bigpapa

well.....the last tank registered a lousy 19.6 mpg. This is based off of my own calculations since the computer is always a little too genrous with the numbers.

this bites....I love EVERYTHING about this car, except for the gas consumption. My Ford Ranger has a 2.3L engine that easily does 23-24 mpg.....IN A TRUCK.....how can a 2.4L engine in a vehicle of similar weight be so much less efficient???

my wife does most of the driving in our xb2, so it's not getting hammered all the time. It's an automatic with factory 16" wheels. The only obvious thing that might affect the gas consumption is that her commute is to and from San Diego which has lots of steep grades on the highway, but that does not justify this kind of mileage. Other than that she averages around 70-75 mph for 80% of the drive.

I have seen a best of 23mpg so far.

draxcaliber

well, from my experience with the tc, steep grades have a HUGE effect on MPG. when i drive from frostburg to lavale, i litereally coast all the way down the hill in 5th gear just rolling down the mountain, but the drive back up litereally kills my mpg average.
i have about 53k miles, and i have actually started exceeding my epa projections by finely tuning my driving and shifting habits. i get about 24-25 city, and 29-32 on the highway. but that is about to change with the supercharger going on soon.

if you want my advice, you need to drive more proactivly, that is what i've been doing, and it really helps. when you see a stop light ahead of you, start coasting immediately, and try to keep coasting to never come to a complete stop. moving away from a stop sucks up alot of gas to get the car going again.

and since you have the auto, you can sport shift to keep your rpms lower.

Invertalon

Very unusual that your MPG is so low. Right now I average about 23-24 (due to winter), but in summer I average like 28mpg. Sucks you have yet to get over 23... Seems weird!

Maybe get it checked out? I don't know... Especially since you say its mostly freeway.

killerxromances

1. Not getting hammered all the time, implies still getting "hammered" ocassionally
2. Steep grades effect any cars mpg.
3. automatic + "hammering" + steep grades = lower mpg

You answered your own question.

No, theres nothing wrong with your car. Whether you admit it or not, your the cause one way or another for the lack of mpg #'s.

Since i dont know you, another possibility is you suck at math. (no offense, as stated; no idea who you are)

CIONIDE

iTrader: (1)

Make sure she doesn't use cruise control when going up the steep grades. Since it sounds like they're freeway grades, I'm guessing she might. CC works great on the flats, but sucks going up hills. Hills and grades will hammer your mileage even if you normally drive like the little old lady from Pasadena.

bigpapa

My main point is......she is nicer to her car than I am to my truck and we make the same commute daily. We have almost identically sized motors. The only difference is that my Ranger has a manual transmission. I expect a small decrease in mileage do to the automatic, but not a 4-5 mpg gap. BTW....I know how to do math.....and I'm not the first one on the forum to mention that the computers in our boxes are not always accurate when computing mieage.

Cionide....thank you for your suggestion.....I kept reading that using cruise control whenver possible will get the best mileage.....I didn't realize that it doesnt apply to non-flat highways. Anybody that lives in the San Diego area knows what I am talking about when it comes to the hills. Up, down, up down......I will try without cruise and see if it improves. I do notice how easily the auto kicks down with the slightest load on the engine.

Based on the EPA estimates (the accurate estimates using the new formula) of 22 city and 28 highway, I was expecting to see somewhere around 25mpg. I never dreamed this car would get less than 20mpg.

I think I might let the dealer take a look at it.

bigpapa

One more note....maybe it is extra bad right now due to the winter formula gasoline being used right now AND the California emmisions restrictions. The tank that got 23 mpg was back in the fall.

AAG

iTrader: (1)

Mine went down as well with the winter blend, I was averaging 27mpg and has gone down to 24mpg. How many miles do you have on it? Might try replacing the air filter, run some techron fuel injector cleaner, and most of all CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURE! I was getting horrible mileage before checking my tire pressure (they were all at 20 PSI). I raised them to 36 PSI all around and my gas mileage definetly saw a bump. G/L

bigpapa

6,000 miles so far so it's a little early for air filter or dirty injectors. However, I will check the tire pressure.

xActly

Here in CT I always notice 1.5-2.5 mpg less in the winter...winter blend fuel + the car taking longer to get up to operating temp where it's most efficient.

I just bought mine a little over a month ago (put 1300 miles on it so far), and I'm averaging 23.5mpg with a 50/50 mix of city & highway, but even the highway driving has a lot of grade changes, like yours. The last tank was just below 23, and I was hammering on it quite a bit to really work the motor since passing the 1000 mile mark. Can't wait to see what I get this summer.

I agree with previous posters - tire pressure is a big deal, and cruise will work too hard up hills to keep you at your exact speed instead of most people's natural tendency to slow down a little as you go up long hills. Allowing the slowing down saves fuel...and you make up for it on the way back down.

Do you or your wife always get gas at the same place? If so, try somewhere else.

ibnboxin

big i used to live in the area. escondido to be exact. the area by dear springs rd past the fallbrook area is long and pretty steep area's.

if she commutes to downtown san diego. she has traffic stop and go. also you have to think of the winds in the canyon as well if you have santa ann winds gusting at high gusts it will effect your gas milage. lets fae it the steep glass on the front windshield is not very aero dynamic.

i would change where you fuel up. most gas stations will remodel the outside and not replace the tanks. also tell you wife if the gas tuck is fueling the station tanks go somewhere else. when they are putting gas into the station tanks all the junk at the bottom is being mixed into the new gas. in turn when you fuel up just after or an hour after the gas truck leaves. you are going to collect that junk into your tank. also make sure she is not running the tank dry.

bigpapa

you nailed it. We both exit at Deer Springs Road and head into Vista and San Marcos. So some of you guys are running @ 35PSI? Maybe I'll try that.

memebag

I see a way to almost double your MPG in that sentence.

draxcaliber

you have a manual transmission versus an automatic transmission. that is a HUGE difference.

you have what, five speed manual, and the ranger isn't a very heavy truck. the xb2 has a slightly bigger engine, with a 4 speed automatic. major difference because less power gets to the wheels, so it has to work harder to get the same amoung of work done. then rear wheel drive will work better going uphilll because it has more traction than a front wheel drive vehicle. and because you have a manual, you can more precisly control your fuel consumption with proactive shifting techniques.

so 2.3 versus 2.4 liter engines, do not an apples to apples comparison make. you have different transmissions, drive trains, weight biases, and driving techniques.

killerxromances

No need to get bent out of shape, like i said, i dont know you nor do you know me, just giving a few possibilities.

Its nothing to be concerned about. 4-5mpg can be lost in lots of stop and go travel, for instance.

Gearing also plays another role.

Just because two engines are the same in terms of L and even hp, doesnt mean they will make the same mpg.

Infact, many smaller engines with more power make more mpg on average than the 2az.

bigpapa

i wish.......she works overtime everyday.....i dont

bigpapa

Not bent....just stating facts.....i learned how to do division in 3rd grade

killerxromances

hey there are people out there that are your age and older that cant add without a calculator. lmfao.

anyway...

KoolBox

I agree with the worth mpg, i tought it was better with the mpg but sometimes i fill like i'm driving a 8 cyl.and i drive most the time hwy and always flat no hills at all.i live in Florida,i love the car but mpg sucks.just bougth my XB RS_5 about a week and a half so i'll see what can i do to save more gas,some body told me that full syntetic safe some gas.

bigpapa

I guess I'm just expecting perfection. Everything else about this car is so good, that when I find something that doesn't impress the hell out of me it appears worse than it actually is. Despite the mpg's....I still love this car