MPG only in 30's??

[WizzD]

Hey guys. Just wanted to see if anyone had an answer for me. 1st, I thought it was the fact I live in NJ and the cold weather, but i read that a member is in New England area and getting about 46MPG. I have about 1,700 miles on the car also. So, maybe it's a break-in thing. But, I have only hit 40MPG once since I've owned the car. I got 41.4 as my HIGHEST MPG ever! What could the issue be? I have ECON mode on all the time and it's pretty much just my daily driver back and forth to work, so I'm not punching the gas or making aggressive moves. I also don't live in a very "hilly" area. Do I just have to wait to put more miles on the car and it will get better? I feel the 50's and 60's MPG people are getting is just something I can never hope to attain. I thought people had to be lying the way mine is going. My i2 is getting about 35-36MPG on average and that's about it. Help!

[jraynor196]

Check your tire pressure first.

I live in New England and it has been cold. Right now getting 47-49 per tank with occasional runs in the 50s. Summer time over 50 approaching 60 every time.

How long is your commute? Short communtes (< 5 miles) the car isn't warm and is less MPG will result. I noticed better MPG after 1500-3000 miles, definately the first ~1500 was MPG break in.

My car as 12K miles on it with one oil change.

[insightfulone]

If your tire pressure doesn't fix it, and you are not taking a lot of short trips, I would recommend having it checked out by the dealer if you are getting 35-36 mpg. I doubt this was a break-in issue, I was getting 46 (actual) MPG on the first tanks in New England in November. I'm getting 44-46 actual now, with 36-39 psi tire pressure.

[Willie Williford]

Driveing "style'" would be my first concern. Break in my second, weather,terrain, distance, etc. ..........Be patient, it's a "learning curve".........

Willie

[Cobb]

There are a lot of variables in getting great fuel economy.

My car has been lowered, grill blocked off, I set the heat to recycle and least amount on auto to keep from freezing. Yeah, I drive wearing gloves. My tires at at 35psi cold and I use econ and D most of the time.

I start up and go, I do not idle. If auto stop wont work and its a light that just turned red, I will turn the key off and sit in nutral til it cycles green.

Going the post limited, same route, driving style, 43 or so miles, I get 54mpg tops. 63 last summer.

[FistofStone]

I consider myself a novice at driving a hybrid - having only 2 months or so of experience - however, I thought I would share some comments.

I have a 50+ commute, one-way, every day. My mpg this tank is about 47 - but I find most of this is 'catch-up' after the car warms up.

I find the first 10 miles or so rarely average over 35 mpg. Then - as the car warms up - I find that the efficency really shines - and I start seeing more like 50-55. (I suppose an argument could be made that it is simply that the coffee has finally kicked in and I'm more aware of how I'm driving! )

I haven't had a chance to drive it in milder temps yet, but I'm hoping to gain a few more mpg on average after reading several posts on this forum.

Anyway - nothing new or shocking, but thought I'd add my comments since I live in New England.

[goodpgh]

My commute is 18 miles one way with some short hops running errands on the weekend. In the early fall, I was averaging around 46-48 actual mpg each tank. I live in W. Pennsylvania and my commute has some decent climbs and descents in mostly stop and go traffic. I have a short 3 miles stint on an interstate. The in the past month or so, the weather turned snowy and quite cold. Mornings have been in the single digits to teens with daily highs in the low 20's. My fuel efficiency has dropped to 36-38 actual mpg. My tires are at 39 psi cold and I use pipe insulation to cover the grill.

No complaints, just observing that the cold really does a number on fuel efficiency.

[WizzD]

Thanks for all the input everyone. My commute, as it stands right now is only just about 5miles. I purchased the car because the commute is eventually going to be about 55miles one way, every day. I just have not had "the move" yet, but it will be happening by the Spring. In any case, I have observed that even when I visit the site that is 55mi. away, I haven't seen the mid to high 40's yet. Granted, I got the car in the late fall so there hasn't been any warm weather to speak of here yet. I try to drive as green as I can, always looking for that "blue" change in color and trying to get it back to green if it goes there.

With what everyone has said, it seems that once I make the move and travel the longer distance on a constant basis, the car will get into a warmer zone and really be able to climb and hold the MPG. I think the short distance is travels on a daily basis right now isn't letting it reach it's potential.

One more question if I may, what is the front grill mod about and why are people doing this? What is the advantage?

Even a link to the thread where that started would be a fine answer.

Thanks again!

[erfkzoo]

WizzD... my commute is 15 miles and I'm seeing about the same mileage as you (averaging around 37 mpg). My commute is mostly on I95 along the coast in Connecticut where there are only some gently rolling hills. I drive it in Econ mode, cruise control on and keep it in the green. I've had the car a month, have about 2000 miles on it and made a trip up to Maine and back where I only averaged 38-39 mpg.

I know it's winter so maybe the temperature and the fact the car is still breaking could be the difference. I know the mpg also seems to drop severely around highway speed so instead of driving 5 over it's now 5 under quite a bit of the time.

I haven't made any modifications to the car and keep the tires at 33 psi. I want to get a baseline for what kind of mileage the car actually gets before making any modifications. I don't think it's unreasonable to think I should be getting something close to what's stated, so I'm understandably upset that I'm not even seeing city mpg when on the highway.

I have a friend that has an Insight and is averaging 51 on his commute in an area that has far more hills. On the off chance I was doing something drastically wrong, I asked him drive the car and he averaged about the same... actually a little less. I was really thinking I had a lemon until I found a co-worker who just bought their Insight and they're seeing the same thing too.

So... I'm really hoping I'll see the mileage climb as the car breaks in and the weather gets warmer. I traded in a Civic that saw mileage close to this (I'm sure it'd be same if I drove it the same) and the Outback I traded that in on is currently getting 32 mpg on the same commute. I hate to say it, but I'm really not too impressed by what I'm experiencing especially since I have to really work to get the mileage I'm getting. I'd hate to see what my mileage would be if I actually drove it like a normal car, which in my opinion should match what's reflected on the sticker.

[RahTX]

WizzD, like you, I currently have a very short commute and am finding that I'm not able to leverage the full potential of a hybrid. I'm generally getting a tank average of about 34-36 ("actual", not MID estimate of 37-39).

Interestingly, because of the short commute, I don't seem to be affected nearly as much by the weather as others. Here in North Texas the car has seen temps above 100F and below 20F, with no appreciable impact on average MPG.

I find that as soon as I take a longer trip around town, my average creeps up, so at least I can rest assured that if/when I move further from work, I can expect better mileage.

At first I was disappointed, but I try to not let it bother me - it get's almost 15MPG better than my previous vehicle, which is nice. Plus, the fact that I've gone 3 weeks since my last fill up, helps me overcome any "MPG envy"

In retrospect, I think I would have been happier overall with something like a Fit, but hindsight is 20-20 and I'm learning to love my Insight...

Oh, hi all, by the way...long time lurker, first time poster