Hey all. I'm looking for some confirmation from other RS1.0 owners here mostly, but I just want to make sure my MPG is typical. I've had my xA RS 1.0 for two weeks today, and I've filled it up a few times at this point. So far I haven't broken 30.5 MPG on a tank. The sticker estimates 32 -37 MPG. I understand that the engine may not be fully broken in yet, and that 32-37 is under perfect conditions, however, I'd like to know if I'm the only one with the RS getting this kind of MPG. Can you guys help me out? I'm sure the wheels may have something to do with it in part as well. Dunno that for sure though. Thanks a million! Loving my car!

~~Sel

I get pretty much the same mileage with my RS 1.0. I do however have a 45 minute commute every morning through heavy stop and go traffic, which can kill gas mileage.

See, I have a 45 minute commute as well, but it's mostly highway. I dunno. Maybe the additions to the RS lower its mileage. That was one reason I bought the xA though. I fancied the close to 40 highway MPG. All of my inquiries about wheels prior to buying suggested that 17" wheels wouldn't effect mileage that much. Certainly not 7 MPG.

~~Sel

yeah, that's about what my xA gets; the RS shouldnt be noticably different

by the way, do you play sax, selmer?
I just got a Selmer Action 80 Series 2 and love it!

bingo. I'm a Mark VI player myself. I did play a Baritone Super Action in College. Niiiice horn. Love my 6 though. :)

So you're getting 37ish highway?

~~Sel

I've had my RS for about a week, and I'm averaging a good 35mpg. Thats weird, from what I just read in your post... hmm...

bingo. I'm a Mark VI player myself.

Ahhh...i'm so jealous! :twisted:
i get about 30 to 32-ish on average, and at most 35 on highway
my motor is just about broken-in, too (850 miles)

Hey -- i have RS 1.0 #865, and i'm LOVING it. I, too, have experienced less-than-desired mileage from my RS 1.0 (1st tank i got 30 mpg, 2nd tank 27 mpg)... i'm PRAYING that this is from an engine that is yet to be fully broken in. I have 500+ miles on it and expect that things should start to improve in the near future. Is that a realistc expectation!??! Please?!?!?

The ONLY part of the package i think could drop the mpg would be the tires, but i hardly think 7 - 10 mpg is the cost -- what about Traction control? any efficiency cost there?

... we shall see....

~jonathan

i have no idea because i have RS #747 and Ive been experiencing great MPG... 33 1st and 35 just today.....

Hey -- i have RS 1.0 #865, and i'm LOVING it. I, too, have experienced less-than-desired mileage from my RS 1.0 (1st tank i got 30 mpg, 2nd tank 27 mpg)... i'm PRAYING that this is from an engine that is yet to be fully broken in. I have 500+ miles on it and expect that things should start to improve in the near future. Is that a realistc expectation!??! Please?!?!?

The ONLY part of the package i think could drop the mpg would be the tires, but i hardly think 7 - 10 mpg is the cost -- what about Traction control? any efficiency cost there?

... we shall see....

~jonathan

AC would definately make a difference.

Traction control definately not.

I haven't been using the AC -- not in this 40 and 50 degree weather... if ANYthing i've been using the heat.

after reading so many of these forums, I've decided to be ABSOLUTELY as conservative of a driver as possible on this tank just to see what I can get: keeping rpms low, giving warm-up time, etc. I really don't think i've been driving it very hard at all... but i suppose it is all relative. Time will tell i guess... its mine now, so i guess i don't have much of a choice!

thanks for everyone's posts -- gotta love the scion community!
~jonathan

With so little torque in these things, I think just about anything would effect the mpg.

Windows open/closed
sunroof open/closed

hill or flat land

none stop, never shutting the car off, all highway
or
frequent stops, over a few days requiring shutting the car off and cooling (because fuel used when an engine is cold is different from when warm)

My first tank, 30mpg
second tank, 32mpg (almost non-stop, but some driving with all windows down and about 1/2hr of uphill driving)

I haven't been using the AC -- not in this 40 and 50 degree weather... if ANYthing i've been using the heat.

~jonathan

well, your location isn't listed by your name. ; )

Over here where I'm at, we reciently had a week of 80-90 peak temps.

I have a BSP xA and I have minor mods, like the strut bar, exhaust and TRD clutch assembly. I have had the car for six weeks and put 4100 miles, on it. I do a lot of highway driving until last week when I started a second job delivering pizzas.

Before the pizza job, I was getting anywhere from 33-37 MPG, with an average of about 36 MPG. Now with the new job, I got 33 for the first tank and I am getting like 36 again with the second tank. I use 89 octane gas too.

The problem with the RS 1.0 might be that the speedo was not calibrated for the bigger rims when it came out of the factory, not likely, but possible.

