I've had mine for about 3 months and i'm getting a little ticked about the milage estimates. When i bought it it says 30mpg for city and 35 fro freeway. Now i do a lot of freeway driving 200mi + trips. So it came to quite a shock when i see the gas light coming on after 250 miles. On this latest tank i put in 11+ gallons of gas and decided to run it out. I did about 220 on the freeway and the rest in city. The damn thing died at 295 miles!! WTF. Thats 26 mpg. Now i know there are a lot of variables too it but with nearly every xb owner i've talked to they are claiming the same thing. Before your quick to say all manufacturers inflate their numbers i had a honda civic for 5 years. It claimed 26 city and 31 freeway, driving in a similar fashion to what i do in the scion (actually i drove it harder, higher rpm shifts and whatnot) i ALWAYS got 29mpg or above, even on a day i took it to the race track. SO what are you guys getting? If this is widespread i think Toyotas going to have a lot of explaining to do.

What Toyota gave you is the EPA estimate not their Toyota's own testing. Toyota nor any other manufacters are not allowed to give out their own MPG test results. I think highway testing is based on 55MPH.

So you think 15mph is going to make almost 10mpg difference? I don't think so. And like i said my civic was pretty accurate with the numbers. And its driving the same route i am in my scion at the same speeds.

Besides, toyotas been showing commercials around here bragging about their mpgs so the sure as hell are responsible for it. If the epas test differ that heavily from their own then i sure think they are obligated to tell us.

I have a 2004 xB and the best I have gotten so far is 33 MPG. The range so far has been 28 - 33 MPG for the 2500 miles I have put on the car. Most of my driving is on the highway and I travel no faster than 80 MPH. I try to stick to 75 though.

I got close but now have wheels and havent measured it

So you think 15mph is going to make almost 10mpg difference?

Look at the aerodynamics of the xBrick.
Aero theory says that the energy needed to propel a body through a fluid (air, water, mayonaise, etc..) increases exponentially as velocity is increased.

mine gets waaaaaaay better mileage through mayonaise than through other condiments....

i dont keep track of my gas milege on my xb ,any thing is better than my v-8 ford explorer

I searched the net for "scion xB drag coefficient"
There are no actual numbers that I could find, just comments
that it's "not bad" because of it's rounded front and raked windshield.

I did however find a discussion thread on the Toyota Prius and how they really calculate the MPG...
:shock:

"Roy Smith" <roy@panix.com> wrote in message...

More specifically, the EPA mileage is determined by a cycle that lasts a bit
under 13 minutes and has a maximum speed of 60MPH. The average speed,
however is 48MPH and nearly half of the cycle is run at speeds under 50MPH.

This test is run on a chassis dyno, so drag effects are apparently ignored.
Put the Prius drivetrain in a boxy Scion xB and you'll get the same highway
number!

To see a time/speed graph of the entire cycle, see:

http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/cycles/hwfet.html

With nealy 10,000 mis. on my 5 spd 04 I am alway above 30 mis to gal. That is combined driving in the Dallas metroplex.

I have preliminary estimates for my xB of about 27 mpg, but I'm still breaking it in. I have only about 500 miles on it so far. This is the first brand new car I've ever had so I am waiting to see if the break-in period will have a lower mpg than later periods, as I often hear.

So you think 15mph is going to make almost 10mpg difference?

Yes, it will.. When traveling at 65 mph instead of 55mph, your vehicle will use about 10-15% more fuel, and that's when you're not driving a wall. When driving 70 or above, the xB's anti-aerodynamics really start to hurt gas mileage.

I've been running an excel spreadsheet since July 2004.
With my Auto xB in the Summer and driving less than 3K RPMS (~HWY @70MPH), I get about 33MPG. Since it's starting to get cold and I warm up my car longer, I've been getting about 30MPG. However that's me driving 80MPH on the highway (~3.2-3.4K RPM).

I think it depends on the way you accelerate and what speed you maintain. I usually get about 30-31 combined driving and i could go way down to about 25-27 mpg if i'm driving 80 mph. The engine is revving near 4k at 70 mph. Try shifting before 3.5k and ease on the acceleration. You should see an increase in mpg's. Wheels, Mods will affect your mpg.

funny my Vision gets 26mpg in the same conditions as my XB gets 31....one is a barge with a 3.5V6..the other is box with a sowing machine moter....what is wrong with this picture?

