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Sedans Chevrolet Malibu Chevrolet Malibu MPG-Real World Numbers
282 messages, Last post on Oct 24, 2009 at 3:58 AM
You are in the Chevrolet Malibu Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
I just switched to synthetic in my '09 4 cyl on Friday at 1900 miles. I've been quite disappointed in fuel mileage so far. I've never gotten over 26 mpg so far. I went camping this weekend and my wife drove the car around town. When I got home, the DIC showed an average of 16.3 mpg. The one thing I have found interesting is that the calculator consistantly reflects better fuel mileage than the DIC. After I've had a chance to put a few tanks in now that I have synthetic, I'll post the mileage figures for before and after.
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Replying to: phil53 (Oct 19, 2008 5:43 pm) The purpose of doing a MPG maximizing test is to see if your fuel economy is off or if its your driving style. To me, highway driving is 100% highway, not 80/20 or any other combination. If you still can't get 33 MPG or better under ideal highway conditions, you may have to consider that your break-in period needs to be extended or that you have a mechanical issue with your engine. If you go to the service department where you bought the car, they may tell you that you need to drive 5,000 miles or more before they will look at it. They may also say that just to blow you off for 6 months. But to look at it from their position, some people drive with a heavy foot and in hilly areas or mix in congested areas and speeds under 40 mph and think that they should get the 33 MPG that the computer says. If you drive under 40 mph (not sure what speed that the 4cyl transmission downshifts from 6th gear) you are not driving in 6th gear and you mileage will be less. So, it will take some time for you to determine if you have a problem and if it is the car or the conditions under which it is being driven. One other thing to check is whether your odometer is reading correctly. I checked mine on a recent trip using my Garmin GPS which tracks miles driven and had 237.9 miles (car) vs 237.2 miles (GPS). You can also drive a highway that has mile markers and compare over 100 miles. Yours should be fine but you have to check all variables to know for sure. That is another reason that service departments may be reluctant to address MPG; the fact that they don't have the time to sort through all the variables that the owner could do. If it were me, and all the above checks out and if the car can't get the desired MPG, then I would go back to regular oil and extend the break-in period and see what happens. Good luck, keep us informed on your results. Oh, and one last thought: I was riding with a friend in his car with a trip computer and he told me that his mileage was the same whether he drove in the city or on the highway. I observed that the MPG did not change even a tenth over 20 miles. I asked him if he reset the computer after each fillup and he didn't know what I was talking about. Turns out that he had nearly 100,000 miles of driving in his data base, and as soon as I hit reset, the tripcomputer began showing results. So, I mention this only because you never know who reads these posts and their understanding of the variables.
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Replying to: ohc6sprint (Oct 20, 2008 7:45 am) So I don't expect to get 33 mpg in routine driving. But, on my other GM products (an Avalanche and a Corvette), I pretty regularly get the EPA ratings - and that under the old rating system. On this car, I'm not even matching the new ratings. I probably won't make a big deal out of it with the dealer. I do want to wait until I can take it on a road trip to see what my actual highway mileage is. I will mention it to them, though. I have a pretty good relationship with the dealer - owner, service manager, service writer, etc. They've always treated me well. I'll let you know how it goes. And I'll post the mileage - both DIC and calculator. |
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Replying to: phil53 (Oct 21, 2008 5:42 pm) You might give it a try...couldn't hurt.
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Replying to: ronbo10 (Oct 22, 2008 7:30 am) been coddling the thing too much, it would seem. I finally decided to do a few max performance accelerations (5 or 6 zero-to-sixty runs), and sure enough my mileage improved significantly thereafter. Interesting... Did you follow the New Vehicle Break-In instructions in the Owner Manual, (p. 2-21): Do not drive at any one speed -- fast or slow -- for the first 500 miles (805 km). Do not make full-throttle starts. ?
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Replying to: ronbo10 (Oct 22, 2008 7:30 am) |
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Replying to: malexbu (Oct 22, 2008 1:40 pm) the Owner Manual, (p. 2-21): Do not drive at any one speed -- fast or slow -- for the first 500 miles (805 km). Do not make full-throttle starts. Yes, as I recall. I tried to stay off the interstates etc. I'm thinking I had been perhaps gentle with it, to the extreme... Definitely no full throttle starts or anything of that nature. |
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I've had mine for one tankful (its a 2007 Maxx LS) and according to the DIC, I'm getting 22.5 mpg in city driving.
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Replying to: turboshadow (Oct 23, 2008 9:56 am)
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Replying to: KarenS (May 31, 2005 8:46 am) Pure highway driving gets me ~38 mpg. When I take an average of the week with some town and rush hour traffic filled in, I'll get 27. Let me note that I'm extremely happy, and confident, in these numbers.
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