The problem with the RS 1.0 might be that the speedo was not calibrated for the bigger rims when it came out of the factory, not likely, but possible.

You know -- it is really interesting that you mentioned this!! I was caravaning back from the dealer w/ my old car last week (my friend, obviously, driving the old car) and she had cruise set steady all the way... and as we were both obeying the speed laws (at that point) and i later confirmed that we were both going the "same" speed, i found it odd that I was leaving her in my *probverbial* dust. I have another 80 mile trip planned for wenesday, at which point i'll be SURE to check the speedo with a timer, etc. I think it would be VERY strange that they would put these out with such a basic error... but who knows?! worth the time to check it out... i'll let you know what i find out.

So, i couldn't wait, i had to test it tonight... my buddy was the timer and i held steady @ 60 mph -- according to the mile markers here in western Iowa (which i only assume are correct) -- my scion only counted 0.9 miles on the trip meter for every marked mile along the road, and the mile took a few seconds under a minute to complete.

SOOOOO -- i'm assuming that there is in fact something askew between wheel size and the speedo/odo... my dealer is going to check it out on wednesday...

good luck!!

Ok... this is probably going to be my final post on this subject... so here it goes.

My tests have provided the following results:

The larger RS wheels account for a 3.5% difference between ODO miles and mile markers along the road (this number was consistent over the 1, 10, 50, and 80 miles over which i tested) -- which means your ODO will be 3.5 miles short for every 100 miles you drive (1,000 will be 35 miles, 10,000 will be 350 off, etc...) and so likewise (i assume) that my speed will be off by 3.5%.

Because this doesn't really account for the mileage i've been getting (max under conservative driving = 32 mpg), i decided that wheel size really wasn't the issue. Last night at a bar, a friend of mine was complaining that, after she had it in for maintenence at the dealer, her Prius was only getting 35 mpg down from her standard of 50 mpg... only to discover that the dealer had dropped the PSI in her tires down to 30 (even though max psi is 50 and her normal is 46).

... the RS tires are max 50 psi... and mine have been inflated (deflated?) to 30 since the day i drove it home. I assume that the width of the tire PLUS the lower psi could really drop the mpg. This is my last attempt. Tonight i filled my tank, and bumped up the psi. If this doesn't help, i'm going to accept the fact that I have an underachiever for a car.

If anyone has any input, i'd appreciate it. Those of you w/ an RS 1.0 xA who *actually* gets more than 32 mpg with standard driving habits, i'd love to hear from you... what you may have done to get there.

regardless... i love my xA!!!!
~jonathan

Hey, VERY NICE CATCH!

Man, I think you found it!

I took a look at my tires about a week ago and had trouble finding the recommend tire pressure. I think it really was 30psi, although I think I did see the max at 50psi. Usually low profile tires like this run at a higher psi and I was suprised to see the recommend at 30psi..

If you've ever riden a bicycle that's been 10psi low, you'd know that it takes more effort to peddle the bike, plus the bike doesn't role as far with each peddle either.

My tank is almost empty right now, so I'm going to increase my pressure too and see the difference!

Filled up today. 28mpg

so from when I bought the car, 30mpg, 32mpg, 28mpg.

Checked the tire pressures, all at 30psi. Doublechecked the tires and didn't see anything indicating that they should be at 30psi. Uped them to 50psi. We'll see how it turns out.

Ok, here's what I've done so far. I was consitently getting about 30.2 or 30.4 MPG. Last tank I decided halfway through to start driving more conservatively. (Corners easier, and backing off about 5 MMH)

Tank hit 32.4

This time I've done the same with the full tank. I get to fill 'er up tomorrow and I'll let you know the result. Also, I can't wait to hear about the PSI. Maybe we can work this out.

~~Sel

Ok, here's what I've done so far. I was consitently getting about 30.2 or 30.4 MPG. Last tank I decided halfway through to start driving more conservatively. (Corners easier, and backing off about 5 MPH)

Tank hit 32.4

This time I've done the same with the full tank. I get to fill 'er up tomorrow and I'll let you know the result. Also, I can't wait to hear about the PSI. Maybe we can work this out.

~~Sel

I've been doing the same - I'm driving a lot more conservatively and I just hit 34mpg. But whoever finds out about the psi... let us know because that would be awesome!

8)

Just so you all know the Consumer Reports mile per gallon rating is 30 for the xA.

The Consumer Reports driving tests are usually much more accurate then the EPA standards.

The EPA tests the car on a treadmill like machine. Consumer Reports does an actual road test that includes highway and city driving.

true, the testing may be done in non-realistic settings... however, there have been many posts from people who drove off the lot receiving 34 or 36 mpg... and received over 40 on road-trips. Above any published 'rating', i take the word of the person who uses it on a daily basis. So yes... the ratings are inaccurate, but my efficiency experience has been different than the experience of other drivers -- and this forum thread has been my attempt to figure out why.

