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Nissan XTerra Real World MPG

tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
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  • akmvolvobetterakmvolvobetter Member Posts: 6
    2006 Offroad Automatic driven 2175 miles. Overall 19.72 mpg. Best 23.61 mpg, Lowest 17.1 mpg (on first tank). Just FYI for those shopping and wondering about real numbers. 75 mph interstate driving across Wyoming yielded 19.2 mpg, 40 to 55 driving through Yellowstone and the Teton area yielded the 23.61. :)
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    Just bought my S 4x4 automatic Wed. night, was out the door on the highway Thur. night for a road trip, got 20.7mpg w/ac running. Since the engine hasn't been broken in yet I thought this figure was OUTSTANDING! I kept changing speeds between 65-75 to help with break-in, but pretty much stayed in the 70-75mph range, only had to step on the gas a few times for passing, pretty much smooth sailing the whole time. 332.5 miles, 16.03 gallons, if this holds up until my engine breaks in I'll end up looking like Joan Rivers after a face lift from my ear to ear smile :P
  • exfhp50exfhp50 Member Posts: 8
    Just purchased a used 2006 S 4X2 with 12000 miles. On the ride back from the dealer (which was 200 mi away) I averaged 22.7 MPG. Most of the drive was on the interstate (in Florida) with the cruise set at 79. In town I averaged 19.8 MPG. I just recieved a K&N panel filter so we'll see what kind of difference it makes.

    -Barry
  • labman57labman57 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2005 S, 4x4, 6 spd. Just finished a trip to Houston from Tulsa. On the return leg I gassed in Sherman. Got back to Tulsa and refueled. Drove 199.5 miles on 8.544 gals. Mileage was 23.349. My speeds were from 45 to 50 in the orange cone zones to 78 in the 75 mph zones. AC was off. My X has 14K miles, Amsoil 5W30 oil, Amsoil gear lube in the trans,an Amsoil air filter and a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust. In town the wife usually averages 16+ with alot of street driving. On a trip with the AC running and doing about 80 mph I have averaged 21.22 mpg.
  • rckevrckev Member Posts: 1
    thinking of buying an 03 4x4 se and was wondering if the 14 mpg mark is true? I plan on putting a cold air volant and a magnaflow cat back or the gibson (can anyone recommend any others)and ditching the fan clutch for an electric unit any one have any feedback I have seen numbers as high as 19 but as low as 12 in the edmunds review but that was on a stock 00 My 2000 explorer 2dr 4x4 gets a solid 19 average with 130000 on the clock
  • hawk48hawk48 Member Posts: 3
    I have seen this discussed, but I have never gotten a "difinitive" answer.
    Can the Xterra and Pathys run OK on reg gas?
    I assume the HP may be down a touch,
    has anyone been able to test it both ways, and get real world #'s?
    Is it hard on the engine?

