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Nissan Altima Real World MPG

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Comments

  • spurs2spurs2 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2007 2.5 CVT and the trip computer overstates mpg by at least 10%.
    I get 27-28MPG at 70-75MPH. You can actually exceed the 32MPG if you drive
    55-60 MPH on the highway. This and the brakes are the only complaints I
    have with 62000 miles on odometer. Front brakes have been replaced twice
    and I am easy on brakes.
  • ndiboyndiboy Member Posts: 36
    Well, you are not alone. The meter MPG most times are wrong. One needs to drive and fill up the tank to be able to get an accurate calculation. I have a 2.5s with SL package 2002 Altima rated 23 and 29 city and highway respectively but even with the meter I get 17 -18MPG city but after fill up and calculating I always get b/w 16-17 MPG. On the highway most times meter reads 29.1 - 32MPG but my calculation lands me in 27MPG. I have learnt to ignore the meter reading because most times it is wrong and misleading. The one that annoys me most is that of city driving, for a 4 cyl 16MPG is just too poor and too bad for the Altima.
    Can anyone help, what can I do to improve the city MPG?
    Thanks Onuchukwu C.E.
  • ikeupikeup Member Posts: 5
    I live near Corpus Christi, TX. 2008 Altima gets 24 - 26 on hiway and 17-18 city.
    Recently went to Grand Canyon. Economy increase to 33 - 35 hiway. On return trip as soon as I passed El Paso economy dropped to 28. Has to be a performance chip/hi altitude compensation issue. Any thoughts? :(
  • ikeupikeup Member Posts: 5
    Engine is a 2.5 CVT. The 24 to 26 hiway and 17 to 18 city is from the computer. As was the 33 -35 hiway in Arizona. My mileage started climbing during the trip to Arizona somewhere around Roswell, NM where it increased to about 30. Then as we went further north and west it continued to climb. On the trip from Williams AZ to Grand Canyon and back to Williams, the average was 39. Then as we got closer to Texas, it started dropping. I can only think of 2 reasons it would behave this way. Quality of gasoline, I only use unleaded regular and Arizona has better gas, or altitude compensation in the computer. Possibly leaning the fuel mix at high altitudes and over enriching at lower elevations. Ed HIcks Nissan dealership in Corpus Christi, TX are clueless and say they cannot help me as there is no error code to read.
  • mr_wheatmr_wheat Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a '10 2.5l coupe, specs say 32mpg hwy...which is misleading because those mpg #'s are derived under perfect indoor conditions. My first 2 tanks I got 20-23 mpg on the highway!!! I'm a commuter so 90% of my miles are hwy miles. This is why you don't get good mpg. Lead foot, AC, wind resistance, hills, quick accelerations, tire psi etc. Goto http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml, there's a chart of MPG vs. MPH. Anything over say 60 MPH you drop substantially in MPG. At 75-80 MPH you're lucky to get 20 MPG under the best outdoor conditions, e.g., no AC on, low wind, constant speed, no hills. Thanks to George Dubbya the standards used by the EPA to calculate MPG were lowered and the #'s are now more misleading than ever before...great for the auto and oil industries but crappy for us consumers.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Actually the standards were raised for mpg. The numbers were lowered. My car was 34 mpg highway and it is now 31 mpg highway.

    FWIW I get way way over the EPA numbers with a lifetime average of 34.6 and dozens of tanks over 40 mpg.
  • alti07alti07 Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I hope it was fixed already. If still required, I would suggest to check either CO2 sensor(s) or Knock Sensor. These two parts are crucial for gas mileage. Hope it helps.
  • sodaguysodaguy Member Posts: 84
    I have a 2010 Altima V6 CVT sedan with 6k.

    If the entire tank consists of only short 1-5 mile trips, then 17-18 mpg is what I get. A/C usage or lead foot driving does not seem to make much of a difference.

    If the tank has about 1/3 highway, then I average between 21-22 mpg.

    If it is 100% highway, then it ranges between 26-30 depending on the speed, load and terrain.

