Honda Odyssey Real World MPG

Karen_S · May 2005

This topic will be for Odyssey owners to report their actual MPG.

"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates

aspesisteve · May 2005

just got back from Yosemite (250 miles round trip) pulling a 1,200 lbs trailer, 4 bikes, the family and dog and got 21 miles per gallon. I drove aprox. 65 mph or less which really helps.

The engine in the Odyssey is really tireless in carrying a load. I'm crossing my fingers the tranny is the same.

lfan · June 2005

We get about 18mpg in normal driving (80% city, 20%hwy). On our vacation, 80% hwy, we get about 25mpg. The van just is not too efficient in stop and go. We use 87 octane. High octane doesn't seem to increase mileage more than 1or 2 mpg's.

Karen_S · July 2005

Save Money on Gas

stickguy · July 2005

getting about 15-17 around town (very shrot hop stuff, horrible for mileage). Just took a weekend trip from Phila. to NY (long island) and got just over 23. That includes 1/2 stop and go on the turnpike, some 65-80 cruising, and a fair amount of local on the Island (running to the beach, etc.)

Doing another trip soon that should be mostly highway (but up into the hills). Hope to get 25ish on that one.

For what it is and what it does, and the type of driving, about what I expect and not too bad.

I figure I could easily get 25-27 on a straight highway run to the south, where it's mostly flatland.

ali019 · August 2005

Good luck Stick......I've been driving my 05 Odyssey for 9 mos now, (14,000 miles), checking the mpg since the last oil change...In 3000 miles, average is less than 18 Mpg. I live in SC, and mostly driving to Myrtle Beach and back (500 miles round trip, and can't get any flatter). I never would invested this much money to get this kind of disappointment. I feel I was very badly deceived by Honda.

I am seeing alot of mention of terrible fuel economy in people's reviews. Seems like everybody has an "It is what it is" attitude. Can't something be done about this? Is it legal to advertise something so untrue?

Is there anyone out there that gets what is stated? ( 20-28 for mine)

may0man · August 2005

I've had my '05 Odyssey for 2 months, have 2000 miles, probably 70%city and 30% highway. Although I didn't expect anything like the EPA, I'm only averaging 15 MPG My wife drives it most of the time taking the kids to school and getting groceries so she isn't hotrodding it, the highway trips we keep it around 65-70, We do run the AC a lot (it's hot in Texas) but can't imagine it pulling 10 MPG out of it.

cstoffer · August 2005

I have an '05 EX-L, with the "intelligent" VCM V-6 engine. We picked up the vehicle at the dealer and immediately left for a vacation of about 1000 miles one way. On the trip there we averaged about 20 mpg. Not any better on the way home. I was hoping to be at 26 mpg, as the driving was nearly all highway, but that didnt happen. Has anyone experienced their mpg increasing with the age of the vehicle? Thanks.

aspesisteve · August 2005

i was hoping to hear from someone with the new VCM-v6. With gas approaching $3.00 per gallon I was thinking anything near the EPA rated 28 mpg for the '05 Oddy is very impressive.

but after hearing your milege numbers I'd have to say it's very disapointing to hear you getting 20 mpg even if the engine has yet to be broken in.

We were getting 21 in our '02 Oddy while fully loaded and pulling a 1,200 lbs trailer and the EGR valve was faulty. I'm now curious to see if our milege will improve.

cccompson · August 2005

Yes, the mileage will improve over time. My Touring will get 28 on the highway IF the speed is kept at 65-70 (over that and it drops dramatically). There is no way this vehicle can ever achieve 20 in town - it is simply too heavy - though I have come close to 18 mpg.

woodie57 · August 2005

I am getting 17 city and 24 interstate. That's with 4 kids and myself and some luggage with A/C. City is without luggage and on a fair amount of 45 MPH roads.

