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SUVs Volvo XC90 / XC60 Volvo XC90 Real World MPG
69 messages, Last post on Aug 07, 2008 at 7:14 AM
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Driving with with a very light foot and staying mostly in the right lane at between 60 and 70 mph I got 25.7 mpg for the 370 mi leg from east of Vicksburg MS to my house in Dallas TX. The OE Michelin 4X4 Syncrone 235-65/17 104H tires were inflated to 40 psi. Overall on the roundtrip from Dallas to Gulfport MS (and numerous sidetrips) we logged 1550 miles and used 66.8 gal of gasoline for an average of 23.2 mpg. The EPA hwy estimate for this vehicle (FWD 3.2L 6-cyl 6A 4300lb curb weight) is 22 mpg, the city mpg is 17 mpg. Mountains or serious hills would of course significantly lower the mpg. Using the instantaneous mpg readout I found in one trial that on level ground this XC-90 version uses 20% more fuel to travel a given distance at 70 mph than it does at 60 mph. The high ground clearance, fairly large tires, and overall height take their toll. Data 70 mph.....25.1 mpg => 0.0398 gal/mi 65 mph.....27.0 mpg => 0.0370 gal/mi 60 mph.....30.0 mph => 0.0333 gal/mi
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Replying to: jim314 (Jun 05, 2007 9:35 pm) I am hoping that after break-in on level interstate hwy at a speed of no more than 65 mph this SUV might get close to 27 mpg. It does take some discipline to keep the speed this low however. I plan to get a trailer hitch on the XC-90 and tow a light, aerodynamic cargo trailer, which will increase the fuel use some, but I hope not too much. The one I have in mind is this one, but I cannot decide which one.
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Replying to: jim314 (Jun 06, 2007 5:42 am) |
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Replying to: fluid15 (Oct 10, 2006 11:19 am) Update: I haven't hand calculated it, but the few times i drive the XC90 the computer now indicates ~ 19.3 mpg. Seems to have gotten better but I'll need to verify it at the pump. |
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| Anyone know the mpg difference between FWD and AWD in the xc90? | |
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The other day in the 07 XC90 3.2 FWD (7500 mi on ODO) I got a computer mpg of 27.3 mpg for 50 miles of highway travel at about 60 mph. This is the highest I have ever seen in computer average over any significant distance. Just prior to this trip I had changed the oil to Mobile1 0W-40 "European Car Formua", but I am not claiming this is the source of significantly improved highway mpg. Highway cruising at 60 mph is kinda tame in a vehicle where the max on the speedometer is 160 mph! I am not claiming that "I got 27 mpg", but still this is a pleasant event. It makes me think that now that the vehicle is broken-in I may get better highway mileage than at first. The computer now reads 20.7 mpg on this same tank after a few days of short to medium trips in Dallas, not in rush-hour traffic. I had driven about 80 miles, then filled-up with Shell Premium 93 octane AKI right next to US 75 (not Interstate, but IH quality ). In Dallas we do not get AKI 91 octane. Shell is a "top-tier" fuel, which means it has a very high detergent content, but, as far as I know, it does not have a higher energy content in BTU/gal. I use Shell because I think it will keep the injectors cleaner. Sometimes I put in equal parts of Shell 89 and 93 to get 91, which Volvo says is the recommended fuel, even though the owners manual prominately states the regular AKI 87 is acceptable. I laid into the accelerator pretty good to enter US75 and then settled into the center lane and pretty much stayed there. Traffic was moderately heavy, but moving well so I just stayed out of the left lane. I did not draft on any of the multitude of large semis on this route. The vehicle just had its 1st oil change and I gave the Volvo dealer 8 quarts of Mobile1 0W-40 "European Car Formula", one of the recommended oils for the XC90 in the Dallas TX climate. In winter 0W-30 (if it exists) would be expected to give even better mpg, but I expect this current oil fill to last well into the hot Dallas summer. Also, I am not sure that 0W-30 or even 5W-30 is a recommended oil. The owners manual is a little confusing on the recommended oils. In the next change I may switch to Mobile1 5W-30, because we don't hot-rod up steep grades, and right now we don't pull a heavy trailer at high speed in the mountains. The Volvo service advisor said they put in 5W-30 Valvoline Synthetic Blend and I could have had this for free as part of the free 7500 mile service. I am pretty careful with money, and it hurt me to pass up a gift of 8 quarts of good oil, but I intended to switch to Mobile1 after break-in, and I had the oil with me, so I requested that they use my Mobile1. Eight quarts of Mobile1 cost me about $50 to $60 at AutoZone. If I had to do it again, I'd probably accept their oil. In my 2004 V70 168 hp non-turbo I use Mobile1 10W-30 Extended Performance and change once a year or about 8 kmi whichever comes first. I am considering extending the oil change interval to 10 kmi -12 kmi or one year. |
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Hello, 1st time poster. I have a 2005 XC90 V8 AWD, 39K miles. In LA traffic best average computer mpg is 15.6. My question, has anyone had any experience with dealer reprogramming either the engine/ fuel system or the transmission expressly for better mileage? Our car seems to spend a lot of rpm's looking for the right gear to be in and it seems the converter could lock up earlier. Any experience with changing to synthetic oil for more MPG? I keep the tires inflated and am considering next size larger, +3/4 - 1" diameter. Thanks for any help.