    All of these figures were obtained with 87 octane, as recommended.
  • chevyonlyfonchevyonlyfon Member Posts: 10
    I am here to tell you - that my 2007 2.5 s - gets terrible gas mileage, I drive very light footed and dont run up on lights or tailgate.. and use my brakes very infrequent, (conditioned from my chevy blazer 97). Anyhow, i live in east TN - and the car is used for my wife to go to school and back and getting groceries - and a few out of town day trips to atlanta. my wife has one short bybass road to commute to school (1 light 45mph-flat 3 mi.) and rest is interstate about 5 mi. she goes 5 times per week back and forth -- other than this she goes to local shopping district home depot,kroger ,mall etc.. all about 6 mi from home - 1 light on the trip - 40 mph rd one hill. we have yet to average better than 19 in the city - and our best on the interstate 65-75mph speed is 26 maybe 27 mpg. - that is way way less than expected- ac off - no load in the car just two people. car cleaned and waxed - fresh mobile 1 oil and tires at 35psi. nice weather no wind about 55 degrees/ - i dont care how they rate or when they changed - every car i have driven and owned in the last 20 years has gotten precisely the milage rated - my 79 ford granada, my 83 camaro, 81 mazda 626,85 subaru, 90, mustang GT, 97 chevy blazer. all of these got their ratings - i did get some freakish good milage something 55mpg with my 4cyl camaro once for one tank of gas. - i can only attribute to the gas or maybe some tail wind.. could never explain it -it as isolated incident. my blazer gets its milage loaded or unlaoded go into wind or against - this is usual for bigger engine cars - and small engines will see more impact from hillls and load and ac. as expected.. however driving habits load - or ac - can explain how the f*** they can tell me that these cars can ever achieve anything close to the 26-35 that was on my window sticker - i get about 7 and 8 miles per gallon less respectively . and there is nothing that someone can tell me to explain this - and i buy gas here or atlanta -makes no difference - i shop and regular brand name stations exxon ,shell, bp - so forth - anyhow ,my combined driving in my low steady city whcih accounts for 1 light in 6 mi of 45 zone./ which to me sounds like optimal hwy drivewaying conditions as mentioned in the forum - that 45 55 steady would yeild best - and yet i get no more than 21 combined.. this maybe 3 mi better per gallon than my 97 blazer. its so close -that when we fill the cars - there generally is no noticable differnce of whicih we use. for what .. and they say suv's are gas hogs/ if this how they are rating 4 banggers - i got news - i will buy suv for ever - never affected by ac load hills wind - etc.. and look as if they get = millage.. so i will never buy a nissan and 4 bangger again . an di am all for eco friendly but next time some says somethign about my gas hog suv , i will beat them down so far.. i have no idea how you people can manage to get 30 plus mpg. i know there seem to 2 types in here - those who get crap milage like me and others who get significantly more - like the rated.. sounds to me -as there are some cars comming out of the factory with computer settings wrong.. some how. or bad sensors...
  • boodrowboodrow Member Posts: 15
    I now have 31000 on my 2009 Altima 2.5S. I get between 26 to 33 mpg and usually about 29 in mixed driving. In summer weather 32 to 33 on a highway trip is normal if I keep the speed 70 or below. All numbers are real world calculated. I have had zero problems with the car but wish it were a manual transmission. I looked and looked for one but could not find one. My 1998 Camry with a manual transmission and 145000 on the clock will still get about 36 on a trip so I am not thrilled with the Altima's mileage. I am currently looking to sell the Altima and get either a Hyndai Elantra or a Cruze ECO. :D
  • afsmdafsmd Member Posts: 2
    I am leasing a 2011 Altima 2.5 S through my business and the mileage sucks, 16 miles per gallon !!! come on !! i am easy on the gas pedal, and never went over 60 miles per hour, not only that, when I am at a light I put the transmission in neutral or when I am going downhill. After the lease ends I will get a manual transmission car, whatever the brand is.
  • jimfish1jimfish1 Member Posts: 2
    I purchased a 2010 Altima coupe with the 2.5 engine.This thing is bad on gas for a small car.I thought it might get better after breakin ,but 7 months later,i found out i was wrong.Real world driving by my wife in suburban town,rarely into the city,my best average has been 22.4 mpg.My wife loves the styling,and i hate the mpgs'.The car we replaced was a 2002 Chrysler 300M,a v6 with 250hp and much bigger.I was able to get about 27 highway and 21 local mpg.I'll never buy another Nissan,I wish I had read this forum first.VERY DISAPOINTED in Cherry Hill.
  • ikeupikeup Member Posts: 5
    I posted a message last year about getting over 35 mpg on a trip to Arizona. The minute I filled up on the return trip near El Paso, TX, my mileage dropped to 28.6 mpg.