I don't notice when the engine switches off cylinders. Is it when the ECO light comes on? I have not even read the manual. I have made an effort to avoid changing speeds quickly on the highway to hopefully eliminate the cycling back and forth. Probably a waste of effort but it keeps my mind occupied while driving. It just isn't as exciting as when I was 16!!

mich_chow · August 2005

Mostly (say 70%) city. Lots of idle time with AC on (more on first tank). AC on 90% time. Regular unleaded fuel. No significant weight on the van. Highway speed 65-70, city speed 40-45. Tried to maintain same speed as much as possible. Not too bad, IMO.

van_info · August 2005

I am doing 20% city and 80% highway and the average fuel mileage is 17 mpg. I am using Fuel Grade 89. If I use the 87, it goes down to 15.5 mpg.

jipster · August 2005

Big article in Octobers issue of CR reguarding EPA testing methods and why 90% of motorist aren't getting the mpg they expect. EPA on Honda Ody in city driving is 20mpg. Consumer Reports independent test on the Ody EX showed a city mpg of 12 mpg. A shortfall of 40%.City driving showed the highest discrepancy between claimed and actual mpg...many in the 35%-50% range.

inkyofok · August 2005

Motorweek got 22 mpg on their standard test loop which is good. We drove to New mexico from Tulsa and back this summer. 24 mpg, family and 70 mph. Not bad really. 27 achievable but 65 only once and very flat and steady. City mileage will never be good. Simply 4500 lbs to lug around. Overall not a great disapointment.

The 28 figure is real if you drive 60 mph, no AC and no family. Flat and steady.

attilauy · August 2005

AVERAGE MPG ON ONE WAY TRIP=24.7MPG (range=22-27)

FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT MPG:
*SPEED=65-75MPH, cruise control on 80 % of the time
*LOAD=4 adults (2 with 4 day vac. baggage plus 2 college bound students with enough baggage for one semester plus small refrigerator for dorm use)
*OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE= 85-95 degree farenheit
*AC= on all the time set at 75
*RADIO=on most of the time plus MP3 player and FM transmitter
*ROAD=70 % flat, 30 % hilly on the foothills of the OZARKS.( almost the entire lenght is interstate road)

RETURN TRIP=24.8 MPG (range=22-26)

FACTORS: almost similar as above except...

*two students and their baggage are gone
*radio=rarely use
*SPEED=70-80 MPH

OBSERVATIONS.....
1.Annoying engine/muffler loud sound at speed more than 75mph. this increases with speed. think it is inherent to the engine or muffler when the load to the engine is about its limit (though the rpm rarely goes beyond 3k) they may want to modify the muffler later (my suggestion, as i hate this kind of sound heard on soup up tiny car racing on a highway)
2.No wind noise whatsoever heard from doors, windows ( knock on wood!).
3.Dripping water near the tail pipe one foot from rear bumper ( saw this whenever I stopped for gas). it is like the one dripping underneath the engine compartment when using AC. Not sure why this happen. My old GC more than ten years ago did not have this.
4. Highest mpg was 27, on almost flat I-55 bettween St. Louis and Chicago with speed set at 65mph. I think the most probable reason why the two trips have almost identical mpg (24.8 vs 24.7) was the faster speed I drove during the return trip (65-75 vs 70-80). (Apparently more load on earlier trip was not much of a factor, just my observation)
5.The trip went well, without incident/mechanical problems.

04odyexres · August 2005

My total mileage so far (1 year and 2 weeks) is 21.6. I have 16877 miles / 780.905 gallons. My 3 best mileages when putting in gas were 29.1, 28.4 and 27.1. My 3 worst were 15.8 (March), 17.6 (Dec) and 18.1 (September). I drive about 60% to 70% highway.

iluvuall · September 2005

We just completed one year in July and the mileage has suffered this spring & summer. The van has about 11.5K now. I was wondering if it has something to do with reformulated gas but I am not entirely convinced of that because we should have the same experience as last summer.

When we bought the car it had about 300 miles on it and on July trip about 200 miles we were able to get there and on a single tank --400 miles and still not reached the low fuel light. (easily over 27MPG). We did the same trip this year and we had to fill up at about 290 miles on the return about 20MPG before the low light came on.