I get 30 mpg +/- traveling at around 80 mph on the freeway. I gotta stay w/ the flow of traffic or I'll get run over. Plus I have a lead foot and running 17 inch wheels. Not too mention the drag caused by all of the crap I installed on the car and listening to the music really loud cuz I deaf.

full tank, 5-spd, 2" drop, 215/35/18, injen cai, 70-80mph fwy (some incline), downshifting = 230miles

I just pulled off a trip with my 215/45/17's, 2" drop, no alignment yet, and running with the a/c on (about 2 of the 5.5 hours), and I made it from Cape Coral to St. Augistine in one tank. According to Mapquest that's about 310 miles and I was traveling about 85mph or around 4200rpm most of the time, oh, and half the time I was carrying another 280lb passenger. That averages to about 26mpg, however, I didn't run it out of gas. When I filled up I only put in about 9.8 gallons. So about 31mpg, given those conditions. Best way to get good mileage on the highway is to just maintain speed, as braking and constant change of speed will affect your mileage adversely.

i keep track..im at 2 gallons left i only get 245 miles--and thats thanks to driving on the highway...otherwise i would get less...

This will ____ off people, but I get between 36 and 40 in my Box. Now, I am running on Stock sized wheels, (Not stock wheels, stock sized, so they are lighter then the stock wheels)...And I do mostly local driving, which is between 35MPH and 45MPH. When in the lower 30's, I shift into 4th. When in the mid 40's, I shift into 5th. This keeps the RPM'S down, and the mileage up.

I recall reading once, that you get the bes tmielage if you drive at 37MPH in 5th gear. Of course, it will take you forever to get anywhere...

On the highway, at about 80MPH, I get 36 MPG. So, for me, the better mileage is local.

I do keep track of my mileage in a book. The mileage is less when I sit waiting in stop and go traffic with the A/C on, or while waiting for my wife to 'run and get something' from the store.

But on average, 36MPG.

I have a 2004 xB and the best I have gotten so far is 33 MPG. The range so far has been 28 - 33 MPG for the 2500 miles I have put on the car. Most of my driving is on the highway and I travel no faster than 80 MPH. I try to stick to 75 though.

Thats about what I get. I drive 80mph for 20 minutes on the tollway. I accelerate fast (high rpm) on entry ramps and during lane changes. I have about 15 minutes of local stop and go at the end of my commute.

So not bad considering. Its about 1/3 better mpg than I got on my GEO Tracker. Good enought for me. :wink:

I've been keeping a mileage log since my first fill up. I bought the auto Xb right before Halloween. I'm averaging 33mpg on mostly highway driving, 100 miles per day.

No complaints here.

i get close, i do alot of highway drivin, id say 25-30 highway and 20-25 city

I'm lucky if I get 260 miles to a tank (and I run it almost dry just to make sure). When I fill up, I put in nearly as many gallons as the tank holds. I don't drive like a nut, but I do have 19" wheels. I'm dissapointed, but it's better than the truck I used to have, so I'm not complaining.

yeah ive been close to 20 mpg recently. i have just under 5000 miles. i was getting closer and even over 30 earlier in my car's life. does an oil change help mpg?

the only time I calculated mpg is on a trip from Lake havasu to Phx. Wife drove our 5-spd xb at about 80mi/hr most of way and we got 27mpg.

Pretty good considering 80mi/hr in the 5-spd puts it at about 4k rpm.

yeah ive been close to 20 mpg recently. i have just under 5000 miles. i was getting closer and even over 30 earlier in my car's life. does an oil change help mpg?
if you go to synthetic

The best I ever got was 33mpg. On my trip from Panama City to Tamp, with speeds at 80-90mph, I average 27mpg.

My gas mileage seems to be getting wrost. I'm only getting about 260 miles to a tank nowadays.

Hmm, Tracked every drop since it was new and get 27 to 35, RFG gas at sea level. 87 octane. running average is 29 MPG

I get between 25 to 30 depending on how much "spirited" driving I do.
:wink:
I run a Valvoline 1/2 synthetic oil blend
and have 195/60/15 snow tires, which are 1/2" taller and 1/2" wider.

