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Toyota Corolla Real World MPG

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  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Yes
  • oliver69oliver69 Member Posts: 1
    You may want to keep track of how much time you are spending at lights, in traffic, etc. Because, even though, you are not moving and clocking miles on your odometer you ARE burning fuel and that eats into your fuel economy.

    My brother has a Honda civic hybrid with a readout that tells you the car's fuel economy in real time and we noticed that as we were stopped or in traffic the economy gauge would, fairly quickly, tick down from 45 to 42, 40, 38. This may be the reason why you are not getting the mileage you are supposed to.

    Just an idea.
  • tucson_miketucson_mike Member Posts: 11
    Yup, right you are. I think I read if you are stopped longer than 15sec it pays to turn the car off which I do regularly on my route to work where I know the light will be long. Also a key thing on newer cars is if you know you are going to be stopping, just take your foot of the gas (stay in gear) and the injectors will shut off and your guage should shortly read 100MPG
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    All Toyotas 2009 and forward have that gas milage read out feature also, that's not something that's just exclusive to Honda.
  • hoopitup2000hoopitup2000 Member Posts: 46
    I've driven quite a few 02-06 Corollas & noticed after idling for more than 10 or so seconds, the engine idle becomes a little rougher. I'm thinking the engine fuel mixture is intentionally leaned out to increase fuel economy? Any thoughts?

    I moved a few month's ago & now sit in quite a bit of stop & go traffic on the daily commute. Even with the air conditioner on, mileage is still outstanding as long as RPM's are kept low. Running average (last 10 tanks) is 41 MPG & overall average is 39.6 since October 2012. (2005 -5 speed)
  • dgcorolla96dgcorolla96 Member Posts: 4
    Interested in mpg for city/hwy with conservative driving techniques?

    Thanks!

    Don
  • hoopitup2000hoopitup2000 Member Posts: 46
    Automatic or manual?
  • dgcorolla96dgcorolla96 Member Posts: 4
    auto but manual trans would give me a rough idea also!

    Thanks,

    Don
  • hoopitup2000hoopitup2000 Member Posts: 46
    edited August 2013
    The main thing to concentrate on is to PRESERVE MOMENTUM as much as possible. Look ahead for slowing traffic, curves, red lights, etc. & let off the gas to minimize brake usage as much as possible. Trying not to piss off people behind you while doing this may require somewhat of a compromise at times, so keep that in mind as well. Let's face it, MANY drivers are impatient & don't realize they will not get to point B any faster by driving like it is their last day on earth. They drive by the seat of their pants & use no common sense.

    Try to not stop completely when approaching red lights as well. Starting up from a complete stop uses more fuel than a very slow roll. Avoid surging as much as possible.

    Do not warm up the car more than 30 seconds, but do drive gently for the first few minutes to allow ALL the components of the car to safely warm up. Just sitting in the driveway waiting for the car to warm up only warms the engine, not the transmission & other vital components.

    Turn off the engine if you will be idling for more than 3-4 minutes.

    Unfortunately, the automatic can only yield impressive numbers (around 40 MPG) on the open flat road at speeds 65 & under. Add in some hills, or stop & go & you can only expect around 30 or so MPG.

    The manual allows complete control over the engines pumping losses which can account for most the fuel conservation. Maintaining the lowest possible RPM's without lugging is the key to getting impressive numbers in stop & go driving situations. For example, when accelerating if the RPM's are kept BELOW 2500 with a medium to heavy foot, pumping losses are greatly reduced & less fuel is used. When climbing steep hills, only downshift if necessary & mash the accelerator to the floor if needed with the manual. I just traveled through the steep twisty Route 50 through West Virginia (never again) & managed an almost record 43 MPG on that tank. One incline was steep enough to require a downshift to 3rd gear & the accelerator to the floor for at least one mile. (Yikes) Keep in mind that the procedures explained in this last paragraph ONLY APPLY TO MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. Heavy acceleration with the automatic will use MORE fuel, not LESS, as with a manual & proper gear selection.
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    I say drive the car normally and have fun rather than trying to set MPG records. Enjoy the great gas mileage you get with normal driving.
  • hoopitup2000hoopitup2000 Member Posts: 46
    edited August 2013
    I do enjoy driving tremendously & getting over 100,000 miles on front brakes.