We noticed that we have been going to the gas stations more frequently even though our summer routine has been the same the past 2 years (kids in camps at the same locations). We barely get 250 miles mixed on city/hwy.

I took to a Honda mechanic (not dealer) for oil change and had him check it out and he could not find anything wrong. He also researched the TSBs and did not find anything. He was wondering if we were paying more attention to the fuel economy because of the high price of gas. I gave him the same example of our two July trips as above.

This has got me worried because fuel economy is not getting better. He changed the air filter too but nothing on the engine computer to indicate a problem. The van drives fine and accelerates as ably as the day we purchased it.

bentruong · September 2005

I live in Las Vegas, and after a week of city driving, I fetched about 12MPG on this car. AC is always on since it's summer in Las Vegas, and I loaded about 600 lbs on this car when I drive around. That 12MPG is really disappointing. Is that anyway that I get more MPG on this car?

may0man · September 2005

Sounds like you got some good mileage. The dripping water near the tail pipe is from the Rear AC condinsor, the 05 Odyssey has a seperate condinsor in the rear for the rear AC unit.

johnnie_five · September 2005

I've just purchased an 06 EX/RES with the knowledge of many owners getting poor gas mileage.
My van had only 5 miles on the odometer when I took it on a test drive. On the way home I've to tried to follow the Motoman's break in method MotomanUSA by varying the speed and loading the engine through the gears. I am thinking maybe the "ECO" mode is preventing proper break in of the Ody engine. I'm probably wrong, but the Motoman makes a good argument about the piston rings. I'm sure most new owners drive their new Ody home very gingerly, which could cause rings to not seat very well, especially with no load on three of the cylinders. I'll see what kind of gas mileage I'll be getting soon enough.
I haven't changed out the oil, yet. The dealer told me not to change the oil until as scheduled because it has some kind of additives in it, but I'm thinking I should as Motoman recommends.

dlove · September 2005

Since this appears to be a common complaint among Odyssey owners (I plan on joining the group this weekend), and it seems many feel put off by Honda for the deceptive mileage they list on their sticker, is there really an alternative?

I look at the other minivans and it doesn't seem you would be getting much, if any, better mileage with them. So if you're in the market for a minivan, would you agree that this may unfortunately be as good as it gets or darn close?

campuzano · September 2005

I recently purchased an 06 EX-L RES with VCM in Florida and drove it home to Illinois. First tank we av. 22 mpg city and hwy. Subsequent tanks on the interstate 24mpg, 26mpg(!); than 22 when driving through Chicago. Van had 2 adults and 350 lbs cargo with ac on and 70 - 80 mph. Very happy with mileage on new engine. Drives beautifully. Keep the ECO light on.

dsrtrat2 · September 2005

Top off tank shortly after getting car. Drive on freeways and suburban shopping trips. A/C on all the time. MPG similar to '04 EX I traded in. Might want to check tire pressure on new car as all 4 tires were 3.5 PPSI underinflated. Tire pressure is the easiest item to help increase your MPGs. We are taking a trip of 3500 miles next week and will report on the open road MPG. We really like this van as it seems so much more refined in a lot of little ways. The tranny certainly seems smoother and more responsive. I"m getting to be an ECO watcher.

jrule · September 2005

I have 11,000 miles on a 2005 Odyssey EX. I only check mileage on the highway.
Driving 70-73mph A/C on I get 23MPG. Driving 60-65 MPH, I get 25MPG. I have done these checks several times.
The EPA conditions for "sticker MPG" is done on a computer model set at 48MPH, level road, no wind, & no A/C. Most stickers are inflated 10-15% and some are even worse.

agorenberg · September 2005

I have a 2003 with (believe it or not) 101500 miles on it. I bought it new and drive 95% or more on the freeway. I am using Mobile 1. southern California Chevron 89. If I go 60 mph and keep the A/C off, I get 27 mpg. With the seats out and the hitch removed, I get slightly over 28, which is really pretty good for a minivan. The tank holds 21 gallons topped off, and I have been able to go 550 miles on one tank. Keep in mind that extra weight (like the hitch, which is not being used most of the time), A/C, cross bars on the roof causing drag, and going over 60 reduce the efficiency. I read that most cars lose about 7% in fuel efficiency for every five mph over 60. BTW, I haven't checked the mileage without the spare...yet!