Will taller tires make the mileage read too low or too high?
:?:

i dont keep track of my gas milege on my xb ,any thing is better than my v-8 ford explorer

I'm in total agreement. I don't keep track of the xB's mileage because compared to a race ported RX-7 that gets 14mpg if you baby it. And I can burn 87 octane in the xB versus 91+ in the RX-7.

Zach

I'm consistantly averaging 33.5 to 34.5 mpg.

So you think 15mph is going to make almost 10mpg difference? I don't think so. And like i said my civic was pretty accurate with the numbers. And its driving the same route i am in my scion at the same speeds.

Besides, toyotas been showing commercials around here bragging about their mpgs so the sure as hell are responsible for it. If the epas test differ that heavily from their own then i sure think they are obligated to tell us.

Toyota is not allowed, by Law, to advertise any estimates other than that of the EPA. In a few case, like the Prius, the EPA numbers are off and Toyota has made statements that they would rather advertise the true numbers. The law doesn't allow it.

:D My 04 has been getting 32.5-34 mpg. 50-50 highway/city driving@70mph on highway . i'm happy, my samurai only got about 22 mpg because i was screaming it's guts out on the highway!

it all depends on how you drive and where you drive. also, if you have wheels your mileage can read diff and the additional rotating mass can also hurt your gas mileage. but, if you put smaller, lighter wheels on you can get higher mpg. when i run my 19's (225/35/19), i get around 27-28mpg, with 75% freeway driving. but when i put my 15's on (195/50/15), i did a one day trip, mainly freeway and got 33mpg, BUT i did go to the race track and ran twice with nitrous (increasing the fuel consumption). so it shows that if you take it on the freeway with little acceleration, your gas mileage can be pretty good in comparison to the EPA results. im satisfied with the mileage i get

I'm fortunate, my gas mileage has gotten better with each fill-up. I drive 117 miles per day total and I am not on the interstate, just on two lane highway averaging 60-65 mph. My low fuel light came on last night at 315 miles, I filled up with 10.7 gallons of gas with 325 miles for an average of 31.5 miles per gallon. I'm very pleased!! I have right at 2000 miles on my xb.

I adore my xB.
Watch for our chronicle: "fugly, the toaster that became a car"

Manual Transmission, easy acceleration, moderate speeds, and 'Mexican Overdrive' help the mileage, even with NYC traffic.

Will taller tires make the mileage read too low or too high?
:?:

I would think the actual mileage would be higher since you're actually going farther with each tire revolution than the odo thinks you are.

Other than the fact that the true EPA method doesn't resemble actual driving (as rallyxb posted early in this thread), all sorts of factors come into play...real gas vs. rfg, rolling resistance of the tires, AT vs. manual, etc., etc., etc.

A friend of mine brags about the 40+mpg he gets with his Plymouth Breeze... he drives like an old lady, runs the tire pressure up in the 40s (near maximum pressure marked on the sidewall), etc. Probably makes for an awful ride.

My snowbird parents get 32+ in their Park Avenue, loaded to the gills (on their midwest to AZ commute) and my dad usually drives 75-80 mph.

Anyone see the Myth Busters when the Excesspeditions got under 12 mpg at 55 mph on the track...they wouldn't even say how bad it was when they put in 5 gals and ran to empty. Good grief!!!

What exactly is "Mexican Overdrive?"

Automatic, Injen short ram, 31-34 mpg @ 65-75 mph using 91 octane. The expensive stuff gets about 10% better mileage in my experience, which just about makes up for the difference in price. Runs smoother too.

yeah ive been close to 20 mpg recently. i have just under 5000 miles. i was getting closer and even over 30 earlier in my car's life. does an oil change help mpg?
if you go to synthetic

TOTAL BUNK HERE...

I get between 25 to 30 depending on how much "spirited" driving I do.
:wink:
I run a Valvoline 1/2 synthetic oil blend
and have 195/60/15 snow tires, which are 1/2" taller and 1/2" wider.

