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Honda Pilot Real World MPG

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Comments

  • mldj98mldj98 Member Posts: 378
    Sioux Falls, South Dakota !!!
    There is something you almost never see...that city listed anywhere....let alone on a Edmunds webpage.....And I ought to know because I was born and raised there....
    And before anybody asks....yes we had indoor plumbing....and electricity! :o)
  • farklefarkle Member Posts: 2
    My Amazon has almost 500 miles on it and has been getting better than posted gas milage so far. Just over 18 in city driving. Got right at 25 MPG on a 200 mile round trip to the beach with A/C on auto @ 74. Hope this continues when we hit the interstate and the engines broke in good. I can hardly wait to use the rest of the forward motion pedal!
  • wlodekwlodek Member Posts: 4
    I assume that all MPG numbers for 2005 models are AWD, right? I wonder if we should expect any differences between 2005 AWD and 2006 AWD?. Also please advice me on which model to choose in 2006 series, 2WD or AWD, what factors I should take under consideration apart from towing heavy stuff. My wife says she would prefer AWD because it is safer, I would prefer to save couple bucks on gas, we live in Chicago, not much snow, planning to move to NC, and do no expect to tow a lot of stuff.
  • mldj98mldj98 Member Posts: 378
    boy that's a tough choice. Given your wife thinks the AWD is better because she will feel safer in it might be the actual reason to buy one. Although as you mentioned, if your not going to tow anything big, not really going to be living in snow country (although if your going to stay in Chicago, AWD for sure), then maybe the 2WD would be better suited. The gas mileage difference is not that much when it comes to piece of mind. NC does get some stormy weather, maybe not snow, but plenty of heavy rain and other conditions. Obviously, the AWD is going to cost you more, but both would be a solid choice. If your wife is going to drive it the most then maybe you should leave it up to her....your wallet may be lighter for doing that....but in the end your wife will seem to have that piece of mind while she is driving it knowing that she has an AWD vehicle and when called upon it will engage. I think the safety factor goes up even further if you have children....when we went to buy our 05 Pliot, the main selling point other than it being a Honda, also that it will run forever, maintain value, etc...etc...was that it was AWD....that was enough...sold! So it's not the product line that you need to worry about.....that's soild! Ask the boss, SHE will make the decision....like they always do! :o) Just my .02. Good Luck!!!
  • spring3spring3 Member Posts: 1
    We recently purchased a 2006 Pilot awd exl. Just took it to Tahoe from the Bay area. We got 20.3 mpg in 360 miles of driving. The light comes on for the gas with about 2.3 gallons left.
  • mimeomimeo Member Posts: 10
    We had a 2WD SUV and Audi Quattro in Chicago, and even though Chicago does a great job of cleaning streets the AWD Audi was substantially better on side streets and in the rain. Not that I had any trouble driving in 2WD, but the AWD added a better feel of control. One caveat, AWD does not stop any better than 2wd .
  • area123area123 Member Posts: 22
    I just bought a certified 2004 w/ 48k miles. Drove up I35 at 78mph average w/ AC, got 23.2mpg, with about 5% city driving.
  • ck90211ck90211 Member Posts: 161
    First full tank (not the factory filled tank) yielded almost 17 MPG. I live in western Los Angeles, 75% city (slow but not too many stops) and 25% highway (faster, but many stops) with AC either on low or off. I chose 2WD instead of AWD because my other car, a 4-cylinder supercharged 95 AWD Previa, has consistently gotten lousy mileage (13-16 MPG in similar driving). I expect (and hope) the Pilot to achieve near 20's after break-in.
  • comancoman Member Posts: 11
    I'm amazed at the wide range of MPG being reported here. I'm sure there are a lot of variables, many of which have been discussed here, but does anyone know if altitude has an effect on MPG? I live in Colorado at 6000 ft. and I'm looking to buy an 06 Pilot but I'm concerned about experiencing one of those 13 MPG Pilot stories. I'm currently driving a Mountaineer with a 5.0L V8 that gets 14 MPG in the city. I'd hate to go backwards!

