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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.
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.
Shame GM shut Saturn down, but GM is notorious for making bad decisions. :mad:
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.
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.
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.
So I'm willing to believe that other guy.
I think I'm up to 233k, or is it 236k miles?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Or any other thoughts or opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
-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
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.
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
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