Honda Fit Real World MPG

micweb · March 2011

bobw3, that's definitely a trick of math I never caught before either. I just know that a small percentage of city driving can brutally drive down "long trip" style mileage. Right now I am focusing on cars that have good city mileage, since that is my driving pattern now.

For example, the new 2012 Ford Focus has highway mileage surpassing many small cars (talking about the regular, not the special, edition). BUT city mileage is significantly lower, which will bring down the overall average more, for a primarily city driver.

Conversely, the Fiat500 is lambasted for not breaking 40 highway mpg, but I am highly impressed by the 30 mpg city, I can't think of another non-diesel, non-hybrid to match it.

Of course the Fiat500 would be even more torture than our 2 door Rabbit for the kids in the back. While the Fit would be minivan luxurious (they are small kids after all).

EPA city mileage for the Fit is 27 manual, 28 auto. Consumer Reports tested mileage is 24 manual, 21 auto, which confirms my experience with other autos that sticks come closer to EPA city ratings than automatics, but neither one makes their EPA ratings, especially when you get to the higher rated vehicles.

lrp28 · March 2011

I'm not sure why the latest cars don't get better mileage. I have a '93 Saturn, which weighs about the same as a Fit. By the looks of things, it's at least as big on the inside as a Fit. (Which I might be interested in as my next car.) I've never gotten less than 28mph (in 12 years of ownership). At least, not unless I'm pulling a small trailer. More typically, I get 32 to 34mpg and I drive pretty fast on the highway. (65 to 75mph, sometimes a bit more, this, after all, is eastern Massachusetts). On slower, long trips at 60-65mph I'll get maybe 35mpg or so, maybe a touch better. This is with several different sets of tires, and on occasion I've checked the odometer against mileage markers. It's quite close.

I recommend you all get time machines and go back to purchase '93 SL1's. And maybe some extra parts. They're getting harder to find.

carattorney · March 2011

My friend, she loves her Saturn and does not want to give it up. She has had a few Saturns including the convertible sport model. I personally love the look of that one--has some of the Corvette lines.

Shame GM shut Saturn down, but GM is notorious for making bad decisions. :mad:

xcentrick · March 2011

I now have 105K miles on my '07 FIT Sport. No mechanical problems at all at this point. Still very tight, no excessive or premature tire wear issues either. My average MPG has been 33, So. Cal. freeway driving ~80MPH max.

I was told of and have just purchased and installed a set of sparkplugs that a friend of mine claim really improved his MPG. The name of the plug is Pulstar. I will post results after a few months of running with them. Obviously, normally, anytime new plugs go in, some improvement should be noticed. So we'll record the results and report back to you.

BTW, make sure you change your auto trans fluid regularly and use the Honda type fluid. Glue a magnet on the end of your drain plug. You'll be amazed what you capture.

mountainmike · March 2011

I have tried Chevron Supreme Unleaded and compared it to Chevron Regular Unleaded over several thousands of miles, and could NOT detect any statistical difference in my Miles Per Gallon (MPG). All MPG were calculated from the actual odometer miles divided by the total fuel consumed, to the third decimal place (that's the receipt read-out). I did not have a car equipped with a highly questionable "MPG computer", like the Fit. I was using a MY 2000 Subaru Forester with a 5 speed tranny.

I am very suspicious of people who claim their cars "have more power" and "get better mileage" with Premium fuel. The rationale behind Premium Auto Fuel is a slower-burning fuel with less tendency to pre-ignite (ping). At the minimal price over regular (presently around $0.20 / gallon), you can't expect anything that is going to be very performance-enhancing.

I would tend to believe there is more of a mileage difference - and performance difference, too - if you compared ethanol-free gasoline with the "gasohol" crap that we in California are forced to put in our engines. All Calif. gas has 10% ethanol in it at present. Some states allow the 91/92 (Premium) gasoline to be alcohol-free to eliminate the ethanol-induced problems in small engines (Lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc.) and other engines that cannot tolerate ethanol mixtures. A whole thread could be on this subject, alone!

If you have a high-compression engine, like the old 1970 BMW 2002 I used to have, then a higher octane fuel is required to allow the engine to have a ping-free acceleration or "pulling power". Oh yeah, you might be able to retard the distributor so you can burn regular, but in that case you are giving up engine performance to get rid of the "pinging" or pre-ignition.