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Replying to: cactus13 (Apr 05, 2008 9:05 pm) Changing to synthetic oil cannot do any harm and might reduce engine wear and reduce the formation of deposits. I supplied the dealer with Mobile1 0W-40 (one of the recommended grades for the 3.2L I6) for the first change at 8000 miles on my wife's 2007 FWD XC90 3.2 (takes 8 quarts). I did not see a significant mpg improvement, but I intend to continue to use Mobile1. In my 2004 V70 non-turbo 2.4L I5 5A I have used Mobile1 10W-30 from the first change. It gets 20 mpg city and over 30 mpg highway--lightly loaded 34 mpg at 75 mph on the IH. The best I have ever seen with the XC90 is 24 mpg over several hundred miles on flat IH at 65 mph with the tires at 40 psi. I have wondered if the Volvo dealer could make a software change to improve fuel economy, but I haven't asked them. I'm reluctant to mess with a vehicle that works even though I'd like better fuel economy. I think a lot of people spend money on various mods which have no benefit and which do potential or actual damage to their vehicles. You would be wasting money to change to tires 3.5% larger in diameter and this might adversely affect the stability control and braking sustems. Would 3.5% larger tires even fit without rubbing? Then you'd have to pay to have the odometer and speedometer recalibrated. The tires on my wife's 2007 XC90 3.2 FWD are 235/65-17, which have a diameter of 29.0 inches. This is plenty of tire for this vehicle. I would not substitute my judgement for that of the Volvo engineers unless I got an authoritative opinion that this would be appropriate. 235/70-17 (if it exists) has a diameter of 30.0 inches which would raise the vehicle another 0.5 inch off the ground. Could this affect stability in emergency maneuvers? Size 255/65-17 (if it exists) has a diameter of 30.1 inches and would likewise raise the vehicle 0.5 inch.
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Replying to: jim314 (Apr 06, 2008 4:52 am) The vehicle was moderately loaded with 2 human occupants, 3 dogs, and camping gear. On one all interstate leg of 369.8 mi it used 14.362 gal giving 25.7 mpg. This was on the OE oil, not the Mobile1 10W-40 "European Car Formula". I personally wonder a little about the prescription in the owner's manual for using 0W-40 oil, but it was there so I did it. I may start using Mobile1 10W-30 Extended Performance like in my 2004 V70, or maybe M1 5W-30 Extended Performance. Why would Volvo recommend an oil with "40" as the viscosity index at operating temperature?
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Replying to: jim314 (Apr 06, 2008 5:57 pm) 1. Original oil was changed at 7251 mi and 385.2 gal of fuel used => 18.8 mpg. This included 1550 mi of a mostly interstate hwy trip requiring 66.75 gal, so the non-trip mileage and fuel used was 5701 mi / 318.45 gal => 17.9 mpg. 2. Distance and fuel use on the Mobile1 0W-40 is 1715 mi /96.9 gal = 17.7 mpg. I still intend to use Mobile1 probably 0W-40 because that is a viscosity grade recommended in the manual. |
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