    thanks
  • nickstnicknickstnick Member Posts: 1
    Traded in '07 Nitro POS dissapointment. I did get up to 23+mpg on I-25 between Denver and Pueblo Colorado..It didn't make the trip back, got traded in for an '07 SE XTERRA new off the transport truck. 18 mpg at first and then improved to 21.8 generally hiway mpg by the time I got home...I am now up to 146 miles on this new unit...I'm very happy and feel it will improve on mpg.. If I don't drive like an idiot which I don't..
  • mcwoods2mcwoods2 Member Posts: 2
    I have an 06 S 4x4. I put a K&N cold air pipe and filter on it but everything else is stock. It has 20K for mileage. I get 23MPG on highway trips @ 65-70MPH. In town I get about 18-20MPG. Great little truck with lots of grunt. Have thought about a Cat-Back exhaust- any ideas??
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    Just took a 400mi trip, turned on the cruise control, set it at 70mph, and got 23mpg! That's some pretty good mileage from this bad boy.
  • shackmshackm Member Posts: 9
    I guess I should have bought an '05 or newer, 'cause the best I ever got in my '04 was about 16-17 mpg.
  • funkbotfunkbot Member Posts: 2
    2006 Xterra SE. 17.8MPG in city (by internal comp) and a satisfying 23.5MPG on long trips around 70-75 mph. In my experience, the gas mileage deteriorates rapidly over 70mph though. When I cruised at 80 mph i found I was getting more around 20.1MPG (ouch!!). Just puts some aerodynamics into practice i supposed.... Having a flat front end does not help your mpg. :)
  • pdclaypdclay Member Posts: 7
    I am seeing all these posts of the Xterra get 18 to 23 MPG. I bought a 2008 OFF ROAD model which has transfer case, locking rear differential, hill descent control and other mileage robbers the other models don’t have. I get 11 MPG on dirt road and 15 on the highway. I live in the Arizona hot desert rural community so I don't get city driving. I never had a six cylinder get such poor mileage. Every thing else I like. Runs good on the highway. Good suspension and steering for being a true off road machine, I say off road because it truly has a truck type ladder frame... only Toyota FJ Cruiser and the Xterra have ladder frames in SUV’s. The question I have, comparing apples to apples does every one with the OFF ROAD Model with the 4.0 liter 5 speed automatic get such poor mileage?
    Thanks,
    Clay
  • bunker108bunker108 Member Posts: 7
    Well, on our first tank of fuel with a 2008 Off Road auto we got a whopping 14.8 MPG. All city with a pretty light foot. I guess time will tell how accurate some of these other posts are. Granted the truck only had nine miles on it and I know it will loosen up...but not sure it will loosen up THAT much!
  • pdclaypdclay Member Posts: 7
    I have over 2200 miles now and am getting 16.5 to 17 on the highway. I believe the OFF ROAD model doesn't get as good as mileage as the other models do. I can't get anyone to admit it. Too bad I traded a 3/4 ton, 4x4, 4 door Dodge pickup that got 18 to get better fuel mileage in a smaller vehicle

    Thanks,
    Clay
    :lemon: :blush:
  • bunker108bunker108 Member Posts: 7
    I will be interested to see how this turns out. I never expected to get great MPG...with an advertised MPG at 14 in the city I guess that the sticker was pretty accurate. I am not sure how some of these folks are getting these high numbers at higway speeds. I also have an 03 Lexus IS300 w/ K&N and Borla cat-back which got me 24 MPG on a 952 mile road trip last month. Smaller motor, more aerodynamic, lighter and yet it gets the same MPG as an some folks Xterra.
  • pdclaypdclay Member Posts: 7
    The government MPG says 16 City and 20 on the highway. I was told by the dealer to expect better. My 1999 Jeep Cherokee with 4.0 liter (straight six injected farm tractor engine technology) auto with 3" lift (to get over the rocks) get's 22 on the highway so I know its not just being an off road SUV. I am starting to believe they changed something for 2008 off road? Dodge kept doing this with the Cummins diesel engine so I bought an older one to get good mileage. The Cummins is such a good engine they kept making it bigger more horsepower now I understand the 6.7 liter of course get’s poor mileage and is breaking down on them. I wonder if Nissan did this.
    Best of luck, Toyota next time.
  • parkmanparkman Member Posts: 2
    Was wondering how many years and miles you may have gone on the timeing belt? and if it broke at what miles?
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    I think the Off Road model with automatic tranny has a poor rear end ratio for fuel economy at 3.357. It's built for power.

    My wife is considering an X-terra and I'm thinkin' that the S with the 6-Speed stick might hopefully do okay in the MPG Dept. I normally average 22.5 to 23 MPG with my '06 Frontier SE 4x2 Crew 4.0L 6-Speed driving conservatively at highway speeds, but I don't know how this would translate to an X-Terra.
  • pdclaypdclay Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for the reply,
    I didn't know that the 3.327 rear axle ratio was different for 6 spd. Transmission. Thanks for letting me know. I still think it might be something else. The 2008 Xterra is getting 15-16 MPG on the highway and slips to 10 off road. The Xterra does have a lot more power than my 1999 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 liter auto with a rear axle ratio has 3.55 ratio. The Jeep definitely does have a higher ratio because the Jeeps engine RPMs are higher for the same speed. But the Jeep gets 22 MPG on the highway. I am thinking the Xterra has a large overhead rack (wind drag) on top. I am considering taking it off as a test?
    The other thing might be my Jeep has a conventional automatic transmission. When did the Xterra go to the CVT (continuously variable transmission)? This is the very first CVT I have had on a truck. I have had them work well in snowmobiles and go-carts but a truck… maybe that’s it???