Just my two cents.

pendesigns88 · May 2011

I agree, I had a '99 Saturn and wanted a 4 door so I bought a 2010 Honda Fit sport model, standard. My Saturn averaged around 31 or 32 mpg, while my fit is averaging 33.8, and it actually weighs less then my Saturn did. I don't understand how in 11 years they haven't made hardly any improvements. I should have kept my $4,000 car instead of paying the $16,000 for the new one.

bobw3 · May 2011

So you're complaining because your Fit is meeting the EPA estimated MPG? Maybe you should have read the EPA sticker before purchasing. Are you sure your Saturn AVERAGED 31-32MPG, or was that just on long road trips?

micweb · May 2011

The Saturn was sort of a turtle in terms of acceleration with the base engine. The Fit accelerates well, better than almost all other tiny cars except the MINI.

I am also not sure that the Fit is that much lighter than the Saturn, since in the decades since the Saturn cars have generally gotten heavier.

The Fit is certainly more useful.

lrp28 · May 2011

I get 31 or 32 very regularly with a '93 SL1. Sometimes in the dead of winter I will get less, and I definitely get less pulling the trailer. (A very light trailer.) I probably get more than 32 at least half the time, but then these days I have a 30 mile commute.

So I'm willing to believe that other guy.

I think I'm up to 233k, or is it 236k miles?

bobw3 · May 2011

Corolla, Civic, Saturn SL, Fit all average in the low 30s MPG. The Fit will hold twice as much cargo as the others.

murphious · June 2011

I keep seeing the specs and am surprised my Fit Sport 5MT gets regular city (Summertime) MPG of 37. On the highway, 40-41. Winter MPG hurts a bit, down to 32-34 city and 37-38 highway. Bit I am thrilled with any MPG figures over 30, compared with the old Mazda Navajo I traded in for the Honda. It was a guzzler V6 of 16-17mpg city and 20 highway (if wind aided...). Love this car, but will probably trade in towards a new Veloster this July.

drgirlfriend · June 2011

I've had my brand-new 2011 AT Fit Sport for a few weeks now (almost 1000 miles on the dot). I've done a mix of small-town driving (lots of stoplights) and highway driving (Philly to D.C.) and my mpg has stayed in the 24 - 25 range. It's really bugging me, fuel economy is a big reason why I chose this car. I don't think I'm doing anything to make it underperform so significantly (not lead-footed, not blasting the a/c, etc.). I'm taking it in to get checked out on Monday (it was also dead in the driveway and needed a jump for no reason, no lights on, etc.) but do you think it's a lemon? Is there any potential relationship between the battery/charging system and fuel economy?

fitfight · June 2011

Much city suburban driving still 20 mph. Got 25 once with a half day hwy trip. Very disappointing. All pressures checked.

bobw3 · June 2011

If your alternator or battery is bad, then that can hurt your MPG because more energy is being wasted trying to keep your battery charged.

carattorney · June 2011

Your FIT is most likely not a lemon based on what you have reported. I own a BASE 2009 FIT with almost 30K miles it. What you report in mileage sounds within range. I have driven my FIT from LA to Portland and LA to NYC and back to LA and city driving all over the USA.

If I fill my tank (I only use 91 or 92 octane--you don't have to, synthetic oil changes, and 35 PSI tire pressure) and drive city mainly in LA, over 300 miles in the city I will consistently get approx. 26 to 28 in the city. If I fill my tank like I did memorial day weekend and drive from LA to Las Vegas and back, over 500+ miles I got 41-42 MPG.

When you city drive you are constantly pulling the mass of the FIT from a dead stop to motion and that sucks up fuel. As a comparison, my Mercedes SUV in the city got 14 to 16 MPG (heavier vehicle). When you have momentum like on the highway and the aerodynamics of the FIT, you are putting gas money in your pocket. Its pure physics.

Now, your car is new too. When mine was new, I was getting 1-2 MPG worse MPG. After 15K+ it settled in to slightly better mileage.

Its a great car.

Do this: Fill the tank, pump tires to 35 psi, reset trip meter to 0 miles, get on the highway for a trip at 50 MPH or more and see what it is before you exit. Go at least 10 miles if you can. It should be neat 40 MPG.

Forget about city driving--it kills all of us in the wallet. And when I need to use the AC in the city--FIT only gets 23-25 mpg, because its more drag on the engine.

