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Post Your Van Gas Mileage Here

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Comments

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    the outside temp sensor is different than the wngine temp sensor.

     

    My Quest (a '99) has never gotten very good mileage, so don't get you hopes up too high. 17 city/23 highway would probably be the best to hope for.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    One dealer told my friend he had no problem (did not want to honor the written warranty).

         Independent service facility tuned it up, changed air flow control box, etc. and mileage improved from 11 on highway to over 14 MPG highway.

         Took it to another Volkswagen dealer after talking to VW Factory Rep who suggested it may have a bad cylinder head temperature sensor. Mileage increased to 30 MPG on highway. Fuel and ignition systems are now much more complicated so there could be more than one bad sensor or a bad computer that controls everything.

         Too many dealers are irresponsible. A buyer has to keep bugging them until the problem is discovered and fixed.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    My '99 Quest almost always gets 19 mpg in town. 23 to 25 on the highway is typical.

     

    Steve, Host
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    Town has different definitions (as does city). We get about 15-16 on average, but that includes many 1 mile hops, stops/starts, sitting in traffic, etc.

     

    Best I've gotten on a (mostly) highway trip is about 22 overall, but have hit 24-25 on a leg a few times.

     

    I also don't drive slow, so I could see getting 25-26 keeping the speed in 60s, on mostly flat ground.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    hlmrspd - did you make any stops at all on the trip? These can hurt mileage quite a bit.

     

    To get a 28 mpg highway number the EPA actually measured 36 mpg on their tests (of course they only average 48 mph). 22 mpg does sound very low though.

     

    Consumer Reports has the best benchmarks for mileage, but they have not tested the Odyssey yet. They did get the Sienna at 30 mpg though averaging 65 mph - remember this is pure highway not any stops.
  • hlmrspdhlmrspd Member Posts: 13
    I made one stop on the trip to turn around.

     

    I was the only one in the van, tire pressure was 35#, and there was little or no traffic. I set the cruise at 70 and stayed there except for the turn around.

     

    Is anyone aware of a study comparing EPA estimates vs. real world mileage,? I am really looking for what kind of statistical spread there is within one model.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Round trip test is THE only valid test and even then it must be a reasonably long test to be accurate. The shut-off of the gas pump can vary so you may have actually used less gasoline than you thought.

         The Trip Computer on my 2002 T&C LX is more accurate than the computation with miles driven divided by fuel consumed. I do not think I can get the gas pump to shut off as precisely as the trip computer will compute the MPG.

     

         Fuel economy is considerably better at 60 or 65 MPH than at 70 or 75 MPH. I think you could easily get 28 to 30 MPG on a long round trip in an Odyssey if speed is kept 60 - 65 MPH and providing there are not too many hills or much wind.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    hansienna: How does the trip computer compute the MPG? In my Quest, it is an average measurement of MPG based on 30 seconds of driving? Does the T&C take the miles driven and divide it by gallons consumed? I'm curious and i have no clue how the DC vans trip computer work.

     

    To me the old fashioned way of doing it is the best method and the only sure way of gettign an accurate measurement. Sure you can't have the gas pump shutoff at the same exact momonet each time. But if you go to it shuts off then pump to the nearest nicekl each time, you now have a consistent method. This will keep you within plus or minus 1 mpg which is close enough for anyone.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    just average over a few tankfuls. That smooths out the highs/lows from different fill-ups.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • craigmricraigmri Member Posts: 243
    Agree with Stick,

     

    Track miles and gallons filled over say.... 5 tanks....Thats reasonably accurate and averages out the different gas pumps.

     

    Craig

    '04 Sedona EX
  • hlmrspdhlmrspd Member Posts: 13
    hansienna:

     

    I performed the test (210 mile round trip) as you have stated except I had a constant 70 instead of 65, and the only stop was to turn around on the freeway. I will wait until I have 7500 miles on the van and try again.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Has 2 separate readings: One for Instant (last 5 or 10 seconds) and one for average since the trip computer was last set.

         The 2005 DC minivans do NOT have the Instant reading and it may have been deleted in 2004. The Sienna Trip Computer still has both readings.

         The complete overhead console that has compass & outside temperature + Trip Computer is one feature the DC minivans and the Sienna have that I wish the Odyssey had.