    Thanks,
    pdclay
  • bunker108bunker108 Member Posts: 7
    We are up to 15.5mpg in the city...we almost 2K on the odometer. We will be taking it on a 900 mile round trip this week so I will post those numbers when we get back.
  • bunker108bunker108 Member Posts: 7
    Ok, the numbers are

    almost 1000 miles round trip

    17.2 on the way down

    17.6 on the way back

    cruise set on 80 with tach at 2500.
  • pdclaypdclay Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for letting me know I am not the only one. Like the dealer said it is only me getting horrible gas mileage. I have never had a six cylinder get such poor mileage and I have had different six cylinders since 1975 (a 1966 model). I think Nissan has changed something. At $4.00 a gallon gas they need to figire out what is getting the poor mileage and change it. Quick. Next time time Toyota.
  • gobogobo Member Posts: 4
    New S model with manual transmission --- so far about 600 total miles almost all highway, mostly at 70-75 MPH and getting about 19.8/gallon right now. Typical trip is 240 miles round trip with first half a moderate climb almost the full 120 miles and into a stiff wind coming off the mountains; tail wind on the way home. About what I expected but hoping for more as it breaks in...
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    Y'all drive a lot faster than I do and my driving is on low rolling hills, so perhaps that's why my V-6 6-Speed Frontier Crew Cab 4x2 is yielding better. My 22-1/2 to 23 MPG is at 65 to 70 MPH. As y'all know, wind resistance increases geometrically -- fuel economy losses at higher speeds get worse by leaps and bounds with each small increase in speed. Frankly, my brain is too puny to react at 80 mph (117 feet/second!) :-)

    To pdclay, the Xterra has a traditional 5-Speed geared automatic transmission -- it's never had a CVT, in North America at least.

    I wonder if it would do any good to disconnect your battery cable for an hour and let the computer reset. I just got my truck back from the dealer and my MPG is bad because it has to re-learn my conservative driving style. At least I hope that's the problem!
  • gobogobo Member Posts: 4
    Well, I've now logged about 2500 miles in my new 2008 Xterra S 4WD with manual transmission and I'm averaging 21.7 mpg. Almost all that mileage is highway and I use the cruise control probably 70% of the time and set it at about 75...

    I've noticed the milage is considerably less when I've been up in the hills offroading, but I think that makes sense. All in all I'm quite pleased with the mileage but not so excited with gas approaching $4/gal...
  • jaesonhunterjaesonhunter Member Posts: 1
    Man, you guys are lucky...getting 20-something a gallon on the highway. I've got an '06 with the 6-speed and 2WD, which gets me somewhere in mid-teens range. That's including freeway driving, which is where most of my 32,000(almost 33k now) has come from.

    When I bought this Xterra in September of 07, it had just over 12,000 on it. Now, isn't fuel economy supposed to increase as the engine is broken-in more? Or is the Flowmaster muffler I have on it robbing me of efficiency? Hopefully putting a cold-air intake on it(yay for stimulus check!) will get me some more economy...
  • dat2dat2 Member Posts: 251
    Hi, How has your mileage been, has it been improving? I'm thinking about buying a 2wd 6sp 08 Xterra! Thanks for your advice.
  • dat2dat2 Member Posts: 251
    Hello,
    Just purchased X model 4x2 6 speed. 1st 3 tanks so far have ranged between 20-22 mpg in mixed driving. Amazing for a new car!
  • xtierraxtierra Member Posts: 55
    ok guys..... i am hoping to get everyones opinion....... many xterra owners have had their fuel gauge malfunction and also their purge valve on the carbon canister on the fuel system....... for those who dont understand the system , the fuel tank has a vapor line that goes into the carbon canister to collect the fuel vapors and to be released into the intake..... the carbon canister has 3 hoses.... breather from tank , line to engine for vapors, open breather line attached to the purge valve that is no more then 8 inches long and attaches to the inside of your xterra frame...(open to be exposed) so having rolled 100,000 last week, i feel that even through i am not a mechanic i can give my opinion through my own dealings with the carbon canister and purge valve.... my valve went out at 44k..... replaced and 56k miles later again service engine light came on..... the only thing is that my fuel gauge has not worked for over 5 months since the company was paying for my gas.... now that this arrangement has changed,, i felt the need to know my mpg...... filled up on friday pass the full line.... and 25 miles later..... its showing 3/4 ...... yes 25 miles for 1/4 of gas!!!!! i have taken care of my truck like a kid.... 3,000 oil changes.... 30k service at 25,000 miles.... 60,000 miles transmission fluid..... 88,000 transmission fluid change..... radiator hoses changed at 88,000 spark plugs changed also at 88,000 miles...