    Thanks for the input!
  • pilot3rdpilot3rd Member Posts: 13
    I only have 500 mi. on my '06 EXL AWD, so I haven't had a chance to take it back to Colorado Springs yet (I'm in the central valley of CA), but the trips I've taken there with my '03 Odyssey, I really didn't detect any difference in mileage. I've got between 23.25 and 24.25 MPG with the Ody. And that's cruising pretty fast thru the mountains on both US50 and I-70.
    The thing I've noticed about the Pilot is that the shift points are at a higher RPM, even with a light throttle.
    Also the difference at 2000 RPM, Pilot=64 MPH and Ody=70 MPH. I think prudent acceleration will have the greatest effect on MPG.
  • cj7cj7 Member Posts: 9
    My wife and I took an aniversary trip from Sacramento to Santa Cruz a week or two ago and returned home with one tank. I can tell you the full tank gave us about 425 total miles.
    I would say that 80 % of that was freeway driving at about 65 to 70mph. and the rest was driving around Santa Cruz and local mountain areas. I drive very lightfooted and enjoyed seeing the green ECO light come on telling me i was running on only 3 cylinders while still doing 70mph.
    I have driven a few tank fulls since and most of the driving has been in the city. I am now getting about 325 to the tank. I love our new pilot. :)
  • malubmalub Member Posts: 9
    I have about 800 miles on my '05 Pilot EX-L and the mileage is just not meeting the my expectations. My first tank got about 19 and the two tanks since then have been 17 and 18. How long should I expect it to take to break that engine in and should I be driving it a certain way to maximize the quality of the engine break in? I am really concerned; my husband is a Chevy man and was dead set against buying a Honda and I convinced him based on the reliability and mileage and now it's not coming through for me. It is not looking good for me.
  • rmeypilot1rmeypilot1 Member Posts: 2
    Just bought the 06 EX-L 2WD which has the engine that shuts down half the cylinders during cruise speeds above 40mph. EPA rating is 18/24 I'm very pleased with that ECO system. You can't even tell it is in that mode unless you see a little "ECO" light that illuminates on the speedometer. I'm still breaking it in (under 2000 miles so far) but my first tank was right at 18.5 mixed driving and as high as 19.4 mixed. There's just too much stop and go traffic here in Dallas/Fort Worth for me to get an accurate highway reading. After the first two tanks of gas I replaced the OEM air filter for a K&N filter (about $45 on Ebay) and now consistently getting 20-22 mix. I have done that with all my vehicles over the years and have gotten more power and better gas mileage. Doesn't affect your warranty at all. It just allows your engine to breathe easier. I haven't taken a long highway trip but am very happy with the MPG so far. I use an accurate "fill the tank completely and divide by miles driven" method but it was pleasant to see 330+ miles driven with a 1/4 tank left. It would be great if the MPG improves further after break-in as I'm hearing from many others.
  • whampa65whampa65 Member Posts: 36
    So far with my new Pilot (06), I'm getting about 17 Mpg with mostly highway.
  • sas1sas1 Member Posts: 19
    First tank from the dealer yielded 21.5, never had it on the highway, but drove very light footed due to break in in suburban traffic. I just returned from a 800 miles trip, 7 people and full load of baggage gave 23MPG fast highway (80-85MPH) + going up 6000 FT (Tucson - Grand Canyon). On the way back - going downhill I averaged 65-75 MPH, 90% highway. Here I got an amazing 27MPG. In straight and level driving I can maintain 3cyl. mode up to about 85 MPH. I now have 1600 Miles on the car. One thing that helps fuel economy is to maintain tirepressure @ max pressure minus 10%. This is a good formular that will boost fuel economy and provide an increased road feel.

    FUEL CONSUMPTION:

