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Acura TL Real World MPG

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Comments

  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    this is a gross over simplification

    Thanks - that's how I needed it explained to understand! :blush:

    So...if my peak accelleration occurs between 4 & 6,000 RPMs, my best gas mileage might be at the 3,000 RPM mark?

    I know you can't give me a definite "yes" here, but please confirm I'm understanding your concept.
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    The hard part to understand is the amount of fuel used is not just determined by the engine RPM - but also by the amount of work the engine is doing - and the amount of time to get the work done.

    The engine does not use the least amount of gas running at the RPM where it produces its max torque. But is efficient at this level considering the amount of power it is generating - the more power the more work the engine can do in a given amount of time.

    A few simple (silly even) examples -

    If you are just sitting with the car in neutral - the higher the RPM the more gas it will use. No real work is getting done.

    If you drive a car 100 miles at 90 MPH it will take more gas than if you drove the same 100 miles at 45 MPH. Same amount of work was done (you went 100 miles) - but the time is different.

    These are some of the factors that make this stuff so darn complicated and hard to explain.

    Not sure this is even technically correct - but imagine how hard your engine would need to work - going up a steep hill at 25 MPG in 5th gear.

    Down shift into 3RD gear (keep going the same 25 MPH) your engine is at a higher RPM - but is not under as much strain - not working as hard to move the car up the same hill.

    So the amount of gas you use going up the hill in 3rd gear is less - even though your engine was running at a higher RPM

    From the standpoint of every day driving I don't think it will make a big difference - maybe 1-2 MPG who knows.

    But when you are towing an RV a long distance getting 15 instead of 13 MPG seems to add up.
  • taxesquiretaxesquire Member Posts: 681
    ;) Got it. I do (and did) understand the concepts (about how hard an engine has to work) even before reading your post, but appreciate you reiterating the basics.

    I generally meant when the car was on a flat, level surface with minimal traffic.

    I think I will keep the RPMs up a little higher than I have been - even a 1-2 mog beneift is worthwhile when you factor in the other, even bigger benefit - I'm closer to the torque/hp "sweetspot" in case I need it!!!
  • swgordonswgordon Member Posts: 13
    I just bought a new TL and Ive noticed the gas mileage is horrible. Is this normal for a brand new car? Does it just need to be broken in??
  • scottm123scottm123 Member Posts: 1,501
    Yes, mileage improves as the engine is broken in.
    Other things can also help determine your gas mileage.

    Can you give better details?

    What is your current mileage?
    How long is your commute?
    City or Highway?
    What type of fuel are you using (Octane)?
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,726
    '05 TL @ 28,000 miles (automatic). In mixed commute driving, I've been consistantly averaging ~23mpg since as long as I can remember. I have no complaints re: mpg...

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • jkm900jkm900 Member Posts: 18
    I just bought an 07 TL and noticed the gas mileage not being a good as I thought it would be. However, I drive mostly on city streets with the air on so obviously it's not going to be as good. But it should get better once it has been driven a few thousand miles. I put close to 1000 on it in the three weeks that I have had it as I took a trip. I'm expecting it to get better. I use 93 octane.
  • scottm123scottm123 Member Posts: 1,501
    From what I've seen, the TL's average mileage is as good as it is, because it's highway economy brings the average up.
    If you're doing strictly city driving, the MPG average will suffer.
    Short trips only add to the low numbers.

    On the highway, that's where the TL's economy really shines!
  • jfbrown42jfbrown42 Member Posts: 3
    Got a "new" 2003 TL Type S about 2,000 miles ago. My wife drives it around town most of the time. We're getting 19 MPG, which isn't as good as I expected, given the comments on this forum.
  • darballman1darballman1 Member Posts: 55
    Very true. My new 06 TL is getting a steady 24 MPG (30% City/70% Hwy). I am happy with that comb. number. When we went to Vegas a couple of months ago, I was getting a consistant 34-36 MPG driving 75 mph +. Not bad for an entry level lux. car. BTW, I only have 3,300 miles on the car and expect mileage to improve a bit in the future.
  • kennyg8kennyg8 Member Posts: 225
    You got 34-36 mpg doing > 75 mph? Were you going downhill and shifted the car to neutral to get that kind of mpg :P
  • armanipatrickarmanipatrick Member Posts: 37
    I bought a 07 TL/Navi a month ago. The fuel low alert comes on it seems when there is still 4 to 4.5 gallons left in the tank. Is that normal? I think the manual said the alert comes on when there is 1.5 or 2.5 gallons left.
    Thanks.
  • dap2006dap2006 Member Posts: 68
    Yes, that's normal - I have an '06 and mine is the same. I always wait to fill up 'til the light comes on. I guess Acura doesn't want too many people calling Acura Care due to running out of gas!
  • armanipatrickarmanipatrick Member Posts: 37
    dap2006,
    I think you're right. They're playing it safe, but the manual shouldn't say there's only 1.5g left when the alert comes on when it is a lot more than that.