stevevr4 · October 2005

:mad: My '04 Odyssey gas mileage recently took a horrible turn for the worse. I used to see 23mpg in our regular driving. At my last fillup, I calculated 13 MPG! Honda dealer is giving me the runaround, since there is no check engine light, etc. It will be going in to be looked over, but I have a feeling I will be in touch with Honda and the Better Business Bureau shortly. It seems this poor mileage is not that uncommon, but I was getting decent mileage until recently, and our driving habits haven't changed. 13mpg is muscle car and Hummer territory, this is ridiculous. Even my turbo and AWD vehicle gets 20+mpg. Thanks for any input.

pallidin · October 2005

Purchased my Touring in April, broke it in for about 2200 miles. Just returned from a 6300 mile trip west through Oregon, south along the Pacific on 101 and then back east through Colo., Kansas, Missouri and then back north to Wisconsin. There was a lot of mountain driving in Idaho, Calif., and Colo. ALways drove at the speed limit +3-4MPH. Had the Airconditioner on all the time and Averaged 24.9 Miles/Gal-based on Odometer-B. Verified by my records. I attribute the good milage to constant use of the Speed control--in the mountains as well as on the plains. It does a much better job than the driver of keeping the engine from laboring unnecessarily. I am well satisfied with that milage 0ver-the-road.

ody05 · October 2005

ODY-05-EX-L-RES (no Nav)

We live in Utah.

We have had our 05 Ody Since First day they sold in Sept 04. We have, without fail, kept every statistic in our gas spread sheet. We only fill it up each time so we can easily have the spread sheet calculate the MPG stats.

We get 12-15 MPG in the city. and 19-24 (usually 22) on the highway (constant highway speed with 99% cruise (just start and stops not on cruise). We have taken the same (long) trips across Utah, Colorado, and Nevada several times now (approaching 20K miles) While we don't get 29MPG on highway - I can predict, now that we will get 22.3 MPG from SLC to Fort Collins. 21.8 MPG from Fort Collins to Glenwood Springs, 22.3 MPG from Glenwood Springs to St. George, and 22.1 from St. George to SLC.

We have done this trip 3 times now in the Ody'05 First trip started at 1,600 miles, second trip started at approx 6,400 miles, and third trip started at 13,100 miles. We always stopped at the same stations and use Cruise control full time on the highway.

Only the 100ths digit differed with each trip and basic loading was 2 adults, 2 toddlers, and 1 10 year old plus minimal suitcase for each. (no exterior cargo boxes etc.)

So much for 20/29!!! But hey, in some laboratory taking the Dyno Wheel average of 45mph and applying some formula, hey they got me to buy it!

The funny thing is, I own a 91 accord (311,000) and a 94 Accord (269,000) and they both get 4+ mpg over the original sticker on highway driving the exact same routes, speeds, and using cruise control.

I think I know why it is now called "American Honda" and not just "Honda". But hey, the leather is nice and as far as the ergonomic design - we love it. Hard to remember at almost $3/gal though.

I bought this car because I was loyal to Honda after my last two accords. Don't know what the future holds now. Lot's of wind-noise, rattles (more than my old accords already) 5 recalls so far (5 more than my last two cars put together and in only the first year) and they still can't figure out how to fix the headphones that don't always work witht he RES (although there is a tech note on it?)

dsrtrat2 · October 2005

Traveled from AZ to IA and back for a total of 3200 miles. AC on 60-70% of the time and run with the traffic flow. A similar trip this past summer with my '04 EX Ody yielded 26.6 MPG. My best tankful was near 29 and the worst was just under 24. I'm hoping I can improve on the 25.5. Around home we travel mostly freeways and suburban side streets to shopping centers and such with no heavy duty stop and go areas and we have gotten around 22 MPG with the '06 closely in line with the '04's MPG around home. Somewhere in these forums someone asked why there is an off switch for the VSC. Owner's manual says to turn it off if you put on the spare tire as it is a different size from the others.

