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Nissan Altima Real World MPG

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Comments

  • victrolajazzvictrolajazz Member Posts: 75
    My 2007 3.5 SE with 3,000 miles got 24.3 MPG on its last tank neck-to-neck after driving just 222 miles--mostly highway using the AC. On tanks where I've driven upwards of 300 or more miles mostly highway it's gotten low 26. It's MPG meter showed average of 28.2 one time, but usually stays in the high 26 range. Hasn't used a speck of oil--still 3/4 full since taking delivery on 12/21/06. As you can tell, I don't drive it very much--stay mostly in a 1990 Festiva 5 Spd I bought on 7/5/04 with 159,000 miles on it for $300--it now has 181,000 on it--get 39-41 MPG everytime I fill up. Changed timing belt and clutch for $750--I'm shooting for 200,000...
  • under9hellunder9hell Member Posts: 4
    I'm having 24 mpg from my calculation with 40% city and 60 highway with the new 2007 2.5S, is it abnormal? I always have AC on at low, and I'm not an aggressive driver.
  • neo_neo_ Member Posts: 14
    almost the same case here. mine is 500 miles old.. i drive about the same as you but don't use the a/c as much. i am getting 25+..
  • jd10013jd10013 Member Posts: 779
    I've read several places that the mpg will increase after you get over 2 or 3k. something about being programmed to run a richer fuel mixture to assist in break-in. not sure if its true though.
  • arthwerksarthwerks Member Posts: 14
    Yes, Altimas will get better mileage after about 2-3 thousand miles. One reason for this is that everybody drives differently. The computer will actually make adjustments according to the way you drive. I have friends that drive interstate almost exclusively. They are getting 31-32 MPG. By the way, some Nissans do say premium fuel recommended. All Nissans run just fine on 87 octane fuel.
  • sellcarsellcar Member Posts: 21
    I have over 6,000 miles on my 2007 Altima 2.5 SL and my mileage stinks. I tried filling the tires to 35 psi and no change. I had the computer reprogramed by the dealer and still no change. I don't think this car will ever get good gas mileage or even close to the lowest mileage that is rated on the window sticker. I just think, it's just a gas eater @ 20-23 MPG Tops! I think Nissan gave a high rating about how much mileage this car gets because they know fuel is high and getting higher and they want the lead on the other automakers to show there car gives better MPGS then the others. When I think about it, the engine is larger then Toyota Camry and Honda Accord's 4 cyl. but the window sticker on the Altima 2.5 says it gets more MPG'S then thiers. I ask, how can it get better fuel mileage then the others that have smaller engines? Yes, I know it's a larger engine and it will give more take off power, but will pay in the price of gas.
  • frankinbeansfrankinbeans Member Posts: 20
    Manufacturers don't set the MPG numbers. The EPA does and it's only an estimate. For 08, they have adjusted the figures. You only have 6K miles, give it about 10K. You're still within range of the EPA range estimate.
    I had a 07 Civic that got about 23-25 mpg.
  • arthwerksarthwerks Member Posts: 14