    Since then my combination driving has been between 18 and 23 mpg. Nissan Altima's get horrible fuel economy. I have a friend who owns a much larger Toyota Avalon that gets 26 combination and 34 highway.

    30 mpg with a 2.5 Nissan Altima is impossible.

    For example:
    Today 6-25-11 I reset the mpg computer in Corpus Christi, TX, drove 30 miles home, near Sinton, TX, and computer said 28.6. I drove 15 miles one way to Taft, TX and back, which included going through Sinton, and my mileage is down to 24.4. This is mostly highway driving at a maximum speed of 70.

    This may be coincidental, but I have noticed that all the gasoline pumps in Corpus Christi, TX, area say fuel contains 10% ethanol. Perhaps this is the problem.
  • afsmdafsmd Member Posts: 2
    You are exactly right, If I get 16 miles per gallon in town with my 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S it's a miracle. I leased it on March 14th, 2011 and it has 1245 miles. The best that I got it's 16.5 miles per gallon, I will never buy a Nissan again if they do not fix this when I take it for the first service. Those getting great gas mileage maybe have different settings, but still cannot believe it.
  • geffengeffen Member Posts: 278
    edited July 2011
    I recently leased a 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5 S i'm still getting used to the CVT transmission i do a mix of highway/city driving, ive noticed that i average between 24 and 26 MPG the window sticker shows 23 city and 32 highway. So far i have 700 miles on the Altima and from reading the previous postings should i be getting better MPG ?
  • ikeupikeup Member Posts: 5
    I I could get 24 - 26 combination, on my 2008, 2.5S, I wouldn't be considering going back to Toyota.
    Yesterday I drove around 60 miles from Sinton into Lowes in Corpus Christi. 70 mph, cruise control on, put A/C on recirculate, shut off compressor on inclines like overpasses etc. and only received 27.9 mpg for the trip. I have 69,000 miles and this is as good a highway mileage as I have ever received in Texas.
    When new my first long trip was to Nebraska in February. I didn't use A/C and got 34 mpg on highway. The difference I attribute to not using the A/C.
    Last April I documented a trip to Arizona. In Arizona I was over 33 mpg. When I returned to Texas I filled up in El Paso and was back to 28 maximum on highway.
    Arizona and New Mexico has a lot more hills, mountains and inclines to reduce mileage. So I must conclude that Texas' 10% ethanol takes it toll.
    Nissan, Ed Hicks Nissan, can furnish no answers as to the difference.
    What really appalls me is the fact they wont even attempt to help.
    They evidently don't even have the means to test my vehicle to see why it gets such poor economy. The service techs say "If there is no check engine light we cant fix it."
  • jeremybratzjeremybratz Member Posts: 1
    where do you get the K&N drop-in filter and what else do you do?
  • tbreivogeltbreivogel Member Posts: 1
    I've got a 2009 altima 2.5s. It has 45k miles on it. On my adventure across country with the car loaded with 3 people and some other things I just got from vancouver WA to just outside Boise ID on half a tank of gas! I love this car! That's almost 45mpg hwy the whole way! Suck it prius drivers! :D
  • gooddeal2gooddeal2 Member Posts: 750
    Wow, that's impressive. I can only manage to get around 32MPG here on PA turnpike. I think we have too hills here. If I push my speed to 80MPH or more, I only get about 29MPG.
  • ikeupikeup Member Posts: 5
    If I accelerate slowly, put the cruise on at 70 mph, tap the brake and coast 1/2 mile to an exit or stop sign, I can get 22.5 mpg. That's on flat land, sea level in the Corpus Christi, TX area.