    A car uses less full in colder temps than hotter. Basically the engine produces power when air 'violently' expands due to a rapid increase in temperature (combustion). The larger the temperature spread from intake to exhaust the more expansion takes place, hence power. Regarding altitude, there is a twist. Technically the ECU unit will always try to keep the same mixture of air/fuel, say 15:1, but as elevation increases pressure drops, resulting in less airmolecules pr. given volume air sucked in by the engine, therefore the ECU must follow suit and lessen its corresponding amount of fuel molecules, now the poweroutput suffers. The end result is you will spend more fuel driving at high altitudes if you demand same power as low altitude driving - since the temperature drops at 2C/1000ft increase in altitude, you sometimes wont notice a huge difference.
  • jlaabsjlaabs Member Posts: 5
    Bought our Pilot last Saturday. On Wednesday we took a 400 mile round-trip from Phoenix to Nogales in southern AZ. and got 25.7 MPG! We cruised at 80 mph for about 100 miles and 70-75 mph for the rest of the trip. The tires were at 33psi but I will normally have 35psi in them. The ECO light indicating three cylinders in use was on alot of the time at 70-75 mph but not as often at 80 mph. I was pleasantly surprised by the results and could probably do a little better with 35psi and staying in the 70-75 mph range. Keep in mind this is a 2WD model. Will be interesting to see what it gets in general city driving.
  • fljoslinfljoslin Member Posts: 237
    I have about 800 miles on my '05 Pilot EX-L and the mileage is just not meeting the my expectations. My first tank got about 19 and the two tanks since then have been 17 and 18.
    Slightly related. My wife has a 2005 Pacifica AWD with about 10,000 miles on it. Similar weight engine size etc to Pilot. She consistently get 15 mpg in city driving on midgrade gas. I would not expect the Pilot to get much better. Maybe a little. Having AWD with the mass of these vehicles is not efficient.
  • crocro Member Posts: 9
    How do you guys figure o ut your mileage? According to manual, Pilot has 20.4 galon fuel tank, but, does that include 2.3 galons left after going on E?
    Right now i am half way on my tank and i got 155 miles, assuming i will do another 155 for the remaining tank...do i divide 310 with 20.4 or 18?
  • pup975pup975 Member Posts: 13
    You take how many miles you have driven since your last fill-up then divide by the number of gallons that you put in your car at the current fill-up.
  • homerllyhomerlly Member Posts: 1
    Something is wrong, probably driving conditions. My '05 always gets 24-26 on the road air off and 23-25 air on. Checked on 300-400 round trips, freeway/turnpike driving. If you use the cruise control it will help, tires at 32lbs.. Also, a clean air filter helps. Up and down hills will cut miles off. Cruise control helps with steady speeds. I travel 65-70 mph.
  • andyrusandyrus Member Posts: 17
    First long trip on 2006 Pilot EX-L 4WD NYC to Washington, DC and back: 20.2 MPG at ~65-70 mph. My Pilot has about 500 miles.
  • bahondaguybahondaguy Member Posts: 17
    Woe is me! Compared to everone else here, I've got the lowest mileage to post.

    Best: 14mpg (first tank when I drove it off the lot)
    Worst: 10.75mpg (at about 800 miles on the clock.)
    Last: 11.15 mpg (almost 1500 miles)

    Currently I have 1500 miles on it and, despite the dealership's recommendations to keeping it at least til 1000 miles to see if it improves, it still has not.

    For a little bio:

    I am not a leadfoot. Still have not floored it. Plus most of my driving is city. Very little bumper to bumper or idling. Weather is good. (Some rain, but not much else)

    Up til now, I drive very mildly with no heavy loads or towing. I have a family of 5, with 3 kids under 12 (11,7,4) and a small dog. Car is stock with factory crossbars and hood deflector.

    I use 87 octane pump gas from 76, Circle K and Citgo for the most part. I fill up almost every time, rarely $10 in. I use MILES/GALS according to the trip odo. Tires at 32psi.

    As I have said to my dealership, I have the LOWEST reported mileage of this site at 10.75mpg. Will have their service dept look at it, but I doubt they will find anything. May start complaining to AHM soon too. I love the car otherwise.

    Any clues?

    DC
    06 SBM EX-L 4WD
  • denadadenada Member Posts: 18
    My gas mileage also poor!

    Best 14 mpg(Third tank) with 50% highway

    Worst 11.89 mpg (All city)

    Not yet contact my dealer, don't think they can do anything on it!

    Please let me know what can your dealer or AHM do.

    Thanks

    Dennis
    06 Amazon Green EX 4WD
  • dkdriverdkdriver Member Posts: 26
    I've been reading the mileage posts, and am in the standard range (17 - 18.5 mpg combined city and highway for an EXL 4wd). I'm wondering why there is such variability here. I'm also not lead footed, and try to coast to stop signs, etc.. to boost my mileage. My heart goes out to those getting 14 - what a dissapointment! I would hope your dealers are doing diagnostics - if not, call the Honda 800 customer service line. They publish mileage estimates on the door sticker - I'd think there is some leverage from that as well as the posts here that show a norm for other drivers. Good luck!
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,733
    have you read about the idle-learn procedure posted here and other Pilot boards? Have you tried it?

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • denadadenada Member Posts: 18
    No, qbrozen, Could you tell me what is the procedure to do it?
    Thanks a lot!
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,733
    search was throwing a fit, but i tracked it down. here is a previous post on the idle learn procedure.
    qbrozen, "Honda Pilot Owners: Problems & Solutions" #731, 9 Aug 2004 5:58 am

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • denadadenada Member Posts: 18
    Thank you very much!