whahappan · October 2005

MPG on sticker and advertisements is from EPA, not Honda, so don't be too hard on Honda about that. The EPA's regimen for testing mpg isn't very realistic, and most people will get slightly worse mileage, though your case seems extreme. As per some of the other posters, check the tire pressure, even maybe the alignment, sticking brake pad, etc.as this can affect mileage. I know it's new and shouldn't have an alignment or brake problem, but you never know :confuse:

boots65 · December 2005

KarenS - I'm experiencing what u mentioned here and I'm hoping you will have information to share. I'm very dissapointed with my Odyssey because of mpg. Please share an info you might have. Thanks.

fljoslin · December 2005

I purchased a 2006 Odyssey EX-L in September. The van had about 500 miles on it when I took it for a trip from Spokane to Seattle up to Blaine. The trip is 400 miles each way and through the Cascade mountains and Seattle traffic. On the way out I got 28.6 mpg and on the way back 25.6 mpg for an average of 27.1 mpg at or above posted Interstate speed limits, no A/C. I knew that I was going to get worse mileage on the return trip because I was more aggressive (faster) in the mountains, when getting back on the road at the very many rest stops (3 young kids)and also had the cc set at 75 mph for extended periods. I only hope that I get this sort of mileage on every trip.
An observation: This is a heavy van with a very powerful engine which can accelerate quite well (0-60 in 8.6 sec). If you choose to get on it, you will get bad mileage. There is no magical way to accelerate a heavy mass quickly without using a lot of energy, that is just physics. However, if you drive prudently, Honda has set this vehicle up to get what I consider to be exceptional mileage.

rathebedriving · December 2005

I purchased this '06 Odyssey EX-L with RES and NAV in November 2005. We get terrible MPG on our new Odyssey, as little as 13 MPG. After a first tank of 19 MPG, the subsequent fill-ups were 16 MPG, and 13 MPG! On the highway it did better, 25 MPG. At this point we took it to the dealer for checkup. The dealer check consisted of a test drive and reported that the car did 30MPG (!!!!!!!!), and said that the break-in period is 7500 miles. What a waste! I wished I required a break-in period on the money I paid.

We are currently at the 900 mile mark, but we are keeping record of gallons, miles, MPG, city/highway %, etc.

It is unacceptable to be getting 13 MPG on car that is reported to have EPA 20 MPG for city driving! That is a 53% reduction.

Our Oldsmobile Silhouette never did below 20 MPG, and it was a much larger/heavier car than the Odyssey.

My advice to prospective buyers is to look elsewhere. At least review web sites such as this for real world MPG before buying. Knowing what I know now I would have selected a different car, definitely not one with a 7500 mile break-in period.

jipster · December 2005

"It is unacceptable to be getting 13MPG...That is a 53% reduction"

Actually that is a 35% reduction. Check your driving style/ habits, tire pressure, cold climate? that reduces mpg. 25mpg on hwy sounds pretty good. If dealer checked and said he got 30mpg I wouldnt worry about it. relax and enjoy your new van ratherbedriving.

fljoslin · December 2005

My advice to prospective buyers is to look elsewhere. At least review web sites such as this for real world MPG before buying. Knowing what I know now I would have selected a different car, definitely not one with a 7500 mile break-in period.

I believe that you are getting the mileage you listed. My wife has a 2005 Pacifica which gets 15 mpg in town and I have been arguing with someone on the Pacifica thread who says they all get 17 mpg. Someone else listed 11 mpg! That being said, I have a 2006 Odyssey EX-L which gets very close to the listed mpg values. I know that when I drive this vehicle I must resist getting on the gas. It has so much "pep" (lame expression) that it is easy to drive spiritedly. If you do, you will get lousy mileage. The vehicle weighs 4500 lbs and has 240-255 Horse Power.
BTW I got 28.6 mpg on a 400 mile trip from 600 to 1000 miles on the van so I don't buy the "break-in" excuse. I hope my mileage gets better!