    so what gives??????? your xterra 2005 and up has that open air line for the carbon canister... everytime you go off road or on dirt roads,,, you are exposing the dirt that gets into the frame of the xterra..... your system is being polluted .... when i just changed my purge valve last week,,, i found a ton of dust and dirt... took carbon canister and used a compressor to blow into the canister through the fuel tank breather line wich blew out a ton of dirt and dust out of the purge valve fitting.... so the dust in the system made its way into the intake area and i believe that my spark plugs are fouled from the dust........... this means that everyone that off roads needs to understand how the carbon canister works..... and a filter or longer breather line into the inside of the xterra needs to be placed.... i dont think anyone wants dust to be going into their intake via the fuel vapor line from the carbon canister line......
    i hope that everyone can check with their personal mechanics and get some feed back into this situation............ so does it mean that the off road model has a filter on that breather line?????????
  • xtierraxtierra Member Posts: 55
    i am willing to bet that your mass air sensor is dirty and you can clean it with mass air cleaner using gloves and making sure you spray the actual sensors..... also unlike my 2005 xterra.... if your xterra has a carbon canister like the next generation xterra, your carbon canister has a breather line that might be full of dirt and dust causing your fuel vapor line that sends the vapors from the gas tank to the intake to have some dust mixed with it causing your bad mpg...... all 2005 + xterras who use it to off road and dirt road conditions will have their breather line pollute their carbon canister thus effecting their mpg ..in my opinion.....
  • gobogobo Member Posts: 4
    Sorry for the delayed response; haven't been here in awhile! I'm consistently getting 21.5-22.5 mpg at highway speeds - usually 72-75 mph. I now have just under 10,000 miles on the Xterra, which I got new in April of 2008. I'm very pleased with the vehicle and impressed with the off-road capability. Mileage in real off-roading is significantly lower --- in the 17 mpg range for very steep, rocky terrain. The 2wd would definitely not negotiate those roads...
  • dat2dat2 Member Posts: 251
    So I take it you must have a 4x4 (since you mention off roading)... sounds like very good mpg all things considered!

    I've had my 2wd 6spd just for about 3 months now and have driven 4000 miles. I usually get 22-24 on the hiway, of course the lower mpg above 75 mph. Around town between 17-19 mpg. Very good all things considered for such a powerful and solid utility vehicle.
  • bjssbjss Member Posts: 51
    Currently in a loaner '08 Xterra 2WD (for 2 weeks now), really solid vehicle, but MPG around town has been disappointing - averaging 13-14 MPG...vehicle has 14k miles on it.
  • asaasa Member Posts: 359
    Is your '08 2WD loaner an automatic or 6-Speed? Off Road or other (X, S or SE)?
  • bjssbjss Member Posts: 51
    Sorry for delay in responding...Loaner was Auto, S....
  • xtierraxtierra Member Posts: 55
    even though my 2005 xterra auto 2X4 just rolled 100,000 miles, i was shocked when out of no where my mpg was around 11 mpg city.... i began by cleaning injectors,new spark plugs, cleaned throtle body, new tranny fluid, new rear diff fluid....and moved up to 13 mpg..... with no service engine light on, i was very confused and began to think my engine had some serious problems- even checked oxigen sensors.......maybe a ring on the cylinder was going .... no oil leaks and always changed oil every 3,000 miles...... i was very pissed off..... no one could tell me what the problem was..... then out of no where, i did a 0 to 60 mph test to see how the engine would perform.... 9+seconds..!!!! so there was a problem somewhere... finally was recomended to a mechanic that checked for any leaks aorund air intake, and all around intake area.. everything was normal.. after he plugged in the computer and took some time going through the menu... he showed me that my engine was performing at 86%..... wow.... that was the reason for the 9 seconds 0 to 60...
    he re-set computer and told me about the re-learing procedure.... then after telling him everything i had done to the truck before the horrible mpg.... it all came back to me cleaning my battery posts and the ECU getting re-set... once i started the truck i drove as usual and the air/fuel mixture was set wrong.. causing my horrible MPG... so if any of you xterra owners have disconected your battery for any reason and your MPG is abnormal... that is the reason....
  • dat2dat2 Member Posts: 251
    So how do you reset your air/fuel mixture??
  • xtierraxtierra Member Posts: 55
    disconect your battery for 30 minutes.... then re-conect...... turn engine on.... the ECU is officially under re-learning air/fuel mixture mode..... allow engine to warm up... then plan your route to open highway.. keep RMP'S below 2,000 once on highway get up to 60 mph with low rpm's and stay at 60 mph for 15 to 20 minutes.... normally you should drive 50 miles for accurate ecu re-learning....