    Everyone that I have talked to is getting at least 25 MPG out of a 2.5S or SL. If you have not cleared your MPG guage, it reads an average what it has read since the car was completed and put on the test track. This is usually around 4.0 MPG. Go to www.fueleconomy.gov and you will see the ratings for 2008 model cars. These are actual mileage ratings from the EPA. You will notice that Toyota and Honda were the ones deceiving their customers. Nissans ratings were actually pretty accurate. Up until this point, cars had to be driven only 40 MPH, with no AC, windows rolled up, in perfect weather conditions for mileage rating tests. Besides, sometimes larger engines do give better gas mileage because of the weight of the vehicle. A larger, more powerful engine will have to work less. With a CVT transmission, you don't get as much "over-revving" as you do with a conventional automatic. Your RPMs will stay lower and thus causing the engine to work less. If you drive the car hard, you will not get good mileage. That is true of any car. Recently, I had to use a Toyota Avalon rental. The mileage I got was worse than my wife's Murano which has a larger engine.
  • sellcarsellcar Member Posts: 21
    My car has a pinging sound when I start out from a traffic light. I took it back to the dealer and they reprogramed the computer, but it still pings. The dealer dosn't know how to fix the problem so they are getting in touch with Nissan Motor company. Anyone having this same problem with there 2007 Altima 2.5?
  • maximafanmaximafan Member Posts: 592
    Uh, I don't believe the Murano has more power
    than an Avalon. Avalon has, I believe, 268 horsepower and the Murano has 244 horsepower.
    So you should see less mpg's with the Avalon than with the Murano.
  • arthwerksarthwerks Member Posts: 14
    Never did I say It had more power. The reply was to a post that said a larger engine should get less mileage. As far as the Avalon goes, most I got out of a tank was 325 miles. I get better than that out of my Frontier with a 4.0 V-6.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Back up - how does having more hp mean fewer mpg? The Avalon will get much, much better mpg than a Murano.
  • arthwerksarthwerks Member Posts: 14
    Didn't for me. My wife's Murano averages 22.8 MPG. The Avalon I rented got 20.8. Could be the mechanical shape of the 2 vehicles. My wife's Murano is pristine. The Avalon was, well, a rental.
  • mikezakmikezak Member Posts: 95
    Just wanted to report that I got 33 MPG on a 250 mile trip. Was traveling 68 - 73 with the cruise contol with A/C part of the way. Only have 1000 miles on my vehicle. How can I expect mileage to actually get better? Should I?
  • kwk1kwk1 Member Posts: 39
    It might get better, but 33 is pretty damn good if you ask me!
    I get 29 with my '05 3.5 under similar conditions.
  • frankinbeansfrankinbeans Member Posts: 20
    Getting on average about 23-24 mpg all city driving with only 700 miles on her. Just for comparison, my previous car an 07 Civic EX auto averaged 25-26 mpg same driving conditions. I'm very impressed. More power and more room and I'm losing only 2 mpg. Not bad. I'm guess I'll get a few more mpg out of it when she's broken in. The Altima impresses me more everyday I drive it.
  • frankinbeansfrankinbeans Member Posts: 20
    Should you except better? I guess you could. But you're getting 3 mpg better than the old EPA estimates for hi way driving. I couldn't get 33 mpg on a good day with my Civic.
  • frankinbeansfrankinbeans Member Posts: 20
    Correction. Two mpg better with the new EPA figures. One less with the old EPA figures.