hound97 · January 2006

Just came back from a 500 mile trip and averaged 25 miles per gallon. Best mileage I've gotten so far, despite doing a lot of steep climbs through the mountains (although I supposed there was a fair amount of gliding down mountains too). Use of cruise control is key to keeping ECO light on. Also, I was on a 50 mph roadway for a good portion of the trip, low speed probably helped mileage a lot. We've probably averaged 20-22 mpg since buying the vehicle, obviously less than what is advertised, but this may get better with time.

mshooter · February 2006

I, too owned a Oldsmobile Sillouette before purchasing my 2005 Honda Odyssey. My Olds averaged 23-27 MPG Summer and 20-23 Winter. My Odyssey has 25,900 miles on it now and gets 19.5-20.5 winter and 20-24 summer. Quite a dissappointment. I have heard every excuse from Honda. They say the Oddy is heavier (400 lbs) they say it is bigger (yes, but it more aerodynamic) they say it is a more luxurious ride (yes, but I payed more for that luxurious ride) they said it will get better after it is broke in (yes, but I have 25,900 miles on and it hasn't gotten better). The dealer also took mine out for a "road check" for 30 miles and only put .8 gallons of gas in it when he came back. (35 MPG+) I can do that with it also, if I drive 45 MPH, down hill, with the wind and don't fill the tank up all the way when I fill it! I am tired of their excuses. Just admit that GM has a more fuel efficient vehicle so we can give other buyers the true picture of what they are buying. Then if a buyer makes the decision to buy one, even knowing the real performance and economy of the vehicle, he will be happy because it has been accurately represented at sales time! All we're asking for is Honesty, Honda

thegraduate · February 2006

All we're asking for is Honesty, Honda

I believe the better phrase would be:

"All we're asking for is Honesty, EPA"

This is why new testing procedures are soon to be implemented. The EPA does not account for A/C load and other factors in their testing. It also does not go above 60 mph. The ECO light will kick on less and less the higher your speed, so likely, the EPA testing was quite accurate, just not well-evidenced by driving at more normal HWY speeds (75 mph w/passing maneuvers often at 80mph).

Trust me, your concerns are definitely legitimate as you aren't the only one with the lower than advertised mileage. The ECO is just more beneficial in the speeds the EPA tests than most people's average.

dsrtrat2 · February 2006

Four tanks of gas, first was with some head wind and got 23.2 MPG, second with a lot of gusty head wind and some city driving got 19.4, coming home to Yuma with some tail wind got 27.3 MPG, and on home with some tail wind and driving around home area got 26.0.
I wonder if anyone has disabled the VCM and how it affected MPG.

easym1 · March 2006

To all the people that posted here. I would like to thanks everyone for providing me very helpful information on MPG. I am currently in the market of buying a minivan to replace my Dodge caravan. Regarding MPG, I believe that thegraduate is absolutely right. I got a 2004 Nissan Murano SL AWD and the posted MPG is 20-22 MPG. Last summer. I averaged 18.3 between highway and city drive. This winter, my average drops down to 17.2 MPG. I can't see that anyone would be able to achieve the EPA rating in the real world. They do the test in a near perfect condition. Thanks again guys. I will now be checking infos on Toyota Sienna.

hondaturtle · March 2006

I have 3000 miles total on my new '06 Ody EX-L. On a trip of 2200 miles, at 75 mph, moderately loaded (the van, that is), a/c on 25 % of time, strong cross-winds 25% of time, I averaged 24.7 mpg.

In city driving, I am getting 18 mpg.

g8unw · March 2006

Bought my oddyssey EX last January and got 1500 miles on it now. Been city driving most of the time and I've been averaging 16.5 mpg. Considering the size of this van, I think this mileage is good enough.

