Real World Gas Mileage

[tab00]

I am new to this blog, I have been over on the Edmunds group for a couple of weeks. My history with the Versa has beenDate Mile Gallons MPG 7/25 0234 ------- ------- (first fill up) 7/27 0581 11.7970 29.4140 (from Houston to Dallas) 8/02 0810 11.1036 20.6240 (testing performance) 8/05 0944 05.2830 25.3640 8/06 1232 10.6270 27.1200 (trip to Austin, TX) 8/10 1546 10.4940 29.9210 8/17 1789 10.2850 23.6200 8/21 2016 09.1250 24.8700 8/26 2249 10.1690 22.9120 9/03 2427 08.9000 20.0000 9/11 2756 11.2650 29.2100 avg 25.3025 since purchase (mixed, AC almost always on)

After my last fill up I had it checked out by the dealer and was told that everything is in order.

I am trying to collect as much data as I can to "prove" that my car does or does not have an issue.

What I am curious to know from the group is what is the best, worst, and overall average since your ownership of the car? Also what city do you do most of your fill ups in, what do you guess is your average city/highway percentage of driving, and what transmission plant do you have?

Mebest - 29.9worst - 20.00overall - 25.3fill up - Arlington, TXest cty/hwy -60/40trans - Manual 6 spd

[Ever Victorious]

What I am curious to know from the group is what is the best, worst, and overall average since your ownership of the car? Also what city do you do most of your fill ups in, what do you guess is your average city/highway percentage of driving, and what transmission plant do you have?

Mebest - 29.9worst - 20.00overall - 25.3fill up - Arlington, TXest cty/hwy -60/40trans - Manual 6 spd

Ever VictoriousBest - 33.1Worst - 26.0Overall - 30.0fill up - Everett, WA (Arco, no less!)Est City/hwy - 50-50ishtrans - 6 MTAC - On most of the time. Off this last week, and got 1 mpg better despite autocrossing my car on this last tank.

[XterraVersa]

XterraVersaBest - 42.3 Worst - 34.1 <= 100% highway 75-85 mphOverall - 37.0Highlands Ranch, CO Est City/hwy - 40/60trans - 6 MTWhat is AC?

[BenDupre]

That has to be the best mileage any versa owner is getting. Noticed you are in colorado, what altitude? Might that be a factor?

Ben

[XterraVersa]

5000-6000 ft in Denver metro.

It is more my driving style to save $$$ & driving the Versa like an econo box instead of a race car.

Maybe driving style will change when gas starts to drop. It is still $2.85 for 87.

Altitude robs power & as a side effect, you need higher rpms to keep the same power, thus reducing MPG.

I had my Xterra down in Tennessee & got 2-3 mpg better with the thick air.

[boingo82]

XterraVersa, I looked up that Scangauge thing, and MAN I need one. I have wanted a real-time mpg-meter for so long. It looks like it has really helped you optimize your driving habits.

And yes, despite what some on this forum would like to think, it IS your driving habits. There is a reason that I got 25-26 mpg in my husband's maxima, where he always got 20-21. (And, he got chastised by the Nissan mechanics for being "really hard" on the brakes.) It is not your Versa that gets 26mpg. It is your right foot.

[Ever Victorious]

Still can't compare XterraVersa's mileage to a CVT... even if you mounted a camera on his head and made him watch his tach so we could learn exactly how he drives, his technique still doesn't apply to a CVT owner.

So then, who with the CVT is getting the best mileage?

Edit:

Also, for those of you driving manuals, XterraVersa's milage, IMHO, is an anomaly. Don't ***** when you don't get his numbers... I think mine are more realistic of your AVERAGE situation. no disrespect, Xterra... your numbers are great!

[BenDupre]

I got it... He must only drive downhill!

[tab00]

It is not your Versa that gets 26mpg. It is your right foot.

I strongly disagree. In my case, at least, it is definately the Versa. I have tried every thing I can think of to get "good" milage and it just is not happening. In my case on two trips at nearly 100% highway driving, with few if any traffic congestions, doing about 65-70Mph on the high end, I never broke 30mpg.

