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Real world gas mileage for sedans

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  • antonkantonk Member Posts: 19
    I'm not saying you or anyone in this discussion is complaining - i meant people in general.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,684
    Hey gang,

    Just got back from a trip from MD to TX, and haven't had time to calculate my mileage yet, but typical scenario would be about 375-400 miles on a tank (I'd drive till the low-fuel light came on, then fill up at the next exit that had a good choice of gas stations), and 14.5-15 gallons to fill the tank back up. So I'd guess I was getting 25-28 mpg on this trip.

    As far as my average speed...well, I made the 1450 mile trip back in just over 22 hours, which comes to an average of about 66 mph. For the most part, I was doing about 75-80, although in a few remote areas I crept up towards 100, and the last 150 or so miles from Richmond VA to MD was snow and ice, so at times we were going as slow as 20!

    -Andre
  • bluffhousebluffhouse Member Posts: 33
    Leganza,Best Sac to LA loaded trunk and family, 75 to 80mph, 30mpg.
    Typical: 50/50 - city highway, or all city, 15 mile range 22.5 to 24.5.
    Worst:One occasion pulling small trailer with furniture, 4'w X 4'H X 8' L city/highway, just below 20.
    Up and down mountain freeway driving about 26.
    All and all, better than EPA of 20/28.
    Safari:13 to 14 City and 17 to 19 Highway long haul. Average, 14.
    All and all, worst than EPA 0f 16/21.
  • theicemantheiceman Member Posts: 736
    Still not broken in (only 4000 kms - or 2500 mi.- on it). The car has a built-in mileage calculator and it has not been reset since new (I'll reset it next week when I switch the oil to synthetic), so my mileage figures are pretty accurate but they WILL climb from current levels:

    22.1 mpg (US gallon, not Imperial)

    Has not yet been on an extended highway trip so this is exclusively rural-city commuter mileage (where it takes 30-40 mins. to travel about 20 mi.)
  • RobberbarronRobberbarron Member Posts: 39
    Just got back from a trip.
    Philly to Pittsburgh 70 MPH average, 24 MPG.
    I get about 16 around town.
    147k miles on it.
    Never rebuilt.
    Oil changed every 5,000 with whatever Jiffy lube puts in it.
    I use 87 octane.
    and I'm about 40 years from retirement.
  • popi1popi1 Member Posts: 1
    Terrible fuel mileage. 90% freeway driving. 65-75 mph, 17 miles to the gallon. V6 auto, 170hp.
    Always subtract 5-7 mpg from the lowest number from what it says on the sticker, and that will be your BEST. MPG is calclated using a formula. They don't even start the engine or drive car to determine mpg.
  • seattlesheilaseattlesheila Member Posts: 68
    Well, I can't agree that all six-bangers get about the same mileage. My IS300 has an inline 6 and it only gets 18 around town...and it burns only Super. Had I purchased an Accord or Camry, I'd be better off on fuel consumption, even with the 6 cylinder engine. Since I don't drive a huge amount of miles, the price of gas was not the issue when I went shopping for a car. You are correct in your assessment of the price being lower than CocaCola though; we are very fortunate in the USA. They are paying four times the price in most of Western Europe right now.
  • homerkchomerkc Member Posts: 113
    My 2000 Intrepid (2.7L) delivers 18 in city driving, 23 in mixed (including 16 highway mi. each way to work) and a consistent 30 mpg on all highway trips, including one over the Rockies with two men and luggage aboard. My wife's 98 Malibu delivers 20 around town and 30 on the highway with the 3.1L engine. My 95 VW Golf, with 4 cyl and 5 spd delivers 26 in town and 35 on the highway. I was amazed to find the much bigger Intrepid burn not much more gas than the Golf - and the posts here confirm that. It takes an extraordinary car design to provide mileage outside of this box. (By the way, my brother's 98 Hyundai Elantra, 4 cyl Auto gives no better mileage than my Intrepid or Malibu!)
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    5spd, 1700 miles, averaging 25 mpg so far in mostly city driving (EPA 25 city, 33 hwy), and in very cold weather (hasn't been above 40 F. since Nov. 7, and a lot of below-zero days). The gas in this area is the ethanol blend which I have heard cuts mpg by 10-20%. I expect to get another 3-5 mpg when it warms up--in July??
  • kaz6kaz6 Member Posts: 331
    So far-4800 miles:
    stop and go LA traffic: 32mpg
    highway: 38-42mpg
    average to date: 36mpg
    *highway has been mainly high-desert driving with no a/c on in low 40's temp. avg.
    single worst mpg. episode was 29mpg with very long idle times and aggressive throttle+a/c in bad stop and go traffic.
  • riswamiriswami Member Posts: 192
    97 Taurus El - 3.0 Vulcan 22 to 23 daily use, 29 to 30 on long cruises

