MPG on your daily driver?

[Ned Bulken]

I fueled up the LOML's protege yesterday, she's been driving my truck until I can get a repair done on the car. I got an amazing 42.5 mpg on this last tank: 9.82 gallons to go 418 miles. I know I won't get that out of the truck when I finally wrest it from the LOML's grasp, but it will be interesting to see how good I can do with that as well.

I've been careful lately to only do the speed limit (30mph in city to 55 mph rural)where appropriate on my daily commute, which sure has helped mileage wise.

[Lars Thomas]

Best I can do is 23.5 on a Maxima. I can't exactly claim the same thing you did about the speed limit.

[tod evans]

11 in the 56, same pulling the 20` trailer.

[Ned Bulken]

well... I'll be honest, the gendarme have been patrolling heavily along my commute route. It is 'easier' for me to just put it at the speed limit and not have to worry about speeding, especially at 0500 on my way into work, before the coffee kicks in. ;)

[Ken Garlock]

Ned, that is excellent, even better than excellent, mileage. At that rate, it would be cheaper for you to buy cheap rot-gut vodka for fuel.:)

A friend bought a new Dodge charger with a variable cylinder engine. He says he gets 20 mph driving to and from work, and he can't detect when the engine goes from 8 to 4 cylinders.

I noticed that Gullible Motorist (GM) is now selling a variable cylinder engine. Why did it take a German company to wake them up? When I see the Capital-one TV ad about the fat banker looking at the small businessman under a magnifying glass, I think of the GM board of directors.:rolleyes:

[Ned Bulken]

Ken,
yeah, I'm toying with the idea of getting a 'strictly' commute rat fuel sipper, but with that kind of mileage from my well equipped little protege, the only way I'd beat it would be with a diesel from VW, IF I could ever pry one out of the used car market at a reasonable price.

[Jim Becker]

27.4 MPG average in my 2006 Highlander Hybrid Limited and 48 MPG in Dr. SWMBO's 2002 Prius hybrid.

[Joe Pelonio]

Since gas reached $3 I have mine parked, the '72 El Camino, getting
11-12 mpg. Since then I drive the Explorer that gets 15-16, and that's about the same as my Wife's Liberty and my Son's Dakota.

[Steve Ash]

69 Chevelle SS (450 horses) running high octane gas I still get 18 m.p.g. when I cruise and keep my foot off the pedal....what fun is that though.

2001 Chevy ext. cab pickup also gets close to 18 when I check it, but doesn't need high octane fuel.

[Lee DeRaud]

I noticed that Gullible Motorist (GM) is now selling a variable cylinder engine. Why did it take a German company to wake them up?Probably because GM got burned big-time when they used that concept back in the 70's. (Don't know if they actually invented it, but they were certainly the first to use it in a passenger car.) It takes 21st century engine-management electronics to make it work properly.

[Ned Bulken]

Steve, no fun at all, but hey, that's the price you pay for all those horses under the hood. I really miss my old chevelle, had a 350LT1 in it, got about 12mpg tops. (I was young and it was a muscle car)

I just looked up the EPA on the Protege, I'm 'beating' the EPA estimate by just a bit. wonder how I'd do with a tune-up.

[Lee DeRaud]

Only about 20 (Acura CL), but that's almost all surface streets and no particular shyness about using the right foot.:cool:

[Jim O'Dell]

Unfortunately, about 14 in my E-250 cargo van. And only abut 17.8 on extended hwy trips in it. Luckily I live close to work and only have to fill up about once every 4 weeks unless we make a trip in it. Jim.

[Erin Raasch]

55+ with my 2005 Toyota Prius . . . and suffering from a terminal case of Smug. :D

Erin

[Jim Benante]

VW diesels are the best for mileage IMHO. I bought my wife a 2003 VW Jetta TDI. It gets 40-50+ MPG. In addition, we run biodiesel. Biodiesel can be mixed with diesel in any percentage. I run anywhere from 5% to 99% depending on the cost of diesel vs. biodiesel. Right now they are about equal in proce so I go with mostly biodiesel.

Hybrids are great, but nothing beats the sound of a diesel. The VW's are slightly louder than a gas engine until you get up to 30-40 MPH then they are quieter. I love the sound of an idling diesel.

For another great forum check out http://www.tdiclub.com/

We typically get 600-680 miles per tank with mixed city and HWY driving. I have had a few 700+. Some say they have gotten 1,000, but that must be 60 MPH with very few stops. I haven't beat 750 myself. The engines after 2003 are more horsepower and I think a little less efficient, but not much.