    if you have any doubts about your mpg and if your engine is consuming more gas than usual, you will not get a service engine light coming on... everything will look and sound normal... the best way to find out is the 0 to 60 mph.... if you have a problem, you will get 9.9 seconds..... as i did...

    when i got 9,9 seconds i though my engine had some serious issues...... i was wrong... just a simply re-setting ECU and driving with low rpm's while computer adjusted the air/fuel mixture.
  • rlissrliss Member Posts: 1
    fuel gauge dropping quick like that and staying on empty is the sending unit/fuel pump sold as one assembly piece for $425 -just replaced it on my '05 the flapper that floats on top of the fuel in the gas tank is conected to a circuit board and that is the problem on that assembly the board fried.
    Now service engine soon light came back on again. The nissan dealer plug it in and its the fuel vapor canister valve $138 piece.
    I do the labor myself these are nissan prices always have nissan plug it in to read out the problem my charges $110
    my 2005 4.0l automatic xterra gets mixed driving in the midwest at 18.5MPG and now has 89K miles
    just installed EBC Green stuff brake pads w/ slotted rotors and s.s. brake lines
    runs nice, Yeah I did 89,000 miles and there was still meat on the original pads
    so my MPG comes from steady driving
  • tmblweedtmblweed Member Posts: 1
    I just bought my 2007 2WD Xterra on Nov 11 09, I put 200 miles on her this past week, all around town..I have a light foot and after filling up today I saw I was getting 20.1 MPG...I am very happy with that . This is my 2nd Xterra and I am very glad to be back!
  • birdman8birdman8 Member Posts: 1
    The biggest bang for the buck is to reduce wind drag.

    A couple of months ago I decided to test out some of the tangible techniques suggested in a gearhead TV show on improving your gas mileage. I targeted 3 low cost / low risk area: Air Filter, Synthetic Motor Oil, and Roof Rack. I drive a 2007 Nissan Xterra SE (2WD with option of 4WD, V6, 4.0L, 265HP). When the vehicle was brand new, I would get 18-19 mpg city and 24-25 mpg highway @ 55-60 MPH with outdoor temperatures in the 60-80 F degree range. Slightly better gas mileage in the warmer weather than colder winter conditions.

    My vehicle was purchase new (I am original owner). The recommended oil is 5W-30. I drive my Xterra in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mostly in VA, MD, WV. Oil change and scheduled maintenance performed by dealer. Castrol 5W-30 used.

    BEFORE MODs: Before any modifications, my 2007 Nissan Xterra did 18-19 mpg city & 24-25 mpg highway @ 55-60 MPH

    Air Filter: My initial step was to see if the K&N High-Flow air filter would increase my gas mileage (K&N part number for Xterra # 33-2286). Unfortunately my gas mileage did not improve for either city or highway driving. I do need to note that at the time I change my generic Nissan air filter to the K&N high-flow air filter, I kept my Yakima 60" round crossbars and RailGrab mounts on my factory roof rack. By my calculations the Yakima roof rack reduced my gas mileage by about 2 mpg city and 2 mpg highway driving. Since, I was familiar with my gas mileage before, I did want to remove my Yakima rack concurrent with the K&N air filter. So, in short, I did see a any improvement in my mileage with the K&N air filter. I was hoping dramatic improvement in gas mileage per the K&N website "marketing" literature.