... i hope to put on some significant miles this weekend (hwy and local), so by tomorrrow night i may have a better idea about the psi theory.

~j

I've only had mine a week, but I have a long commute and it's so much fun to drive when I'm not commuting (we took it through Shenandoah National Park today to see the autumn colors), I've filled up twice. I got 35 MPG on both tanks. Most of my commute is freeway, but I do deal with some stop and go traffic on a daily basis (Wash. D.C. traffic).

I have an automatic. I wanted a manual, but the RS was sitting on the lot already, calling my name. :wink: I'm glad I got the AT now that I deal with heavy traffic daily. I've read some other threads about milage, and those with the MT say they run about 3000 RPM at 65 MPH. My AT runs about 2700 RPM at 65 MPH, so maybe that's the difference. The AT is geared to get better milage at highway speeds.

46 psi... surprisingly SMOOTHER ride... but still only 207 miles on 6.8 gallons of gas = +/- 30 mpg....

Granted, i was not trying AT ALL to increase my mpg via conservative driving, that is my next step. I just don't f*ing get it!!! Am I THAT bad at driving a manual transmission!? I guess i'm holding out for my engine break-in to boost some... i just crossed 1000 miles over the weekend, so a oil change is in the near future, too... just seems like there is something that i'm missing...

did i inadvertantly buy a car that doesn't meausre up to its non-RS brothers and sisters? ... tires... performence additions... color... where did we go inefficient?!?!

if anyone has any ideas, please share.

~j

dude chill out... its probably just the engine that needs to be broken in, and still, +/- 30mpg is still phenomenal. I drive conservatively and I put my tires at 50psi and I got 35mpg. Clearly, there isn't a malfunction of any sort in the car. I have the same car as you. :roll:

I know i'm a *bit* overboard on this subject, its just that mpg is one of the big reasons I chose this car... and after reading so many other people w/ the RS Manual transmission getting 30 mpg MAX i started to worry that I may have made a bad choice. Ultimately, I realize that this IS a wonderful car... one which i'm already hopelessly bonded with... and 30 mpg is a respectible efficiency. I guess this is just what you run into with expectations... I appreciate the kick in the butt though. Life is too short to get worked up about these things. Will this realization stop me from tracking my mpg? Most likely not. But i will stop worrying that i f*ed something up during that supposed "delecate* break-in period. What's done is done...

~j

One dissappointment I have with my car (05 xA Auto 1500miles) so far has been the gas milage...27-28 avg.. That's not 5-10% difference, it 20-25% difference!Hoping it improves....Everythig else is PERFECT!

I can understand someone being dissapointed in 30 mpg from an xA. After all, the car is rated at 17% better than that. I'm going to be getting an xA because of many different factors, but one of the biggest is the gas mileage. The xA is one of only a select few cars that has EPA ratings as high as it does. When you drop it back to the 30's like are being reported here, that puts it in the same class as many other cars I could be looking at. You wanna here the kicker? My wife's car is a full-size '98 Buick LeSabre. I'm talking about a 6-passanger car with a V-6, and I have consistantly gotten 30 mpg from it on the highway. It sucks in town, but that's to be expected. I firmly believe 90% of it is how you drive them.

Guys, I got my car exactly a month ago. Been using it mainly on commuting to work/school. Just 50+ one way, so almost ~100 miles per day easily.
Here is my gas-mileage so far.
28
30
30
32 ( took it really easy, always shift right around 2k, but can't help it if i am going
70+ on highway)
30
31 ( started to get frustrated, and tried to do some break-in routine ppl have
suggested, such as rev'ing it up to 5k for every gear and hold it there for a
little bit. I did it for 1st to 3rd gear at least, not sure it helps)
~~ ( filled up with 89 instead of 87, like some people suggest, hopefully it will help)

Right now i have ~1500 miles on my baby. I can almost 100% certain it should have pass its "break-in" period. :( So the gas-mileage is really discouraging for me. I left my 97-Cvic for this car and my old civic can do 30 (if driven roughly) and easily up to 35+ (if driven nicely).

One thing I notice tho. The rpm does rev REALLY FREAKING high when driving at 70+, and it reaches 4k when doing 80. If anything tells me its "the way I drive" that is causing the low-gas-mileage, it would be the speed. BUT how can i NOT drive it faster than 70 when everyone else drive it at least 70??

Some one in the forum reported that their xA (auto) rev up to only 2.5k around 65 compare to 3k around 65 for my xA (manual), and that owner is getting 35 miles/gallon easy. This makes me wonder. Did Scion build xA manual so it will make Manual-xA drivers drive slower to get high gas-mileage????? Or did they just think the Auto-transmission driver should get the better deal on the gas?
(Although, I bet the manual is a bit faster to launch than auto,... i guess it's a trade-off)

:?