    Old EPA City: 26 Old EPA Hwy: 34
    New EPA City: 23 New EPA Hwy: 31

    Regardless, you are getting nice numbers.
  • bizzjet1bizzjet1 Member Posts: 2
    I have 8,000 miles on my 2007 Altima 2.5s. I have tracked every tank of fuel and have never come close to the 26mpg city / 34mpg highway that sold me on this car. I have averaged around 21.5mpg. The best was 26.0 mpg on a all highway trip. The worst was 19.1. What are the rest of you experiencing?

    Are you pleased with the car? I have been a little disappointed!
  • gooddeal2gooddeal2 Member Posts: 750
    The EPA on the '07 was based on an old test. The new EPA for a '08 (which has the same engine as an '07) is 23 city and 31 Hwy.

    It's still better than the '08 Accord or Camry. :shades:
  • godeacsgodeacs Member Posts: 481
    Well, that EPA estimate was was "over inflated" for quite some time as everyone knows. So much so, that the EPA re-calculated their figures for 2008 models. 2.5S is now 23/31 mpg. So you're not as bad off as you thought. But it does seem a tad low.

    I have had my 2008 2.5S for 1 month now and the 1st 2 tanks were 27.7 and 28.6 mpg - needless to say, I am very happy!.... ;)
  • tylerwm94tylerwm94 Member Posts: 26
    I only have 800 miles on my 2008 so far. I got 23 something on my first tank and 24.5 on my second. Right now, I'm at 25 something on my third so far. It has been mostly commuting driving with little highway (average speed was like 30 mph according to the computer).
  • victrolajazzvictrolajazz Member Posts: 75
    I'm getting 24-26 MPG regularly with my 3.5 SE--that's a mixture of about 70% highway driving. I've found that my mileage calculator on the dash and actual arithmetic based on brim-to-brim tanks to be less than 1/2 gallon in difference, so I'm pleased.
  • kimkaytkimkayt Member Posts: 15
    Just picked up my '08 3.5 SL last night, Wahoo! What a sweet ride - will miss the Murano though. Can't wait to see the mpg difference, averaged 20-22 highway in the Murano so anything better than that (if I can keep my foot out of it) will be great!
  • tulip23tulip23 Member Posts: 2
    I have had my 2008 2.5s for a little under a month now and have about 1400 miles on it. According to the in dash computer I have been getting between 32-33 mpg. I have not calculated it myself yet to ensure the computer is accurate. I do primarily highway driving. So far I am very happy with the mpg and the car in general!
  • victrolajazzvictrolajazz Member Posts: 75
    "(if I can keep my foot out of it)"

    With the 3.5, you get so much response with so little pedal it's actually easy to drive economically.

    Just got 27.7 MPG on a 245 mile highway trip yesterday.
  • sjb8101sjb8101 Member Posts: 8
    I am having definite mixed feelings about the Altima that I purchased. I like the hi tech features, but the engine rattle that they still cannot fix makes me wonder if I have a lemon.
  • genereegeneree Member Posts: 5
    hey, how's everything? just bought a 3.5SE about three weeks ago and i'm almost hitting 1000 miles on it. my mileage really sucks though, it's like every time i get 200 something miles for a full tank. was your mileage this bad during the break-in period? what type of gas are you putting in your car? any advice would be appreciated by my wallet, thanks!
  • sellcarsellcar Member Posts: 21
    I just traded in this "P.O.C." 07 Altima for a 08 Hyundai Sonada and its a so much better made car for less money then the 07 Altima. Check the reviews on yahoo autos and see for yourself' !!!!
    As for the 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL it owned, I had many problems with it that the company could not fix, from the brakes squeeling to the engine pinging and engine knocking noises when it was cold, interior plastic squeeks. The drivers seat tracks had to be replaced the first week I got the car because the seat was loose. The dealer scratched the interior up trying to get the seat out of the car in order to fix it. I checked the gas mileage many times by filling up the tank and resetting the trip mileage counter and best MPG's my car can get is between 19MPG to 23MPG city/highway and this is on the 4cyl. model. I even tryed using high test fuel and I got very little change in MPGs. I don't think the on board MPG trip computer is a good way to check the mileage. Nissan customer service sucks and they don't care about there customers after you buy there car, they told me to try another dealership after going to 4 different dealers who could not fix this cars problems. In the past, I always recommended Nissan cars to all my friends and family, but now I tell everyone to stay away from them. I hope yours turns out better then mine. Happy Holidays!
  • omelet1978omelet1978 Member Posts: 10
    I drive ALOT, and I average about 1800 miles a month. I read up on premium vs regular and even found out the dealer puts 87 in, so I've just been using that and it has been running fine and has lots of power. I have filled it up and calculated the miles vs the fuel I put in the tank and came out with the following mpg: 18.8, 20.1, 19.5, 19.5, and 19.4.

    I've read on here that the mileage will go up 2-3 thousand miles and that the computer adjusts to your driving habits. Is this true? I was hoping for an average of 22mpg per the new fuel economy standards. My previous vehicle was a Toyota 4Runner and the new fuel standards said it averaged 15mpg which was dead on.

    Oh, and just out of curiosity, if I were to put in premium, would I make up the extra cost with better fuel economy?
  • dtownmildtownmil Member Posts: 23
    I also experience great mileage. 2004 2.5L, gets average of 25 MPG in town and 32-37 on the highway, depending on speed. Recently drove across the state of Iowa, cruise on at around 68 MPH, and got 37-38 MPG. Going 70-75 MPH, I get a lower 32 MPG or so.