    CHANGING OVER TO SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL: The second step was to test out a high quality fully synthetic oil and oil filter vs. the regular Castrol oil. After researching the grade and brands, I decided to test out Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30 fully synthetic oil. The oil is designed to 15,000 between oil changes. Mobil 1 now has a number of different synthetic oils. The big difference seems to be the interval change. The products come in a 3,500, 5,000, 7,500, and 15,000 miles between oil changes. I went ahead with the Mobil 1 Extended Performance because I found it on sale for about the same price as the regular Mobil 1. I don't think the different products will make much difference. I also installed a Mobil 1 oil filter specifically designed for synthetic oils (part # M1-110). I did not realize how small the 2007 Nissan Xterra oil filter is. Looks like a lawn mower tractor oil filter. Very small. Once again I did not remove my Yakima roof rack when I changed over to the Mobil 1 synthetic oil. I did see any significant change in my mileage. In fact after driving 1,000 miles (mostly highway), my mileage was no better than 17.9 - 18 mpg city and 22 - 22.5 highway at 60-70 MPH. Temperatures ranged in 30 - 50 degrees. So again, I was expecting a big jump, but not much improvement in my gas mileage.

    REMOVING YAKIMA ROOF RACK: After seeing no significant improvement in my gas mileage after installing a K&N high-flow air filter and changing over to synthetic oil, I decided to remove my Yakima roof rack. I could not imagine the Yakima crossbars without any kayak or ski attachments would cause so much drage. But, what the heck. So, this morning I drove the car around without the roof rack, and to my astonishment the mileage improved about 2 mpg city and 2-3 mpg highway driving at 55 MPH. So with the two modifications and removal of my Yakima roof rack, my 2007 Nissan Xterra is getting 19.8 mpg city and 25-26 mpg highway.

    In summary, I conclude the synthetic oil and high-flow air filter improved my gas mileage about 1 to 1.5 miles for both city and highway. I think Nissan incorporated the factory rook rack (and bars) into the cargo box to reduce wind drag. In other words the roof seems pretty streamlined to optimize gas mileage. I did realize how much drag the Yakima crossbars added. I guess when my kayaking season is over, I will remove my other roof accessories from now on. The biggest band for the buck is to reduce your wind drag. In my experience when the cars clean and waxed it gets better gas mileage.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Nice work. I never put much stock in K&N's air filter claims. I don't want to mess with oiling them or worry about them letting too much junk pass through the filter media either.

    I don't boat much anymore so my Yak Racks live in the garage most of the time.

    When our Quest only had ~4,000 miles we did a long road trip and put ~30,000 miles on it, hauling a canoe on top the whole way (78" bars).

    When we got back home, the mpg went down for the next 4,000 miles.

    It only went down a tenth, but for best mpg, don't drive in town. :)
  • mr_robinsonmr_robinson Member Posts: 1
    I've had my Xterra for a few months now. 2007 S model, automatic, no mods, and the roof rack is on. I run 87 octane. My driving is mixed. I seem to average 19-20 at 60 mph. My work drive is on single lane highway with a few stops and occasional passing. I did a couple hour road trip on interstate and got 20.7 at 70 mph. My worst was 17.5, which was mostly in town.
  • chefjeffchefjeff Member Posts: 1
    Can you or anyone reply with a suggestion on filling up before this test?
    ie. should i fill completely up or begin with half a tank?
    midgrade or premium or bottom dollar fuel is advised?
    I have a 2005 xterra and just recently replaced the cat converter. the vehicle is in great condition with no lights or issues other than its sure thirsty!
    thanks for the consideration.
  • specialed3specialed3 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 02 exterra really bad fuel millage high rpm at 65 its around3000 im resetting the ecm as we speak just wondering if i lower the gear ratio if that would help thanks specialed3
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