Honda Pilot Real World MPG

Karen_S · May 2005

This topic is for Pilot owners to report their actual MPG.

"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates

gprodick · June 2005

This message board is a glut of topics.I think there are about 40. It's a mess! Why would you want to had yet another one? Instead of adding topics, you ought to eliminate about 80% of the existing topics and get it down to a manageable level.

Karen_S · June 2005

I'm not sure what page you're looking at, but there are only seven discussions on the Honda Pilot Owners Club page.

skyking1 · June 2005

We have an '05 EX-L. We have just reached the 7500 mile service, and I have noticed a change in the mileage. Initially, 17~18 in a mix of country commuting with some stop and go. Now that is more like 20. Took a road trip this weekend, had some really bad holiday traffic on the freeways. Stop and go, fast and slow. First tank was 22. The conditions improved, and got 23 doing some 60~65 on cruise mixed with some 75+ and climbing two passes. Overall, I am satisfied that it gets similar mileage to EPA, and could beat it with conservative driving.

6buck · June 2005

I have about 20K miles on my '04 that I got the end of last September. I get between 19 and 21 consistently. I just got a tow package added and I'm interested to see what the trailer does to the mileage, I know it won't be good. I just switched to premium fuel, on the recommendation of the manual related to towing. I'll see what that does to mileage without the trailer too.

shodanusmc · June 2005

03 Pilot, 30K, 14-20

cynic · June 2005

05 Pilot, 9k, 17-19

klanger · June 2005

We have a 2005 Pilot EX. Only 1400 miles right now, and getting 17-18 MPG with about 50% highway driving. Hoping to get EPA mileage eventually.

meyervilla · June 2005

Does anyone know when Honda will modify their V6 to run on E85? What about a Pilot Hybrid?

durability05 · June 2005

You will be pleasantly surprised to get close to EPA numbers after 5000 miles.
We initially got 15 city and 21 highway when new. Now it is 17 city and 22 highway. This SUV is one of the few that gets close to what it says.
Use to own a 2001 Ford Escape 4WD V6 that only got 14 city and 22 highway and it was suppose to get 18/23 . And that Escape weighed 800 pounds less.

tcp27705 · June 2005

I have a 2005 EX-L that we got in December. It has 8000 miles on it now. I get 16-17 MPG city, 20-22 MPG highway.

normkol · July 2005

My 2005 Pilot has 5500 miles. I get 17-19 in mixed driving, haven't done any straight highway yet.

I also own a 2002 Tribute V6, which gets about EPA numbers. 18-19 mixed driving, 22-24 straight highway.

durability05 · July 2005

The Pilot mix driving I can get 17-18, the straightway , I got anywhere from 23 mpg on an easy 500 mile drive at 70 mph, however a 75-80 mph desert run only got me 20 mpg highway. I use to own a 2001 Ford Escape V6 4wd, that thing only got 14-15 mix driving and 22 highway, to sum it up the Pilot has excellent mpg numbers for a midsize SUV, we took it to the mall today for shopping, and it was excellent, entirely in its intended purpose a Station Wagon, or shall we say a Cross-over. Definetely not an SUV.

sportymonk · July 2005

Filled up first time at 255 miles.
Next 1250 miles were almost pure interstate at 70 to 75 mph as we left on vacation with 300 miles on the odometer (Not the original plan but thats the way things worked out). tire pressure was 33.5 - 34. I keep it a pound of so higher so that if I loose a little air over the course of time, I wouldn't be underinflated.

@ 578 miles = 21.62 mpg

@ 937 = 20.93 mpg (Dropped here as lead foot Bodine, whoops, excuse me, my lovely wife who keeps flow with the traffic was driving.)

@ 1292 = 21.44 mpg

@ 1525 = 23.28 Through with vacation(?)

@ 1843 = 19.28 Some city and some hwy

@ 2150 = 19.28. Same

The problem with measuring city driving is that other than the EPA defined city driving, it is too variable. Different lights (especially sensored ones) have different intervals of green and red. Traffic at 5:30 in downtown Atlanta is dramatically different from traffic at 20:30 AM even though it is the same route.

biscuit1941 · July 2005

Just took a quick trip and measured MPG first time.

185 mile trip, 40 miles of interstate and the rest twisty mountain driving (the kind you brake, accelerate, up, down round and round).

20.5! I thought that was great all things considered.

aspesisteve · July 2005

anyone have numbers to share while towing?
don't forget to say how much you are towing.

thx

normkol · August 2005

I just drove yesterday 360 miles, almost all highway. I got 21.5 mpg.

2005 EX-L.

I was hoping for a bit better.

carbuyer89 · August 2005

Noted MPG for the first time ...the Pilot is new with only 600 miles on it right now.