Have fun.

drgirlfriend · June 2011

Somewhat of a follow-up. Took the Fit to get checked out. The dealer said there are no problems with the car that they could find, battery checked out fine and the road test was fine. The most they could tell me was to get Exxon gasoline instead of Sunoco, but...seriously? I reset the trip odometer when I last filled up, so I'll calculate the mpg myself next time I fill up in case the reading is off, but right now 40 miles into this tank it's averaging 21.8 mpg, which still seems extremely low to me. :-(

stever · July 2011

A reporter wants to talk with people who expected to get better gas mileage in their relatively new vehicle. Please email pr@edmunds.com by Tuesday, July 19, 2011 with your daytime contact information and a few words about your experience. Thank you.

iutodd32 · July 2011

Honda's don't achieve their best fuel mileage until they have broken in a bit.

If all you do is city driving then it wouldn't be surprising that your average is under 30 mpgs. 24-25 is a bit low for this car but stop and go driving is the least efficient driving situation possible (other than long uphills). But with some highway thrown in that does seem a bit low...How fast is your highway driving? Do you accelerate and decelerate a lot or do you keep a constant speed? Try to keep it below 3000 rpms whenever possible to achieve the best miles per gallon. Any car that has to decelerate and accelerate constantly is going to have bad fuel economy.

Also - if you have the Fit automatic you can use the paddles (in "S" mode) and at every stoplight shift from first into second and start from second gear - this will save a bit of gas - just remember to hold the gear a little longer (and remember to keep shifting!).

If you are really worried then definitely fill the tank, reset the fuel gauge and drive on the interstate at 65-70 mph for a while - you should be getting between 35 and 40 mpgs. If you do that and still return 24-25 mpgs (also check it by hand) then something probably isn't right.

iutodd32 · July 2011

Fit's have a 10.5 gallon tank - I put 10.302 gallons in which gave me 40.5 miles per gallon!

All interstate driving - I drive 5 miles an hour over the speed limit - so between 70 and 75 depending on the state. I did not hypermile or do anything out of the ordinary to achieve this. The Fit is just that efficient.

2009 Fit Sport 5AT with 56000 miles on it.

pennysworth · July 2011

Mine is three years old handles like a small tank, rides like I'm sitting on a bag of rocks. I won't buy another. But it would be at least tolerable if the mileage was decent. I just filled up and did the math: slightly under 21 MPG primarily in city/town driving.

Not enough; not nearly enough. Certainly not enough to assuage my battered kidneys.

I cannot understand why a car this small should get should lousy mileage. My 2006 Camry 4 gets 15 more MPG.

mklimo13 · July 2011

Just curious if anyone has any real world data to support Honda's claim that the base model Fit gets higher MPG than the Fit Sport?

Or any other thoughts or opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

-Mike

johnk15 · August 2011

My mileage is exactly as murphious describes. Mine is a 2009 Fit Sport m/t (w/nav).

bobw3 · August 2011

So you're saying your Camry4 gets 36mpg in the city/town driving?

08fitman · September 2011

I have a 08 Fit with a manual transmission, and I'm getting decent gas milage. With all city driving I'm getting around 30-32mpg, and its Chicago stop and go traffic. But now I'm doing almost all highway driving, so around 90:10 highway to city, and I got 38mpg. I'm going to try to get 40mpg which should be easy if I slow down from 75mph to around 60mph. My advice is you really have to be driving like a grandpa out there, most of the time I'm shifting at 2500rpm. I usually go through all my gears before I hit 40mph. Just my 2 cents.

mountainmike · September 2011

Mike,

The difference in MPG for the two different models of the 2011 Fit are pretty small and only involve the Automatic Transmission models. The 5 - speed manual is the same MPG: 27 city, 33 mpg highway.

The difference is probably (?) due to the small, but cumulative, difference in real-end gear ratios and transmission gear ratios.

In my personal, but very limited experience with my 2011 M/T Honda Fit, 60/40 city/highway ration, has been 32 - 33 MPG. My computer recently said "38 MPG" after a "highway only" trip up and down a local hilly area (50 mile trip), but I only quote MPG that are computed by me from actual miles divided by gallons of petrol purchased.

Previous to this recent "38 MPG" computer (odometer) readout, the computer said "31.9 MPG" for several hundred miles and several tankfuls of gasoline. So it has been relatively accurate in the recent past, for what ever that is worth!