    The best part about driving for me is observing all the idiots that seem to have zero common sense & drive by the seat of their pants. But then again, somebody has to keep those guys at Midas busy!!
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Driving smart should be normal, but unfortunately it isn't for most people.
  • kipkkipk Member Posts: 1,576
    edited August 2013
    Good advice! I'm a bit confused about the heavy acceleration with manual trannys, but I no longer own one, and can't debate the issue.

    There are times that things just don't go the way we want, but here are some thoughts.

    I try to keep in mind that the main difference in highway mileage and city is the use of the brakes. Whenever brakes are used, we either just wasted gas or about to waste it. And the more frequent and harder the brakes are applied, the more gas we wasted.

    Another common but not recognized waste of gas is accelerating on an incline. Much better to accelerate on a decline so gravity can help mileage rather than hinder.

    But we have to use good sense also!

    Kip
  • hoopitup2000hoopitup2000 Member Posts: 46
    Conventional "Otto Cycle" engines operate most efficiently at lower RPM's with the throttle MORE OPEN than closed. Therefore shifting as early as possible with a larger throttle opening maximizes engine efficiency during acceleration.

    This is the why the manual transmission can far exceed a conventional automatic in city driving scenarios. The manual also wins out on the highway in hilly/mountainous areas. Automatics will downshift & jack the RPM's up to an inefficient level. (Higher RPM/ small throttle opening=reduced efficiency) With the manual, burying the accelerator & avoiding unnecessary downshifts is far more efficient, of course you don't want to lug the engine. (Lower RPM/wider throttle opening= higher efficiency)

    Google "Pumping losses", Atkinson Cycle engines" & Diesel engines for a more thorough explanation.
  • hoopitup2000hoopitup2000 Member Posts: 46
    I should have mentioned that the Otto Cycle engine is the typical engine found in most American cars.
  • dgcorolla96dgcorolla96 Member Posts: 4
    I appreciate all the theory and practice which I have understood and done for many years in other vehicles such as echo or prius...trying to get to the actual numbers for 1996 auto trans. if possible............................................

    thanks!

    Don
  • hoopitup2000hoopitup2000 Member Posts: 46
    EPA says 26 City / 32 Hwy. Is that about what you are seeing?
  • dgcorolla96dgcorolla96 Member Posts: 4
    Hard to say since I just got some gas tank leakage issues fixed and have only driven around town ad not on any long trips.......I usually find the EPA estimates to be not too hard to beat I later model cars but don't know about this year,,,,,
  • edcorollaedcorolla Member Posts: 1
    Just purchased a 2013 corolla in July. It currently has 3100 miles and is getting 35 city 42 hwy.
  • gunbunnysouljagunbunnysoulja Member Posts: 11
    edited May 2015
    I haven't tested highway mpg yet on my 2015 LE, but city driving I can get anywhere from 43 - 48 mpg for my 20 minute or so trips across town. I never get out of ECO mode (limited throttle) and always use cruise control, don't race to red lights, slow acceleration on start, etc. The wife drives "normal" and gets 32 mpg for the same trips.
  • smurty3smurty3 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 Toyota Corolla that is (really) well maintained. Has 105K miles on the Odometer and I decided to do a "Highway only" mpg test to see the theoretical max I can achieve. I limited my max speed to 60 mph, mostly drove on cruise, rarely ever used the brake (anticipatory), used the A/C about 50% of the time, and if I went up a slope, then I coasted down in neutral (only to cancel slope effect), and drove a total of 387 miles before I refilled to full tank to get the exact fuel consumption. I filled only 7.89 gal (fuel spit-back, no excess) that netted me 49 miles/gal !! Is that even possible ?

    I am going to do it again to confirm. Any insights into making my test better ?

    thx in advance.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
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  • DawnaDawna Member Posts: 1
    In my 2002 Toyota ,Corolla I am only getting 20 mpg in mixed city and highway driving. Last year was getting 24 mpg in mixed. 
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 241,289
    Dawna said:

    In my 2002 Toyota ,Corolla I am only getting 20 mpg in mixed city and highway driving. Last year was getting 24 mpg in mixed. 

    How many miles are on your car? It might be in need of some maintenance to get the MPG back up.

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