         However, the 2005 Odyssey is superior to all minivans in every other way (except for PAX tires in the Touring).
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Thanks. I was curious.

     

    I do like the idea of averaging 5 tankfuls.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Averaging helps even out the filling errors, but it is hard to get a true highway number with 5 tanks of gas - unless you are driving cross country.

     

    Try the 210 mile trip again at 60 mph (boring I know, but it should give you some good data), and see what difference it makes. There is a speed above which the 3 cylinders do not shut down. Was the green eco light on the whole time?
  • hlmrspdhlmrspd Member Posts: 13
    The ECO light is not on very often at all. In fact it is almost impossible to drive and maintain the light on.

    I think this may be part of the problem but the dealership won't look at it until I have 7500 miles. Plus I don't think the dealership has any experience with the VCM. I'll do a similar trip when I get to 7,000 miles or so.
  • samnoesamnoe Member Posts: 731
    My trip computer shows average 13-14 MPG. Very upsetting, but I know it's still new (700 miles) and mostly city driving.

     

    Today I drove on the palisades parkway in upstate NY, and I did a "reset" on my average mpg computer, and traveled 55-60 mph (set the cruise). The whole way it was showing between 27-31 mpg! Same on the way back.

     

    When I arrived in the city (stop and go traffic) it was falling to 21-22 mpg.

     

    I don't believe it's true (it's too good to be true), but Hansienna mentioned above that the trip computer from DC vans are very accurate. I would love that should be the truth.

     

    But usually in daily driving I let my car warm-up (it's too cold for me to let the car warm-up on the way - how do you people manage to get in the car in those cold mornings without warming up the car for at-least 5-10 minutes?) and doing mostly city driving, so maybe that's way it gives me usually about 14 mpg.
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,818
    "- how do you people manage to get in the car in those cold mornings without warming up the car for at-least 5-10 minutes?"

    Easy. Just do it and tell yourself not to be a sissy. It all depends on what you're used to -- my point of refernce is still a ten-speed bike... that DOES get a little nippy when it's 20 deg F outside!

    Warming up your engine in the driveway isn't as bad today as it was when cars had carburetors, but I don't even want to do that to my beater cars, never mind the nice ones...

    -Mathias
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    You have to be from NYC. Only the city folks consider the PIP to be in "upstate" NY!

     

    I grew up in Rockland county, which isn't upstate either, so I have experience with this matter.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • tomvtomv Member Posts: 10
    Hi all,

    I just bought a used T&C yesterday with All Wheel Drive and 29000 miles on it. Original specs were 17 city/22 highway. After about 150 miles of mostly mixed city/suburban highway driving with some stops and a little idling I am getting just over 20 mpg based on the trip computer. I will report back when I have done a few tankfuls.

    I appreciate the comments early that the Chrysler trip computer is accurate on MPG. It doesn't seem the same can be said for the Miles til Empty display. When I filled up the tank yesterday the display told me I had 238 miles til empty on a 20 gallon tank!! Now after 120 plus miles it's telling me I have about 180 miles left. Seems with a 20mpg average it should be telling me about 280 miles left. (20x20=400 miles). Again I'll give it a couple tankfuls and see what happens.

    Tom
  • samnoesamnoe Member Posts: 731
    He he... I grew up in NYC - I live now in Rockland and consider it as upstate - compared to NYC... isn't it?

     

