Honda Accord Real World MPG

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Comments

  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    I'm sure I won't be the only one to say it, but that is a much smaller car with an engine a little more than 3/4 the size as your Accord.

    Did you have the 1.6 or the 1.8, auto or manual? Don't get me wrong Corollas are nice, my brother has a 94, but just being smaller yields better mileage, most of the time. I know there are exceptions to every rule.

    Good luck with your car though.
  • liaisonliaison Member Posts: 49
    On a trip of 200 miles I got 36.5 MPG. Filled up off the interstate and averaged 60 mph with one stop for coffee and a couple of stops for a red light. All 4 lane and kept my RPM's under 2000. Filled up at the same gas pump when I returned and stop pumping after the 3rd time the nozzle cut off just as I did earlier. With only 5400 miles on the odometer I consider this the break in period and drive accordingly. I love my Accord and now if I could only do as well in town. So far around 19 or 20.
  • monkeygwdmonkeygwd Member Posts: 19
    I consistently get 21 mpg, even with 160 miles of highway driving on a tank. It is very disappointing, in that the 03 epa ratings are the same when adjusted to the new epa ratings. My 03 Accord LX would almost never dip below 23, and with a 160 mile highway trip on a tank, and the rest city, I would average 26-29 mpg. I would have to refuel the 03 at 350 miles approx with all city miles. Now, with the 08, and a larger fuel tank, I still have to refuel at 350 miles, and it takes at least 2 gallons more to fill the tank at the pump. It has become obvious to me that the 08 190 hp 4 Cyl gets significantly worse fuel economy than the 4 Cyl that was in my 03 LX. Many 08 V6 owners report similar fuel economy than what I am getting.

    Disappointed in SC
  • toxicchilltoxicchill Member Posts: 6
    my old corolla is a 1.6 auto. yeah, its a huge jump going from a corolla to a v6 accord. it used to cost me 33 bux to fill up the tank. now it cost me 60 bux. (granted i only filled up once). i had to move the corolla for alternate side parking yesterday so i drove the corolla for a bit. Its night and day after having driven the accord for almost a month.
  • donegaldonegal Member Posts: 49
    You can check what others are reporting for mpg or report what you are getting mpg at the following site:

    www.fueleconomy.gov
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    Hello all-

    This is an entirely random thought, but relevant to the conversation, sorta. Anyway here goes, does anyone think that the speed limits that are posted on freeways and city streets are posted to maximize the mileage in most cars, could they be the optimal speeds? I just thought of this on the way home from work.

    I'm just curious what you guys think. I know there are some of you who like to do research or have first hand knowledge of the issue.

    Thanks in advance for humoring me. I know it's completely random.

    I'm going to try my hardest not to exceed the speed limit or accelerate aggresively. I'll report my findings when I next get gas.
  • blufz1blufz1 Member Posts: 2,045
    The best mpg is obtained at the slowest speed you can go in top gear. Don't try this at home! It's 40-50 mph for most cars.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,919
    in a few weeks, going to take the first long trip since 2006 in my '05 EXL 5 speed. usually just hang around town.

    Gonna run from Phila to boston, so about 10 hours on the road. Real curious to see what I can get. if it hits 35, I will be very happy.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • vietviet Member Posts: 847
    Monkeygwd,

    I got average mixed MPG 25.5 to 26.0 for my '08 EX-L V6. It appears MPGs of I4 & V6 Accord are not signigicantly different, may be 15% difference or less.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    "if it hits 35, I will be very happy."

    It is entirely up to you. If you drive 65 and there is no strong wind you will approach 40. If you go 75 then 35 is more likely. Make sure you have plenty of air in the tires.
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    Of course, this isn't a very warm time of year in that area. Cold temps kill mileage.

    I'm a member of the 40 mpg club in my 06 I4 Manual. However, my trip last weekend over the mountain pass into the eastern part of WA state barely got me 34. And the weather was fairly nice. :)
  • vietviet Member Posts: 847
    Good info. Thanks.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,919
    I will have pelnty of air. It will also be cold most likely, so that is a minus.