Will taller tires make the mileage read too low or too high?
:?:

snow tires are a different rubber, this will make more difference than the 1/2" of width...

and taller tires will make the speedometer read a slower mileage than you are actually going and a lower mileage that you are actually traveling...

your estimate...
stock 15" rims + tire... would be 185mm*60%=111mm tall (on both top and bottom of the rim)... so 111*2 = 222mm... 25.4mm=1inch... so 8 3/4 inches... so 15+8 3/4 = 23.75 inches...

your setup... 15" rims + tire... 195*60%=117mm... x2 = 234mm... /25.4 = 9.2 inches... so 24.2 inches...

circumference is PI*Diameter or PI*2*Radius...
stock = 3.14*23.75 = 74.6 inches = 6.21 feet
yours = 3.14*24.2 = 76 inches = 6.34 feet...

60mph is equal to 88ft/sec... so at 60
stock tires are spinning 88/6.21 = 850rpm
yours are spinning 88/6.34 = 832rpm...

832/850 = 2% speedometer and odometer error... you are missing about 6 miles per 300...

follow...?? of course this also means that you are reducing your torque output by 2%, so you 0-60 is actually slower due to this change you have made...

How do you guys manage to put over 10gallons of gas on your cars? The most gas i've put on mine 9.3-9.5 gallons. I get 280 miles before my yellows light comes on.

I get from 290 to 330 for 9 to 10 gallons... I still can't believe that I lost 2 MPG to my roof rack...
my worst tank was 26mpg... I was raggin' it that week, just for fun... my best tank was 35.5mpg...

The best mileage that I've gotten has been 28.5. Even going on a short trip last week that took 1/2 a tank I only got 28.2. The worst I've gotten is 23.
It seems like the 3 biggest complaints on this board are
Mileage,
Power,
AC inadequate.
I have the first two and feel lucky that I didn't hit the jackpot and get all 3!!!

It makes me wonder if the people that are getting the rated mileage complain about their performance. Seems like if it had more power it would get better mileage.

Its not that, if i wanted power i wouldn't have went from a 160hp 5 speed to a 100 hp auto. Ac, well crap i haven't even used that yet. My only other beef is no cruise. I'm really thinking about buyin that one from toyotaparts4u.

I get between 25 to 30 depending on how much "spirited" driving I do.
:wink:
I run a Valvoline 1/2 synthetic oil blend
and have 195/60/15 snow tires, which are 1/2" taller and 1/2" wider.

Will taller tires make the mileage read too low or too high?
:?:

snow tires are a different rubber, this will make more difference than the 1/2" of width...

and taller tires will make the speedometer read a slower mileage than you are actually going and a lower mileage that you are actually traveling...

your estimate...
stock 15" rims + tire... would be 185mm*60%=111mm tall (on both top and bottom of the rim)... so 111*2 = 222mm... 25.4mm=1inch... so 8 3/4 inches... so 15+8 3/4 = 23.75 inches...

your setup... 15" rims + tire... 195*60%=117mm... x2 = 234mm... /25.4 = 9.2 inches... so 24.2 inches...

circumference is PI*Diameter or PI*2*Radius...
stock = 3.14*23.75 = 74.6 inches = 6.21 feet
yours = 3.14*24.2 = 76 inches = 6.34 feet...

60mph is equal to 88ft/sec... so at 60
stock tires are spinning 88/6.21 = 850rpm
yours are spinning 88/6.34 = 832rpm...

832/850 = 2% speedometer and odometer error... you are missing about 6 miles per 300...

follow...?? of course this also means that you are reducing your torque output by 2%, so you 0-60 is actually slower due to this change you have made...


Thank you for the detailed analysis Mr Spock.
Logical as always.
:wink:

My only other beef is no cruise. I'm really thinking about buyin that one from toyotaparts4u.
Contact Rostra and ask them where is the closest dealer to you. They make the cruise that Toyota uses. You should be able to pick it up for about $200 plus installation.
http://www.rostra.com/cruise-control.htm

Its not that, if i wanted power i wouldn't have went from a 160hp 5 speed to a 100 hp auto. Ac, well crap i haven't even used that yet. My only other beef is no cruise. I'm really thinking about buyin that one from toyotaparts4u.

cruise is a dealer option... that just means that the price of the xB was $14,200... and not $14,500... this puts the dollar back in the pocket of those who have no use for cruise...

can't get that in the $50k caddy or $100k Benz, etc...

The best mileage that I've gotten has been 28.5. Even going on a short trip last week that took 1/2 a tank I only got 28.2. The worst I've gotten is 23.
It seems like the 3 biggest complaints on this board are
Mileage,
Power,
AC inadequate.
I have the first two and feel lucky that I didn't hit the jackpot and get all 3!!!

