MPG

[jimmerz]

With near 49K on my not-yet 1.5yr old AWD K, my last tank netted 28.5MPG.

My worst tank ever was 24; my best was 31.1. I suggest my average over its life so far to be around 27MPG.
I drive fast....

You are full of shit!

My BEST tank was barely 24 and I have been driving mine like an old lady. This car SUCKS for a 4cyl in the mpg category. I'm averaging about 20-21 and that's driving slow everywhere. I love the car, but I can't wait to get rid of it.

[Ehibb034]

Them's fightin' words.

Can anyone take a picture of their avg fuel economy with a trip computer showing the mileage on it? This would clearly settle the debate that some people are driving more efficiently than others.

[MNSLS]

Ehibb,

You wish is my blurry command.

My 2nd fill up. I tried to drive home from the gas pump at 55MPH speed limit. Used a few hypermilling techniques - speed up on downhills, let the car slow down a bit on uphills, accelerate to 55MPH slowly, long slow acceleration before corners (aka no brakes). The trip was about 18 miles from the pump to home. While it reads 35.2MPG, I find it's usually a bit under 2MPG too high. So 33.2-33.4 is likely the actual MPG for that trip.

We have a lake cabin that's roughly 25 miles away. Tried hypermilling as best as I could to get there. Again highest speed was 55MPH. This too was in the 35MPG range on the read out.

EDIT: Info from my post in the 'Gas in your Kizashi really matters' thread
87 octane provided me with 29.6 MPG. The next tank:
92 octane provided me with 31.4 MPG

[Ehibb034]

Very impressive! Thats like hypermiler porn to me hahaha. Youve clearly set the bar high with those results. I think this shows that good fuel economy is easy and you dont have to go too far out of your way to do it.
I plan on givimg you a run for your money when I pick mine up this friday...well maybe after my first tank is through and I get the speed demon out of me.
I will post a pic soon

[nytq]

OK, so I've been following this thread and can't help but chuckle. I will admit to having OCD when it comes to my cars. And yes I did spend some time initially just to see what the reality was about this cars MPG's, display averages and so on. Once I got the numbers that I'm going to get driving the car the way I want to drive it, I was satisfied and excepted it. I never ever went into this car for it's fuel economy. I wanted something different, fun to drive, and reliable. I have had to remind myself on many occasions to ENJOY MY CAR, and lay off of the picking apart things like, OMG i just got 25.2mpg over 25.1 LOL. Yes one could drive this car like grandma and get 35+ showing on that little display. WHY WOULD ANYONE IN THIS FORUM WANT TO DO THAT! The fact that we are here proves we are enthusiasts. Enthusiasts don't care about MPG. This car has all the attributes that enthusiasts look for. Fortunately it also happens to get decent fuel economy. My point is stop, take a breath and enjoy your car before you get so caught up in the mute points that it takes away from the experience.

I can't help but picture the driver getting that 35+ MPG having a driver passing on the side giving the finger LOL

JUST MY TWO CENTS

[MNSLS]

@Nytq,

I'd say there are different enthusiasts and different levels of enthusiasm.

I use my Kizashi for a 40 mile, round trip, commute to work each day. When looking for a new car I wanted that 'perfect' blend of fun to drive, good MPG, and more room for my growing kids. The Saab92x I came off of provided me 25-26 MPG in it's typicaly driving. I chucked cars out of the selection list if it appeared their Hwy MPG was below 26.

After driving a good number of mid-sized sedans and small cars it came between a Mazda CX-5 and the SLS. Neither is a barn burner for performance. The CX-5 actually provides more interior room and a slightly better MPG. I liked the overall solidness and package of the Suzuki better.

Being a car enthusiast I not only am playing with how to drive hard and have loads of fun but how can I best optimize fuel usage and economy. Trying to hypermill and see things like 33-35MPG is fun in it's own way. And I'd say on the run of the mill day I won't do either of those things. I'll just drive as I see fit.

Ever see this? Someone was able to squeeze 33MPG out of a Ford F150 Probably not fun to drive that way everyday. But, it's fun to do those one off tests to check out all the extremes a vehicle can pull off.