    And I won't be keeping it to 65. 70-75 range most likely.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    Does anyone know about cold air intake? I have a couple of people telling me I could get better mileage by installing one on my car, 2003 Accord LX Coupe I4. Would it really be beneficial especially since it is fairly cheap and easy to install.

    One person also told me to install a throttle body spacer. It's all greek to me. Anybody have thoughts or opinions on the issue. I'm always trying to improve my mileage.
  • bug4bug4 Member Posts: 370
    The speed limits are definitely higher than the speed which yields optimal fuel economy. Every time the federal government or state legislatures talk about changing the speed limit and, thereby, reducing the nation's dependence upon foreign oil, etc., there is a lengthy discussion about fuel economy. If this is something that really interests you, you can find LOTS of research on the subject from the oil embargo era of the 1970, when President Carter reduced the national speed limits. You can find lots of additional research on the subject when the federal government then reversed that decision and decided to increase those speed limits (based both on cheaper oil and the fact that cars were becoming much more efficient). The speed limit is a fine balance between the government's desire to conserve oil consumption, the public's desire to speed and various lobbyist and agency recommendations regarding safety.

    [p.s. - I was lucky enough to travel often in Montana in the 1990's when their speed limit was "reasonable and prudent." If you had a nice car with nice tires, it meant you could cruise on the open highway between 90 and 100. yipeeeeee! Of course, "reasonable and prudent" consumed a lot of gas and killed a lot of people.]
  • lowe41lowe41 Member Posts: 5
    I am planning on trading my 03 EX for an 08 EXL, but have some reservations on gas mileage and breakdowns after reading a lot of posts on here. My 03 gets about 29mpg on about 80% hwy miles. I have read people getting 21mpg with the new EX-L I4. Is that true? I have a good deal in place for the new one (23k), still not too sure though. My 03 had 79k and runs great and will paid off in a year, I just need a little bigger car for a new arrival to the family and the new full size accord will do. The new car payment will be the same as current?
    Anyone else that traded in an 03-05 EX that can give me any input on mpg, ride, and any comparison would be much appreciated.
    Thanks
    Thanks
  • vietviet Member Posts: 847
    Parviz should be "a Crowned MPG Super King" of the '08 Accord V6 EX-L.
  • parvizparviz Member Posts: 484
    I was beginning to wonder too until yesterday! Drove the 08 V6 EXL w/ Navi another 400 miles within the past 24 hours, mostly freeway miles (85%) with some stop and go and some local streets. Speeds of around 65-75 in the freeway and whatever I could on the surface streets! From Sacramento took the northern cal route on I-80W to SR 101 (San Jose) to SR 1 (Monterey) and back. The total MPG for the entire 400+ miles trip was 27.4, I got 36-38 mpg on the trip computer when on long stretches of the freeway and or on the cruise. Since I have the trip computer I wanted to get the range on a full tank so I pushed the tank to the limit and got 460 miles out of a full tank! I was happy with the mpg on this trip.
  • ar39ar39 Member Posts: 61
    Note that the onboard mpg calculator is not accurate. Dividing distance travelled by gallons for fill-up gives you an accurate mpg. According to the computer 460 miles should consume ~13 gallons.
  • 97alty97alty Member Posts: 4
    I'm getting around 23 MPG in city and 28 MPG on highway on 2000 accord se 4 cyl auto



    my accord MPG log
    image
    Track Your MPG Now
  • according2u06according2u06 Member Posts: 95
    Filled up again. 390.2 miles took 12.466 gal = 31.3 mpg.

    About 80% highway this time, the rest is city/local. Not bad considering there was some A/C use in this tank and a couple runs to 85~90 mph. :P Car is 06 LX 4cyl.
  • vietviet Member Posts: 847
    My old Accord '95 @ 145 HP, which has been sold, got same mixed MPG at 80% freeway drive. Honda has built more powerful Accords with better MPG.
  • parvizparviz Member Posts: 484
    "....According to the computer 460 miles should consume ~13 gallons..."

    I am not sure how you came up with that figure. Actually, I have been confirming the trip computer figures with my own and it has been very close. Same with this time. When I filled it up it took 17 gallons so at 460 miles: 460/17=27.1 which is very close.