    Had a 97 Altima, and loved it. Never tracked the milage that close, but it was great also. And this car had so much more power than a Honda Civic.

    The 04 does make some engine noise, I wouldn't necessarily call it pinging, but I have ignored it and considered it semi-normal. Had a check engine light come on and the dealer lowered the idle RPM, which I think is now a bit low.
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    " drive ALOT, and I average about 1800 miles a month. I read up on premium vs regular and even found out the dealer puts 87 in, so I've just been using that and it has been running fine and has lots of power. I have filled it up and calculated the miles vs the fuel I put in the tank and came out with the following mpg: 18.8, 20.1, 19.5, 19.5, and 19.4.

    I've read on here that the mileage will go up 2-3 thousand miles and that the computer adjusts to your driving habits. Is this true? I was hoping for an average of 22mpg per the new fuel economy standards. My previous vehicle was a Toyota 4Runner and the new fuel standards said it averaged 15mpg which was dead on.

    Oh, and just out of curiosity, if I were to put in premium, would I make up the extra cost with better fuel economy? "

    I take it PUG is the recommended grade. Your computer can and will adjust timing for the lower octane (87) . You do lose app 10% in performance, which on the face of it is really not a big deal. So what remains is really a cost benefit calculation/problem.

    Do you pay less for regular and get slightly worse mileage or pay more for premium and get better mileage? TEST IT!

    So for example using YOUR RUG mpg; your average is 19.46 mpg/rug price per gal= $? per mile driven. Just do 5 tankfuls of PUG and see what the mpg is and what the per mile driven is. Compare obviously. Then you can make a decision based on (objective, hopefully) comparative data.

    Personally I would ask why would you buy a car that requires/recommended premium, when buying a vehicle that requires/recommended RUG would have done just fine? In all likely hood you would have paid FAR less. RUG costs less, and you could have used those saved monies for more RUG!?
  • omelet1978omelet1978 Member Posts: 10
    ruking1...

    Well I bought the 3.5 b/c I like having a powerful engine. Money is not tight for me, but I do have a house payment, a new car payment, insurance now on two vehicles, etc...so I feel like I'm throwing money away using premium. It's not that much, but I just don't think it is necessary. My previous vehicle, a V8 2004 4Runner, suggested premium as well, but when gas prices went up I put regular in and it worked fine as well.

    The 3.5 is rated at 270hp, and 258 torque. 90% of that is 243hp & 232 torque which is still plenty of power. Thats a 68hp and a 52 torque difference, so it is still significant. Despite being a 4500 lb vehicle my 4runner was pretty fast, and using 87 the Altima is significantly faster.

    Also, it's a Nissan Altima, not a BMW 3 Series. If I bought one of those I would use premium! I'm not insulting the Altima here by any means. I think it's a great car! Oh, and btw, filled up today and it averaged out to 19.9 mpg, so it seem like the car is slowly starting to get better mileage.
  • omelet1978omelet1978 Member Posts: 10
    Oh, I was comparing the 3.5 to the 4 cylinder when I said 68hp and 52 torque difference.
  • genereegeneree Member Posts: 5
    hey omelet, just curious if your mileage got better with time? i'm still running about 15 mpg. If i'm not mistaken, the altima has a 20 gallon tank, which should last at least 340 miles if the mpg were around 17 and up. i have 700 miles to go to hit 2000 miles so hopefully this gets better as xmas shopping has me mad broke
  • omelet1978omelet1978 Member Posts: 10
    Yeah, it seem to be improving. My last fill-up was 19.9mpg, so hopefully it keeps going up. I'm expecting just over 21mpg when it is all said and done since i'm using regular. Typically, when I fill up it's anywhere from 15-17 gallons btw. Oh, and 15mpg is pretty low, I would take it to the dealership and have them look at it.
  • maverick1966maverick1966 Member Posts: 1
    Hey, I have the 2008 Altima 3.5 and I have been getting 23 - 24 in town and that is Atlanta traffic. In the summer with the air on it was 22 -23 mpg. I go back and forth with the RUL and PUL. My foot is not too light but not that heavy in traffic. Someone at the Nissan dealership said that it might need some tweaking on the EFI. I hope that it gets better for you. Gotta agree - I love the power that it has! When you turn the heat on, try pushing Auto and then push the A/C button to turn it off and see if it gets better. Hope this helps!
  • omelet1978omelet1978 Member Posts: 10
    rukin1....one quick question for you. You said a 10% decrease in performance using regular. Using regular do you get a 10% decrease in fuel economy as well? If so that would put it right around the new fuel economy standards saying that the 3.5 SE averages around 22mpg using premium.