4ahlens · March 2006

We have a Honda Oddyssey Sat.-Linked Navi & Rear Ent. Sys. and I absolutely love everything except one MAJOR THING. MPG... we were told EPA 20/28, we are getting 15.5 on average mainly city driving. We purchase ours in Oct 05 and decided on Honda over Toyota some because of the EPA, boy are we dissappointed. But there isn't any other complaint except that. We now have over 5000 miles on it, and haven't gotten any better mileage when using upgraded gas. So I hope that after the 1700 mile break-in period it will show some better mileage. I don't use the A/C, I go easy on ecceleration and am pretty conservative, so if you are worried about gas mileage beware, but if you want an Exceptional vehicle despite that fact, the Honda Oddyssey is the way to go hands down, feels like a sports car when you drive it. But Consumer reports Actual mileage did rate it one of the lowest for minivans, ONLY FOR MPG, so you take the good with the bad with any vehicle I guess.

user777 · March 2006

if you only have 500mi on it (you can't have over 5000 and not past the 1700mi break in period

) then you should expect to see some improvement. your reporting mainly city driving...city like highway driving means different things to different people.

make sure your tires are inflated properly. fill 'er up and take it on a good 300mi highway drive or more at 65. record your mileage. you're gonna do much better than 15.5MPG. then in another 3000mi, do the same thing. i bet your mileage will have improved.

jnt · March 2006

I concur with your statement of city mileage: many different conditions. One normally gets different gas mileages for different distances and traffic conditions and average speeds. We normally get ~14MPG for trip that is 2-3 mile (engine not even warmed up yet). When it is longer, we can get 15MPG.

On HWY driving, there are also many factors: load (how many people and luggage bags), speed (50-65MPH is best for gas mileage) and weather condition (Winter takes 1-2 MPG hit for cold area, tire pressure or thermal dynamic of engine?). The best we got from our Odys EX-L is 24.5MPG on 65MPH speed with full load in the summer. That is very good considering the size, power,... This winter, we barely get 22MPG. We have this vehicle for more than a year now. Of course, our driving habits do not change seasonally

Anyway, we got similar gas mileage from GM lighter and less powerful minivan. So no complaint. Note that others who own small SUVs (Santa Fe, Equinox, ...) do not have better gas mileage than my Honda van.

jt

jnt · March 2006

ratherbedriving,

I do agree that we should not trust EPA numbers. Honda probably is stretching their Odys gas mileage quite a bit here (similar to Horse Power overstating that they and Toyota engaged in recent history).

We currently have both Olds and Honda vans. Our Olds van is weighted ~4,000 lbs vs. ~4400 lbs for the Honda van. So unless you have the AWD version of Olds van, I do not think any normal Olds van is heavier than Honda van. BTW, the reason older generation of GM van was so tinny (and full of rattles), narrow (~5" narrower than Honda, Dodge, Ford,...) and light because they cut corner in structure enforcement to make their vehicle light weight for both US and European markets. And we are paying for all of those compromises here in the US for the last 10 years since GM Europe dropped their vehicles after two years in production. The current redesigned GM vans are just a warm-over revision of the old generation with some exceptions (uglier SUV nose styling, beefier structure enforcement for Frontal offset crash, better interior,...)

Back to the main Gas mileage issue: we got about 13-15 MPG for both vehicles driving around town (less than 8 mile trip). The Olds may have a slight edge (0.5 MPG may be). But on HWY, with full loads, we normally get 21-23MPG on the Olds vs. 22-24.5MPG on the Honda. So we observed a 1-1.5 MPG advantage of the Honda. I attribute that to their VCM (or cylinder cut off) and 5 speed AT. In addition, the Honda engine still have a lot more reserve if demanded. Everytime I drive this Honda, I just love it: great acceeleration, excellent handling, good brake, great ride (one of two in the market with true rear independent suspension (new Kia Sodena has one now) . It would be a perfect van for us if they fix the loud "humming" noise at 2200-2400RPM (quite a few complaints, not all vehicles have it).

BTW, People who owns lighter and smaller SUVs report 13-15MPG around town and low 20's MPG on HWY.

jt

thegraduate · March 2006

I do agree that we should not trust EPA numbers. Honda probably is stretching their Odys gas mileage quite a bit here (similar to Horse Power overstating that they and Toyota engaged in recent history).