    2008 Altima 2.5S, 66K miles. Service done at Ed Hicks Nissan in Corpus Christi, TX. There is nothing wrong with my engine. I'm told it's my driving habits. Evidently driving like there is an egg between your foot and gas pedal doesn't work on Nissan's.

    I'm wondering if I need to drive it "balls to the wall."
    Maybe my gas mileage would improve if I drove the heck out of it.
  • rondholrondhol Member Posts: 32
    2002 Altima QR25DE, 2.5S, In summer with AC on, Florida interstate 31 mpg at 60mph, 29 mpg at 70 mph, 27 mpg at 80 mph in summer. Winter you get more mpg in the highway long trip, but less mpg in short trip (rich mixture when engine is cold). I already passed 105k miles.

    Just drive slower, more relax, enjoy the view = higher mpg.
  • dfense23dfense23 Member Posts: 1
    2008 Altima 2.5s. I have 73,000 on it and 28 mpg city and 38 mgh

    drive slow homie
  • geptogepto Member Posts: 2
    I was concerned after reading about low mph from owners. I bought my 2011 2.5S and after 1500 miles I'm averaging 32.5 combined. The optimistic computer says 33.6 much like others have reported. I'm very happy with it and am looking forward to improving it.
  • jayztangjayztang Member Posts: 1
    i will never get over 25....... never~~~~~i drive 80% local... i usually get 19~~~ about 400per tank.....i've talk to nissan's tech guy.they told me its normal~~~sad........
  • biggbrotherbiggbrother Member Posts: 87
    I am getting horrible gas mileage on my new altima with only 2,000 miles. I do about 80% city /suburban driving and 20% highway. My trip computer reads 19 mpg. If I reset it, it will start around 16 mpg and move up to around 19 mpg after half tank. But at half tank I only have around 160 miles on the trip odometer. It's horrible.

    My car has the automatic dual zone climate control. I'm thinking that leaving it on Auto is seriously degrading fuel economy because the AC light stays on all the time, although I'm not sure if the compressor is on. No matter how conservative I drive (coasting/slow launches etc/55-60 mph on highway) my mileage is this bad.

    Any suggestions?
  • jchd1340jchd1340 Member Posts: 13
    I have you all beat!! my 2.5 altima sedan with 39,000 miles on it gets 11.5 mpg city and 18.5 mpg 75% highway and 25% flat country road. this car is well maintained and i do not have a heavy foot. i have checked this a doz times! (always the same.) nissan and there dealers say if there is no check engine light on there is nothing they can or will do. i know 11.5 mpg city for a 4 cly sounds crazy but it is fact!!! :mad:
  • jsantiago272jsantiago272 Member Posts: 1
    me too i get and average of 18.8 - 19.2 mpg city. I try everything to increase my mpg by driving conservative like you and still i dont increase my mpg, sucks. I do 98% of my driving city
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    ^ The Altima, or any midsize sedan or bigger, in the car industry is not a smart or wise decision if you live in the city and/or primarily do most of your driving in the city. Unless you spend the money and get a hybrid, no midsize or fullsize automatic or CVT equipped vehicle is going to get great gas mileage or even meet's its suggest city mpg. All that stop and go traffic, low speed limits, etc wreaks havoc on gas mileage, not matter what car you have. It's not really the car's fault you do almost all city driving. I have the opposite experience, nearly 80% rural city/highway driving and maybe 20% "actual" city driving. I'm getting great mpg out of the CVT so it is possible.