    I filled it up this morning after driving with the 'low fuel' alert for 35-40 miles. It came out to 14.3 gallons, so it still had more than 2.5 gallons in the tank.
    It's just a little annoying the light comes on so soon.
  • sbtattersbtatter Member Posts: 47
    Getting 17 U.S mpg in city driving with stop start and maximum 5 minute runs before parking. Temps around 18C.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    "Getting 17 U.S mpg in city driving with stop start and maximum 5 minute runs before parking."

    I sure hope that's not the type of driving you did during the break in period.

    I know many Acura dealers are buffoons and will claim that it's really not necessary to properly break in the engine. But the advice I got for my Honda S2000 and Porsche 911 from several knowledgeable engineers and mechanics was identical: in addition to not over-revving and varying engine speeds, DO NOT start the car without driving it for at least 15-20 minutes so as to allow the oil (not just water) and all engine parts to reach full operating temperature. This enables the seals, gaskets, cylinders, etc. to seat properly.

    That is what you should do for a high compression, tight tolerance, high performance engine. The TL-S might not be in the same league as the 9,000 rpm S2000 or the 911 engines, but I'd still consider it worthy of proper break in.
  • tl_2007stl_2007s Member Posts: 34
    DO NOT start the car without driving it for at least 15-20 minutes so as to allow the oil (not just water) and all engine parts to reach full operating temperature

    You meant "DO NOT stop the car without....", I suppose...

    I am curious. What happens if the car's engine did not have a proper break in? And if someone is buying a used car, how would they know that engine was not properly handled in the beginning?

    Just curious,
  • scottm123scottm123 Member Posts: 1,501
    And if someone is buying a used car, how would they know that engine was not properly handled in the beginning?

    They wouldn't... that's the worst part about buying used.
    Improper break-in doesn't really start to show it's affects until 40-50K miles. You'll start to see oil consumption, poor compression, loss of power, poor fuel economy, and the list can go on and on from there.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    "Don't start", "don't stop", it doesn't matter. The point is that short hops (1-2 miles 5 minutes) during the break in period are strongly discouraged by those "in the know", that I respect. My Porsche delaer worked at the factory for a decade as an engineer. I spoke directly with a Japanese Honda factory technician regarding the S2000 before I bought. I hear the same from a highly respected BMW shop that handles many current and older 'M" cars.

    As scottm123 pointed out, lots of things can occur if the car is abused (intentionally or not) during break-in. Performance suffers. According to my Porsche dealer, a high percentage of "rear main seal" leaks that occured in the previous genration 911 could be linked to bad practices during the break in period when engine parts, gaskets, seals, etc. should be "seating" properly. It's so damn easy to properly break in a high performance engine that it should be put on the label over the airbag warning on the visor.

    I traded in my 2.5 year old 2002 Honda S2000 on an Acura TL in May 2004. The Acura/Mercedes dealer owner is a car nut and would only agree to take the car after personally test driving and doing a compression test. It passed on both counts and I gave him the "right answer" relative to what I did during the break in period. He has been known to refuse cars - especially AMG models - that were not properly broken in by their original owners. It's a small town dealership and he doesn't want to have the second buyer of an SL65 pissed off at him as a result of the first owner's transgressions.
  • swgordonswgordon Member Posts: 13
    I was driving my new TL yesterday (1 month old with 800 miles) on I95 and I averaged 33mpg. I was running consistently between 70 and 80mph. My wife drove the car home and she only averaged 31mpg. She drives slower at a pretty constant 60-65. I was expecting her to do better on the mpg but I guess the engine just prefers to be run a bit faster.
  • armanipatrickarmanipatrick Member Posts: 37
    30+ mpg is pretty darn good. My car's at just over 1000 miles on the odometer. I drove the first long distance trip over the weekend. It was 95 highway miles one way and I only got 26 mpg. On the way back we did mix of country back roads and highway and got 25mpg.
    Maybe you are getting better mileage because your car might have broken in better than mine?
  • swgordonswgordon Member Posts: 13
    Not sure. How do you drive? Do you accelerate fast, etc.. I have been trying to drive mine fairly conservatively.
  • armanipatrickarmanipatrick Member Posts: 37
    Well, I do drive a bit "spiritedly" :)
    But I don't mash the pedal or rev the car. I will try to drive a bit more conservatively for the next 100 miles or so and see if it makes the difference.
    Thanks.
  • sbtattersbtatter Member Posts: 47
    Just got 30 mpg US on the highway, ranging between 90km/h and 120 km/h
  • sbtattersbtatter Member Posts: 47
    It had quite a bit of highway driving with speeds varied all the time between 90 and 125 km/h. It had some start and stop in the first 3000 km/h b/c that's just the reality of life. Had the RSX type S and treated it similar with no problems. This one will be traded as soon as the TL SH-AWD comes out, or as soon as the next baby arrives!!!
  • asmtl06asmtl06 Member Posts: 1
    I typically average 30-32 MPG between fill-ups (closer to 30 MPG during NY winters)…