It makes me wonder if the people that are getting the rated mileage complain about their performance. Seems like if it had more power it would get better mileage.

actually to get better mileage you would want less power, to get the best mileage you need the engine to be operating in an efficient range, this would mean that if it takes 60hp to go 60mph... then you should do that with a 65hp motor... check out the engines that people use in MPG competitions, usually they are a few hp...

the reason you are getting worse mileage is completely due to your driving style, the cars are essentially identical to everyone who is posting here... do a search for ways to increase your driving efficiency and you will see a 5mpg jump across the board...

:) getting about 35-41 mpg on highway and city combined

:) getting about 35-41 mpg on highway and city combined
I think you might be making a mistake with your calculations.

I get about 28 in town, 33 on the highway, using the odometer reading.

One thing that many folks don't realize is that the odometer tends to read low, which lowers the mileage number by an equal percentage. IIRC, the odometer is about 4% low, so the real mileage will be about 1MPG higher than the numbers calculated from the odo readings.

George

I get about 28 in town, 33 on the highway, using the odometer reading.

One thing that many folks don't realize is that the odometer tends to read low, which lowers the mileage number by an equal percentage. IIRC, the odometer is about 4% low, so the real mileage will be about 1MPG higher than the numbers calculated from the odo readings.

George
How did you come up with this figure? The speedometer reads 8% higher than you are actually traveling (I used a calibrated GPS to get the actual speed). this would mean that the odometer would be showing more miles than you are actually putting on it. So mileage is actually worse than you think... :( I should have kept the civic...

from full to absolutely on the empty line(still only like 10 gallons used) the best i've ever had is 320 more often than not i get like 225-260. i guess i can't drive slow. but ____ my old supra with a 3.0 and my driving the same way i do now in the box got 20-25 mpg so thats horrible. and i have no rims no real extra weight. damn! somethins wrong. it's my right foot. so my best is probably like 32mpg and my worst is probably like 22 or 23mpg. god when i look back that is horrible. maybe i should drive the speed limit and accelerate slowly. ____.. i guess i just have to work it harder to go as quickly as my supra. damn. not good. yeah so i guess i gotta fgo 40mph not 60 or 80 like i normally do. weird thing is i normally only go 70 or 75 on the free ways so thats only 5 to 10mph over. i think i just ream it on the street.

well, keep in mind that this isn't only an economy car, the engine is among the cleanest burning that you will find, so stop comparing it to cars of the past, because emissions controls work against mileage... if we had no mufflers or catalytic convertors, etc - we'd get better mileage, we'd just be screwing up the eco system to save the measley 3 cents per mile that people are complaining about...

$2/gal... 22mpg... just over 9 cents/mile...
$2/gal... 32mpg... just at 6.25 cents/mile...

your Toyota is still cheaper to keep on the road that about 97% of the cars out there... for more on this read up at edmunds.com they have a comparison figure that shows what it costs to drive any particular car... our car cost about 37cents/mile... the cheapest I could ever find was a stripped Toyota pickup at 31 cents/mile... so take some time to compare it... also keep in mind that these numbers don't include options... my BMW was 55 cents/mile... a 911 is about $1.20/mile... Suburban = 70 cents... etc...

CHECK IT OUT HERE (http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/scion/xb/100393202/cto.html?tid=edmunds.n.researchlanding.leftsidenav..4.Scion*)

I get about 28 in town, 33 on the highway, using the odometer reading.

One thing that many folks don't realize is that the odometer tends to read low, which lowers the mileage number by an equal percentage. IIRC, the odometer is about 4% low, so the real mileage will be about 1MPG higher than the numbers calculated from the odo readings.

George
How did you come up with this figure? The speedometer reads 8% higher than you are actually traveling (I used a calibrated GPS to get the actual speed). this would mean that the odometer would be showing more miles than you are actually putting on it. So mileage is actually worse than you think... :( I should have kept the civic...

man if you had that civic you could blend in just like the rest of the world... just think, if you still had your civic we'd be missing out on your fruitful commentary... MPG is not the only factor in determining a person's happiness with a car... does HEMI ring a bell... HEMI doesn't mean good MPG... my point being that maybe mileage isn't what everyone is after... what you should do is go get an Insight, then you can go complain in that forum...

