Acura TSX Real World MPG Numbers

nj2pa2nc · August 2008

We have found the trip computer to be the same or very close (less than 1%) on our 06 tsx when we compare it to our manual calculations for MPG.

obladida1 · August 2008

I have an 07 auto/navi TSX and this summer I sadly discovered the exact same thing. The trip computer is off by 1.5 to 2 MPG in its favor on EVERY tank fill. For about a year I thought I was averaging over 29 MPG, but the reality is that I'm only getting around 27. I am extremely disappointed. Can the dealer fix this?

cdnpinhead · August 2008

on the assumption that the vast majority of the motoring public couldn't calculate MPG manually if their lives depended on it.

Every other item on my '08 TSX (currently ~9K mi) is within a percent or two of what it should be (speedometer, odometer, outside temp, etc), but the computer is consistently 2-2.5 mpg high (varied from 35.5 indicated vs. 33.47 calculated to the more typical around-town 28.5 mpg indicated vs. ~25.8 actual). Since the computer works off the fuel injector pulse length & other parameters, I wouldn't expect the numbers to line up perfectly, but I would expect it to be low as often as it's high and to average out pretty close to reality. It's absolutely clear that that's not the case.

Sounds like it was real back in '06, but got "tweaked" for the '07 and subsequent model years.

I'm sure that extra 2 mpg is selling a few more TSXs via word-of-mouth. Either way, I'm quite pleased with my gas mileage, given the car's performance, even when it's calculated correctly.

As to the dealer being able to adjust/correct it, I'd be beyond stunned if such a thing were possible, or even desireable, given the number of times dealer service departments foul up things that had nothing to do with the initial "issue," while not fixing that either.

deong · August 2008

Having a touch of OCD and a full Ph.D., I have always recorded miles traveled and gas paid for with each fill-up. For both the '04 and '09 (now 5,000mi) the "real" number is always 2-3 mpg below the TSX screen number.

Now, this could be a cheat by Acura.......or it could be a systematic cheat by the pump gauges (doesn't take much at $4,00/G to greatly increase profit margins).

[Prompted by a recent fill-up at a BP station that put 18.3 G into a 18.5 G tank ('09) and I know I had more than a G left.]

cdnpinhead · August 2008

Well, in the states (and provinces) that I've lived in, the government shows up regularly (unannounced, I think, yearly or every two years) with their little five-gallon containers with the long neck and sight glass so that they can verify that every pump on the premises is within a fraction of a percent of what it should be. There's temperature correction for the volume and the whole bit. I believe that the vast majority of gas stations are legit.

That said, I've run into several (usually off the beaten path) stations that were keeping their thumb on the scale.

What I've seen on my TSX computer covers dozens of different pumps/stations in several states. It's very consistent. Jiggery-pokery for sure.

deong · August 2008

..so maybe it's my hp33s...? Durn RPN. (Never got close for some 50,000 mi).

obladida1 · August 2008

The frustrating part is that I know it is possible for the computer to get it much closer than a 1.5 to 2 MPG difference. My wife's 06 Toyota Sienna is 75% dead on with an occasional +/- 0.1 or 0.2 difference. :-(

abhiutd · July 2009

Last week i made trip to Niagara (440 miles) and set up the cruise for the first time at 61 and 71 on 55mph and 65mph limits respectively. Got an unbelievable mileage of 37.5 mpg (my manual calculation). Computer was reading 38.8 mpg. From now on i will be using cruise way more often on long trips.
I have a 06 TSX Automatic, 25k.

cheers!

kap2406 · August 2009

I haven't posted in this forum ever since I got my TSX w/o navi in 2005. Now that my family grew and I am considering buying an MDX, I re-discovered this forum

Anyway, here is my record on the highway: I drove from Oak Harbor, WA to Grants Pass, OR on one tank of gas, the distance of 512 miles, using 15 gallons of fuel. Was doing 65 and 75, tire pressure was 33F/31R, with my wife and my two-year old daughter, and full trunk of crap for camping at LAke Tahoe. I don't have a trip computer, so I have to calculate everything on my own... That's over 34 MPG; but on average I get around 32.5 MPG on the highway, an I have noticed gas mileage improving over time. City driving is very subjective - I get around 23 MPG where I live, but I don't live in Manhattan, so I might face a lot less traffic then some of you

.

phx1021 · September 2009

Consumer Reports recently ran a FE test of several vehicles, one of them being the 4cyl TSX, at constant speeds of 55, 65, and 75 mph. The numbers for the TSX were pretty impressive. 39.9 mpg @ 55 mph, 35.5 mpg @ 65 mph, and 30.7 mpg @ 75mph.