Got 17 mpg - all of it suburban driving with many small trips of 10-20 miles each.

Does the mpg increase after the "newness" wears off?

loveipos1234 · August 2005

Many will say that it will get better. My Pilots MPG did not increase at all statistically. I am now getting an average of about 16

jim70 · August 2005

lovepos1234,

I was curious. Is that a pretty even mix of highway and city? And how many miles do you have on it now?

Thanks

loveipos1234 · August 2005

I have 31,000 miles on it. Yes, its pretty much an even mix, but in the Chicago land area, even highway miles is often stop and go. I get about 20 mpg when I am moving at 70-75. Now I have noticed when I am in a rural area where there is not that 10% Ethynol mixture or Oxygenaged gas, my mileage is 1-2 mpg better. I used a Durablend oil, and change it every 3 months. I do not hot rod it. I also realize it is a fairly large SUV, but for the mileage I get, I would rather have a larger engine and more pep.

lfan · August 2005

I was getting 18-19 MPG during 1st 4 tankfuls before 1500 miles. In my last 2 tanks, I've gotten 22 mpg with the same driving pattern (70% hwy 30% suburban stop and go). I drive moderately with speeds ~72-75 on the hwy. My coworker with an '03 EX says he regularly gets 24 mpg so that's something I will shoot for.

wkroberts · August 2005

Approaching 20K miles on a 7 month old 2005 Pilot that commutes from Orange County to Beverly Hills 3 days a week and to San Diego once a week. The average is about 15 MPG around town with a best of 18.5 on the road. Using the AC makes a big difference. The same commute in my 2003 Explorer (XLT 2WD) brings 17-18 around town and 21 on the road. I average about 40K miles a year on the cars that I own, not counting rentals.

walleye5 · August 2005

I just got back from a fishing trip where I towed my ~1300 lb boat; 95% was towing with the rest short trips into town. I averaged 20.4 mpg for the entire trip. I drove easy, no fast starts, cruise control at 68 mph. Mostly fairly flat roads here in Wisconsin and the wind was mostly in my favor or neutral; no head winds. I ran the air after about 9 AM once it warmed up, both directions, so drove 2 hours w/o each day and the rest with it on. The total miles I put on was 950, so a good test. Also, I averaged 19.8 last year on a similiar trip. I've noticed wind makes a pretty big difference, I consider these my best figures under near-perfect towing conditions. Not bad for an AWD vehicle.

leo · September 2005

Seems like everybody getting 21mpg one way or another. I took the car on vacation to Sunriver Oregon in July with 4 people, 3 bikes and the third row fold down for lots of carry on. I am getting between 19.5mpg(drove thru rain 65-70mph) and 21.5mpg(70-75mph) on the way back. 20.5mpg around town in Sunriver.

rmandal · September 2005

Guys:
I just bought a new Honda Pilot -05 EX.
The dealer gave me a tank Full, but he put 87 Octane level. When I asked him he says that this level of Octane is fine.

When I was reading thru the Owners manual it says that the Pilot needs a minimum Octane Level of 91 or above. I am confused now and was wondering what you guys suggest and what do you put in your Pilots.

Thanks for your thoughts. :confuse:

jdschu66 · September 2005

87 Octane is just fine, I've been using it for a year with no pinging or hesitation. I think 91 is for towing if my memory serves me correct. Enjoy using the cheaper 87 as the Acura MDX needs the 91.

jdschu66 · September 2005

My Pilot gets as high as 24 on the interstate and as low as 17 in city with a/c. There are other factors that come into play as you have noted. Wind is a BIG one, tail vs cross vs head, which gets compounded by luggage on the roof.

Anyone that rides a bicycle very much will know when your automobile using the most gas and when it's not!

larsca · September 2005

I'm very disappointed with my MPG numbers. Every car I have ever owned, rented, or borrowed, I have gotten the same results with. I always get close to the higher end of the scale, but with the Pilot I can't even get up to the worst MPG. With 70-80% highway driving I still haven't been able to get even 17 MPG.

And no, it's not my driving style that's the problem.

Other than the dismal MPG, I like the car a lot.

gr8mo · September 2005

I have a one month old o5 pilot , I am only average 12.5 MPG and combination highway and city drive, I called the dealer and they said wait tell the 1st 1000 mile , do any one else have this kind of problem, thanks

dillj · September 2005

Our situation sounds similar. We have a one month old 05 Pilot with about 800 miles on it. We do probably 75% city driving. Originally, we got about 16 MPG which I thought was low but we do use the AC often. However, our last tank averaged about 13 (which included actually more highway driving). Since this was the first time getting such a low number, I am going to check the mileage for a couple more fill-ups before I give the dealer a call.

leninator · September 2005

I own a 2005 Pilot with 3800 miles and my last tank averaged 22 mgp combined city/highway. This car seems very sensitive to your throttle input. I've found by taking it easy in traffic situations my mileage goes up. I cruise on the interstate at around 70 mph and would call my accelerating relaxed unless something else is called for. In my short experience it seems like you'd almost have to work at getting 12 and 13 mpg. Even when I wasn't trying to max out my mileage I still got 16 around town and 19 highway.

qbrozen · September 2005

I went back and did the search. Here ya go:
qbrozen, "Honda Pilot Owners: Problems & Solutions" #731, 9 Aug 2004 9:58 am

rmandal · September 2005

Guys:
Are you guys using Octane level 87 in your 2005 Pilot's.
If anyone is using any other like 93 , have you noticed any increase in your mileage.

Please share your experiences.

Thanks

qbrozen · September 2005

we've always used 87 and gotten right around 21 mpg in mixed driving. I can't imagine it getting much better than that.

rmandal · September 2005

Guys:
The "yellow dot" for the low gas indicator comes up when you are running close to end of your tank..?

Do you know when it starts glowing how many gallons is left in the tank..?

Thanks
:confuse:

tomekk · September 2005

Don't use anything but regular grade in your Pilot ... 93 will cause buildup of carbon deposits in the engine.

niblick45 · September 2005

While I'm a believer in a full tank of gas, I have always "tested" my new cars to see how far I could drive after the low fuel warning lights. With the Pilot I know I can drive 25 miles w/o running out of gas.

larsca · September 2005

I tried the idle-learn procedure, but it did nothing for me. I am still getting just south of 17 mpg in mostly highway driving, but I do tend to cruise at 75 mph so maybe that's it?

Anyway, I don't think I'm getting bad enough milage to ask the dealer to take a look at it, but whoever it was that posted here about 12 mpg...that's just not acceptable.

qbrozen · September 2005

we also cruise between 70 and 75 and that's how we get our 20 mpg. Go figure.

yanyan80 · September 2005

I am living in NYC, my one month old Pilot exl can only run 14-15 mpg. It's not what I expected. I want to ask if anybody from NYC in the forum? How's your mpg number?

qbrozen · September 2005

if you're actually driving IN the city all the time, I'm not all that shocked, but still:
qbrozen, "Honda Pilot Owners: MPG-Real World Numbers" #34, 20 Sep 2005 11:00 am

fred25 · September 2005

I live in NYC. How many miles do you have on your pilot? remeber this is still the break in period just keep monitoring your gas milage. It may take 600- to 1500 to fully brake in the vehicle and get better milage.

Fred

klanger · September 2005

I posted my mileage a few weeks after getting my Pilot (2005 EX), and now I will give an update after 6500 miles.

In a typical week, we drive a mix of 50% city and 50% highway, and mileage is usually 18-19. I just took the car on a long highway trip, and the mileage was 21-22. I think that the A/C cuts into the mileage and is not accounted for in EPA estimates, so I'm hoping that mileage will go up now that we have cooler weather. I also got the first oil change recently, and that probably helps as there is usually lots of metal when the engine is being broken in.

tomekk · September 2005

Just bought it 10 days ago...
First tank: 338 miles, 18.7 gallons = 18.07 MPG
90% city or sloooow highway traffic jams, mostly with AC.
Tomek

yanyan80 · September 2005

I am driving in the city almost all the time. But, isn't 17 would be the "local" mpg number? By the way, idle-learn procedure can be done if I just disconnect one of the fuse, not necessary the bettery, right?

qbrozen · September 2005

17 is the EPAs city route number, not necessarily yours.

I don't know about pulling a fuse to do it. I'm not sure what fuse controls the ECU, and I'm not sure I'd want to pull it if I did.

pup · September 2005

Anyone have any information on the real world gas mileage on the new 2006 Pilot 2WD?

tomekk · October 2005

already 600 miles on the odo after not even 2 weeks ... this time got 17.3 MPG, mostly stop & go. Can't wait to go on a longer trip!

biscuit1941 · October 2005

Bought my EXL in Apr and have not worried much about mileage as it was "in-town" or in HILLY, TWISTY roads.
Finally took a long trip and just got back and did the math. Sioux Falls South Dakota, through farm country, 65-75 MPH, down to I80 and 75 MPH constant from North Platte Neb to Williams CA, all up and down mountains. At Williams, over to rural coastal CA, high speed up and down hills again.

22.8 overall! I think that is great with a VERY full load at high speed up and down mountains etc. Total mileage for test was 1961. Total mileage on car 7700 :shades:

opus4 · October 2005

One tank of city driving = 17.6mpg

Two tanks of a road trip on the interstate (drove around 72mph), close to 25mpg

Honda Pilot Real World MPG

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