I just checked again, (on my third fill-up since getting the car), and logged exactly 30mpg! It was 27 the first time I monitored it.

My daily routine is 40 miles round trip to work, about half freeway and half city. Not yet hit 1000 miles on the odometer.

As it breaks in I can already see mpgs going up a bit.

I get about 28 in town, 33 on the highway, using the odometer reading.

One thing that many folks don't realize is that the odometer tends to read low, which lowers the mileage number by an equal percentage. IIRC, the odometer is about 4% low, so the real mileage will be about 1MPG higher than the numbers calculated from the odo readings.

George
How did you come up with this figure? The speedometer reads 8% higher than you are actually traveling (I used a calibrated GPS to get the actual speed). this would mean that the odometer would be showing more miles than you are actually putting on it. So mileage is actually worse than you think... :( I should have kept the civic...

man if you had that civic you could blend in just like the rest of the world... just think, if you still had your civic we'd be missing out on your fruitful commentary... MPG is not the only factor in determining a person's happiness with a car... does HEMI ring a bell... HEMI doesn't mean good MPG... my point being that maybe mileage isn't what everyone is after... what you should do is go get an Insight, then you can go complain in that forum...

I can't believe that some people think that the car they own actually makes THEM unique. When I joined the navy, I sold my 76 vette to get a more reliable and fuel efficient car. THAT is why I chose the civic... not because I wanted to "blend in". I bought the Scion the same reason I bought the civic, however, I have been greatly disappointed with the MPG I'm getting... about 6 mpg less than my SOHC 1.5 (NON-VTEC) 4 door civic LX. As for other if I like the xB or not... It's a pretty nice car for the price, but I think to my self often that I should have gotten another civic (or kept the old one). They got a deal going now here in bremerton for a nicely equiped civic vp for 13700... over $1000 less than I paid for my xB. Im sure gas mileage was a primary factor in the minds of a lot if not most xb buyers.

How did you come up with this figure? The speedometer reads 8% higher than you are actually traveling (I used a calibrated GPS to get the actual speed). this would mean that the odometer would be showing more miles than you are actually putting on it. So mileage is actually worse than you think... :( I should have kept the civic...

Speedo reading has nothing to do with mileage. Odometer reading has to do with mileage. If you break your speedometer, that doesn't necessarily mean that your odometer will accumulate zero miles from then on.

See this thread (http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18976&highlight=) for more details. When it was last discussed, someone suggested that the xB may be calibrated to the Echo's default tire size (175/65/14) which is smaller than the xB's standard (185/60/15).

How timely for me to stumble upon this thread. I have been trying to figure out if I was getting good milage or not. I have been keeping track of my MPG since I got the car a month ago, and somehow managed to put over 3,800 miles on my box already.

Recently, I changed the wheels to 205/50/16 (-1.38% lower reading than stock), but my MPG's went down by -5.74%. The only other change I had was changing the oil at 3k miles.

30.59 AVG MPG With Stock Wheels
28.83 AVG MPG With 16" Wheels and Oil Change (29.24 Adjusted to stock wheels)
34.85 Best MPG (Stock Wheels)
27.85 Worst MPG (Stock Wheels)

How timely for me to stumble upon this thread. I have been trying to figure out if I was getting good milage or not. I have been keeping track of my MPG since I got the car a month ago, and somehow managed to put over 3,800 miles on my box already.

Recently, I changed the wheels to 205/50/16 (-1.38% lower reading than stock), but my MPG's went down by -5.74%. The only other change I had was changing the oil at 3k miles.

30.59 AVG MPG With Stock Wheels
28.83 AVG MPG With 16" Wheels and Oil Change (29.24 Adjusted to stock wheels)
34.85 Best MPG (Stock Wheels)
27.85 Worst MPG (Stock Wheels)
our cars computer uses the speed sensor to calculate the vehicles speed. It also uses the sensor to calculate miles traveled (displayed on the odometer). if your speed sensor is getting squed data (caused by improper tire diameter.. etc) then your odometer will be equally affected. I totally agree that your speedo can be broken and your odometer will still work, however if your speed sensor stops working, then neither will work. I'll be traveling 5500 miles from WA to TX to FL to VA, so I'l keep everyone posted on my MPG. maybe I'll get better gas mileage once I get to flatter ground...