With numbers like these, I am strongly considering the TSX for my next car...even though I love the smoothness and power of having a V6.

1bythesea · September 2009

I haven't been in a 4 cyl. engine in many years, with many vehicles, so I can empathize. I really thought I was going to have a problem going from the '07 RDX with the 240 hp turbo to the i4, but have been pleasantly surprised. I really don't miss it and the RDX was smooth and could fly. (Independent study thought the engine was closer to 260 ponies. Sure seemed like it.) I do love the savings at the pump compared to the RDX which was on the higher side of those average MPG numbers. All you can do is test drive it and see how it feels.

By the way, which month was the CR article in?

1bythesea · September 2009

I should clarify, I haven't been in a 4 cyl. other than the RDX turbocharged. Huge engine difference, IMHO.

1bythesea · September 2009

2010 4-cyl. TSX with 1390 total miles on the vehicle. 80% hwy/20% city, running the air conditioner, hwy speeds averaging 70 mph, my hand calculated mileage was 25 mpg while the computer was 27 mpg. Will keep checking it with the next two fill ups, but there does seem to be something to what other Acura owners are experiencing with the computer being higher than actual.

cdnpinhead · September 2009

Thanks for the follow-up.

It may not have always been like this. The New Jersey fan has given us to believe that her vehicle displays what she calculates.

Lately, I don't think that's the case -- sad. The car gets very good fuel mileage. Why cheat?

Either way, I'll be awaiting your follow-up. I'm sure you'll enjoy the car.

The marketing people screw things up more often than not.

obladida1 · September 2009

I have an '07 and every fill up is 1-2 MPG lower compared to the computer. Sad to see that with all of the technological improvements they've made to the TSX, they still haven't fixed that glitch. That said, it's still nice to be averaging over 27.5 MPG for the 37,000+ miles I've driven so far. And that's SoCal/LA county/SF Valley traffic miles per gallon.

fedlawman · September 2009

Jeez folks, it's not like there's an in-line fuel flow impeller in the fuel line measuring real-time fuel consumption. The computer estimate of fuel economy is just that - an estimate.

The computer has no idea how much fuel is in your tank, and neither do you at any given moment. Even after you fill up and hit the reset button, you can't assume you have the EXACT same amount of fuel every time. Every pump at every gas station has a different sensitivity for the vapor return, and even the same pump will stop at a different point depending on a zillion factors.

I think economy estimates off by just a couple MPG are very good, considering all of the variables involved.

1bythesea · December 2009

After a few months of hand calculating the mileage on my 2010 base, I find a consistent difference of 1.5-2.0 mpg lower than the computer. No big deal. I'm pretty satisfied with the mpg's I do get. With just under 5K miles I got 31.5 mpg hwy on a recent trip with flat roads, no air conditioning, two adults and a loaded trunk/back seat. As with most Acura's the mpg's should continue to increase slightly.

cdnpinhead · December 2009

After a few months of hand calculating the mileage on my 2010 base, I find a consistent difference of 1.5-2.0 mpg lower than the computer.

What you have described is normal vehicle operation. I've posted in the past on this board, so you may hve read what I've had to say. I'm a pinhead (hence my handle) and can tell you that in 2009 my TSX has read 9.004% higher than reality.

I think they call it marketing. I agree, though -- the actual hand-calculated MPG is quite acceptable.

ezshift5 · December 2009

....that is impressive. (Altho' circa 40 at 55 is a two-edged sword for a safety engr)

DO YOU RECALL THE MONTH OF CU ARTICLE?

Season's best, ez....

biker4 · December 2009

On a 600 mi round trip on the East Coast (DC-NY with fully loaded car) I got about 31 MPG in my 06 TSX 6 sp. The trip computer showed 33 MPG. The more impressive number is during the daily suburban commute (18 mi round trip) - about 26 MPG.

cdnpinhead · December 2009

My daily commute is ~18 miles each way, plus some running around during lunch doing errands -- averaged a little under 27.5 over a six-month period earlier this year (computer averaged 29.85 over the same period).

On a trip to Colorado & back last summer the real average was 33.3 while the computer averaged 36.3.

All very acceptable numbers to me. Car went from 14,300 to 28,500 miles this year, so it's completely broken in.

ezshift5 · December 2009

The 2.4L TSX gets very similar mileage to the 3.0L Honda Accord V6, which makes over 40 more horsepower, and about 50 lb-ft of torque extra, on regular gasoline no less.

Grad, you said it first. Two and a half years ahead of this sailor.

I've read this thread from end to end (+ the AcuraZine 40+ MPG experiment.).

I may just spring for the $1200 (plus or minus) needed for timing belt, water pump et al vice laying out circa $33k for a 4 cylinder that (at best) is marginally more fuel efficient that my rocket ship Accord V-6 6M.

Don't get me wrong: the TSX is a great car. Just not that great - granted IMHO - compared to my (pink slip intensive) 6M.

Hang in there, Grad (great post!!)

ez......

nj2pa2nc · January 2010

good to hear you love your honda accord as much as I do my 06 6MT tsx. My mom owns an 08 accord v-6 so I get to drive it when I visit her. The last time I drove it from where she lives in NJ to my home in NC I figured the MPG at 27. I prefer my tsx. Bought it new 11/06, now has 96,000+problem free miles.

kjnorman · January 2010

I have an '08 TSX and I have recorded every fill up since I have owned the car. Typically the trip computer reads 1.4 to 2 MPG over the manual calculation. Over the life of the car, the average error has been 8% over the actual mileage.

gregrnel · January 2010

Thinking about a 2006 and up TSX, if most people are getting 27 plus MPG, that's good enough for me. I did test drove a 2007 Accord v6 coupe and although it was quick the nose heavy, torque steer feeling bothered me. Great car, but the handling was just too "mushy".

As for the Sammy Hagar comment, I must agree, simply inexcusable, for shame!

I have a saying about Sammy Hagar, "Sammy Hagar is as bad a song writer as Jack White is a good one."

ezshift5 · January 2010

I did test drove a 2007 Accord v6 coupe and although it was quick the nose heavy, torque steer feeling bothered me. Great car, but the handling was just too "mushy".

Agree with all of your points.........in strait line acceleration (which is all I really do), the car is superb. Yes, the torque steer can be noticeable (I don't toss the car much), but the hard to believe fuel numbers provide a great boost for purchase revalidation.

I like the TSX - but the fuel numbers barely surpass the 6M Accord. (We won't even address the performance differential).

It's all good.

best, ez..

uniden24 · January 2010

picked up the car today with 23 miles on odometer and MPG was 30. no driving over 70. 4cyl auto non tech
to early to tell if this is going to be that good or what, but I am light on the gas with all cars I drive.

biker4 · January 2010

You can't really make judgments about mileage until you have driven several tankfuls under differing conditions.

Biker, who switched to regular to see what effects, if any, that has on mileage.

tannis · January 2010

I really can't understand why anyone would even compare a 6 cyl. to a 4 cyl. Every post I've seen here is comparing these two engines and ALSO including performance figures.

The TSX is designed to be "peppy" and somewhat "sporty". It does not mean it is geared toward "performance" and 0-60 times. Its purpose is economy. In that realm it is slighty lower than one would expect but still reasonable given the vehicle weight and the fact that they wanted to give the driver a feeling of some decent pedal action when pushing it. It is a rev-happy motor so no it won't get the insanely high numbers a smaller 4 cyl. would like a regular civic. It is a very nice mix of everything an economical driver would expect out of their vehicle while taking a small sacrifice on mpg.

My '99 Cadillac Catera (worst car ever built) will get 27.8 mpg on the highway. Thats also a 3.0 V6 with 200~HP/ 210 ft/lbs tourque. Its rear drive. And it can be a blast to drive. But I wouldn't dare compare it to my 2010 TSX 4 cyl. They are two different cars designed for two different reasons.

And you are also talking about a 6MT for crying out loud. Compare that AT LEAST with the TSX 6MT (20city 28 highway) if you are going to compare tham at all. Not a manual against an auto.

Point being... Compare performance based vehicles with perfomance based vehicles. Compare economically based with... you guessed it, economically based vehicles. Otherwise the point of the argument is lost along with the control. The control is the reason we even compare to begin with, otherwise everyone would be driving a Prius.

And one last little tid-bit and this absolutely grinds my gears and it follows the same concept of this post. I was on another forum reading about Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution real-world MPG, because I was curious what these beastly little turbo-motors are getting for what they are putting out. I found people trying to give advice on how to get the best mpg out of that car and others say they feather the gas pedal all the time and never push the car. EXCUSE ME?!?!?! It's has 290HP!!! ITS A SPORTS CAR! It has AWD. IT WAS BUILT TO GO FAST!!! I still can't figure out why anyone would complain about it. And this sums up my entire post. If you gear for performance, expect less. Gearing for economy? Buy a Prius.

ezshift5 · February 2010

....And you are also talking about a 6MT for crying out loud. Compare that AT LEAST with the TSX 6MT (20city 28 highway) if you are going to compare tham at all. Not a manual against an auto.

While I was delighted to peruse your somewhat unclear post, it's the title that gets all of my attention. What we have here is the age old performance/economy saw.

And that is my point, Taking real numbers, the HAV6 6M has both. The little 4 cylinder - ahead of the essentially identical 6M gearbox - has almost a mirror image of the Accord V-6 fuel numbers (on the highway; I will concede somewhat on in town stop and go). The gap really is visible when looking at performance. You almost need a calendar for the Acura four. My Honda coupe has really low numbers in comparison.

Before you shoot the messenger: Both are great cars; it's just (IMHO) the Acura ain't that great at 10 grand more than my Accord 6M.

Time for a Crown Royal, a fire et al (somewhere the sun is over the yardarm)

best, ez....

uniden24 · February 2010

biker4 · February 2010

For the last two tankfuls I've changed to regular to see if there's any diff - a seemingly small drop off in mileage - about 1MPG - right around 27MPG average.

nj2pa2nc · February 2010

I used premium gas in my 06 tsx for over 2 months than switched to regular. The gas mileage stayed the same and I did not feel any loss in power or performance. I do mostly highway driving but try to not speed, race up to red lights, etc. My MPg (using the old fashion way) were 30-33MPG. When I switched the original Michelin tires at 74,000 miles to Yokohama Avid 4Vs tires the MPG went down (28-32) I now have almost 99,000 problem free miles (still have the original brake pads)All the service on this car is done by acura/honda dealers

1bythesea · April 2010

Just got done with a 400 mile road trip, two adults, light baggage, flat interstate driving, using the air, premium gas, at an average 74 mph on my 2010 base TSX with just under 9 K miles on it. Hand calculated mpg was 32.6 which is an increase of 1 mpg since the last road journey, under the same conditions, with 3 K miles on the vehicle. Those of you who have had your TSX's a while at what point did you notice the mpg's leveling out?

aspiceno · July 2010

I've had the 4-cyl 2010 TSX for 4 months, and have about 1900 miles on it,
70% city, 30% highway. I'm disappointed in the gas mileage, even though I
use premium gas (91 octane). I now understand that in order for the car to
output high-horsepower at lower speeds, it means that gas mileage will
suffer. This is something they don't tell you when you buy the car.
I'm averaging 21.5 MPG.....this is the 4-cyl TSX reality.
Other than this, I love this car.
My previous car, the 2000 Accord 3 litre V6 returned a constant 25 MPG average.
I've taken one step backward !
I live in Montreal Canada.
Any feedback?

ezshift5 · July 2010

.....regret the TSX is not performing so well in northern climes.

It's really a nice little car - sharing the same well engineered 6M with my J30A4. But the fuel efficiency over the V-6 seems marginal at best..........

it's getting difficult to find performance and economy as of late.

ez

1bythesea · July 2010

Generally, with the same percentage of driving, my 2010 TSX 4-cyl averages 25-26 mpg (hand calculated) or 27-28 mpg (MID). A recent 300 mile trip, 98% highway driving, average speed of 73 mph, air set to 74 degrees, flat roads, two adults, some luggage the car was getting 34.5 mpg (hand calculated) or 36.5 mpg (MID) using premium fuel. The car had approximately 11,500 miles on her. I have noticed the mpg's, particularly highway, have increased since inception.

