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Sedans Nissan Altima Nissan Altima Real World MPG
196 messages, Last post on Nov 29, 2009 at 7:50 PM
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There are some new cars coming out within the next year or so that can reach 230 - 300 miles per gallon. From what I've read, they do no use radical engine technology. The Aptera hybrid gets it's fuel advantage primarily from it's hyper streamlined body design. www.aptera.com The new Volkswagon coming out in 2010 also has a bullet-shape and a regular gas engine with a slightly more efficient fuel injector. It gets its 230 MPG from the shape of the body too. Less air to push around. So are there any kits out there to modify the Altima? I think tossing out the back seat and a lot of junk in the trunk and a streamlined hood can get that kind of mileage on an Altima.
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Replying to: generee (May 01, 2008 8:24 pm) Honestly, the reason I bought six over the four was because of the much quieter engine. It came down to this or an Acura TSX. If the Altima 4 was as quiet as the Acura, I would have bought the Altima with the 4 cylinder. Love the Bose upgraded sound system with a quiet engine. |
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Replying to: billhoo (May 16, 2008 9:58 am) |
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Replying to: billhoo (May 16, 2008 9:58 am) From what I've read, they do no use radical engine technology. The Aptera hybrid gets it's fuel advantage primarily from it's hyper streamlined body design. www.aptera.com The new Volkswagon coming out in 2010 also has a bullet-shape and a regular gas engine with a slightly more efficient fuel injector. It gets its 230 MPG from the shape of the body too. Less air to push around. So are there any kits out there to modify the Altima? I think tossing out the back seat and a lot of junk in the trunk and a streamlined hood can get that kind of mileage on an Altima. And you really believe this? Do you really think anyone can improve the efficiency factor of an internal combustion engine by a factor of 8-10? PT Barnum was right...
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Replying to: jkandler (May 09, 2008 6:45 pm) |
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Replying to: busiris (May 16, 2008 8:07 pm) No wonder Al Gore is making millions on his giant scam. Get ready to be restricted by stupidity and 'carbon credits' as the brainwashed masses allow our country to be governed by international bodies. Control carbon output, you control their economy. Control an economy, you control their country. Very simple - yet the lies and scams continue.......and here we are - paying $4 per gallon for fuel. |
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I now have almost 20,000 miles on my Altima and I have been somewhat dissappointed with the gas milage, but I need to clarify that statement. I drive quite conservatively and I routinely get 10-15% better gas milage than the EPA estimate. For example, I had a 94 Sentra 5 sp that was rated 38 mpg highway but I almost never got less than 42 mpg and many times got 44-46 mpg. We also have a big 2001 Mercury with V-8 rated 25 mpg highway and we can routinely get 28-29. Also, when I say I drive conservatively, by that I mean on the highway I usually get into the right lane, set the cruise on 65 (if the speed limit is 65) and try to stay out of everyone's way. I bought the Altima to replace the Sentra (235,000 miles and still going strong when I gave it to my son tof use as a commuter car). I have not routinely checked non-highway milage but on the highway I can usually get low to mid-30's; on a recent trip from north GA to Frederick, MD I averaged 35 mpg (based on 1,051 miles) in mostly highway drivingl and yes I checked it the proper way, i.e. # miles divided by # of gallons. As one posting observed, air pressure can make a significant difference, the tires on my 07 Altima are rated as 44 psi maximum, yet Nissan recommends 32 psi if I'm not mistaken. In my opinion that is far too low and is designed mostly to give a softer smoother ride. I usually run tire pressure at about 90% of maximum on all my vehicles. Not only does it improve gas milage but the tires seem to wear longer (but you do have to rotate regularly). On my old Sentra (which came with much better Michelein tires), the original tires lasted well over 100,000 miles before needing replacing, again I kept them inflated to 90% of max. I think one reason for lower gas milage on the Altima is the CVT transmission. I have noted when going down some hills -- usually at nonhighway speeds -- the transmission will go to a lower setting (downshift), and the engine speed will increase from around 1,200 rpm to almost 3,000 rpms. This does not happen with a normal AT with gears and certainly is not fuel efficient. But most car manufacturers are going the CVT transmission route these days. I'm sure they are cheaper than 5 and 6 speed AT's still found on many cars but I'm not convinced they are more fuel efficient. I would be interested in learning if anyone else has observed this when driving their Altima. |
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Replying to: nosmoking (May 19, 2008 6:16 am) No, they really aren't (not to sound snippy  ). Nissan is very unique in this regard. The only place you'll see a large number of CVTs is in Hybrid vehicles (Civic Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, etc) because a CVT is in fact more fuel-efficient than a geared transmission, since they can find the perfect RPM for what the driver wants, while a geared transmission is always trying to put you where your right foot tells the car you want to be. I do believe the Dodge Caliber offers a CVT, but it is an anomaly. Otherwise, Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Mazda are all using 4, 5, and 6-speed automatics, depending on model.
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Replying to: nosmoking (May 19, 2008 6:16 am) Isn't that about 10% better than the EPA estimate? I thought the 2.5 Altima was rated at 32 HWY. Also, remember the EPA recently revised its method for determining mileage estimates, too. Also, I think you will see more and more CVT's in the future...less moving parts from a manufacturing point of view, and the infinitely variable number of gear ratios will give the best mileage overall. The big question to be answered is long-term reliability. I can't say why you aren't doing better MPG wise, but for the average driver, if they drive a CVT in a conservative manner (staying at or under 2000 rpm), they will get better mileage.
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Replying to: busiris (May 19, 2008 5:31 pm) So, if you are getting 35 MPG, you are within your expected parameters, aren't you? Altima Rated 31 MPG, you get 35 MPG-12.9% over. Sentra Rated 38 MPG, you get 42 MPG-10.5%...44 MPG-15.7% Mercury Rated 25 MPG, you get 28 MPG-12%...29 MPG-16% Or, am I missing something here?
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