    93 Escort Wagon - 5 speed (130k) - 31 to 32 daily commute, sping, summer or fall, losses 2 to 4 Miles per Gallon in cold New England Weather.
    Got 40 MPG once on long cruise, say it is still good for 35 plus.
  • jimsxnjimsxn Member Posts: 108
    14 litres per 100 kilometers - 50 km (both ways) commute.
  • shehzadshehzad Member Posts: 52
    My general milage for the cars I presently own-all driven about 85% highway--65-75mph, at least 85miles round trip/day

    1985 Mercedes 300D automatic ~35mpg
    1996 Mercedes E320 automatic ~25mpg
    1991 Porsche 911-C4 manual ~13mpg
    1999 Jaguar XJ8 automatic ~21mpg
    2000 Toyota Camry LeV6 auto ~28mpg
    1988 Ferrari Testarossa manual ~ 9mpg
  • mjbwrtrmjbwrtr Member Posts: 172
    my girlfriend and i took a trip to canada from where we live in ohio this summer. we drove her Saturn SL-1 with automatic. It was hot, so we alternated opening windows and using the air conditioning, both mileage-sapping things. We calculated the mileage on it when we arrived in Canada and realized we had gotten 38-40 mpg out of that car! incredible, and its only got 38k on it...we are keeping this thing!
  • thetoycarthetoycar Member Posts: 3
    89 Camry V6, 5spd
    All stop and go city: 18mpg
    All highway: 29mpg at 70-75
    It gets 22mpg in mixed driving. I always run Shell or Chevron 89 midgrade fuel. At twelve years old it can still get 31mpg if I keep it under 70. This is with just one occupant, not loaded down. I know the 4cyl versions of this model do better in the city, but the power/driveability loss is notable.

    95 Aurora, 4spd auto
    All stop and go: 16mpg
    All highway: 25-26 at 70, 24 at 75mph, 23 at 80mph. The onboard trip computer gave me the last two figures. Calculated the 25mpg figure, which is not bad for a 4100lb car.
    The car eats too much premium fuel in town but has a smooth 4.0 DOHC V8 that loves to run on the freeway. Sorry to see it leave production.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    1999 Mazda Protege DX automatic: Usually averaged 25-27 mpg with heavy foot and 65/35 highway/city driving.

    1993 Pontiac Bonneville SSE: Was my mother's car, but she passed away recently. Drove it for a month or so. Same driving mix as above, 19-22 mpg.

    2001 Mazda Protege ES 2.0: Just got the car on Friday, but have 230 miles already. :) Thus far, averaging about 22 mpg on a brand new engine with 55/45 highway/city driving mix. Will improve with age.

    Gas used: always 87 octane, except for two tanks in the Bonneville. Mileage did improve by 1-2 mpg too, but to me brands are the deciding factor too. I put in Amoco, and it goes right though. Exxon lasts longer in the 1993 and 99. Don't know about the 2001 yet, but the dealer used Crown and it seemed to run out quickly. But it seems to me (and I have also been told) that Amoco gas runs out quickly. Strange.
  • storiesstories Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2001 Toyota Corolla CE with automatic transmission. I have very sporatic driving, sometimes having 2 mile trips (school) and then go on like 50 mile trips all over town. I stop quite frequently since I live in a sub-urban area, I use normal gas (which is 85 octane in Colorado) and get approximately 280 miles to a tank (which I run down about 11 gallons). That is approximately 25MPG overall, sometimes I'll get like only 250 miles (22MPG) when driving in bad weather and during the summer I can get around 310 miles (28MPG). Despite this, these numbers are all far below the rated 29 city/33 highway by the government.
  • claryclary Member Posts: 18
    Drove a 1997 SW2 5 speed for for 4 years in Montana. 15000 miles a year, synthetic oil. 33 miles to the gallon. Moved to Vancouver, BC 6 months ago and drive a 50 miles a week in city traffic. Doing well to get 22 mpg. Yuck.
  • chevytruck_fanchevytruck_fan Member Posts: 432
    81 Chevy 1/2 ton truck, 2wd, Turbo 350 tranny, 250 I6.