Best Regards,

MountainMike

andysd · October 2011

I haven't read all the postings, but I know from experience that it is worthwhile to check the odometer (and the speedometer) against GPS readings to be accurate and to enable objective comparison with the experience of others. For anyone who hasn't done it, you can zero the trip reading of the GPS at the same time you zero your odometer after filling up, and make your trip miles divided by gallons calculation for mpg using both the GPS and the odometer readings for comparison.

I have a low mileage Milano Red 2011 Fit Sport 5MT. My mpg experience is complicated by the fact that I installed 17" Kosei Racing wheels with 215/45-17 Kumho ECSTA SPT tires saved from a 2004 Civic. Therefore, my corrections would not apply to your car.

Digressing from mpg, I bought a Fit because of its emergency lane change test results reported in Car and Driver (faster than Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette). Also, its 0-60 8.3 seconds is not totally sluggish, and the engine winds up to max rpm with no strain. I frequently drive the local twisty two lane mountain roads in San Diego East County, and am blown away by my Fit's cornering performance, even compared to friends' Ferraris and a GTI. I've done a few things to the car: the wheels and tires, new horns, back-up distance sensors, more open muffler and tail pipe, chrome dash interior, leather shift knob, new Hertz speakers and amp.

Perhaps the result of the wider, stickier tires to me the brakes seem quite effective compared to their poor reported road test results.

cshuler · January 2012

My 2009 Honda Fit Sport has been getting 38 mpg. I have realized tire pressure is a big thing that helps with your mpg.

204meca · February 2012

2011 Honda Fit Base AT with 6,700 miles. I keep track on Fuely using manual calculations, drive for mileage, but not a hypermiler -- especially my wife who puts on 60% of miles. 50% urban miles & 50% highway. Fit averages average 36.2 mpg; best 42.5 (so far). I believe it will improve with more miles & summer weather.

An comparison that might interest some is that I also have 2010 Subaru Outback 2.5 with CVT & 23,000 miles. Average mileage 28.4. Best 34.6 - (this was fluke & it rarely tops 30 mpg).

Not a lot of difference between the overall get up & go of these two, but overall the OB has the edge, especially above 50 mph. Fit gets about 27% better mileage.

I really like both these cars for what they are & are satisfied with both. But I find it pretty amazing that the FWD Fit which weights about 800 lbs less & has significantly smaller engine can only go 27% further on a gallon of gas than the signficantly larger & more comfortable AWD Outback. Way to go SOA

carattorney · February 2012

While its a good car, there is nothing amazing about SOA fuel performance. Its really a lesson in physics, weight, and momentum. What an automobile engineer would tell you in simple terms--and this is a concept many folks don't understand: It takes a smaller engine a lot more energy to move a mass from 0 acceleration than a larger engine therefore it burns more fuel to do so. The decreased weight of the Fit is really insignificant--its dead weight from a stop. The savings in fuel in the Fit (or any small engine car) comes in after the car has achieved a certain momentum. If all we did was stop and go all day, your MPG would be worse than if the FIT had a larger engine.

kipk · April 2013

Everyday local driving yields 34-36 mpg. Calculated mileage is about 1/2 -1 mpg lower than the displayed mileage. As a comparison, Our 09 Ridgeline averages 16-18 mpg in same terrain. The wifes 09 Rav4 (4 cylinder AT) averages 22-24 mpg.

This car has become the ride of choice most of the time. Not only because of it getting the best fuel mileage, but the ease of parking, and quick handling, make it fun to drive.

Examined a lot of small hatchbacks and drove a few. Actually liked some of them better than the Fit. And some got better "indicated" mpg on the test drive. Some had more comfortable and more adjustable seats, and quieter cabins. But they didn't "FIT" the needs!

Needed a small car with low seat height, so 92 yr old mom could get in and out with ease. Also needed room for a Rollator (walker with 4 wheels) and a wheel chair at the same time. And while carrying a driver and 2 passengers.

I chose the Fit because the Rollator will go behind the rear seat, through the hatch, without folding it. At the same time a wheel chair can be folded and put in (rolled in) the driver side rear door with that seat bottom up and a passenger on the passenger side rear seat.

Can't do all that, that easy, even with my wifes '09 Rav4.

Kip

Honda Fit Real World MPG

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles