I just filled up my auto 09 MG xD for the first time. After the first tank, I got 27.2 mpg.
Not sure if maybe the dealer uses the filthiest, cheapest gas they can find, or if mpg will improve with time (it seems that's the case reading here). This is about 50/50 city and highway.
I'm hoping the mpg will improve with time. I would do a dance if my ride was getting me 35-40mpg. Can all you present speak to if this is realistic??

 

Getting above 35mpg will be hard to do, even if you drive carefully. There are some people who have gotten pretty good mpg, but for the most part it seems everyone is in the low 30s.

 

so curious, why do you think that engine brake saves more gas than neutral and braking. If you shift to neutral you can do so earlier and coast longer than you could with the car in gear. Braking vs using the engine to slow does not use any different amounts of gas. I have heard a rumor that on some cars, engine braking can cause the fuel injectors to turn off completely so you save over idling. But i really doubt this. Plus coasting will conserve momentum more and give you a longer distance to roll at idle.

The reason why i doubt the fuel cutoff myth, is because cars would have to be engineered differently for autos vs manuals. Autos dont engine brake and an auto does not pull the engine like a manual does. So teh engineers would have to make the computer controll the fuel injectors differently just for manuals. I doubt they do and i bet that while engine breaking you use the same amount of gas that you would with idle. As a matter of fact if you engine brake for too long and your rpms get too low, the engine starts to fight and stall . This shows that you dont save any gas engine braking.

 

xDelight i wouldnt worry about the first tank. Chances are the dealer didnt top it off and if you are going by the computer, it probably idled in place for more than normal. Do the calculations and give it some break in. (so i hear)

 

yeah wouldn't worry about it

i had low 20's on my first tank (and that was the comp calculation too! )

3rd tank much better low 30's (had a period of high 30's but that was mostly highway)

 

Yeah, actually the 27.2 figure was my calculation, which would of course be skewed if the dealer didn't top it off all the way (ANGER!!). The posts seem to indicate that mileage improves after some break in, so I suppose I'll have to just keep driving it!! Awwwww...... nuts!!! Thanks for the replies!

 

I have been hovering at 32 mpg on my first tank. Half city half highway. Hoping it goes up from here!

 

it hurts looking at the comp calc avg mpg go from 38 -> 30 while i drive in the city

 

this is the first car i've had with an on-board comp, so i'm not 100% about how it works. my question is, regardless of the debate as to whether coasting out of gear to a stop is more fuel efficient than coasting in gear to a stop:

if i coast OUT of a gear to a stop (or if i coast in neutral on a flat after a downhill), does the comp factor in that distance when it works out the avg mpg reading for my tank of gas? or is coasting distance not calculated?

i'm just starting my 3rd tank, so i know i might see improvement anyway, and i don't think i've found the ideal shifting thresholds yet for my manual. i'm driving about 75% city / 25% highway. all of my tanks are in the 27 - 29 mpg avg range.

 

I've been averaging between 38 and 43 mpg mixed mostly and for life of vehicle (2300mi) it is 36 mpg. Love it! I use BP mostly.

 

mine is bad since the weather got cold. I ahve to constantly have the A/C on to keep the windows from foggin. that's one of the reason I got rid of my last car for this one. I use the A/C more now than in the summer....Boooooo! with the meter's margin of error(reads bout 4mpg's higher than actual), I average 23 mpg this tank. the meter shows 27. may as well drive my xB all winter. it doesn't fog on the inside

 

34-35 commuting with one passenger. I can "hypermile" it up to 38 if I really focus on my driving.

 

This was a huge discussion over at the TDI Club (diesel VWs). The engine computer reports zero fuel usage when coasting in gear as long as the RPMs are above 1,100 or so. Then it was proven that this is the case by the people who have exhaust temp gauges. When coasting down a long hill in gear, the ET drops like a rock until it is pretty much the same as the outside air temp (a few degrees higher after picking up heat from the engine). There is no way that you'd see a 100 degree exhaust temp if there was any fuel being burned.

I don't know about the Toyota gas engines, but I wouldn't be surprised if a modern engine like this one can shut off fuel completely. I don't know much about gasoline engines, but in a diesel the injectors have a "cracking" pressure. They do not inject until the fuel pressure rises enough to open the needle valve in the injector. When no fuel is needed (coasting in gear), the quantity adjuster collar in the injection pump slides to a position that provides much lower fuel pressure than what would ever open the injectors.

Also, an auto trans would drag the engine while coasting unless (like some old Audis) they drop to neutral while coasting. Most of them stay in gear. My Sprinter van will actively downshift to maintain cruise control speed using engine braking. Also, you can prove that an auto trans will drag the engine by push (or tow) starting an auto. I have done this many times.

Basically, as far as fuel savings, it comes down to the situation. Coasting in gear will not coast as far... so you might have to use gas to get further. If you can coast in gear the whole way, you'll use very little -- if any -- fuel.

 

So... as I'm waiting a month for my xD to come in, my brother picked up his new Honda Fit yesterday. I don't know how accurate it is, but so far (less than 100 miles on it) the readout is reporting 44 MPG!

Since the Fit and the xD have exactly the same EPA numbers (for 5-speeds), I am hoping I can get those kind of numbers. Of course, only time will tell if those numbers are accurate, anyway.

 

wow. 44mpg and it could look like this!

 

Lol... yeah, but his is orange!

 

I don't think you will be getting the same MPG as the Honda Fit honestly. The MPG between everyone who has reported their xDs MPG has varied greatly and it only seems a few people get numbers in the high 30s. :?

 

The key to getting high 30's are NO Ethanol derived fuels, increase tire pressure to ~40 psi, coast when you can and no jack-rabbit starts. I've seen over 38 mpg in the summer time, forget it in the winter....

 

Good to know. I'm not an extreme hypermiler, but I usually got 52 MPG plus in my TDI when running regular diesel fuel and about 48 MPG with biodiesel. That's not extreme, but a little higher than the average TDI driver. Can't wait to see how my mileage skills translate to a gasser.

 

my buddy has a TDI Golf. freakin 750 miles to a tank. no wonder oil execs jacked the diesel prices up. I remember when it was the cheapest gas. still is, but they want you to buy non fuel effecient cars. think about it. especially now. who's thinkin about gas mileage? really. $1.80 a gallon compared to $4.50