    I get what I consider good milege, about 13.5 city, 15.2 highway. Dual tanks 16 each, can go pretty far before you reach empty.
  • jjpcatjjpcat Member Posts: 124
    Here are some cars my wife and I owned for the past few years. All of them are 4-door with auto and have 80% City + 20% HWY mix (in LA/SF metro area)

    89 Honda Accord DX: 26 mpg
    95 Camry V6 LE: 23 mpg
    96 Honda Accord LX: 25.5 mpg
    98 Lexus ES300: 23 mpg
    00 Lexus RX300: 18 mpg

    I noticed that, on FWY, mileage has a lot to do with the speed. For example, I usually made 30-32 mpg on my trip between LA and SF with my 96 Accord. But at one time, I was driving there at midnight and I was doing 90-120 mph. The mileage droped to under 26 mpg on that trip. For RX300, I got 20 mpg if I am doing 75-80 mph. But it improves to 24-25 mpg if I am driving at 50-55 mph.
  • cwo4cwo4 Member Posts: 90
    Bought gas yesterday. This past entire tank has been city driving. 38.8 mpg. :)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Have 1150 miles on my 2001 Protege ES 2.0 now, and have gone through like 3 tanks of gas. Averaging anywhere from 21.5-24.5 mpg. Hope it will improve with age.
  • chuck98chuck98 Member Posts: 2
    get around 31mpg on hwy at about 70mph
    best was 35mph at about 55mph

    in city it gets 16 in winter with all city driving (small short trips)
    20mpg in city in summer with same short trips (under 10miles at a time)
    car only has 17000miles
  • rdeschenerdeschene Member Posts: 331
    '93 Corsica, 3.1L V6, 3spd auto (yep, only 3!).

    Consistently gets 28mpg hwy, at 100-110km/h. Go faster than that and the mileage drops off precipitously.

    It's surprising that the benefit to 4spd auto was only 2mpg hwy according to the EPA.

    From various discussions I've had in the past, the Saturn SL2/SW2, Corolla and Echo seem to be real gas mileage champs. There's always some exceptionally bad vehicles of course! The SL2/SW2 and the Echo are pretty peppy too, so it's not like you're giving up anything if you like that size of car.
  • macarthur2macarthur2 Member Posts: 135
    With 11,000 miles. 3800 engine and auto. Running on 87 octane regular (all it requires) is getting 21.5 in urban stop and go. And on straight highway driving 31.1 . Using a higher octane gas is a waste of money--contrary to most beliefs. The a car does not run better or get better mileage with a higher grade gasoline. GM says 87 octane regular and it works fine.
  • jdarcyjdarcy Member Posts: 8
    The Camry has 10,500 miles on it and is averaging 33.5 MPG ( 7L/100km ) in mixed driving, 60/40 hwy/city. Best was 40 MPG ( 5.9L/100km ) on my last Seattle to SLC trip with cruise set at 60.
  • jjpcatjjpcat Member Posts: 124
    Does anybody know how EPA come out with these HWY/City numbers? Do they actually drive each car? Or they simply punch data (weigth, drag efficiency, engine performance, etc.) into some magic computers?

    For most of the cars I have owned (Civic, Accord, Camry, ES300, RX300), the EPAs numbers are rather accurate. Most likely I will get a bit less than the average of the 2 numbers. ES300 may be doing a bit better. But RX300 is constantly giving me the City mileage or lower.

    I haven't owned any Korean cars. But from all the sources I have (I read lots of cars news from magazine and internet), EPA's numbers for Korean cars are ALWAYS MUCH WORSE than the real world data. Any clue?
  • nyyacenyyace Member Posts: 15
    2001 Civic LX 5spd 1600mi
    32-34 mpg city
    37-39 mpg highway
    Since it's so new I rarely shift over 4000 rpm

    1999 BMW 528i Auto 16,000mi(Mom's car)
    21 mpg all stop and go driving, premium gas

    1995 Dodge Neon Sport 5spd 105,000mi (Dad's car)
    32 mpg all highway drving
  • richcolorichcolo Member Posts: 81
    88 Volvo 760 2.3 liter turbo, 4 speed automatic. Worst (all in town, winter in Colorado) 17 mpg
    Best (All highway, 70 mph on cruise) 25 mpg
    Typical (commute mostly highway, 30 miles rural, 10 miles in metro Denver each way) 22-23 mpg.