    * 2006 Auto TL, bought new, 18,500 miles to date
    * 85-90% HWY driving, 80-mile round-trip work commute
    * Typical cruising speed is 68-75 MPH, approx. 1900-2100 RPM

    Thus far, the car has exceeded my mileage expectations. :D
  • armanipatrickarmanipatrick Member Posts: 37
    Well, the mileage seems to be getting better. The odometer now is at 2k+.
    This weekend we did a 600 mile round trip to upstate New York. Drove mostly at around 80mph, but there were some slow spots (about 25% of the time) and some hills. Averaged 30 mpg one way and 31 mpg on the way back. I'm pleased with those numbers.
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    2006 TL with 7,000 miles - normally used for in town driving - short trips - stop and go - heavy Houston traffic we get between 18-21 MPG.

    Finally took a longer drive - did a little over 300 highway miles with no stops - left early and was in no big rush - drove very conservative - no fast starts - slow and easy all the way - set the cruise on 76 MPH - got 35.5 MPG - filled up again for the return trip - drove - MUCH faster on the way home - jack rabbit starts - passing trucks and slow cars - the engine sure does sound sweet above 6,000 RPM - and even though traffic was jammed up in a few spots still got 32 MPG.

    Although 35.5 is great mileage I will gladly sacrifice 3.5 MPG for the extra speed - and fun the TL can give. We have a Mazda3 with a 4 banger that does not get as good as MPG as the TL.
  • kennyg8kennyg8 Member Posts: 225
    Just finished an 850 mile round trip from NYC to Skyline Drive in VA. Average mph was 70 and overall mpg was 30, that was with 3 passengers, full load of luggage and AC on all the way. We did some sidetrips, like looking for eats and buys around small towns. Overall mpg was more than satisfactory for a car with such power and performance.
  • keithlkeithl Member Posts: 106
    Well first I find that the 07 MID MPG is not as accurate as my 04 and 06, those were virtually dead on. The 07 trip computer seems to be 1.5-2 MPG over estimated all the imte, but none the less I do real calcualtions on MPG and over 11K miles the car has gotten 22.4 MPG and most of that is commuting which is 20 miles each way in suburban driving, so go a few miles at 45 MPH then stop at a light kind of driving. I did get 27 MPG on on hilly highway drive to the mountains one day. I just got a 2008 Type-S so I am curious how it compares and how accurate its trip computer is.
  • droo1droo1 Member Posts: 3
    Just did a 180 mile highway drive on my brand new 2008 TL. Had 1300 miles on it when I started..first 70 miles I was driving at 65-70 miles per hour and the average MPH was showing 34. Increased the speed to 75-80 for the remaining stretch and it dropped down to 33 MPG. I am pretty impressed with the mileage.. :surprise:
  • rich102rich102 Member Posts: 7
    Has anyone done any comparisons between the average mileage shown on the trip computer and actual mileage (defined as the miles driven on a tank divided by the number of gallons put into the car?) On my first test of this in my 2008 TL the average listed was about 2 MPG higher than the actual, but I filled up when I had 1/4 tank of gas left. Do you think the accuracy would be higher if I ran the tank down to the red light?
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,726
    Hi: Quick trip to the Berkshires this weekend in my '05 TL auto. 325 miles RT, 80/20% Highway/local roads. Per OBC:

    Average MPH: 60
    Average MPG: 28

    Whilst on the Mass Pike and 495, cruised mostly @ 80mph with bursts slightly higher and some traffic lowered into the 60s.

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • scottm123scottm123 Member Posts: 1,501
    You were able to hold an average speed of 60 on 495 on a weekend?!?

    The westbound pike in Auburn was an absolute parking lot yesterday. :cry:
  • upstatedocupstatedoc Member Posts: 710
    80 mph on the Mass Pike? That's kind of slow from what I remember. :P
  • scottm123scottm123 Member Posts: 1,501
    80 is slow on the pike, unless it's 6:30-9 am or 4:30-7pm.

