CoasterGurl

I need your help the best source to get real information on what people are getting gas mileage wise is fueleconomy.gov where real people can post there mileage right along side the EPA test figures. But my problem is I'm always told the EPA is good to determine if a stick or auto would be the best choice on a vehicle, and on most all the scions the auto is more efficient with EPa ratings, but Im seeing real numbers on the website indicating the manual will do approx 3 mpg better. Also along with the thoughts that the stick is more suited for the xB, and now I read on this site some people have done 40 mph some are doing 24.. I actually stopped and asked the owner of an XB, turns out to be an old lady in her 60's, but she loved her car she said she gets about 28-30 around town and commented the ride is rough, which is what I have ready. All the post on gas mileage did not indicate who had autos and who had manual, and some of you made modificatiosn which decreased your gas performance, I guess Im trying to get the best gas mileage, is the EPA doesnt seem to give the Xa much more gas mileage then an Xb, I was thinking the Xa would get like the echo over 40 in a stick, the ratings are lower. So what gives. Help me so I can make a decision, Im all in for the gas mileage, now mind you I just know enough about manual driving to be dangerous, I know I would have to get better at it to be efficient.

George

The xB and the xA share lower gear ratios than the Echo. They're also quite a bit heavier and have more wind drag. This adds up to a sizable mileage hit. You also get a _lot_ more interior space.

As for the manual versus auto debate, I'd say that your mileage has more to do with your driving style than with your choice of treansission. Pick the one that fits your needs and drive conservatively and you'll get decent mileage. I've gotten 28MPG in mostly suburban driving with a stick xB.

Getting 28MPG while enjoying more legroom and headroom front and rear than an Expedition... Priceless!

Sciond

most of the people I know who have manual do slightly better than those that have a manual....I chalk it up to lower rpms at highway speed

Max

There are several gas mileage threads around. Here are a couple of the more informative ones:

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=78894

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=54665

A manual should do better in city driving, and an auto should do better on the highway. The manual has higher revs compared to the auto on the highway. With gentle shifting, the manual can do much better than the auto, but it has a higher range of mileage. It seems my auto is always between 27 and 32 mpg (there are a couple outliers) where an auto will vary more drastically.

If I had it to do over again, I'd get a manual. It's quicker, more fun to drive, and should get better mileage. It's cheaper, too.

camo_chick

I am amazed that people are getting in the 40's with their xB's. I have an automatic and my mileage is usually 30. I am always driving in the city (actually the crowded suburbs) and I think because I am always sitting in traffic and moving a little bit at a time and then just idling the engine my mileage isn't what it could be. 30 is great, but it's the area that I think really has the biggest difference. I think stick vs. auto would only have increased my mileage here by a small amount and it wouldn't have been worth the extra effort of shifting in this kind of driving to be worth it to me. My advice would be to think about the kind of driving that you will be doing.

Also, as much as I like the xA's...you will lose a lot of space if you get one. The xB's have a ridiculous amount of space (headroom and legroom) and I love it. It also has more legroom in the back passenger row than a Toureg. Ha ha! And it's so much cheaper than the fancy shmancy Toureg!

Don't worry so much about mileage...especially with the numbers that they give you. It depends on how you drive and where you live that really has the biggest impact. I traded in a Stratus for this car and I'm getting about 8-9 mpg more than I was before and that's worth it to me.

Plus...the box is not aerodynamic. But it does turn heads! And I love it!

p.s. I have not done any mods that would affect my mileage. I still have 15 inch tires, although I did order some sweet brushed silver wheels, and my car is not lowered in any way. I think when you switch the size of the tire on the car that also can affect the mileage.

George

I'm not. You can't fill the tank consistently full at each gas stop. The only way to get an accurate mileage figure is to accumulate data over a number of tankfuls. If you managed to fill the tank extra full one time and then not so full at the next stop you would get an artificially high figure. The next fillup would result in a artificially low figure, but nobody seems to remember the low figures when bragging about mileage.

Over 20,000 miles, my xB has averaged a bit over 28MPG.

CoasterGurl

Thanks guys, I talked with someone today and they had the manual and they said they can do about 35 mpg on the highway and no worse then 30 in the city. I live in Kentucky, and most of my driving will be open winding roads, speeds around 45 to 60. I really like the space in the vehicel, Im not a big person, and this vehicle makes me feel like Im in a nice sized vehicle and every seat is comfortable for trips.

George

I'd be very suspicious of those mileage numbers. You may be able to make 35 if you drive at a constant 45MPH on level roads, but here in the real world 28-30 is much more realistic. If you plan on that number you may be pleasantly surprised to do a bit better. If you plan on 35 you will almost certainly be disappointed!

George

magicmanjk808

huh?

Newtmaker

My xB here in FL over the past year, 20,500 miles, auto, slightly fatter tires, I have an overall avg of about 32, lowest 28.5 and highest 39.5.
As others have said, get the xB, auto, drive sensibly, and ENJOY!

Walt

bB2NER

I say get the trans you want, not for the mileage difference. They both have pros and cons. The autos final ratio is lower which makes it slower off the line. I got the auto mostly cause I can't see myself shifting a 5spd. 20years down the road. Plus all my other vehicles are a stick.

Tomas

I have a 2005 xB automatic.

Living in the Pacific Northwest I have HILLS to contend with - the driveway up to my apartments is 1/3 of a mile in second gear, for example.