    91 GMC Sierra 1/2 ton, 2WD, 4.3 liter V-6, 5 speed manual.
    Worst (Towing 2500 lbs.) 16 mpg
    Worst not towing 20.0mpg exactly: It has a 34 gallon tank, and I always assume I can go at least 680 miles--during a cold and very windy period it ran dry at 680.0 miles and I coasted into the station I had been heading for... good thing it was at the bottom of the hill!
    Best All Highway, in the mountains! 25 mpg
    Typical -same commute as the Volvo, 22-24 mpg. Nobody every believes that the full size pickup gets better mpg than the Volvo, but it does... burns regular instead of mid grade as well.

    1999 Honda Odyssey (Wife)
    Worst (mostly in town, cold weather) 19 mpg
    Best (all highway, mostly 80 mph into Wyoming winds0 28 mpg
    Typical (75% rural highways, 25% in town) 20-24 mpg

    FWIW 1957 BelAir Station Wagon, 283 v-8, 2 (yes two) speed automatic gets 17 mpg very consistently when used for my commute. Problem is with the 15 gallon gas tank, it will only do it twice without making me worry about running out, compare that to 8 times in the GMC and you'll know why I most often take the pickup. (better brakes, stereo, a/c and the presence of seat belts are also in the GMC's favor;).
  • ddgatesddgates Member Posts: 3
    Own a 2000 Kia Sephia 5-speed manual. I am getting about 33-35 on the highway at 70-75 mph. I would say about 90% of my driving is highway...120 roundtrip everyday. I think the sticker number was like 31 highway. Overall, I am very pleased.
  • xmannxmann Member Posts: 19
    All currently owned:

    96 Grand Cherokee Limited V8, 4X4, 62,000 miles. Mixed 60% city / 40% freeway = 17-20 mi/gal. Best was 90% highway 25 mi/gal.

    2001 Sebring Sedan LXi 2.7L V6, 2300 miles.
    Mixed 50/50% city/highway = 24-26 mi/gal. Best was 90% highway = 28-29 mi/gal.

    Highway spd aver 70-75 mph
  • cwo4cwo4 Member Posts: 90
    On my 2000 Toyota ECHO with Automatic. When Spring finally arrives and the AC is required, I expect the mpg to drop off. I'll keep you posted.
  • redly_oneredly_one Member Posts: 122
    I have never gotten much above 25MPG. Even if it is an all highway tank. Owned 33K miles to 45K today.

    97 Olds Cutlass Supreme w 3.1L w/ 70K - 25mpg consistently, as high as 28MPG
  • kunze1kunze1 Member Posts: 19
    Mostly highway, I get 40 to 44 with 98 metro (3 cyl) with bra and front mud gaurds.

    All highway, I get 29 to 31 with 99 Lumina with mud gaurds. Same for a 95 Lumina we had before.

    Just bought a new 2001 5 spd Prizm. Hoping for 37-40mpg. Any experience out there on this car?
  • mvaldivimvaldivi Member Posts: 24
    I spend about $13 on gas every week ($ 1.419 per Gall.). And my weekly mileage is about 300 miles. That's almost 33MPG. My driving is 75% highway (always cruise on the left lane at +/-70mph), but half of my commute time I spend it on the every day traffic jam of the morning and the afternoon.
  • yachtieyachtie Member Posts: 29
    Can't believe the great fuel economy of this vehicle if driven with a light foot.
    City driving about 33mpg average (imp gallons)
    Trip from Vancouver to calgary last summer average 50mpg(imp)!! Best top up tank 53mpg!!!!
    Note this was driving specifically for good fuel consumption but with 2 adults and 1 child plus some luggage.
    I have been looking for a while for a newer vehicle but for all around utilitarianism plus fuel econ I cannot seem to find much to equal it.
  • MarkinAtlantaMarkinAtlanta Member Posts: 194
    2.5 liter inline six, 5 speed manual, drive it medium hard, been chipped with performance software, uses premium only