    If you live or do most of your driving in the city, you need to think ahead and stay with the lighter, more fuel efficient small sedans, compact sedans, hatchbacks, and/or hybrids if you want to have great mpg.
  • jt1523jt1523 Member Posts: 1
    how many kms on a tank do you get? im 50% city and 50% highway and i get only around 500km on a tank when it should probably be around 650 on a 75litre tank. i dont speed or rev the engine and coast to stop lights/stop signs
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    Well, I actually don't have an Altima. I have the Maxima with the 290 HP V6, but I get about 440-470 miles per tank right now, and that is using premium.
  • jonhnjonhn Member Posts: 2
    Own a 2012 2.5s has around 800 miles on it after around 2 months. My driving is 80% highway and the mileage is unbelievably bad. I'm averaging around 22 mpg with delicate easy driving, easy acclerating. The mileage on this 4 cylinder is worse than on my 6 cylinder 4wd suv!
    I'm stunned at how poor the mileage on a 4 can be.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    First off, your still in the break in period. I got better gas mileage after a few thousand miles were on the car around 3-4k. Second, you can't be much of a light foot or take an easy on your car. It makes no sense that I'm getting 24-25mpg with 290 HP V6 and your getting 22mpg with a 175 HP I4, no way in hell that is possible.
  • jonhnjonhn Member Posts: 2
    smarty666, you know nothing about how I drive, or what is possible. Many posts here prove that the Altima 2.5's have terrible mileage- some worse than mine. Also, my 6 cylinder suv gets better mileage - with me, the same exact driver, driving it.
    Don't comment when you don't now what you're talking about. What I posted is fact, I drive the altima conservatively and live in a very flat state - central ct. - no big hills here.
  • mlmcgaheemlmcgahee Member Posts: 102
    edited February 2012
    I have had 3 2.5 Altima's in the last 12 years and have had great gas mileage with all of them. My latest is a 2010 Altima coupe with a 2.5 that I drive for work every day and put about 500 miles a week on it. I get 27+ MPG! Those are my Facts...

    Mike

    :shades:
  • biggbrotherbiggbrother Member Posts: 87
    This is what my mileage looks like:
    http://flic.kr/p/buwKw8

    I reset the trip odometer to 0 when I filled up. I filled to 2 clicks just to be sure it was full. After a mere 82.4 miles, my tank is nearing the halfway point.

    Not that the fuel guage is accurate either. Even after filling up, it doesn't always read completely full, or it fluctuates up and down. After I took this pic and drove off, the guage actually went up a bit.

    But you can see the AVG MPG is 18.1 MPG, and AVG Speed is 17.7 MPH sue to city driving. And I am not dogging the car. I coast to red lights and don't gun it. Just normal driving.

    The mileage is horrible. I would have just bought the V6 if I knew the 4-banger would be so bad on fuel.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    john, you know nothing about how to get good mpg out of a car. Many posts here prove that the Altima in both I4 and V6 version can get good mpg. Many on the Maxima forums are getting incredible mpg and that car has a much more power engine and takes premium no less.

    Don't comment when you don't know what your talking about. What I posted is fact, I drive conservatively and live in pretty flat area of NJ - no big hills here.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    (1) Use a top tier quality gas company, i.e. Shell, Chevron, etc

    (2) Try to use the same gas pump at the same gas station each fill up. Reset the avg fuel economy display/history immediately after each fill up.

    (3) Check your tire pressures and inflate them to just above the recommended PSI on your door sills, I usually recommend 34-35PSI cold.

    (4) Don't overload the back seat and trunk with heavy bags, equipment, etc.

    (5) Use the cruise control as much as possible.

    (6) Coast to a stop when possible.

    (7) If the temperature is not too cold or too hot, don't have the heater or A/C going in the car.

    People who are getting poor open road gas mileage on a I4 Altima are either (A) not doing any of these measures or (B) have one of the few bad glitch cars that every automaker has. There is no reason why people like me who have a V6 Maxima, and others with I4 and V6 Altimas can get decent gas mileage out of these cars. That means its possible.
  • busirisbusiris Member Posts: 3,490
    It's fairly clear that something is going on with the low mpg Altima.

    The suggestions you gave are all great long-term tips, but in the short term, the gas going in the tank has to be going somewhere, enev if it's just leaking onto the ground.

    Areas I would start examining...

    Does the car "free wheel" coming down a hill with the transmission in neutral?

    What do the brake pads look like...are they dragging?

    Avoid any really short trips that don't allow the engine to warm properly. Cars run much richer until normal operating temperature has been reached, burning more fuel.

    Have the exhaust gas analyized by a local mechanic... Is it running far too rich?