Actually, your friendly Honda and Toyota dealers are the first in the auto industry to follow new SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) testing procedures for horsepower. They (SAE) have stricter regulations for testing, taking account driveline losses such as A/C and Power Steering.

Companies such as Nissan, on the other hand, have NOT retested their vehicles on the new standard, meaning that their numbers are STILL remaining overstated.

Honda and Toyota are the first two companies to retest all of their vehicles to comply with new standards.

* Note, carmakers aren't required to test under the new procedures until a new engine (or engine change) debuts. It is strictly optional until then; Honda and Toyota just decided to be completely honest with the public rather than allow the public to be in the dark about the new testing procedures.

Also, you say Honda is stretching their mileage...

Again, this isn't Honda's doing; this is the Environmental Protection Agency's estimate based on their tests. Also, keep in mind when VCM is at its best: under light load and highway driving. Low highway speeds (under 60 MPH, which is how CURRENT EPA HWY testing operates) do wonders for VCM equipped cars because at that speed, 3-cylinders is much more viable than at 75MPH (where many of us drive), and VCM stay active much longer. New EPA testing procedures are due out soon (FINALLY, thank goodness), and should deliver more realistic numbers on the window sticker.

I say this just to be informative, in case you (and other readers) didn't know about the new HP testing procedures.

user777 · March 2006

how do you compute the ~14MPG for the trip that is 2-3miles? you take about 25-50 of these little short trips and fill up again, or do you rely on an onboard computer (I have the LX - it's the low-tech way for me). I would never ever in any vehicle use the onboard computer to calculate DTE (Distance to Empty) or MPG. If the vehicles don't use an actual flow-meter, then they are computing the consumption (i imagine) by using the duty cycle information being commanded to the injectors, the pressure at the supply, and the time the vehicle is running. Even with a pretty decent estimate (because they know the nozzle passage size, they can estimate fuel consumption this way), it is still an estimate, which in my opinion will be less accurate than the tried and true method of dividing gallons pumped into miles driven.

i'm just curious how you're comming to this figure.

iluvuall · March 2006

Boots65 & Stevevr4,
I have duplicated your problems too. I have not taken the car to the dealership yet because the shop I take the car too is very reliable. He has checked all the service bulletins and nothing whatsoever on poor mileage. I noticed that for the first year or so I had great mileage about 23-26 mpg mixed driving. Almost 28-30 on hwy. After I took my car in for some brake work to the dealer, I noticed that the mileage has slowly been degrading. The brake issues has been resolved, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking that something else may have happened, but I don't know what and neither does my car tech. The service shop reports that there is no computer codes, he has changed the filters w/o any improvement. I noticed around that time that the tire pressure was universally about 4PSI to low, I fixed that, the mileage appeared to improve but then I think it was purely wishful thinking. The main reason is that we take an annual trip over the summer to the same destination. In the first summer we made the trip we travelled almost 500 miles before we refueled this time around we barely made it past 400, and the low fuel lite was on for the last 30-40 miles. I am extremely disappointed with the mileage. These days I am lucky if I get 12-15 mixed driving. And with the price of fuel this is getting old...although I must say I love driving this van, its got plenty of power, handles well for a minivan and is joy to drive distances. :mad:

fred222 · March 2006

BTW, People who owns lighter and smaller SUVs report 13-15MPG around town and low 20's MPG on HWY.

My wife has a 2005 Pacifica AWD and is lucky to get 15 mpg in town. I took it on an 800 mile trip and averaged exactly 22 mpg which is the EPA rating. The in town mileage is especially interesting because we had a 1995 Suburban 350 TBI, 4x4 6000+ lbs and it got 12-13 mpg in town, only a couple of mpg less than the Pacifica. However, the Suburban always got 15 mpg (+/- 0.1 mpg) on the highway. In the one trip that I have taken in our 2006 Odyssey (same 800 mile as above) I averaged 27 mpg, almost twice that of the Suburban. I get about 18-20 mpg in town in the Odyssey.

Honda Odyssey Real World MPG

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