    Once you pass the GW bridge, all of a sudden the heavy traffic, aggressive driving stops...
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    You must not spend much time around Fort Lee, or the PIP at rush hour.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • azkid2azkid2 Member Posts: 47
    Son has a '04 Sienna with under 10K miles. He is not happy with MPG. Would like a lot of real world comparisons, the more the better. On my '04 Odyssey got 25 ish MPG from Phoenix to San Jose doing around 75 MPH most all the way.
  • i30g20i30g20 Member Posts: 24
    I'm generally not too happy with the mileage. My prior 2000 Sienna LE got @24-25 and I was hoping for same or better with newer tech engine. My "stupid" computer says around 24-27 average. However actual averages from 8/29/04 to 12/17/04 (mostly within the Tidewater region of VA) are from a low of 19.3 to a high of 22.7 (drove extremely conservative that tank [extremely boring!]. I probably drive highway 75% of the time. Also, I've put a lot of miles > 30,000 and mileage has not improved. I guess it's due to AWD; which incidentally I hate since is has NO SPARE due to run flat technology. We had a flat (and drove it on the flat a lot... local dealer I bought from did not have spare tire; a dealer across town had one for @ $250; but could not mount it and sent me to Sears to get it mounted for another $50. Also, I've reported computer miscalculation to dealer on numerous occasions and they say it is within spec. I'm glad Toyota doesn't make medical equipment or equipment for NASA. I'd be interested in knowing how you other SIENNA AWD owners are doing out there both in terms of mileage, the trip computer and AWD. By the way, Edmunds Town Hall Rocks!
  • indy93indy93 Member Posts: 97
    Have been reading the owners comments on both Clubs S/O's. Ody's VCM is not capable of off setting it's additional curb weight. No current non hybrid 4600lb. "mini van" is capable of 28 MPG highway even if it was built by NASA! Remember that curb weight is only 500-600lbs. below a full size SUV! No Ody owner has reported more than 24 at ideal (perfect) highway speed (less than 60mph) and conditions. VCM is of no value in 80% of normal driving fuel consumption. So what you have is a heavy not very aero dynamic vehicle working within physics as we know it.

     

    Sienna FWD's seem to hit 24-26 mpg at various highway speeds. Drive train seems to be more forgiving. Sienna weights about 4100lbs. Under ideal conditions some owners report 27.5 mpg. Sienna is simply lighter and operates a smaller more efficient V6.
  • nissan22nissan22 Member Posts: 17
    I have over 2000 miles on my '05 odyssey. Mostly around town miles, but have had several 40 minute (1 way)runs on I95. After averaging out gas mileage over last 5 tanks, my average is 15.4. Very disheartening. On one I95 run, the MPG computer got up to 16.6. The ECO light was on almost the entire run. This was averaged into the 5 tank average of 15.4. I can't understand why it takes 7500 miles to see better gas mileage. My Quest had 22mpg on the same 40 minute I95 run when it had only 1300 miles on it. The ECO option and advertised higher gas mileage was a deciding factor in buying the odyssey. Will take the "advertised" mpg with a grain of salt when purchasing my next vehicle, and will listen to other vehicle owners first.
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    we did a 340 mile trip yesterday, 3 adults and 2 kids, 90% highway at 70 mph, and our '02 MPV with 27k miles gave us 27.4 mpg.

     

    Very pleased, I was expecting about mid 20's.

     

    John
  • heywood1heywood1 Member Posts: 851
    19.3 to 22.7 for and AWD minivan the size and weight of the Sienna is not too shabby, IMO. I'm getting these numbers, and I'm very satisfied. Do you realize how many SUV drivers are getting substantially less MPG, while settling for less interior room and passenger capability?

     

    Your expectations are too high. The mileage you and I are getting is remarkable, considering the AWD and passenger capability.
  • motmot Member Posts: 19
    We own a 2005 Odyssey EX (w/o VCM) and did manage just shy of 26 MPG on one trip in our first 2000 miles of ownership. Driving conditions were favorable averaging 70 MPH over 300 miles of highway driving. We're getting 15-18 MPG in city driving which I hope improves. Overall we're marginally satisfied with our gas mileage but are hoping we see it creep higher throughout our 1st 10k miles like some have suggested is likely to occur.
  • aokiaoki Member Posts: 11
    FYI, my 98 T & C LXi with the 3.8L 180 hp v6 has been getting the same gas mileage you're reporting which is nowhere near the EPA ratings of 17 city and 24 highway. I was very disappointed at first but learned to accept the van for its many useful features. Best ever tankful was 25 mpg with a 25mph tailwind--all highway. Worst ever was 11 mpg with 100% city driving in San Francisco--major stop and go plus hills galore.