    Done! let see any mpg improvement!
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,733
    no problem.
    good luck.
    i hope it works for you. i've had some say it does and some say it doesn't.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • pocono35pocono35 Member Posts: 89
    I get 16-17 mixed driving. Worst has been about 15mpg mixed in winter and best is 22 highway in summer. I am pleased with this as I am a hard accelerator and this is an 8 passenger SUV that ways in excess of 4400lbs. I guarantee the competition with 8 passengers can't claim this.
  • tocatoca Member Posts: 147
    This is why we question our mpg.....

    http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2006-01-10-epa-fuel-economy-ratings_x.htm
  • jimzopsjimzops Member Posts: 39
    I've had my 06 Pilot Ex-L with RES
    since early Dec. and now have 1500 miles on it.
    I drive about 60 Highway/40 city and here in St. Louis the temperatures have been abnormally mild during this period with highs
    in the 40s/50s and some 60s, like yesterday.
    Colder temperatures will have an effect on mpg and in some cases
    up to 2-3 mpg lower, especially if you warm up your car on those very cold mornings. A/C use will also play a role especially since it comes on automatically when defrosting or when system is in full/auto temp. control. Keep all this in mind.
    Over the last 3 fill cycles I got 16.5, 17.9 and 17.0 mpg.
    I'm satisfied.
  • crocro Member Posts: 9
    On my '06 Pilot EXL AWD with Navi i am getting:

    all city driving : 15.5 MPG
    all hwy driving : 20.5 MPG

    Yes i'd like 2 more MPG's.
  • c_hackc_hack Member Posts: 20
    New '06 Pilot EXL AWD:

    On the second tank of gas, my wife took a 4 hour trip down I95 (including traffic jam around DC) and told me she got 25mpg. I thought she was crazy, so I driven the Pilot myself, mostly highway, and just calculated 24.5 mpg on the last tank. I still can't believe it. I'll post when I get some more miles on the truck.
  • andyrusandyrus Member Posts: 17
    2006 Pilot EX-L 4WD: second tank - 17.1 MPG mixed driving.
  • jfavourjfavour Member Posts: 105
    I just filled up for the first time. 260 miles on odo at fill up, all city driving. It calculated out to be 15.5 MPG. Hopefully it will improve somewhat, but it is close to the EPA 17 city, so I really can't complain too much. FYI - I live in MN and the weather has been generally around or just below freezing.
  • path4path4 Member Posts: 24
    Highway 19-21 at an average of 80+ mph

    I didn't pay attention to how much it is for local driving. I just calculated once and it was about 14mpg. Overall, I am satisfied. For comparison, I once drove a trailblazer for 350 miles on highway at 83mph averaged, and it got 16mpg.

    Being cheap as I am, the car that impressed me most with its combined weight, power, and mileage is the Chevy Impala. It was a rental from Enterprise and I think it was the 3.4L version. 31mpg for a 1K miles' trip at 85mph and ocassionally upto 100mph.
  • craigo25craigo25 Member Posts: 3
    Just filled up for the first time. The odometer reading was 312.8, filled up with 14.816 Gal. Got 21.1 mpg. This was mostly city driving (85%). I hope with Hwy miles I'll do even better.
  • unh01unh01 Member Posts: 1
    I am also getting very low mileage- city around 13 and hwy 16/17. But one day I got really good mileage in the hwy 20. After that I didn't get that many. I just drove my pilot around 1600 mile from January. I talked with dealer's expert, they said I will get good mileage after first oil change. I don't know whether it is true. I live in Connecticut and I had to drive in the snow at least 5 times since purchased.
  • boatingboating Member Posts: 17
    I have an 05 Pilot 4WD EX-L and are getting 17-17.5 average for MPG's. Current miles 16,400. This is mostly around town driving with some highway miles in between.

    Other vehicles I have owned driving in same area in which I live (Rhode Island)
    97 Grand Cherokee I-6 16-16.5 MPG
    90 S-10 Blazer V-6 16-17 MPG
    86 Ford Ranger V-6 19-20 MPG

    These other trucks have 4 speed (AOD)transmissions.

    For all the hype about 5 speed tranys, ultra low emissions, vehicle aerodynamics, ect., these trucks (Pilot's)get not much better mileage than the ones they replace!
  • hj708hj708 Member Posts: 28
    2006 EX 2WD. On a trip that was 95% highway cruise control at 76mph, I calculated 24.8 MPG.
  • tomekktomekk Member Posts: 310
    It has about 7000 miles.
    City: 17-18 mpg, with a lot idling & stop and go.
    Recent skiing trip from south Boston area to northern NH and back:
    19.8 mpg (~75 mph, 4 people, ski rack, a lot of luggage, included some early morning warm-up & defrost time ... it was 2F below).
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I have an 05 Pilot 4WD EX-L and are getting 17-17.5 average for MPG's. Current miles 16,400. This is mostly around town driving with some highway miles in between.