Around town and suburbs (up and down hills with several hundred foot changes in elevation) my mileage varies all over the place, with 23 being my lowest and about 27 being my best.

On uncongested freeways - long trips - I pull about 35-36 MPG at 65-75MPH with no problem.

On congested urban area freeways I'm back to about 27-28 MPG.

The mileage I get around town depends more on how agressively I drive in traffic (and my usual style is reasonably aggressive) than anythng else. Drive gently and I can improve my normal MPG in town by 4 MPG.

The auto is really the better freeway criuser, the stick the better urban ratracer.

jamesgang

I drive an auto - stock wheels and tires. I remember my high and my low mpg. High: just over 40 - twice. Lows: 35.4 and 35.5.
These numbers come from no city or busy suburb driving. Only country roads and highway. With country roads (45-55 mph) netting the best mileage.
And as the post says - a slight difference in the top off will affect two mpg calculations. Though I only do the tank by tank mpg - I don't think I'd be too far off if I said my 24,000 mile average is 37.629011
Drive style is the biggest factor - along with a/c and defroster use. Also, as an example, I drove on very wet roads for one entire tank. Believe it or not, I could even feel the car working hard to push the water out of the way. The mpg for that tank are reported above - 35.5.

Peter_Rabbit

i have a 2004 auto xb with injen s/r intake, 17" wheels with 215 45 tires. i drive 99% highway miles (mostly for work) and only average 28 miles/gallon. even before the mods the best i got was 30 miles /gallon. i don't speed and drive 65 on the highway. maybe i got a lemon?

rmmoore89

My BSP xB is a year old w/ 13700 miles. I do mostly city driving with a bit of freeway mixed in. I average 32mpg consistently and have never had a tank below 29mpg. Highest figure has been 36mpg. I drive drive to stay alive on the roads of Utah, meaning average freeway speeds upwards of 75-80---always. On a recent trip to Boise I got 32mpg, I think mostly due to a packed car (people and gear) and speeds of 80-85 the whole way. That's still a pretty good figure. I think my secret is to accelerate moderately (shifting at 15-25-40-45) and downshifting at the same points. I redline it once or twice a week, but it doesn't seem to affect my mpg too much. All in all I can't complain -- especially with gas prices still in the $2.50/gallon range. 24 bucks a week is pretty good compared to some vehicles out there (cough cough--HUMMER--cough).

XbbbbBox

I have 23,000 miles on 05 Auto XB. The XB has so much more room than an XA! I am on the road every day and keep exact records for my expenses. Here is my experience. I have stock tires-15" except in winter I put on 4 snows and lose about 1mpg. Also I keep about 125lbs of equipment in my car.
Definately better mileage w/stick. My guess from everything I have read and past history w/sticks is plus 2-3-4 mpg. Negative is some day you need to buy a new clutch - no one ever figures this into the equation. I chose an auto for convenience.
My mileage only around town is 28+maybe 29. If I mix w/highway of 65-75 it is usually around 30+. If I drive only on highway mostly 65, and a little 70+ I have seen as high as 34.4. On these rides I have absolutely tried to get the best mileage possible and never seen over the 34 plus mpg. I really find it hard to believe people get over 40mpg! I do suppose driving at 45-50 w/no stops would see much better mileage - but no roads like that around here where I live! The trick is to keep engine in the 2500 - 2700 plus rpm range(over 2900 rpm decreases mileage) when you drive - trick is to keep rpm low, as long as the engine is not lugging.
The ride on an XB is very stiff - I live in the NE and this has got to be one of the worst cars to drive over potholes and bumps. That said the car is my favorite car to drive - like driving a gocart and I can usually scoot around any major bumps. Many people where I live do not get larger rims - often damaged in winter - and the 17"-18" give a much worse ride and decrease mileage. If you get lighter rims mileage could be the same, though usually you get wider tires which decreases mileage more so.
I recently replaced my stock air filter w/K&N stock filter replacement. Higher flow - some people claim slight increase in mpg. Do not have any data on that yet.
Good luck.

stick_1NZ

I drive a stick and the first six months I had the box, i was recording 40+ MPG. A year later it decreased to 35+ MPG. Since gas has gotten so expensive tremedously I drive now at 3K RPM just to save some gas.

jamesgang

Think about this for a second or two. You and I have nearly identical situations. 05/auto/23,000+miles/for work/carrying plus weight. If you look at my driving scenario vs yours (I only keep miles driven for tax purposes - then take the cents/mile deduction) - the ocassional 40mpg should be believable. When one drives NO CITY you eliminate that drag on average mpg. When one drives NO HIGHWAY you eliminate that drag on mpg. It takes ideal conditions to get 40: Driving from town to town on dry, 'county' type, 2 lane roads at 45-55mph; This with no a/c or defroster. It seems foolish, but I actually get off the highway if a suitable two lane is available. I find it quieter (less wind and road noise) and more relaxing. Not that the highways in my area are busy.

wagonbldr

I have a RS 2.0 box with automatic. With 15500 miles on it I consistantly get 33-34 mpg. I have a 70 mile round trip to work and back. I drive through 2 towns (35 mph), with the rest of the trip at 55 mph. Interstate at 70 mph, I can still average 32-33 mpg. My lowest was 27.8 mpg ( first tank ) and highest was 40 mpg. Love the room and the looks.

wagonbldr

Sorry, forgot to mention I am on stock tires with American Racing 686 wheels. Stock air box with K&N filter. No other mods.