I know I am new to this board but I feel like seveal of the groups I have spoken with are so quick to say that everyone getting poorer than expected mileage are lead foots. My milage has been poorer than most

[OKVersa]

You live in Texas and I live in Oklahoma and we never drive under 70 on the HWY w/out the a/c on. I'd like to try an experiment to see if driving 55 with no a/c actually brings up the MPG.

But hey, I love driving 70 and I love the a/c, so I'm probably not going to try it. I'm getting almost 30 MPG with about 25% city and 75% highway driving fast with the a/c on. I also drive around the town with the a/c on.

I read someplace (and I'll be corrected if I'm wrong) that the MPG is figured on a 56.5 MPH speed.

You and I aren't going to ever drive that barring another government law pushing the speed limit down.'

For me, 30MPG is better than the 16 MPG my Ford pickup gets and the 20 MPG my Jimmy got.

Gas wasn't the only factor, however, in buying the Versa.

After reading the posts on this message board, I think that we ought to tell people that if your number 1 consideration is MPG, then probably the Versa isn't for you.

I was willing to sacrifice some MPG as well as Honda salesmen's extreme pride in their vehicles for the comfort, quiet and smooth driving this car gives.

[BenDupre]

The speed on the highway cycle is more like 48 MPH Extremely unrealistic. BUT the published highway ratings are also adjusted down by 10% from the actual test.

Boingo 82 can kiss my right foot! What an arrogant and uneducated statement. You have no idea what anyone else is doing with their right foot.

Ben

[BenDupre]

Xterra,

Not to brag but gas just hit $2.02 here in Iowa. I can now look forward to it going back up again just to make me feel good once more about buying a rollerskate.

Everytime I wash my car it rains. There is a dark cloud to every silver lining I always say!

Ben

[motoguy128]

My third tank came in right around 30mpg with 80% freeway driving. THe temperature also dropped a little, and I was using less A/C... so go figure. I think crosswinds play a huge factor. There was a lot more wind this week than last in this area. I had 1-3 passengers most of the time. I also reduced the tire pressure by 2.5psi, down to 33.5 The dealer had them at 36psi. So tire pressure, since this is a heavy car with relatively narrow tires, may have a greater effect.

Overall I'm happy because my maileage around town is still higher than my 4 cylinder Accord even if the freeway mileage is lower. That's to be expected since the Accord cruised at 1000RPM lower and has better aerodynamics while only weighing 350lbs more.

OVerall I think it's a good compromise. I have much more utility that my Accord, it's more fun to drive, seats 4 comfortably, and has much better city mileage and is easier to drive where I use the car 70% of the time.

You have ot decide overall if the car fits your needs. The diffrence between 30mpg and 35mpg is only $500 over 30,000 miles @ $3 per gallon. So the $2000 I saved over the Honda Fit will take 120,000 miles to make up. Meanwhile i get more space, comfort and I don't cross 3 lanes when I sneeze because the steering is so twitchy.

You can't compare the Versa to a car like the Corolla which regularly get 38-40mpg on the freeway, because it has less legroom, no rear cargo area and weighs 300lbs less. It's not in the same class.

[philmcneal]

seriously for those who believe "my versa is getting ****ty mpg" but its not my right foot!

man how can you not believe its because of your right foot? your right foot dictates if your going to burn more gas or less....

in the end driving habits will judge what kind of mpg your getting. Like I said your car is new, it needs to break in, and with a new car of course people are going to get punchy with it.

If you want those mpg on the car's sticker then DRIVE FOR IT, just don't drive normally and expect what you get on the window sticker, the EPA's way of testing cars for fuel economy does not equal to the driving styles that our generation is exposed today.

As for mine, I make fuel economy #1. So I do anything in my power to get the mpg I'm getting now.

If you make it #1, I'm sure 40 mpg tanks on a Versa is an everyday thing. IF you don't change your driving habits, your car won't stop guzzling gas also.

[OKVersa]

For most of us, our driving habits will dictate our MPG to a certain point. But there are those who are nursing their cars with everything they have and aren't getting close to 30.

I'm getting around 30 and don't work at it. If I wanted to drive 55, sure I'd get better, but I'm simply not going to do that, so I'll have to be happy with 30. I think the a/c and crosswinds make a big difference. You'd think headwinds would be worse, but we got better MPG going into the 24 MPH wind than driving east and west. Don't get that, but maybe someone can explain it.

