80mph with periods of 100-120mph during return from 200-mile trip)
  • 06mike06mike Member Posts: 13
    307, 3-Speed slush bucket Turbo-Hydromatic, 2 barrel Rochester (remember those?)Vinyl top---a real barn door aerodynamically
    15 city, 20 highway unleaded reg--cheapest I can find
  • cxshortiecxshortie Member Posts: 15
    02 Galant 15% highway, 85% city 325 miles per gallon

    94 Mirage; best mileage 600 per tank, Spring of 99; 95% highway; Average of 400-425 per gallon
  • lgoldinlgoldin Member Posts: 90
    I'd love to have a car with 400 MPG!!!! Does it work from solar energy or just drink pepsi instead of gas? 8-)
  • britton2britton2 Member Posts: 305
    varies between 30- 32 MPG city
    39 hwy
  • bill731bill731 Member Posts: 16
    Ecotec 2.2L engine,5 speed manual.Only 1000 miles on car. Very few city miles as we live in the country.

    First fill up 50%short trips/50%55 mile trips= 30 MPG

    2nd fill up 20% short trips/200 mile roundtrip=34.59 MPG

    3rd fill up 50%short trips/50%55 mile trips=32.78 MPG.

    Can not complain so far. This car weighs in at just over 3,000 lbs.
  • lfanlfan Member Posts: 61
    . . . Getting 38 mpg, 70% highway, 30% stop and go. BTW, the range is excellent with over 420 miles between fill-ups. IMO, the low end torque is excellent for a compact. So, I rarely have to shift above 3500 rpm in normal traffic flow.
  • wwhite2wwhite2 Member Posts: 535
    99 Saturn SC2 5spd 90K mi already .Used for commute, 1 mi to highway ,70 mi on highway and 1 mi off highway then I get to do it again for the way home. Get a constant 36 mpg
  • dougd7dougd7 Member Posts: 71
    275,000 miles. Average mpg is 26.5 mpg. Best observed - 28.5 mpg. Worst - 22 mpg. Currently used as a commuter car , 58 miles one way, 70% hwy, 30% stop/go. Original owner.
  • manavimanavi Member Posts: 150
    5 speed manual - 4 cylinder

    mixed driving: usually about 29 MPG

    ... and I like to go!
  • bigzheng17bigzheng17 Member Posts: 81
    91 l4 camry, auto. i drive it mostly between school and home, about 70%highway, 30%local. i usually get 31mpg.
  • echo01echo01 Member Posts: 19
    2001 Toyota Echo, manual transmission

    Average this winter has been about 37.5 mpg for probably about 70% city driving, 30% short trips on the freeway.

    Last summer averaged about 41 mpg with probably 50/50 city/highway.

    Long trips on the freeway: best was 45 mpg. That was 65-70 mph most of the way, summertime, but not much use of air conditioning.

    Great little car, this Echo. Goes a long way on not much gas.
This discussion has been closed.