    Let a trusted friend drive the car for a week or so, keeping detailed records on gas placed inthe tank and miles driven. Maybe let him run it down the highway for a 200 mile round trip, filling up immediately before and after, then calculating the mileage.

    You get the idea.

    Such low mileage is way outside the standard deviation for an Altima. This is something that is fixable. You just have to locate the cause before it can be fixed.
  • jimfish1jimfish1 Member Posts: 2
    Hi all,I posted about this 6 months ago.I am still concerned.My 2010 Altima coupe with the 2.5 engine has been doing very poorly also.As I told everyone months ago,my older 2002 Chrysler 300m got better mileage with the 250hp v6 engine .My wife mainly drives the Altima to and from work in a suburban setting with few traffic lights.I have never been able to get over 22.4 mpg,even on longer highway trips.After all the feedback here,I now know that the Altima is not a good choice for fuel economy.i might even follow the action of the Honda lady who sued Honda over poor mileage and won a decent settlement.Maybe then the window sticker will reflect real world mpg,not some bs.My next car will not be a Nissan.TELL the world people.Nissan has poor mpgs'
  • jona57jona57 Member Posts: 194
    Lots of big variables in comparing real-world MPG experiences. City driving with lots of traffic jams at rush hour will yield much worse MPG than driving same route at 11PM when roads are open. Idling a lot while sitting in parking lots (which I see too many people do regularly) can be HUGE gas waste. Lots of short trips hurts mileage a lot too (30-50% since engine is much more efficient after it warms up). Jack rabbit starts between stop lights also hurts city gas mileage a lot. Highway driving at 75-80mpg into a head wind may give literally 30-50% less MPG than driving 60mpg with tailwind.

    FWIW- Driving moderately (smoothly keeping up with traffic) my 2010 Altima 2.5S sedan (~15k miles) consistently gives me 27-28mpg city/suburban (10-15mi trips) & 33-35mph highway (70-75mph). Those #'s are from actual gas used over last 5+k miles. IMHO that's good real-world economy for very decent car with lots of room (and NO hybrid headaches).
  • busirisbusiris Member Posts: 3,490
    FWIW- Driving moderately (smoothly keeping up with traffic) my 2010 Altima 2.5S sedan (~15k miles) consistently gives me 27-28mpg city/suburban (10-15mi trips) & 33-35mph highway (70-75mph). Those #'s are from actual gas used over last 5+k miles. IMHO that's good real-world economy for very decent car with lots of room (and NO hybrid headaches).

    My daughter has a 2008 2.5 SL and her mileages almost mirror yours, although he best hwy is usually around 32. I suspect thats because she pushes the speed limit. Around town, shes a "dead match" with your results...
  • mlmcgaheemlmcgahee Member Posts: 102
    One thing you might want to try:
    Take the Altima to the Nissan dealership service dept. and ask if there is a flash update for the OBC (On Board Computer). If not, ask them to do a factory reset on the Altima's OBC. That will force the OBC to re-learn your driving habits and make the proper adjustments to the engine and fuel economy.

    Mike :shades:
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    edited February 2012
    No one is angry or about to cry here. Don't be so melodramatic. People are complaining about Nissan and the poor gas mileage and this is not something unique only to Nissan. The reason they won't help is, there are plenty of us, the majority, not complaining to them about poor fuel economy, and in fact get better than the EPA estimates on the window sticker.

    I was just reading today about a small class action lawsuit about 200-300 people filled against Honda and Hyundai back in 2009 for not getting the EPA estimates on their vehicles. The problem is, both Honda and Hyundai brought thousands upon thousands of letters from consumers praising the fuel economy on the vary vehicles this small group of people were complaining about. Those people, thus lost the case.