[Joe Pelonio]

VW diesels are the best for mileage IMHO. I bought my wife a 2003 VW Jetta TDI. It gets 40-50+ MPG. In addition, we run biodiesel. Biodiesel can be mixed with diesel in any percentage. I run anywhere from 5% to 99% depending on the cost of diesel vs. biodiesel. Right now they are about equal in proce so I go with mostly biodiesel.


My step father has a diesel pickup and until recently it's been parked, since around here both diesel and bio wer higher priced than premium
gas. That may have been due to the use for heating oil because now that it's warmed up the diesel is a few cents less than regular gas, though bio is still higher.

[Chip Charnley]

Joe,

Clearly you are saying the cost per gallon is higher but what is he driving instead? Is the cost per MILE comparing the two still higher for the diesel? In most cases I would bet not but I don't know how much lower gas was where you were.

[Ned Bulken]

Joe,
I too look at the cost of diesel, yes on a per gallon it is more expensive, but for most vehicles, it is much cost effective vs similar performance with a gas engine. take for example comparable models gas engine golf vs tdi (diesel) epa estimate for the gas is 24/30 and 33/44 for the tdi. yes the tdi will pay more per gallon, but will go much further on that gallon. The cost difference locally is about 20c per gallon, but I'd gladly pay that to get 1/3 again the distance out of each gallon of fuel. Add to that the capability to augment with bio diesel blend, and it becomes very attractive indeed.

[Brett Baldwin]

I get 50 mpg on my ride and it only 80 hp. Of course it only has two wheels so there's a weight and friction savings there.:D The lumber hauling capacity is a tad low though.:rolleyes:

[Eddie Watkins]

I get 18.3mpg in a '05 GMC 1/2 ton crew cab 27 in a '99 Mercedes E320. My commute is mostly highway miles though. It is 21 miles one way with one stop sign between me and the interstate and 2 lights at the other end.

Eddie

[Matt Meiser]

20 in my 95 Ranger 3.0L. About 1/2 highway and 1/2 city streets and back roads. Used to do a lot better with our Taurus, but my wife drives that now to keep the miles down on our Freestar which got terrible mileage with her back road/city street commute.

[Bruce Page]

About 14.5/city in my 5.9 liter PU. The wife’s G35 Infinity is getting around 26/27 in town.
I'm not real happy with the 14.5 :(

[Jim Benante]

My step father has a diesel pickup and until recently it's been parked, since around here both diesel and bio wer higher priced than premium
gas. That may have been due to the use for heating oil because now that it's warmed up the diesel is a few cents less than regular gas, though bio is still higher.

Joe,

I buy my biodiesel from Fuelwerks http://www.fuelwerks.com/ (http://www.fuelwerks.com/)

I buy in 100 gallon increments and use a key to fill up whenever I want. Last time I got it for $3.00/gal. That's cheaper than diesel is at the moment. I think he raised his price, but I think it is only $3.15 now. It's good for the engine and the environment. I am all for renewable energy.

Jim

[Lee Schierer]

I drive my Miata during the summer and it gets 30-32. The Explorer get 17-18 in the winter months, 16 if I tow the boat. Our 2005 Mazda 6 gets 32-34.

[Rob Russell]

'92 Lincoln Town Car gets ~17 mpg commuting in the summer and 24-25 on highway trips. If I went to a car that doubled the mileage, I'd only save $1000 a year. It'd cost me that in insurance and personal property tax (we pay property tax on our cars) if I bought the new ride, and that doesn't start to consider the cost of the new vehicle.

Right new it's chearper for me to keep running the current vehicle. With 130K on it and burning a quart every 500 miles though, I'm starting to look at new vehicles.

Rob

[Roger Everett]

Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi--with just me 15 mpg add the work tailer ( 6x10 ) and turn on the AC 10mpg. Might be cheaper to stay home and turn on the house AC.
Roger

[Ian Abraham]

Little 'boring' work wagon is a Toyota Corolla station wagon. Gets about 35mpg mixed driving (if I'm carefull). It's only got 1600cc, normally aspirated, but is rated about 170hp. Same engine as the MR2 sportscar. It's fun to drive, and doesn't attract too much attention from the constabulary, it's just a boring work wagon after all. :D

Ian

[Jason Roehl]

My DD is a work truck--'93 F250 w/351W, so I bottom out about 10mpg in the winter and recently I've flirted with 14mpg (no heater on, no A/C on, windows cracked or closed). I've also been more likely to drive the speed limit lately, and that alone seems to make a HUGE difference. But, there would be no way I could replace it with something newer and more efficient of similar ability for anything close to what it costs me now.

I do tend to park the truck on weekends...unless I need to haul something. No frivolous trips whatsoever.