Now, if only the Tire pressure light would go off....

[jacksan1]

man how can you not believe its because of your right foot? your right foot dictates if your going to burn more gas or less....

in the end driving habits will judge what kind of mpg your getting. Like I said your car is new, it needs to break in, and with a new car of course people are going to get punchy with it.

With all due respect to you, I believe that tab00 has clearly stated in that he has tried everything, and since I have read his posts over on Edmunds.com, I do believe him when he says so.

A mileage performance on a vehicle can be explained by the driver's behavior, but only to a point. In a mileage factor scoring, it may receive as much as 40% of the weighting, but there is the rest 60%. I don't believe that tab00 is saying that his driving habit does not factor in. What he is saying, at least to my ears, is that he has factored in his own driving habits, among other variables, and yet still cannot explain the mileage shortfall, which forces him to conclude that the biggest constant must be the cause, which in this case is the car.

I think that his claim is legitimate, and deserves respect and attention, instead of dismissing it with a single explanation of "the right foot."

[OKVersa]

I agree with Jackson. If I'm getting 30 MPG NOT babying it around, driving up to 70 with the a/c, then people who are babying and driving carefully ought to be doing better than that.

[BenDupre]

Of course it's the driver's fault. It's a car right? Those things never break and always perform up to the manufacturer's claims.

C'mon do I have to resort to extreme sarcasm to make my point? Might as well since it's equally dismissive and condescending as your claims that I or taboo don't know what we're doing.

Ben

[kc5f]

KC5FBest - 33.6Worst - 31.6Overall - 32.5Fill up - Spartanburg, SCEst City/hwy - 75/25Trans - CVTAC - Rarely - more for defogging

[Ever Victorious]

Quick, strap a camera to KC5F's head and make HIM watch his dash!

[evil200000000]

Im from Canada. Got my Versa 1.8 SL CVT for about a month and just had my first fill-up. I drive everyday but about 5-10km each way with very heavy traffic. The stop and go. On my first tank, if i did the math corrrectly, i got about 23.49MPG (odo=414km, filled-up at 44L). I think i got one of the lowest here, agree?

[jacksan1]

Actually, yours is more like 22.13 MPG with my calculation. Ouch!

(414/44)/1.609*3.785 = 22.13

But your mileage is explainable. If you drive that kind of short distance in a stop-n-go traffic, most cars (except for hybrids that thrive in this kind of traffic), not just the Versa, would get a very low mileage. In some parts of Japan where the traffic is nasty, even the 1.5L Tiida (JDM Versa) reports your kind of mileage. In other words, it can only get better from there.

[electech]

Well folks, I am approaching the 3000 mile mark and will have the first oil change done next week. It appears my Versa is gradually improving with miles. It looks like it will be doing a little better than 30 overall if the trend keeps up. As far as driving styles affecting mileage, I agree to a point. Now, if we were arguing about me getting 30 and someone else getting 34, then maybe you would have a point. But, when we have some in the mid 20's and reports of over 40, then I call B.S!!! There is no way driving style varies mileage by 17mpg!!! To prove it, I was pissed at the poor mileage of one tank, 27.5 and then run the hell out of it for the next tank. I got 28.2, go figure!!! After the wide open runs everytime I took off, running it to 5800 several times and punching it every opportunity I got, the next tank seemed to improve. I am now driving for mileage and it is better than it has been I think. So maybe the answer is to give it a few thousand miles and run it like you stole it for a tank. This could also be a case where a few prototype tuned Versa's got out and they weren't supposed to!! My advice, run the hell out of it for a tank and see what it does.

[Ever Victorious]

I have odd advice too... Autocross your V, or do autocross-like activities for a few miles. I can't explain why it worked, but afterwards, my Versa is WAY more responsive in 2nd and 3rd gears, and even with a bit of flogging, my last tank still got 30 mpg.

[skoobahead]

Co-worker just bought an '07 Honda Civic. He drives 100% city, AC pumpin' cold. His first two fill-ups netted him 25MPG.!Don't be discouraged by crappy *true* city driving. As another member posted... when your sitting at a stop light you getting 0 Miles per gallon

[Eikon]

Very interesting thread you guys.