yeah i bet mostly freeway too.

yeah doggin it around town i get 26-28...but currently my job moved from 4miles away to 55 miles.... so in a 2 day span i got around 34.5MPG.. not bad even having to downshift a few times to pass some cars and enter traffic plus my average speed was 70-80MPH

nice! i dont miss havin to downshift lol. that's why i love my mods!!!!

since this thread started, i have drive off half a tank of gas, about 6 gallons right? That got me all of 130 miles. So i am getting roughly 22-23 mpg. This is all city driving too. I drive fast and im sure the hills in pittsburgh dont help, but can anyone give me any suggestions to get some more miles for my buck?

You can't really tell what your mileage is based on the misleading gas gauge. You need to track your mileage with the odo and gallons when you fill up.

As far as getting more miles, two generally good rules are don't gun the car off the line and when driving, keep the RPMs between 2-3K.

OK it is clear to me that some people are using their gas gauge to try to calculate their MPG. The gas gauge is not calibrated or accurate enough to do that. The only way to accurately determine your gas mileage is to fill the tank, drive, fill up again and calculate using the miles on the odometer and the gallons on the pump.

There are a number of things you can do to increase the accuracy too.

Filling up at the same gas station both times at the same pump will keep the car in the same attitude. That eliminates having the filler on the downhill side one time and the up hill side the other. Having the car in the same attitude is the key issue. Some cars this can make up to a half gallon difference in what you can fit in the tank. When you are only talking 10 gallons that can make nearly 2 MPG difference. Not a huge difference, but clearly several people in this thread would care about that.

As stated by several others changes in tire diameter can greatly affect your mileage (good or bad) if you are far off from the stock diameter. Others have mentioned <3%. That sounds like a good number. The closer you are to stock the more accurate your odometer readings. It can even cause a small (good or bad) effect due to the "gearing change" caused by the change in tire diameter

As others have stated driving styles and driving conditions also have a huge effect on your MPG.

Comparing mileage on similar vehicles using many different methods of calculation and having different tires sizes on practically every one is a little like comparing apples and oranges. It is interesting information and useful to a point. Just don't take the results too seriously. :wink:

have 195/60/15 snow tires, which are 1/2" taller and 1/2" wider.

Will taller tires make the mileage read too low or too high?
If the radius is larger that means the circumfrance is also larger. This will result in a further distance covered for the same number of rotations. This causes your odometer to read a lower number than actually traveled. Also, you will be traveling at a higher speed.

Here is a MPG comp. And that is some nice MPGs.

The Princeton unlim-ited division entry won the competition with over 1653 miles per gallon, a new state record, out of its 3.5 horse-power Briggs and Stratton en-gine and an 85-pound alumi-num frame.

i am gettting somewhere between 27-30 mpg. i have tried to vary my driving habits to see if it gets any better, but no. i get the same no matter how i drive.

side note; i have had previous customers calling me to complain about the mileage. i have one guy with an auto who is only getting 24 mpg.

i am gettting somewhere between 27-30 mpg. i have tried to vary my driving habits to see if it gets any better, but no. i get the same no matter how i drive.

side note; i have had previous customers calling me to complain about the mileage. i have one guy with an auto who is only getting 24 mpg.

I was thinking and complaining to my dealer. What do you tell people that call and complain? f off?

First, remember(for those of us in cold climates)that winter fuel is blended for easier starting and greater volatility-at the expense of MPG. Another thing that helps a little for us tightwads is drafting off bigger vehicles to reduce wind resistance (believe it or not, it does work!). One thing I can't understand is the box's super low final drive ratio-if someone/Toyota could raise the final drive to a more intelligent 3.73-1 I bet highway mileage would increase by 4-5 MPG-the last thing I saw geared this low was a dump truck!!! :flame:

My suggestions to get max mileage is to leave it stock except for a K&N filter, fill the stock tires to 35-40 psi and keep the revs below 3,000 rpms. I've done this and can get like 36mpg on flat lands
When you add performance stuff and larger wheels it all cuts into your fuel mileage. Just my 2 cents

i have driven 22k in my xB in the last 9 months, and average 28-30 mpg doing nearly all highway driving. most of this highway driving is 70-80mph, and i have a 5-speed which, as most of you know, revs at 4k rpm at 80mph, a huge difference from the 3100ish rpm of the automatic. i believe in the xB higher freeway speeds exponentially decrease gas mileage, much more so than a more aerodynamic vehicle. i was initially very disappointed in the mileage, as driving the same way in my '97 jetta 2.0 w/ 150k miles on it averaged about 33mpg, when even the EPA highway rating was less than that.