[Ben Grunow]

My chevy 2500 4x4 p/u gets steady 11 mpg. I think it is horrible and expensive but there is little logic to buying a more efficient car to save money. Since gas went up from $2.00 to $3.25 I spend about $25 more per week to commute (use about 20 gallons per week) which translates to $1250 per year. Not really that much when you consider all of your other expenses. Maybe if I could find a more efficient truckfor less money than I could sell or trade my truck for but that is impossible. I guess if you were commuting in a guzzler and didn't need a truck this could make financial sense (longer commute too) and watching gas prices the case only gets stronger. Anyone figure out a case where this makes sense?

[Mike Cutler]

The 2001 Toyota Tacome gets 19-22mpg depending on how fast I drive. If I drive the speed limits, It's closer to 22. The 95 Saab gets right at 30 mpg for daily driving, and it can go higher.
I'd like to get one of the high mileage cars, but mine are paid for, so it's a trade off. The Saab will most likely get replaced with a Honda Hybrid when the time comes.

On the subject of Bio-Diesel.
I find it very irratating that Bio-Diesel has too be price set to match regular diesel. How will we ever gain a foothold to decreasing oil dependence if we don't let the alternative fuels hit the markets freely.
The guy that sits next to me makes his own Bio-Diesel. According to him, it cost less than 90 cents per gallon to make, and that's a backyard brewing operation. It has to be able to be mass refined at a cost that is less than regular diesel.
Sorry for the little rant. Don't get me started on Ethanol;)

[Jim Young]

69 Chevelle SS (450 horses) running high octane gas I still get 18 m.p.g. when I cruise and keep my foot off the pedal....what fun is that though.So you burn about a gallon a year??:eek:

[Frankie Hunt]

My 6.0L diesel F250 got 22.5 on my last tank. It has tons of power. Our Ford Freestar van gets 19.8 to 21.5. I drive it the most, and the hardest. Our Jeep Cherokee 4.0L gets around 21 to 22. I really like that inline 6. Sad news that it has been replaced.

I had a new Civic (2000) stick shift. It got around 32 mpg, which I miss. But I just couldn't handle changing gears all the time. In city driving I was constantly changing gears. It didnt have enough power to pull out in 2nd. You had to start in 1st. It didnt have enough power to skip gears either. You had to go thru all 5 gears then stop at the next light. It just plain wore me out driving it. Everything we drive now are autos. My previous 2 trucks were straight drives, however they had enough torque (300 cid inline 6s) to make them much easier to drive.

I looked thru a Road n Track magazine this week (might have been another one). They drove a new pre-production Ford Cobra Mustang cross country. CA to NY. They got pretty good mileage from that car. I cant remember exactly, I think it was 18mpg. They dyno-ed the motor at 500 horses. It was computer limited to 157, (they tested it). They felt it would be capable of around 175 if not limited. Thats pretty good mileage from that motor. I think I could pony up the gas money if I had one of those!

[Dan Larson]

VW diesels are the best for mileage IMHO.

These new VW diesels are impressive machines. On a recent trip to Germany, our rental car was a Golf TDI. Most of our driving was on the Autobahns with frequent rowing back and forth from 75 to 120+ MPH. Still managed to get 30-35 MPG!!! By the way, diesel was around $4.50 a gallon and premimum was over $6. In spite of the recent spike in gas prices in the US, we're still pretty fortunate...

Dan

[Steve Schoene]

My Saab 9-3s get between 27 and 29 mpg--a bit more for long steady drives. (Not found much here in CT)

[Frank Hagan]

27.4 MPG average in my 2006 Highlander Hybrid Limited and 48 MPG in Dr. SWMBO's 2002 Prius hybrid.

I get 47.5 MPG with my 2006 Prius, and I drive like I always have (my truck, now being driven by my wife, gets 17 MPG being driven the same way). My commute is 40 miles each way, with about evenly mixed freeway and rural roads. I go 70 or more on the freeway and about 45 - 50 on the rural roads (speed traps!)