    Other vehicles I have owned driving in same area in which I live (Rhode Island)
    97 Grand Cherokee I-6 16-16.5 MPG
    90 S-10 Blazer V-6 16-17 MPG
    86 Ford Ranger V-6 19-20 MPG

    These other trucks have 4 speed (AOD)transmissions.

    For all the hype about 5 speed tranys, ultra low emissions, vehicle aerodynamics, ect., these trucks (Pilot's)get not much better mileage than the ones they replace!

    You must consider that you are getting 5-10% better mileage than your Grand Cherokee, you have 60 or so more horses than your Grand Cherokee, you can seat three more people, you can haul more gear, and have a much nicer car with many more safety features (airbags weigh a lot).

    If you wanted more mileage for your money (better aerodynamics, less weight)you should consider a minivan (20/28mpg) unless you need 4WD.
  • rpowersrpowers Member Posts: 24
    I'm with you, I'm reading all these other pilot's are getting near EPA rated mileage. It is the most disapointing thing we've found about our 05. We check every tank waiting for a change that really hasn't come. We drive mostly light suburban traffic, about 3 miles (one way)to work every day. We got 13 when brand new, dealer said it would get better after 3-5000 miles. We now (@11000) get a consistent 14 city 17-19 hwy, best ever on hwy was 20. We are easy drivers, and have even tried granny driving, hasn't helped. Dealer has no answer or doesn't really seem to care. Someone asked about towing, we towed our 21 ft. deck boat, about 2700lbs 150 miles, mostly Hwy. It rode very well, suspension was great, start off and gaining speed was good, maintaining 55-60 was tough, (we're in flat Fla.) overpasses caused screaming downshifts. Fuel milage was a flat 10 mpg, will go back to using my 4.0L Explorer for boat / road trips.
    I would appreciate any feedback about poor fuel economy and anything anyone any has done to help.
  • hj708hj708 Member Posts: 28
    What psi are your tires at? Maybe running them a little firmer would help? Without going over the manufacturers ratings, of course. I've heard people have a little luck with replacing the OEM air filter with a K&N.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,733
    have you read through this topic and tried any or all suggestions?

    here is one I repost quite often.

    qbrozen, "Honda Pilot Owners: MPG-Real World Numbers" #78, 9 Jan 2006 6:58 am

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Running around-town trips so short will decrease your mileage greatly. Driving such a short period means the engine is trying to get warmed up (running richer) for most of your drive. If your commute was longer (not necessarily faster) you'd get better mileage.

    I used to get 22mpg in my 1996 Honda Accord b/c I drove 2 miles one way to school. Now I drive 16 miles one-way, in traffic that is actually heavier, but I average about 3mpg higher when strictly in town.
    On the highway, you need to remember that drag increases exponentially with speed, and is even worse in a square SUV. Driving 70 may give you XX mpg, 75 would give you XX-Y mpg, and 80 would give you XX-3Y mpg (estimates) where Y is the amount of drag the vehicle is having to overcome. Slow down by 5 miles per hour when you set the cruise, you will find that mileage will increase a fair bit I believe. Proof was in our Odyssey; at 85MPH (dad driving, we always got 23MPG). At 75MPH (me driving) we always got 26-27MPG.

    The explorer would be a better tow vehicle, regardless of engine; it has a body-on-frame structure which is better suited for towing.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    you need to remember that drag increases exponentially with speed...

    Actually, it's not exponential. The drag force varies with the square of the speed meaning, for example, that it's almost 50% greater at 85 mph than it is at 70 mph.

    tidester, host
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Right, but at 100 MPH, you are going to have an increase in drag greater than the increase when speed went from 70MPH to 85 MPH, right?

    Either way, my point was, that the faster you go past a certain speed (my car, and Accord, seems to have a mileage sweet spot at 75, my old Accord does best at 65) you'll get losses of mileage the further past that "ideal" speed. Sorry my math/theory was incorrect, but I could've sworn I read that somewhere. Knowing me, I probably read it on here, and took it as fact!
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    It is certainly true that the faster you go the greater the drag force.

    tidester, host
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