    thanks
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    In the case, where I did the side by side comparison, no. But I could almost immediately feel the performance difference, so I did not drive it normally.
  • 97alty97alty Member Posts: 4
    Hi all, I recently put on snow tires and my MPG went down from 32 to 26. What would that mean?

    My MPG is


    image

    Track Your MPG
  • ruking1ruking1 Member Posts: 19,826
    To me it means that snow tires and winter operations are 18.75% less efficient.
  • genereegeneree Member Posts: 5
    I'm praying i break 20 mpg let alone 23-24, but we'll see on the next tank, still keeping tabs on each fill. By the way, what's an EFI? From a quick google search i'm guessing something about the way the computer in the car reads something? Thanks for the advice, either way I'll call the dealership to see if this may be a cause of the not-all-that mileage
  • geo05geo05 Member Posts: 3
    "By the way, what's an EFI?"
    EFI = Electronic Fuel Injection
  • rvg567rvg567 Member Posts: 1
    Greetings All,

    What is the mpg that most of you have been seeing on a 08 2.5S? Reading reviews/ discussions on edmuds, it gives me the feeling it can range anywhere from 15 - 27 in city and more for highway driving. What is more realistic to expect out of a 08 SE?
  • rhythmgtr5rhythmgtr5 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2008 2.5 with < 700 miles on it. My first tank was 24.3 and the second tank was 23.8 mpg. My driving is probably 60% city / 40% highway and I drive it like and old lady + I do a lot of coasting. So far I've been pretty disappointed considering the EPA rating, but it is MN in the middle of winter. Hopefully it'll get better.
  • dconnordconnor Member Posts: 20
    2005 Altima 2.5S- During the time I drove it I was up to ~27 mpg after about a year.
    That was not just the trip computer but from my fillup calculations, although in my experience the trip computer was always within 0.5 mpg or less of my calculation. My son now has the car at college, 450 miles from home, all interstate except for <10 miles. On that all interstate trip he has been getting right at 30 mpg.
  • dconnordconnor Member Posts: 20
    I forgot to say that the 27 mpg. was combined highway and city, probably 70/30.
  • dconnordconnor Member Posts: 20
    I was so pleased with the 2005 Altima and its mileage for its size and comfort, I was going to get a 2007 or 2008 for myself, but they downsized it too much and lost too much driver's legroom and back seat space to accomodate my legs and my family members. I was very disappointed.
  • 97alty97alty Member Posts: 4
    So why is my gas mileage always goes down in winter?
    I know it's colder (in most places :) ) so more oxygen in the air and engine needs more gas for proper mixture, but it should make more power than too, right?
  • tslbmwtslbmw Member Posts: 172
    I am very happy to report that my mpg have been right in line with the 19/26 epa. I have 1500 miles on my car and here are my last three readings:

    22.1 80% in town/20% hwy
    26.1 10%/90%
    25.2 30%/70%

    For such a fast ride, I'm pleasantly surprised to achieve such strong mpg numbers during the break in miles. Hopefully these numbers will continue to improve during ownership.
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