[Jim Bell]

Speaking of Mustang Cobra's mine is an 04' super charged and fuel injected, performance exhaust, 6 speed trans, flashed computer,cold air kit, and a bunch of tuning. At the rear tires the HP rating is just over 450. The torque is around the same at the tires:eek: . On a recent trip from Orlando to Key West I managed just under 25 mpg. This car will violate every speed law in the western hemisphere in second gear. In town I get 14 -15 mpg. My lincoln Town Car gets 28 or better with the cruise set at 67 mph. My F-150 gets about 16 in general and 19 strictly hiway. I'm 59 yrs old. Someday when I grow up.......naaahh I'll be drivig performance cars till I'm dead and loving every minute of it. You guys think gas is expensive you should see what a set (4) 17" Michelins cost for that thing. Makes gas look cheap. If every one in the country would keep their tires properly inflated and get a tune up there would be no shortage. Happy Motoring,
Jim:D

[Mike Evertsen]

I get 12 mpg in my quad ram 1500 4x4 it sucks next I want to trade it in next year
65.00 a week to fill hurts

[Art Mulder]

27.4 MPG average in my 2006 Highlander Hybrid Limited and 48 MPG in Dr. SWMBO's 2002 Prius hybrid.

Hey, Jim,

I thought your daily commute involved wandering down the hall to your home office!?

My daily commute is a 4km bike ride - one way. Difficult to figure MPG on that. Usually it is a bowl of cereal + fruit in the morning...

[Chris Padilla]

I've been taking my Trek 6700 to work the last 3 weeks. How many miles per gallon is it when you pedal 100 miles per week, dropped two pounds, and your new 2006 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab Long Bed truck sits at home with the nearly full tank of gas you put in it, uh, 3 weeks ago? ;)

When I do drive, the Tacoma gets anywhere from 17.5 to 20.6 mpg. When I drive it slow and mild and like I'm in zero hurry, like I did before pedal power came board, I can get 400 miles on about a 20 gallon fill.

The BMW (2001 530i, I6 engine), gets 21 around town, and 30 highway. It does amazingly well on the highway...wish it did better around town.

[Lee DeRaud]

My daily commute is a 4km bike ride - one way. Difficult to figure MPG on that.For bicyclists, "gas" is an emission, not a consumable.:D

Granola bars and bran muffins...who thought that was a good idea?!?:eek:

[Ken Garlock]

.... This car will violate every speed law in the western hemisphere in second gear. .... Happy Motoring,
Jim:D

Wow, over 80 MPH in second gear.:eek: Can I then conclude that it will also out top-end a new vet?

Sounds like a fun car. :)

[Chris Padilla]

Wow, over 80 MPH in second gear.:eek: Can I then conclude that it will also out top-end a new vet?

Sounds like a fun car. :)

It might be able to...if it could stay on the road and not act like an airplane wing as the mphs increase.... ;)

[Don Baer]

18 MPH in my 2005 Silverado but the company pays for my gas...:D

20+ in LOML's Suburban.

[Bart Leetch]

18 MPH in my 2005 Silverado but the company pays for my gas...:D

20+ in LOML's Suburban.

WOW Don maybe you need to get some Castor Oil & quit dragging that anchor.:D ;) :D

[Dan McGuire]

My Hemi Dodge 2500 4x4 gets a 11.5 MPG. I like to say I pass everything but a gas station. It doesn't really bother me because it is what it is. I enjoy my truck and the utility it gives me.

Dan

[Chris Rolke]

let see
the 1968 camaro
we wont go there

the 2000 gtp 24.5 mpg backroads to work
2000 gmc sierra 17 mpg

( i try to drive the car more ofteneventhought it requires premium (supercharged))

[Ned Bulken]

holy smokes, what a thread I started. pretty amaxzing array of driving styles and vehicles. :eek:

[Vaughn McMillan]

My 2001 Lexus RX300 has been averaging about 18.5 mpg overall, with about 90% of that city driving. If I were to run a whole tank's worth on the highway, it looks like I'd get about 25 to 26 mpg. (I haven't taken it more than about 50 miles out of town.)

About a week ago I got new tires -- replaced the factory original Goodyear Integrity tires with Yokohama Geolanders. I really like the difference in handling that the new tires made, but so far (about 1/4 of a tank) my average mpg has only been about 16.5, all of that stop-and-go city driving with the aircon running. I need to verify that the tire shop got the tire pressure right, and also get a few highway miles to get the average back into a decent range.

- Vaughn

[Curt Fuller]

Well, my 2000 Toyota Tacoma, 2.7L 5 speed gets about 23. That gets me to work and back. Then at work the Oshkosh S series mixer I drive sucks up diesel at about 2.8 mpg. That's with a Cummins ISM at 400hp and an Allison WT 6 speed. Glad I'm not buying fuel for it.

[Ernie Kuhn]

Older '97 Dodge Intrepid with 3.5 Squirel Cage (96,000 miles). Cheap gas (kind of an oxymoron now). 22 in town and anywhere from 26 to 29 on highway. Paid for. Not about to switch.
On the other hand, '96 V-10 Dodge, 11-12 in town, 13-15 on road. Guess what stays parked?
Ernie

[Jason Roehl]

Wow, over 80 MPH in second gear.:eek: Can I then conclude that it will also out top-end a new vet?