I'm averaging just under 30mpg city/stop and go driving. This is pretty much what I expected, so I'm not disappointed in the least.

So everyone invokes "It has the aerodynamics of a brick, what do you expect?" argument for the less than mind-blowing gas mileage.

Luckily, the xA has essentially the same mechanics & weight, but with apparently better aerodynamics (at least by eye), so I'd like to know what are xA owners averaging for MPG? If it's similar, a different argument is needed.

I'm trying to figure out why when Car & Driver ran an economy car test with an Echo(supposedly the exact same drivetrain)they were able to squeeze 40 MPG out of it on the highway. I know the aerodynamics are bad, but I still think the gearing is stupid-I shouldn't be able to run 5th gear at 20 MPH on flat ground(around 1100 RPM)-my lemon Vibe 1.8L had the 2.92-1 optional ratio, and I saw 40 MPG with 4 people and a full load of luggage on vacation running 75-80, a 1.5L should be able to at least get 35-36 MPG at reasonable speeds(70 or so).

Just filled up from dead empty. Did not top off last time, did not top off this time, same gas station, 324 miles 9.84 gallons = 32.94 MPG I usually get about this if I drive normal. My driving is a pretty fair mix of city and highway, my oil is castrol gtx 5-30, I change it every 2500, my fuel is usually regular, but every 3rd or 4th tank I put in mid grade. 22,000 miles original air filter, original plugs, bone stock, tires checked regularly.

I average 32-33MPG in my xB. No complaints here.

When I was driving from San Diego to Chicago, I even hit 38MPG for 1 tank!!!!

this why I need a 6spd.......

2500 mile oil changes is so far from necessary. why? absolutely no reason to do this. 3k oil changes anymore are so far outdated on modern cars. there's a reason toyota recommends 7500 mile changes, and 5000 for unusually hard use. i do 5k mile oil changes, which the way i drive are really not necessary.

I've averaged a little over 36 MPG for the first 11,000 miles on my manual xB. How do I register my vote in the poll?

2500 mile oil changes is so far from necessary. why? absolutely no reason to do this. 3k oil changes anymore are so far outdated on modern cars. there's a reason toyota recommends 7500 mile changes, and 5000 for unusually hard use. i do 5k mile oil changes, which the way i drive are really not necessary.

Why? because I believe manufacturers will stretch the truth as far as they can without getting sued. If your engine locks up at 100K who cares? At an average of 15k per year thats almost 7 years, car has been paid off for a few years, makes it easy to sell you a new car. :tap:

Why? because 4 quarts of oil @ 1.75 a quart, a 4.99 fram filter, and ten minutes (drive up ramps) adds up to a whopping 75 bucks a year, the cost of a halfway decent dinner for two. :ttth:

Why? because I have 3 astro vans, all with over 200K miles, one just hit 250K, all with original motors. Only breakdowns have been water pumps, alternators, and starters. Never even replaced the valve cover gaskets. :clap:

Why? because I like to! :P

i have noticed that when i drive my xb like a grandma, i get the posted gas mileage, look in your owners manual it tells you when you should shift the std's if you do that, you should fall within the posted mileage, but if you like me i rev high and shift hard, so my mileage is just un 30' @ 28 average

See my thread about a successfull break in on my xB.
I was getting about 33MPG and as soon as I added heavy
17" wheels with wide tires it dropped down to about 26MPG.

I have never had any better than 28 MPG with my '04 Auto. Granted it is better than my old Chevy truck but it is still not what it should be. It was a demo vehical so maybe this weekend i'll look at the plugs and air filter, I only have 9k miles on it.

mine gets waaaaaaay better mileage through mayonaise than through other condiments....
thats funny :rofl:

34.7

I get 33-35 mpg consistantly with about 50-50 city/highway driving, I'm satisfied with it. I don't act like joe racer but i'm not driving like grandma either.

OOPS, i meant to 31 to 33 mpg in previous post.