     

    I just learned to enjoy the vehicle for its utility, style, features, etc. and not to focus so much on its gas mileage issues since, in my case, they weren't caused by any identifiable mechanical malfunctions.
  • s2000fevers2000fever Member Posts: 37
    Well - I have an 05 Ody EXL (VCM) with under 1,000 miles. The 1st tank of mixed driving was right at 19 MPG. This included demo-ing the vehicle to friends and neighbors (Nav and Res), etc. so there was more than the normal engine idling. We had a little freeway trip to take for New Years and I wanted to check on the mileage so I filled up at the start and refilled at the same pump at the same station when returning. We traveled 194 miles and used 8.2 gallons of 87 for +- 23.7 MPG. On level ground at +- 70 MPH, the ECO light was on most of the way. This is with 2 adults, two teenagers, and lots of luggage. Very little stop and go for this trip but hard rain on the 1st leg. Overall, I have been impressed with the mileage as compared to my old T&C. Our 4cyl Accord delivers 29-31 for this same trip so, again, not too bad for this new big boy.
  • hondaconvert1hondaconvert1 Member Posts: 60
    1st tank from dealer got 21.7 MPG. The 2nd tank I got 22.7MPG and I have less than 800 miles.
  • squestsquest Member Posts: 25
    I have had 4 Quest or Mercury Villager Vans, and they all have served me well.

    I recently traded my '99 for a 2004.

    The '99 had over 103,000 miles on it. I keep a record of all my gas purchases and make a spread sheet at the end of the year.

     

    '93 Mercury Villager 24.0 mpg

    '95 Mercury Villager 24.03

    '99 Quest 22.4 mpg for 103,000 miles.

    '04 Quest 22.08 mpg for 10,137 miles.

     

    The computer read-out seldom agrees with the calculation by pencil. It is usually more optimistic than the actual mileage.

    My driving is mostly rural with a few long trips. I made more long trips on the '93 and '95 than I have on the others, because I used those for business travel. Since I retired my highway mileage is a little less.

     I live in a rural, mountainous area 14 miles from a grocery store, church, etc.. Most of my mileage would be considered road mileage, but not necessarily highway (long trip).

     

    I recently learned an interesting fact about the tire pressure monitoring system on the '04. The valve stem has a small transmitter that sends out the tire pressure readings.

    At the altitude where I live, the pressure displayed is about 4 pounds less than actual.

    I was told by a service man at the dealer that if I lived in Denver the pressure would read correctly. He knew of no way to re calibrate the readings. Also, the readings are random according to the manual and do not correlate with any specific wheel position on the car.
  • buangitbuangit Member Posts: 2
    The first recorded mileage of my van was 21. That was under 500 miles with 70% on a highway mix.
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    checked your mileage with a pen to see how accurate your mileage really is? I don't think you can really get a accurate count unless you do it by hand.

     

    My Dodge mini van only has 95 miles on it, so I'm not even going to try and check it until I get more miles on it.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I haven't updated my spreadsheet for my '99 Quest since it was at 93,000 miles back in June (just over 100,000 on it now). My lifetime average is 21.33. The first 33k were highway miles but most since then has been suburban driving.

     

    Marine2, I've been manually keeping a gas record book in my cars since 1974 or so. Excel sure makes it easier to add it up though!

     

    Steve, Host
  • craigmricraigmri Member Posts: 243
    While many complain about dismal gas mileage in their Sedona's I am getting what the EPA estimates. On a recent tank with 90% highway we achieved 23 MPG(our best tank ever) Around town mileage drops to about 16 or 17.

     

    Craig

    '04 Sedona EX
  • coach87coach87 Member Posts: 11
    2005 Sienna XLE Limited, mileage while driving easy, breaking car in: 1st tank 21 mpg (highway & city). 2nd tank 24.7 mpg (country roads). 4th tank 23.5 mpg (all flat highway, 60-65 mph in the rain). By the way, the laser cruise control is to die for.
  • crawfishcrawfish Member Posts: 39
    What is "laser cruise control"? I don't have a Sienna but love all new gadgets.
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    'Laser Cruise Control' uses a laser to constantly monitor the distance between the front of your car and the rear of other cars on the road ahead. If the space drops below a certain distance, the cruise control automatically either drops the vehicle speed or applies the brakes. If you change lanes (for instance, overtaking a slower vehicle on the interstate), the laser cruise control then detects that the space between you and the next car ahead has increased, and the cruise control will raise the speed back up to the preset level.

     

    How well it works seems to be a matter of opinion. Some highway situations apparently 'fool' the cruise control into applying the brakes when it is unneccesary.
  • crawfishcrawfish Member Posts: 39
    Thanks for the info. So does it grow out of "backup sensor" technology?
  • garandmangarandman Member Posts: 524
    Gotten two fillups on the Quest so far. This is an SE w/5 speed.