    If you getting bad fuel economy, you either
    (A) are not driving as fuel conscious as you think
    or
    (B) have something very wrong with your specific vehicle

    Myself and many others have reported we are either meeting or exceeding the EPA estimates on the window sticker so these vehicles can get the mpg they are supposed to.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,145
    Very reasonable answer; however the original post was removed for profanity/personal comments. Hopefully the member will at least see your response.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    Many thanks! I have no doubt some people are having mpg issues, it is just simply not something that Nissan alone experiences, as I pointed out with Honda and Hyundai for example. On a couple of the rare occasions where I spent a few days in a major city, I've seen my own mpg shoot down on my Maxima. I would not recommend the Maxima or Nissan as vehicles if you live in the city or do primarily most of your driving in the city. The mpg is going to be terrible.
  • poormpginlapoormpginla Member Posts: 5
    Let me start by saying I know practically nothing about cars,
    and I'm here because I really want advice.

    I recently bought a 2012 Altima S. I might drive only 40% highway, 60% city.
    When I first refilled the tank, the car had just barely made 14 miles per
    gallon. That seemed likely to be a special case, probably the dealer hadn't
    *really* filled the tank when I first bought the car. But when I filled my
    tank the second time, I was barely up to 15 mpg. After 1500 miles over 3
    months, I've climbed "up to" 19 mpg. Apparently everyone on this forum thinks this, but really, I'm not an aggressive driver.

    Thanks for the ideas I've already seen here.
    "Resetting the OBC" might connect to what the dealer just told me
    about the car taking time to "relearn" my habits. Since the mileage
    is slowly creeping up, it seems like the car might have been set oddly
    at the factory, or whoever drove it on the lot those first 4 or 5 miles
    might have treated it like a race car, so: how long does it take the OBC
    to adjust to a driver? I just got back from taking the car in to the
    dealer, so I'd like to try other ideas before taking it back there.

    The dealership came up with only one suggestion, also mentioned here:
    warming the car up before driving it.
    How much difference does this make?
    How long should the car be allowed to run for before driving it off?
    (I'd hate to sit in the car while it idles for too long, that sounds like it
    would hurt mileage rather than helping it.)
    I've never heard anyone mention warming up a car in the morning before -
    is it because I live in Los Angeles rather than Buffalo or Butte?

    And what is the "break-in" period someone mentioned?

    I'd very much appreciate any information. Regular is almost $5 per gallon,
    and I seem to be buying at least 25% more than I "should" with this car!
  • mlmcgaheemlmcgahee Member Posts: 102
    Question: Are you resetting the MPG counter back to zero with each fill-up?

    If not you are seeing the average MPG since the last time it was reset and not the average MPG of one tank full of gas.

    Mike :shades:
  • realmac83realmac83 Member Posts: 1
    FWIW, I have 59000 miles on my 2008 Altima 2.5SL and am currently getting 24-25mpg in mixed driving conditions. I noticed the biggest difference in mpg once I started keeping engine RPMs low (like under 2000 in town). I have never had a tune-up on this car, have a 65lb sub in the trunk and probably ~30lb worth of sound deadener material in the front doors / rear deck / side panels. Also have the 17" rims from the 3.5 model. When I'm in a rush, it's extremely easy to get the rpms between 3000 and 4000.

    During my break-in period, first 5000 miles I believe the mpg was pretty crappy. Worse than a v6, but it got better. Not saying this applies to your situation but just my 2 cents.
  • poormpginlapoormpginla Member Posts: 5
    I am resetting it, but to be safe I'm calculating the mpg myself (miles since last fill/gallons to refill tank). I realize that can vary with time of day you fill the tank, gas station etc. but that has to cancel out over time, and anyway *every* time I fill the tank I'm getting low mileage figures so it's not some one-time fluctuation.

    FWIW, I believe the car is guesstimating the MPG in a way that produces slightly optimistic numbers.
  • poormpginlapoormpginla Member Posts: 5
    That's interesting, thanks.
    Does anyone know why there could be a 5,000 mile break-in period with pretty crappy mpg, and what I might be able to do to get to the other side pronto?

    I'd love to use the OBC feature showing instantaneous MPG, but it's a little *too* instantaneous, oscillating rapidly between wonderful and awful as the road dips, I break or accelerate slightly etc. -- is there a way to adjust this feature from average-mpg-this-last-second to average-mpg-the-last-ten-seconds (or even minute)?

    Also, somebody suggested using cruise control, does that really optimize mpg significantly?
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