Fat Bastard

I have auto, averaging 27-28 mpg....
I do not think it's Auto / Manual specific.

Personally, I think the problem with the xA getting poor gas milage is because the engine is too small. I know...I know...smaller engines get better milage. But when the engine is too small, it has to work too hard and rev too fast to do the job. I think that's why that stinking land-yacht Buick LeSabre of ours does so well. It's V-6 isn't a big thirsty gas hog, but it also doesn't have to work hard to motor down the highway. At 75 mph, it's barely working.

Matt_a -- i understand what you are saying about engine size, but the fact of the matter is that *some* (select chosen?) people are getting up to 40 mpg REGULARLY, and many are getting 36 in their xA... so i can't believe it is the engine size. Sure it has to work harder (maybe)... but we're hauling a much lighter load. I have been taking it very easy on my car this tank of gas... and it *appears* to be doing better on the mileage (even though I've been 90% in the city)... we'lll see. I'm not yet broken in yet (i guess -- i have about 1200 miles... when IS a car officially 'broken-in'?)

zdawg -- do you have a manual or automatic transmission? how many miles do you have on your xA RS 1.0 (do you consider yours to be broken in)? ... just curious.

Thanks for everyone's input on this subject!!
~jonathan

Filled up today. 28mpg

so from when I bought the car, 30mpg, 32mpg, 28mpg.

Checked the tire pressures, all at 30psi. Doublechecked the tires and didn't see anything indicating that they should be at 30psi. Uped them to 50psi. We'll see how it turns out.

Well I got to close to a half tank, and decided to fill up early. Only took about 3.5 gal to fill up from there and not the ~5 gal I was expecting.

Milage came in at a crappy 23.5mpg.

This is very strange. I'm guessing it might have to do with how little gas I put in and the added sensitivity to filling it more/less than the previous time. I calculated that if I only filled it 2.8 gal, I would have had 30mpg. That's almost a gallon difference, and unfortunately I don't think I overfilled it that much, but I'm going to give it the benifit of the dought.

I was expecting a much bigger improvement over my typical 30mpg after increasing the air pressure in the tires.. Very disapointing... Very very disapointing..

As an fyi, about 90% of my driving is "city", but I'm still breaking in my engine and am very very gentle with it when accelerating still.

This is very frustrating. Currently at ~950miles in the car. If I don't hit at least 35mpg by 2000 miles or 3000miles, somebody's going to get a talking to. For me, the high gas milage was one of the reasons why I got the car.

have you been filling up at the same pump every time??

different pumps have different "full" levels... this is why people recommend getting the mpg over an extended period of time. Hopefully it will all average out over time, but for now, one is forced to look at mpg from fillup to fillup.

good luck.
~j

Filled up today. 28mpg

so from when I bought the car, 30mpg, 32mpg, 28mpg.

Checked the tire pressures, all at 30psi. Doublechecked the tires and didn't see anything indicating that they should be at 30psi. Uped them to 50psi. We'll see how it turns out.

Well I got to close to a half tank, and decided to fill up early. Only took about 3.5 gal to fill up from there and not the ~5 gal I was expecting.

Milage came in at a crappy 23.5mpg.

This is very strange. I'm guessing it might have to do with how little gas I put in and the added sensitivity to filling it more/less than the previous time. I calculated that if I only filled it 2.8 gal, I would have had 30mpg. That's almost a gallon difference, and unfortunately I don't think I overfilled it that much, but I'm going to give it the benifit of the dought.

I was expecting a much bigger improvement over my typical 30mpg after increasing the air pressure in the tires.. Very disapointing... Very very disapointing..

As an fyi, about 90% of my driving is "city", but I'm still breaking in my engine and am very very gentle with it when accelerating still.

Filled up again. This time I can tell you that 5/8th is about 3.5gal.

Took a looong drive on the highway, keeping 55mph the whole time. Windows closed, no A/C.

32mpg, but this may not be accurate, because the previous fill, may have been too much, but I looked to see how much more to reeeally top of a tank, and it only takes another ~.2gal max, and wouldn't change things much.

I'll see how it does after another 1k-2k more miles. Hope it improves... 32mpg was supposed to be my CITY milage, not my HIGHWAY milage!!

Out here in iowa, they put ethanol in the 89 octane -- i just read an article that said ethanol will decrease performance, thus requiring more fuel to oporate (and therefore dropping fuel economy).

I'm just curious - is anyone else out there using 10% ethanol fuel? The manual says that we *can* use it.... but maybe the question is *should* we use it!?

~j