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I love my Echo. Its biggest problem is lots of road noise on the freeway.
I attribute it mainly to the end of the really cold mornings. Less heat and defrost in the morning along with warmer outside temps means quicker engine warm-up and less A/C use with the defrost, hence better mileage.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
On regular commutes my average varied between 41 and 45 MPG.
What a great car. Sadly I sold it and now drive a 2007 Sentra. I am getting 33 MPG average. Not too bad considering 32 more HP and almost 1000 extra pounds of weight.
When my truck gets replaced soon, it will be with a 2008 Yaris.
Here's the link to their cruise - it looks like there is a lot of technical information available there: http://www.rostra.com/cruise-control.htm
Just filled up again, 384 miles and 9.6 gallons which believe it or not is EXACTLY, SPECIFICALLY 40 mpg, according to my calculator.
Which probably means the last fill-up stopped short of totally filling, but even so that's 41.5 mpg for the last 800 miles. Not too bad, and better than the winter.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Keep in mind those are dealer prices. I am sure indy shops could do a better deal on labor costs.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
So now I am looking at almost 1200 miles making almost 42 mpg. Spring and fall are always the best mileage. I was hoping to get to 43 mpg before A/C season kicks in with full force and knocks my mpg back down to 40 or 41.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
So now I'm looking at the last 1500+ miles, making a solid 42 mpg the whole time. :-)
Alas, I have begun running the A/C from time to time, summer is clearly just around the corner, when I will sink back down to 41 because of the heavy A/C use......
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I'll keep this board posted on my results.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I have slowed down somewhat in order to save a little more gas - not winding it out as much in each gear before shifting. it seems to have helped a bit. :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Otherwise, I might have to say I got ripped off by a salesman who knew that the car isn't as efficient as it is supposed to be and that I would have little recourse if things didn't perform to what I had expected. :mad:
Either way, my 2002 Echo 5 speed gave me 338.3 miles on 9.912 gallons, for a reading of 34.13 MPG. Within EPA results, yet not exactly in the high 30's or low 40's like so many of you report.
I will be taking a trip to Vegas at the end of this month so we'll see how that pans out. :confuse:
I probably wind it out 4-5 times per tank when merging on freeway in fast/heavy traffic, but under normal circumstances I shift around these marks:
to 2nd @10
to 3rd @ 20
to 4th @30
to 5th @40
Look far ahead, keep a big following distance behind traffic, try to use your brakes as little as possible to maintain speed, and make sure your tires are at max pressure. I have no AC.
This is supposedly the balance between performance and efficiency. But at $3.90 a gallon, who gives a #&%$ about performance anymore!
I tried it your way and I realize that (as light as this car is?) lugging the engine really isn't an issue when you shift early in this car (in stark contrast to a Jeep Wrangler). Maybe I will get better results now. Thank you!
My only question is, since you are shifting so early, how fast/slow should I accelerate? A bit slower than normal traffic? The same? A lot slower? At what point do you use more gas from accelerating too slowly?
And I must say that those are LEISURELY shift points - I expect to accelerate slowly shifting that way. I hate even a hint of lugging: gearboxes and bottom-end rebuilds cost so much more than gas to buy, even with the current gas prices!
When I need to accelerate rapidly on freeways, especially on rural highways with short merge space, my shift points are MUCH HIGHER for maximum acceleration: into 2nd at 20, into 3rd at 35-40, into 4th at 55-60, into 5th only when I have reached full cruising speed. The little Echo takes to that sort of acceleration like a duck to water - it loves to rev. But it would hurt fuel economy more than I care to if I did that all the time.
The other thing is, I do not maximize tire pressure as kneisl1 does. I DO however check it regularly and keep it at the Toyota-recommended pressure + 2 lbs, which is 34 psi IIRC.
And to the earlier poster: my mileage is all stated in U.S. gallons, no Imperialism going on here! :-P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I have been shifting earlier as well keeping it 60-65 on the freeway.
Maybe things will continue to get better as I get better on the stick...
I heard somewhere that the optimal speed for each car is posted online somewhere, but I can't find it for Echos yet!
With my frequent trips to LA and gas now at $4.25 in my area, I will be taking some new shots at the 50 mpg mark later this year.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Aaaand I just discovered my catalytic converter is failing... UGH...
I thought these cars had an 11.9 gallon tank, but I should check again.
I thought this page was interesting -
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Toyota&model=Echo-
it's average user-reported mpg for various model years of the Echo.
I believe the coupes have an 11.9-gallon tank, while the 4-doors have 12.4 gallons in the tank.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
But today I only put in 8.4, 354 miles, 42 mpg. Still on track...it varies so little with this little gas champ...
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)