I don't believe most people are seeing mpg's that low for your city to highway ratio. The TL (V-6) loaner was getting 21.6 (MID) under the same driving ratio. Perhaps a trip to the dealer is in order.

aspiceno · August 2010

Hello, two messages back, I complained that "I'm averaging 21.5 MPG.....this is the 4-cyl TSX reality." Well, I'm going to have to correct myself.

I have kept careful records since I purchased my 2010 4 cyl TSX on April 4, 2010.
It appears that my original conclusion that I was getting 21.5 MPG is incorrect.

I have gone over my records a number of times, and the facts simply do not lie:
I am actually getting 24.9 MPG, with 70% city driving, and 30% highway driving.
I have driven about 2000 miles to date.

My full faith in Acura has been restored!

nj2pa2nc · August 2010

Good to hear that. With my 06 tsx 6MT I average over 30MPG with mostly highway driving. My car, bought new 11/06, now has 110,000+ problem free miles. Love it.

texastsx · April 2011

Okay, so I wanted to know if anyone else had the same feeling about this: I feel when I use my paddle shifters to shift the gears up, my avg MPG is actually lower than when I drive normally. I have a 2010 TSX 4cyl

I usually get around 27.5 mpg in the city (well, it's a 4 mile drive with 3 stoplights...so it's probably a little higher than most city driving) without shifting up. When I do try shifting up, I get around 25 or so. My hand calculated is pretty similar to the numbers aforementioned. I try driving the exact same way, I keep my acceleration less than 3500 rpm, didn't have to run the AC either time.

Also, does anyone else think their car's range calculator is screwed up? One minute it says my range is 400miles and 2 miles later, it'll say 325 miles. Then, the next time i start up the car, it says my range is 380 miles...this crap happens to me all the time - should I bother the acura dealer with it?

biker4 · May 2011

The AT simply shifts better for better mileage that you do. 3500rpm is too high to shift at for good mileage.

The car computer's mileage numbers change all the time depending on driving style. If you do steady 50 mph you could get 500mile per tank, but at 80 mph or a lot of city type driving that would drop to maybe 300. There's nothing wrong with the car.

pcx1 · May 2011

Anybody has an experience with the real MPG for the V6? Looking to buy a used TSX and the selling price between 4 cyl and V6 are roughly the same.

hda6spmt · July 2011

I am currently driving consistently in heavy traffic and city and barely being able to cruise for long periods of time. I am in Toronto and we just went through 2 weeks of almost complete drought with temperatures hovering always around 40 degrees celsius. I got an average of 12.5L/100km on my last tank. I wonder if thats ok. That last tank was on 87 octane, I blast the A/C cause of the heat and I also dont drive particularly economically. Mine is an 08 5 AT.
Can someone give me their numbers under similar circumstances??

cdnpinhead · July 2011

I got an average of 12.5L/100km on my last tank.

Well, if my conversions are correct, 12.5 litres/100km equates to ~18.8 mpg. You didn't say whether your TSX is 4 or 6 cyliner. Mine's a 4 and I am lucky enough to be able to drive to work about 75% on freeways running at 50-70 mph, with the balance on arterial city streets with lights about every mile, at 45 mph. I average ~27.5 mpg in the winter & ~26.5 in the summer. I live in Phoenix where the summer high temps are between 105 & 115 deg F (40 - 46 deg C). Those numbers are real mpg calculated at each fill. The computer always reads high, between 5 & 8%, something I've complained about earlier on this board.

You're definitely low, but perhaps not so bad if you mostly drive in stop-and-go city traffic with lights every few blocks, and you're driving the 6. On the highway you should do much better, and you'll also do significantly better once the engine is completely broken in.

Hope you enjoy your car as much as I do mine.

yakapo · October 2011

I just bought a 2009 Acura tsx 6 speed. I reset the computer and drove about 25 miles (mostly highway). I realize the number is a little bloated but I averaged about 37 mpg on the highway. After a few days my mixed city/hwy is about 32mpg. That number includes a few times of really punching it.

Those of you getting lower numbers... 1. you probably have an automatic (manuals typically put up much better numbers)
2. you need to learn to do some mild hyper milling. google it.

yakapo · October 2011

Well, I've given up on hypermilling... it was easier to drive slow when the car was new. Every stoplight I had someone in a huge suv tailgating me to the next red light.

Now my avg. is about 31 mpg (on the display). My guess is the actual mileage measured at the pump would be closer to 30mpg.

Acura TSX Real World MPG Numbers

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