    I should note that I wouldn't normally drive that far on a single tank. I was just experimenting and took a chance by trusting the on board trip computer which at the time of fill up showed I had 10 more miles to go with the remaining gas in the tank!
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    Tisk tisk. I had an on-board fuel economy computer in my van. The mileage on that thing sucked anyway, but it read 10mpg pretty much all the time, which was close.

    We shouldn't ever let the tank get that low it gets angry. LOL. :)
  • parvizparviz Member Posts: 484
    "....We shouldn't ever let the tank get that low it gets angry. LOL..."

    I agree, to let the low gas light come on is against my own advice to people around me! I just was curious to see how far it goes and how accurate the trip monitor is. Now that I know it I won't repeat the experiment, but it is good to know you can rely on it in emergencies!
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    Yeah I understand. I've noticed that my gas light comes on with around 5 gallons left in the tank. I know this because it's gotten that low a couple of times and I filled it up from the gas light and only pumped about 12 gallons in.

    It's nice to know about when it comes on so you know how far you can push it before gas is needed "like yesterday."

    I just used my own pet-peeve quantifier/qualifier "like," but you know what I mean.
  • according2u06according2u06 Member Posts: 95
    Totally agree with you, viet! I just hope Honda won't increase the size and weight of their cars too much that might in turn negate any improvement in their fuel efficiency. :)
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    I would guess that they are going to go backwards, trying to get more room into a smaller car. Either that or they'll remain at the mid-size mark and not continue with the full-size/large car market. Then again this is speculation, nobody ever truly knows what anybody else is thinking. I'll be curious to know what the mid-generation revamp will look like, but I have to wait a couple of years.
  • parvizparviz Member Posts: 484
    My thoughts are that they maybe thinking of taking Accord a notch higher to compare with Maxima and maybe Avalon, and bring up the Civic to compete with mid-size sector. Just a guess.
  • 96gc1owner96gc1owner Member Posts: 54
    Total mileage: 22,800
    Tires: 34 psi front/ 32 psi rear (still cheating by 2psi)
    90%highway/10%city (three tanks each over 350 miles, one 1/2 hr idling in traffic jam, a/c on and off as needed)
    Alabama/Georgia/South Carolina (25-69F)
    Tank1: 28.1 mpg computer said 29.9 mpg (very windy day)
    Tank2: 28.8 mpg computer said 28.9 mpg (I drove 75-80 mph)
    Tank3: 33.0 mpg computer said 36.0 mpg (no wind, wife drove 70 mph)
    Mobil 1 synthetic
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    Tank2: 28.8 mpg computer said 28.9 mpg (I drove 75-80 mph)
    Tank3: 33.0 mpg computer said 36.0 mpg (no wind, wife drove 70 mph)

    Looks like you'd better let your wife do all the driving. She'll save you some money. :shades: ;)
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    And you won't have her nagging you to ask for directions if you go somewhere unfamiliar. :D

    Or if you've ever seen "Keeping Up Appearances," an old television show on PBS or the BBC you won't have your wife telling you to watch for pedestrians that are 100s of feet away. J/K. ;)
  • 96gc1owner96gc1owner Member Posts: 54
    Yea, yea...this thing has the Nav system so I have now have two female voice telling me where to go. I do get amused when they start arguing with each other :P

    Some folks think the computer mileage is spot on. I trust my fill up and math more. Based on my three tanks above, the first I can understand was off because I manually reset it after about 25 miles. The second was accurate and was automatically reset at fill-up. The third is a mystery. Maybe the 1/2 hour in stopped traffic threw it off??
  • parvizparviz Member Posts: 484
    "...The second was accurate and was automatically reset at fill-up..."

    I didn't know you can do that. How does it reset automatically?

    Also, I have been comparing notes and verifying the trip computer numbers, I don't think it would be very accurate for short distances but for half or full tank measurements it has been very close to my gallons divided by miles driven number.
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    A couple of things:

    -- The trip computer on my 06 EX-L is pretty close to my hand figuring. I still write down what I get figuring the old fashioned way though.