     

    21.1 on the first one in mixed highway/city. Second tank 16.5 in almost all city. Our 99 Caravan gets 15-16 all city, so it's not surprising - idling at a stoplight is not great for mileage regardless of what you drive.
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    Have no idea. I was under the impression that the 'backup' sensors relied on some form of sound waves rather than laser. Or I could be COMPLETELY wrong. Happens from time to time.
  • harp795harp795 Member Posts: 1
    After selling off my gas sucking Chevy Tahoe, I thought I could save a few bucks a month with increased MPG with the Odyssey. Boy, was I wrong. The last five tanks I have averaged 14 MPG city, 19 MPG hwy. This is actual calculation based on miles driven vs. gallons refilled. This with my wife driving with two small children strapped in car seats. MPG were measured in 35-50 degree weather in relatively flat Louisville, KY. Called the dealer, our course they have never heard of such a thing. This is not even in the RANGE posted on the sticker. Very disappointed. Van has 3K miles on it.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    last tank on our '05 Ody EX-L was about 14.2, although I filled at half a tank. This was on all short-hop around town, lots of stop and go, so very hard miles on Mpg. Also about the same mileage that our '99 Quest gets.

     

    we got about 23 on the last highway/travel leg (some local 2 lanes, along with hilly highways and doing 75ish on average).

     

    Not up to the sticker, but I never expected to get that. We also are only up to about 900 miles, so plenty of time to improve.

     

    If we ever get to 17/25 overall, I would be happy. The Ody is heavy after all, and power costs mileage too.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Winter driving or stop and go KILLS gas mileage. Having both conditions will cause gas mileage so low that anyone would be scared.

         My 2002 T&C LX was getting close to 26 MPG in summer and fall (mostly highway) but dropped to 23.4 MPG in November and last tank was only 17.8 MPG with much more stop and go driving.

         Your 2005 Odyssey will get 26 to 30 MPG on Interstate driving in spring, summer, or fall if you drive about 65 MPH. Could be as low as 24 - 26 MPG if driven at 75 MPH most of the time on Interstate highways.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    In the NE corridor, you need to hit 65 by the time you are at the end of the on ramp (which the Ody does very nicely BTW). 75 is just normal cruising speed, so I always discount my expectations somewhat.

     

    A long flat ride at 67ish I expect would generate a solid 26+, I just never take one!

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    I was taught very long ago, if you drive your car like you have an egg under your foot, you'll get much better gas mileage, especially in the city. Why take off fast when you know your going to catch the next light red a few blocks away?

     

    Also, it helps if you look ahead and try and adjust your speed to make the light ahead. Most lights are timed for the posted speed, if you keep to that speed, chances are you'll make the light.

     

    Also some lights are pressure operated. When the last car goes over it, the light will turn red. If you know that is how the light works, don't lag back a few seconds behind the car ahead of you or you'll catch it. Some of those pressure operated lights can be very long. Your only burning gas setting there waiting for it to change.
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    Just before your vehicle goes out of warrantee, take it to your dealer and tell him you are almost done with your warrantee and would like them to check your vehicle over for any repairs that your warrantee would cover that looks like it might need done. I will almost guarantee he will find something. You will have to pay the shop for checking your vehicle over, but it could cost you a heck of a lot more if your vehicle needs a major repair six months later and you no longer have a warrantee to cover it.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    Guys...I'm working on an invention that will save everyones vehicle some mpg.No need to thank me now. It's called a "smart light".We all hate sitting and sitting at stop lights when there are no other vehicles around...or sitting at backed-up traffic lights where one side is backed up for a mile and the other side has only a few cars. Well, my invention has sensors that will monitor the flow of traffic and direct traffic in a much more effiecient and orderly manner.Saving our country billions of gallons of gasoline a year as well as saving you, the consumer, a not yet determined lower mpg figure.No more need for traffic cops. This product will work with existing stop lights. A farily simple modification procedure that will prove cost efficient to any town/city wishing to invest in this product. In todays society...time is money.
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Sounds a bit like Traf-O-Data - Bill Gates made his first billion doing that (ok, it was only $20,000 but still....). link

     

    Steve, Host
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