Let me share some insight that I gained from a couple years as a car salesman (I sold for Toyota so I dealt with frusterated Prius owners) and many years with many different cars.

Keep in mind that it can take upwards of 5,000 to 10,000 miles for a car to reach it's optimal efficiency. It takes time for seals and valves to seat properly and for the engine to "find it's groove". Some do this very quickly, and others take some time.

Driving habits are a huge impact on gas milage. Doesn't take rocket science to understand that a car on the open road will get significantly better gas milage than one in city traffic. Also remember that some city traffic is very different than other city traffic. Suburban roads with a few stoplights between you and mall can be very different than being stuck in a Dallas TX rush hour.

Air Conditioning can make a very big impact on gas milage. The AC system is a drain on the motor and will certainly impact your milage. I've personally experienced as much as 5 mpg changes in gas milage.

ECU's try to learn and adapt to your driving style. If you drove the car aggresively early (or it was test driven aggresively) that ECU should try to maximize your performance features by fattening up the fuel map for better acceleration. Conversely, if you have driven like a grandma for a while, the ECU may lean things out to earn better efficiency.

Try unplugging your battery overnight. That will cut power to the ECU and reset it. Drive very conservatively to see if you can help teach the ECU to go easy on fuel. You may find that this benefits you long term in your milage.

If you are still not getting good gas milage, you may have some issues that a dealership can help with. You could have a leaky air intake system? You could have a bad air filter? You could have a bad or poorly functioning Mass Airflow Sensor. You could also have poorly functioning o2 sensors pre or post catalytic converter. Another possibility is that you have an oversensative knock sensor.

So, if you hit 5,000 miles and you still get mid 20's or worse, then I would start working with the dealership to correct it. Until then, I wouldn't stress about it much.. just write it off to the "Break-in" period.

Good luck everyone!!!

[jacksan1]

I've located an official blog by Nissan (Japan) that lists real world fuel efficiencies for various trim levels of the Tiida (JDM Versa). One of the blog entries covers the results for the Tiida 1.8G (CVT), which is probably the closest to the North American Versa.

This blog shows 29.64 MPG (12.6km/L) after one long drive of 306.5 miles (493.2km). The notes show that the Tiida 1.8G went through everything from stop-n-go to mountain climbs to expressway.

Japan's official fuel rating for the Tiida 1.8G is about 38.6 MPG (16.4km/L).

This is a remarkable blog because it is so candid for being an official Nissan blog site, allowing the employees to report what happens while driving a Tiida in the real world.

[jacksan1]

ECU's try to learn and adapt to your driving style. If you drove the car aggresivelyearly (or it was test driven aggresively) that ECU should try to maximize your performancefeatures by fattening up the fuel map for better acceleration. Conversely, if youhave driven like a grandma for a while, the ECU may lean things out to earn betterefficiency.

This reminds me of what happened to our Subaru Forester. During the first two years of ownership it was getting only about 22 MPG city/highway. After reviewing my driving habits AND resetting the ECU so it could learn my new driving, the average number went up to 24.5 MPG, which is right at the EPA combined.

[kc5f]

Quick, strap a camera to KC5F's head and make HIM watch his dash!

Actually, I probably DO watch the dash more than I should! And, as I've mentioned before, my daughter does say I "drive like a grandpa," even when I was driving the Probe. But it was EPA rated 20/27 and I averaged 35 in the summer and 32 in the winter!

I usually keep the rpm under 2500 if I can, so that might help. If I'm wanting to go 60mph (and there's nobody behind me), I find keeping it at 2000 rpm from a flat stop gets me there fast enough. Same for 75/2500. And when I'm going up a hill, I usually can keep it at no more than 3000 and maintain speed well enough. (I do, however, use the cruise a lot, and it likes to poke it up to 3500 or 4000 on steeper hills when I'm asking for 70-75mph.)

Also mentioned, I rarely use the AC - an advantage of living in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

[OKVersa]

Hubby wanted a Civic sedan! I wanted the Versa! This was about 3,000 bucks cheaper, so I won. He gave up the sunroof and the abs brakes, but we love our car.

So thanks for the info on the civic!