[pdcxale]

Hi--new to this site, but not to the Insight--have had it two years, 24K miles. Lifetime ave is about 47mpg. Seem low to ya'll? I don't think I'm doing anything wrong--keep the tire pressures up, drive habits are about average (although weighted to short city trips). Any helpful comments welcome! Paul

 

[Rick]

Depends on how your driving it. I've seen worse. Is it a CVT of 5 speed?

 

[pdcxale]

Thanks for the reply, Rick. It's a CVT, which I know limits mileage a bit. Also. we live in a hilly place, San Francisco. Finally, I have a removable Thule roofrack for it, and sometimes it carries a bicyle or a whitewater kayak. So we probably have several reasons we're not gonna break any records. Paul

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

CVT and a roof rack certianly don't help, but my opinion is that the short urban drives you have will be the biggest MPG killer. I have the same sort of journeys and MPG. Just satisfy yourself that if you drove a normal car EPA rated at say 30MPG, you would likely to be only getting 20 odd MPG with your journeys.

 

[pdcxale]

Glad to hear you're not doing any better in flat London than we are in hilly San Francisco! :lol: Seriously, I think I just needed reassurance that there's not something wrong with me or the car. If there's others getting about the same mpg, I'm OK with it. I still get to sneer at the SUV's and feel simultaneously self righteous, thrifty and hip.

 

[Todd]

I have a CVT that has a life time milage of 49. I also use a bicycle rack and drive up and down a 3000ft grade every day. I drive about 500 miles per week. Ive picked up milage in the last couple of weeks by dropping my long trip speed to 60 mph.

 

[Resist]

My 2001 CVT has a lifetime mileage of 47 mpg also. It was around 50 mpg but lately all I have been doing is city driving. Guess I need to take a long trip to get the lifetime up some.

 

[Calpod]

You guys must be doing something wrong, I can't believe you can only get 47 mpg even with a CVT, I managed 64 with a Civic Hybrid, it was also a CVT, I know, the HCH has lean burn, but the Insight CVT should be good for at least 70.

I anyone around the LA area has a CVT, PM me, I would like to try one and see what the potential in mileage really is.

 

[Resist]

the Insight CVT should be good for at least 70

The CVT can't get anything near a 70mpg lifetime. I have gotten over 70mpg but that was for a short run of under 10 miles. Lifetime takes all the cars driving conditions and miles into consideration, and is much harder to keep at high mpg. The highest Lifetime mpg I've ever gotten was on a cross country trip, it was 60mpg. That quickly lowered when I got home because of city driving.

 

[Calpod]

I did not mean a 70 MPG lifetime, but 70 mpg segments.

 

[Resist]

I did not mean a 70 MPG lifetime, but 70 mpg segments.

The topic is about lifetime mpg.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

I did not mean a 70 MPG lifetime, but 70 mpg segments.

Thanks Calpod for the clairification, could have been read either way.

Overall there seems to be an equitable trade-off of CVT wo. lean burn vs. 5 speed. The CVT is "greener" from the standpoint of NOx emmissions and the CVT allows for better IMA battery pack SoC managment that a 5 speeder will want to consider when driving.

However, we 5 speeders can out MPG'em. :twisted: And with hyper MPG driving the IMA SoC management differences should be almost zero.

Sounds more like a chocolate or vanilla choice to me.

HTH!

 

[lakedude]

You guys must be doing something wrong, I can't believe you can only get 47 mpg even with a CVT, I managed 64 with a Civic Hybrid, it was also a CVT

64 in a Civic is very very good. I'm always near the top of the real mileage database and I'm not quite getting 60 (yet, wait for summer :twisted: ). No one is getting 64 average in our database. Even for a segment 64 is very high for a Civic CVT. My best tank with a manual has been 74.9 but the average is still around 59. The best tank I've seen posted for a HCH CVT is 64. I'm not saying it is impossible, just that not everybody can get such great numbers.

That said, 47 does seem low for an Insight. Steep hills would cause a problem if you couldn't take a running start at em. Really it is not fair to judge from a remote location. What are other folks living in the same hilly area getting in their cars?

 

[bigtrouble77]

47 is pretty normal for a CVT if your not trying to drive too effeciently. I have a lifetime of 53.3 in my 2001 CVT @ 90k miles, but I drive conservatively. I average over 60mpg in the summer.

I have to say, though, if I lived in the southwest i'd have at least a 60 lmpg. Driving through New Mexico and Arizona I averaged like 72mpg.
When you have to deal with harsh winters mpg's take a HUGE hit.

-bt

 

[Resist]

64 in a Civic is very very good. I'm always near the top of the real mileage database and I'm not quite getting 60 (yet, wait for summer :twisted: ). No one is getting 64 average in our database.

Guess you didn't read where he came back and stated he meant instant not average mpg.