    -- I'm sure the 08 Navi system is similar but to reset the trip computer automatically is a matter of simply making that selection on the trip computer screen. It says something like, "reset automatically on fill-up". I'm too lazy to go down and look right now. ;)

    Interestingly enough, mine will reset by itself on occasion. That option gets dimmed and the whole thing resets to zero. Another reason why I keep track the old way and use one of the trip odometers to tell how far I've driven on a tank.
  • ezshift5ezshift5 Member Posts: 858
    ...economy III:

    During a recent trip to San Diego/LA area, on the return trip north, I fueled at Gorman - right next to the freeway. Then 297 miles north, left I-5 and coasted into a Chevron near Thornton.

    Used c/c at 70 MPH speed limit (2400 revs), top cog on 6M (reckon you dudes know that BOTH 5th and 6th are overdrives).............

    Are you ready?

    Numbers follow: 296.9 miles burned 7.760 (87). Gives 38.26. I'm OK with that!!

    best. ez......
  • plethysmoplethysmo Member Posts: 42
    I assume you drove an Accord. What is the year, model, engine?
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I know his is a Gen VII (2003?) V6 6MT Accord Coupe.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    Are you sure you're okay? ;) I mean it's under 40. :P
  • gl_dgl_d Member Posts: 1
    We recently purchased a '99 Accord with only 55000 miles. I keep close track of our gas mileage and was very surprised in the discrepancy between hwy and city mpg. Our hwy is between 25 and 28 mpg, OK but not great, but the city is only 16 mpg!!
    Is this normal? If not, what should I investigate. It otherwise runs well and has been well maintained.
    Thanks.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    V6 or I4? Lots of cold starts or do you use it for long commutes? Are your tires properly inflated and is the air filter clogged?
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    You'd have to go a lot more into detail about your "city" driving. How long is the city commute? How much stop vs. go time is there?

    Also, V6? 4-Cylinder? If a 4-cylinder, auto or manual?

    I
  • according2u06according2u06 Member Posts: 95
    Filled up again. 417.3 miles / 14.133 gallons = 29.53 mpg.

    About 80% highway, the rest city/local. A couple 80mph+ runs, 3-4 people on a few trips and some A/C/defog use. So it's pretty good to me even though it's lower than my last tank.
  • according2u06according2u06 Member Posts: 95
    City mileage could really hurt your gas mileage. I normally get 28-31 mpg with some highway in the mix. With 100% city, I have gotten a personal worst of 21.88 mpg a couple months ago. And the city I live in isn't even nearly as congested as some of the major cities like D.C. L.A., or Miami etc. Who knows what I would get in those places.

    If possible, try to run a 100% highway tank or one with mostly highway miles, then calculate your mpg. If you get somewhere between 28~30 mpg there probably isn't anything wrong with your car. :)
  • trumpcartrumpcar Member Posts: 10
    well this is response to your comment about driving slow in order to get high MPG's i will highly argue that because i have a 94 accord lx manual coupe that i get constantly 35 mpg driving 70 on a high way with towns with lights in between long stretch's one time on a trip to tampa i got 41 mpg there and 40 back still at 70 with a peak speed of 100( for a short time). i wish i was lying about all this but its surprising to me too when i re-read it but its true. i mean yea the cars got 190,000 some miles on it but wat i dont get is how im gettin the same if not better mileage then the newer models 07 and 08 for ex.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    Smaller car, smaller engine. There are more than likely a lot of people who get great mileage in the newer models, other than those who post regularly here. Not everybody is going to feel the need to post to a forum what their mileage is. Maybe you've just learned how to time everything just right.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    That's what I was thinking. To say a 130hp 2800lb car gets better mileage than a 190hp 3300lb car isn't saying too much, even if it is generations older.

    I must say that my 2006 Accord 4-cyl gets better mileage than my 1996 Accord LX, however.
  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    I must say that my 2006 Accord 4-cyl gets better mileage than my 1996 Accord LX, however.

    I agree... my 06 gets better mileage than my 95. I am a bit concerned about what we've read so far here from 08 I4 owners. We need to wait until a few more folks have posted but I'm not overly impressed with the numbers so far.
  • tankbeanstankbeans Member Posts: 585
    Don't forget that we have to wait until "winter-blend" is no longer an issue. That is another factor thats making things interesting.
  • williep2williep2 Member Posts: 1
    Commuting back and forth 110 miles a day I am averaging
    27.5-28.0. One way goes up a mountain.
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