    Then, every meathead in the world gets on the road and then slams on their brakes as soon as they see that weird glowing orb in the sky.

    It's a sun people, buy some glasses!

    Ugh. :sick:
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,726
    Yeah, I saw the Westbound tie-up as I cruised home Eastbound. Actually, my average speed on 495/MassPike I'm sure was in the high 70s, maybe low 80s. But a bit of local driving in the Berkshires brought the average down. The left lane of the Pike was generally 80mph-ish.

    I was passed by a black 'Slade on 495s Sunday. I was at 80, he was doing at least 100. Late for the Pats game, I guess... And he wasn't getting 28mpg (and probably didn't care)!

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • buyer777buyer777 Member Posts: 70
    Got it on a 5 mile stretch of Garden state parkway in NJ, after filling up and going right on highway in moderate traffic that kept my speed at a constand 50-55mph.
  • hkyhky Member Posts: 71
    Just did a first long trip for 06TL auto of 430 miles. Overall 30-31 MPG on highway average 70mph w/ AC on. Mostly city driving in town since ownership around 21 MPG. So far so good.
  • kkrtrekkkrtrek Member Posts: 51
    I also just completed a longish trip--in my 2008TL. It was 98% freeway, and I really babied it, doing 62-65 MPH most of the time. Part of the trip was rather hilly, though. My trip computer gave me a MPG of about 31.4. I know this because it was switching back and forth between 31 and 32 toward the end of the trip until finally settling at 31. Not really believing the trip computer's accuracy, I did a very careful measurement of actual MPG, dividing miles traveled by gallons used. The result was 29.0 MPG--about 8% lower than indicated by the trip computer.

    That result--8% off--accords with my less precise measurements done around town, where the trip computer usually read around 20 to maybe 21 MPG, and my calculations come in at 19.

    I am not really very happy with these figures, but they are pretty close to the EPA estimates of 18 and 26. I suspect with more normal driving, my trip mileage would be down 1 or 2, to around 27 or 28.
  • 150mphclub150mphclub Member Posts: 316
    Message #241 provides very useful information. The only way to figure mpg is with a pencil & paper (actual miles driven divided by actual gallons used). Anything else is a guess resulting in totally useless information.
  • hicowhicow Member Posts: 3
    I've checked the mileage on the first three tanks of gas and the computer showed 2 MPG better than the actual calculation on each of the three tanks. This made me wonder if a lot of the MPG reported here are what the computer reports or actual calculation.
  • hkyhky Member Posts: 71
    The computer on mine is usually +-.5 mpg to the hand calculated value. I usually keep my tire pressure 33F, 35R and it seems to get slightly better mpg but it does affect ride quality a little.
  • kkrtrekkkrtrek Member Posts: 51
    Thanks 150mph. By the way, here is how I calculate gallons used. Get a fill at a given (usually local) station, remembering your pump and position. Drive and refill as many times as you want--just keep track of the exact gallons each time you add gas. You can add any amount. When you want to calculate your mpg, go back to your local station, refill at the same pump and position, and be sure to stop at the same point as before, perhaps when the pump clicks off. Divide miles since the first fill up at that station and by total gallons. Voila.

    The other potential error is the miles. I checked my odometer/tripometer a couple times, using the highway odometer checks, and it seemed almost exactly correct. Only other caveat is that my TL is just a couple months old and has 2500 miles on it. I expect mileage to improve a bit up to maybe 10,000 (?) miles.
  • mdcatdadmdcatdad Member Posts: 14
    I'm looking forward to better MPG. I just drove my first interstate trip of any length
    (only about 55 miles in each direction) and seem to be getting ~ 20 mpg in my 9-day-old '08 TL.

    The salesman says that mileage gets better after each of the three oil changes.