    avg 27, combo of hiway/city

    worst tank ever 22 mpg

    best tank ever 34 mpg

    just city 24

    just hwy 31
  • sundayduffersundayduffer Member Posts: 10
    95 LeBaron 3.0L 25-26 mpg commuter use Ft Worth to Dallas 45 miles each way, just traded fo Hyundai Sonata 2.5 auto first tankful not broke in yet ran 26.5 mpg, Back up vehicle 92 Dodge Shadow 2.2 nearing 130k gets 26 still well in emission tolerances.
  • brettski1brettski1 Member Posts: 12
    barely 1000 miles on vehicle, 27 -28 MPG on the highway at 70- 75 MPH.
  • dsgechodsgecho Member Posts: 89
    Toyota Prius- 59.2 mpg on 100 mi. freeway trip.
    Toyota ECHO- 46-47 mpg on 500 mi. freway trip.
    Thanks
    DG
    Nashville TN
  • phowell1phowell1 Member Posts: 35
    New 2001 Ford Focus auto with 2.0 engine worst in town 19 best in town 24 on trip worst 25 best 27 . that is no were near were Ford claims it will do I will give it a few thousand more miles then I am calling the state attorney general The only reason I even bought this little thing is due to its advertised gas mileage

    99 Suburban 4x4 5.4 engine worst in town 11 best in town 13 trip worst 13 best 16 but I love this big monster a pleasure to drive and you can haul a football team.
  • dysfunct9dysfunct9 Member Posts: 10
    I can honestly say that, though this car is a pleasure to drive, it has the widest disparance (is that a word) in city/hwy mileage that I've experienced. In the city, it gets around 13-15 mpg, which is horrible for a 4-cylinder (The EPA sets it as 19). Granted, I live in Los Angeles... and my city driving takes about 20 minutes for 2 miles. I have a feeling the EPA's city is something more along the lines of Omaha. However, on the hwy, I consistently get close to 35 mpg, going 75-80 mph (The EPA estimate is 29). I wish I had more highway miles to drive!
  • steven38steven38 Member Posts: 11
    Short stints mostly city 20-22.Mixed 65hwy/35city-26mpg.Trip from Portland Or to Canadian border 30 mpg.
  • steven38steven38 Member Posts: 11
    Short stints mostly city 20-22.Mixed 65hwy/35city-26mpg.Trip from Portland Or to Canadian border 30 mpg.Auto trans.
  • britton2britton2 Member Posts: 305
    terrible gas mileage! Gets about 12 MPG city - terrible!
  • wjm1wjm1 Member Posts: 33
    Car: 2000 Protege ES (1.8L I4 120HP) Auto
    Area: SF Bay region
    Gas: 87 (bettesr results with Chevron, COSTCO - the worst)
    MPG: 21/26 (EPA figures 24/29)
    70%city/30% hwy - usually 23 (bad)
    Miles on the car: 9000
    Hope it'll improve with mileage (or this will be the drop that'll make me trade it - I started to dislike some other "small" things)

    Car: 93 Mazda 646 ES (2.5L V6 164HP) Auto
    Area: SF Bay region
    Gas: 87 (recomendation is 91 - again best with Chevron, worst with COSTCO)
    Miles on the car: 55K
    MPG: 18.5-21/20-22 cty/hwy (EPA 20/26)
    Average: 70%city/30%hwy - 20

    ** The above results are mostly with the "winter" CA gas which is even worst for the mileage then the already way too clean :) CA gas
  • daividhdaividh Member Posts: 8
    Two extremes in our family:

    91 and 97 Honda Civic hatchbacks (1.5L 4 spd and 1.6L 5 spd) both about 90,000 miles: 40-41 mpg highway at 70 mph w/AC running.

    99 Chev Suburban V-8 auto, 47,000 miles: 15-16 mpg, same conditions.
  • stevenwglauserstevenwglauser Member Posts: 21
    2001 Lincoln LS V-8 Sport Auto
    7500 miles
    15.8 city
    24.9 highway
    19.2 combined

    nearly 100% freeway driving; little stop/go at 75-80 mph

    1994 Mustang GT 5.0 manual
    103,000 miles
    haven't tracked MPG in a long time but it's about equivalent to the combined figure for my LS
  • hmpowerhmpower Member Posts: 20
    99 Civic Ex auto
    33,000 miles
    The worst mileage I've seen is around 24 mpg, from strict in-town driving in the middle of winter...generally falls in the 27-32 mpg range.
    I just took a road trip this past weekend, I got about 36 mpg, best ever, with the cruise set at 75 mph.
    I'd like to try a trip with the cruise set at 60 or so, to see if it would get much better - so far I haven't had the patience for that!
  • SPYDER98SPYDER98 Member Posts: 239
    98 Eclipse turbo automatic

    17mpg overall

    70% highway
    30% city
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