Seeing how much MPG is just one of the tests I put my cars through. Nothing impressed me more than my nearly 27MPG trip between Minneapolis and Chicago with a 350HP (slightly modified) 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra.

[jute2003]

Our fuel milage ranges from 28 to 31 with the vast majority of our tanks netting between 29-30. Neither my girlfriend or I drive like little old ladies but we're not real aggressive drivers either. Its her car so most of the miles consist of her drive to and from work. She works in downtown Madison Wisconsin. I am very pleased with the fuel milage of this car. We also use Regular unleaded with ethanol.

[Ehibb034]

Nytq,

I think to say that the enthusiasts here are not worried about MPG is completely foolish. there is a fast growing population of people in this country who do car about their carbon footprint and their money enough to be concerned.
I am glad that you have accepted that you get sh*tty gas mileage and you pay alot more for it every year.
I love cars. I love going fast in cars. I love spending very little money on fuel when I drive. I am an enthusiast.

I have never once been passed by anyone honking at me or with their finger extended because I drive like a grandma. I don't even drive under the speed limit, that's so dangerous. I don't draft, that's even worse! I just use the most simple common sense tactics when I drive and that's why I was getting 38 miles to the gallon in my old car.
I see sooo many drivers doing stupid things every day on the road that needlessly wastes gas. I don't know, maybe they have "accepted" it as well.
Once I changed my driving habits I saw at minimum a 20% increase in my economy. As I got better at these two tips, my numbers went up significantly.
First thing: I always try to avoid stopping if I can.
I get passed by so many drivers who feel the need to speed up before they get to a stop light. They accelerate around me to show me that my coasting to a red light was an inconveinence to them and then they wait there stopped for 7 seconds. I get there at the exact same time as they start to pull off again except for I use 100% less gas than they do. I just don't understand why people do this. It's everywhere and it is the biggest waste of gas.
Second: Not stopping in a traffic jam.
We have tons of traffic here and everyone likes to stop go, stop go, stop go, while they wait in it. What a waste of gas. Instead when you pull up to the back of the line just keep 70 feet in front of you and go 5 MPH the whole way through the jam. It is so much more relaxing and intelligent. The poeple behind you don't care most likely because on their instant fuel display (almost every car has them now) they aren't staring at zeros! The best part is that there isn't a traffic jam behind you because you are all moving.
By doing this I enjoy the lower cost of owning a car. also when I decide to hurl my car around on back roads and waste gas, I don't feel bad doing it because I am so efficient when it counts.
These tactics are so automatic that I don't even think about them, and yes Nytq, I enjoy driving while I do it.
I think there is a new breed of enthusiast coming along that is different fron the speed demon tuner; the hypermiler.
For now, I will enjoy the best of both worlds.

[Blackbelt]

Very well said Ehibb034! I feel the same way.
I have been an enthusiast all my life. I was modifying and drag racing a 4 cylinder 83 VW GTi when i was the only 4 banger at the track! (embarrassed a lot of V8's too...LOL). I have owned over 90 vehicles so far. I like cars!!! I have always preferred smaller lighter cars, and my vehicle list and current stable of vehicles reflect that.

I still enjoy spirited driving, but i also enjoy seeing how high of an MPG figure i can reach. Obviously, not at the same time, but i find both activities stimulating. By employing some very radical hypermiling techniques I learned on cleanmpg.com, i was able to attain over 40 MPG tanks in my Kizashi. However, i will not use those techniques on a daily basis, so my mileage averages closer to 30

[Ronzuki]

On hilly terrain driving conservatively with spurts of speed to test acceleration and handling I would say that 29 MPG would be a fair assesment.

meh...I'd say that's pretty optimistic. More like 26. I get 28-29 just driving around depending on how much right foot I decide to use. Most times I putz along and no jack rabbit starts. Some small hills daily, otherwise pretty flat farm land. Hills kill the Kiz's and the SX4's mpg as do the jack Rabbit starts. Blackbelt had a good write-up somewhere describing his driving methods. While I doubt I could ever achieve those results, the techniques are certainly worth noting as I believe they directly affect fuel economy.