    At today's premium gas prices I have a reason to want my '08 TL to stop being so new.
  • sbtattersbtatter Member Posts: 47
    I now have 6000 miles on my 07 type S. The avg mpg (US) in it's life time is 19.5. The best was a summer drive of 240 miles, flat avg speed 65 mph, got 30.7 mpg
    The worst was a winter week of -31F, total of 227 miles, stop starts in town of 5 minute drives then stop for 2 hours, avg speed 25 mph, got 11.7 mpg
  • rickpoolerickpoole Member Posts: 27
    After two long trips from Texas to Florida I now have 13,000 miles on my 2007 TL. My overall average mileage is 22.0 mpg. About 5200 miles were highway miles at 75-80 mph. The rest is mainly stop and go driving around Dallas with some short highway trips. The average of the two trips to Florida was right at 28 mpg. The average for all the city driving between the two trips is 18.9 mpg. All mileages are computed by miles driven / gallons used. My trip computer also shows significantly higher mileage than computed mileage, in fact I've had my Acura dealer look at it each time it has been in for service. They keep saying it is just that inaccurate. Comparing it to a few friends cars (different makes and models) theirs all average only a few percent difference between indicated and computed mileage. Just glancing at mine it looks like it was sometimes as much as 20% to high. So, I started recording the reading when I fill up each time and the last discrepancies are: +17%, +10%, +14%, -5%, +7%, +15%, +21%, +19%, +8%. I reset the trip computer when I fill up and take the reading the next time I fill up. I expected a much more accurate reading than this, in fact, when test driving the car I asked the salesman twice if the mileage it was indicating was accurate and he assured me it was very accurate. During the three test drives I was getting an indicated 22-23 mpg during city driving and 31-32 on the highway at 65-70 mph. Based on my prior Acura, 1997 CL 3.0, that I was always able to get 3-4 mpg better than the EPA rating this seemed in reasonable. I've let my dealer know, in very strong words, that had I known the indicated reading were approximately 15% high it would have put the TL into 2nd place and I would have purchased a different make. The car goes in for service in about a month so I'm going to present them with this real data and ask for an explanation in writing why the trip computer is not only very inaccurate but also so inconsistent.

    BTW - I'm also a pilot and our club used to have a plane with a fuel totalizer and the technology was very accurate for computing mpg - in fact it was usually accurate to within 1% based on GPS miles flown / gallons used.
  • chirocatchirocat Member Posts: 73
    I am 3/4 of the way through my second tank of gas on my new 08 TL-S 6M. I commute about 23 miles each way in the DFW area, with about 16 miles freeway at 80 mph ave and 8 miles or so side roads. I don't exactly drive slowly, to put it mildly but I am still averaging 24 mpg according to the computer and when this tank is filled I will see what the calculation is. Even if the computer is 10% over, it's still better mileage than any competitor I considered. Way better than the G35 and R32, and probably about the same as the Altima. My 98 Maxima averages 22 under the same driving, so given that the TL-S is 450 lbs heavier and has 100 hp more, 20 mpg would be impressive. Also of note, my friend gets a computer ave of 22 in his 06 TL 6M,and he drives nowhere near as hard as I do. I'll chime in again after I fill the tank this weekend.
  • kkrtrekkkrtrek Member Posts: 51
    chirocat,

    Please do check in. I'll be curious to see if your computer is 8% or so too high. That would give you an actual figure of 22 MPG. Sounds like your driving isn't great for mileage. Thanks for the comparison to the competition.
  • chirocatchirocat Member Posts: 73
    kkrtrek,

    Just filled up today and I have confirmed your findings. My average was swaying between 23-24 on the computer and it calculated manually to just over 22 MPG. That's still slightly better than my 98 Maxima average, and I have less than 600 miles on the engine. Granted I would get better mileage if I drove less than an average 80 mph on the interstate and 10mph over the posted limited in town...plus didn't accelerate as briskly. But if I cared about mileage that much and could actually tolerate driving less than 75 mph (don't know how you guys can do it in a TL, let alone a TL-S) I would have bought something else.

    I am still impressed that this car can get better mileage than my Maxima and weighs 450 more, and has 100 more HP. I am also happy that I have outscored Road and Track and the other magazine who got around 19-20 with the TL-S and 17 or so with the G35. I have 2 friends who drive like old ladies compared to me, one had a 03 G35X (he got 18 ave) and another friend with a 06 TL 6M who averages 22 on the trip computer. So I am really happy I am doing better than them, it also confirms that the TL-S was the right choice for me over the G35.

    An interesting side note; on my first fill up the LOW FUEL warning went up on the way to the station, and I was able to cram no more than 13 gallons into the tank, the second fill up I drove to work and lunch after the warning and managed to just ladle in 13.9 Gallons. Clearly the low fuel warning is conservative. My Maxima gave me about 30 miles before it ran out when the car was newer, now it is practically dead in the water as soon as the light comes on. The tank is 18.5 gallons but you will be walking with 2 gallons left nowadays. :surprise:

    For the manual trans people, I have to wonder if shifting technique plays a roll in otherwise similar driving. Typically I use 4 gears out of 6 when accelerating in town, possibly that is why I am getting better mileage than my slower driving friend.
    How do the rest of you guys normally drive? (shift points and gears)?
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