Sounds like a fun car. :)

A few years ago, I sold my crotch-rocket: a 1994 Suzuki Katana 750. It had a few mods to it to bring it to about 140hp. Redline in first gear was around 70 MPH. I never took it much above 160 MPH, though. :D As for mileage, I put about 2500 miles on the bike, and probably half of those were at 100+. Maybe that's why I only got about 35MPG...

[Chip Olson]

The vehicle I ride to work most days probably gets 1-2mpg at the outside. And that's diesel. Of course, it's carrying a lot of other people too, and has to stop and start a lot.

My actual car, a 2000 Subaru Legacy wagon, gets something around 25-30, though I haven't tracked it closely. I only drive it a couple times a week.

[Ralph Barhorst]

My 2004 Chevy SSR 5.3 liter, 300 HP gets an average of 16.5 MPG but about 30 :) :) :) :) :) smiles per mile especially when I am carrying a load of hardwood with the top down.

[Charles McKinley]

I have a 2005 VW Jetta Wagon.

I get 45 MPG just back and forth and about 47-48 MPG highway. Somehow the morons at the Economic Paralisis Agency think this is more poluting that an 12-16 MPG Excursion :mad: and will not allow the TDI to be imported next year and probably not until the sulfur level is dropped in the diesel fuel.

This is pure insanity as one-half of the passenger vehicles in super strict Europe are diesel.

I can fit three car seat in the back seat or drop it and fit 3x5 backer board in it, my SCMS on the Ridgid stand, an E-Z smart system, small compressor and brad gun, and DW 18v, 4 pack in it pluss other misc tools (yes it takes a while to pack and unpack). Yes my neighbor thinks I'm crazy:D to do that to a new car but I didn't buy it to look at.

It has tons of power and handles well. If you are looking for a TDI be prepared to pay. I have seen a car similar too mine for $3000 more than I paid for mine out the door new.

[Ned Bulken]

I think i"ll keep my little Mazda Protege' I just filled up again today, and I got 43.36 MPG, though I really would be interested in a TDI VW if I could swing the loan.

[Tim Morton]

How come all the talk abotu MPG...the real fuel crisis for me is home heating...I spend about $120 a month in gas for the truck....but that pales in comparison to what I pay the oil company:mad: :mad:

[Christopher Stahl]

My 2004 Audi A4 is getting 22mpg around, but I get around 36mpg on the highway. I'm pretty happy with that. The 2002 BMW 330 Convertible gets about 20mpg around town and 27ish on the highway.

We also have a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder that gets 15-16mpg around town and almost 20mpg on the highway.

I do have a 2003 Honda CBR 600F4i that gets good mileage. Probably 60mpg or so. Never checked. I don't ride it much anymore.

I did start riding my mountain bike to work and put the extra money toward some equipment. :)

[Andy Hoyt]

When I bought the Exploder new in 1998, the first few tankfuls got about 21.

Once it settled in, it got a very consistent 22 for years and I stopped checking.

On my recent trip to Knoxville it got 23!

And had its 100,000 mile birthday enroute.

Happy camper here.

[Peter Mc Mahon]

Nice vehicle there Vaughn. I work at the plant that builds the new RX 350. Don't know the mileage, as I probably won't be driving one anytime too soon. Peter

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Dunno, I get a long ways on one small tank of gas, and this thing is a real work horse!

http://www.ablett.jp/bikes/images/loaded.jpg

Honda Gyro Up 50 cc of pure workhorse! :D

Maybe I get around 60?

I've not checked it, but I go a good week, more like two weeks on one little 4 litres of gas.

Sure is easy to park as well :D

[Ned Bulken]

43.06 this tank :)

Stu bet that little buzzbomb is a blast to drive too

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

43.06 this tank :)

Stu bet that little buzzbomb is a blast to drive too

Well, it is not really fast, but it is way quicker than my little truck for doing deliveries, as I can filter along through traffic :D

hard to tip over as well :rolleyes:

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

BTW, it has a limited slip dif, and with chains on it, is is GREAT in the snow....

http://www.honda.co.jp/ACCESS/motorcycles/GYRO_UP/image/photo17.jpg

http://www.honda.co.jp/ACCESS/motorcycles/GYRO_X/image/photo06.jpg

and talk abut fun in the snow :D

Cheers!

[Steve Hayes]

2000 Honda Civic EX 36 mpg, Hwy 41. 1970 Camaro 8 mpg, but they go real fast. Trek 2000 depends on me and how I feel.