Ask the Car People.SM


Scion Owners: MPG-Real World Numbers

507 messages,  Last post on Nov 17, 2011 at 6:49 PM

You are in the Scion tC Forum.

What is this discussion about? Scion tC, Scion xB, Scion xA, Fuel Efficiency (MPG)

Messages Page 50 of 52

#485 of 507 Update 2008 xB 5-speed MPG by dave594

Jun 14, 2009 (7:27 am)

I've begun driving my 2009 xB with manual tranny on a 120 mile daily commute. 75% highway driving average speed 65 mph on the freeways, with some occasional stop and go (this is Washington DC area after all). I've been consistently getting 30-32 mpg, and this is with the AC on. It's not as good as my Corolla (which got nearly 40 mpg), but decent for a car this size.

#486 of 507 Re: Update 2008 xB 5-speed MPG [dave594] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jun 14, 2009 (8:28 am)

Replying to: dave594 (Jun 14, 2009 7:27 am)
Probably the aerodynamics are dragging down your MPG numbers. I have noticed on the xA and xBs that as soon as you go above 65 mph, the MPG starts to drop noticeably.

#487 of 507 Pump 'er UP by therealhboggs

Sep 03, 2009 (5:07 pm)

I found out long ago (I have 94K on my 2006 xA) that if you increase the air pressure your MPG will go up significantly. I am running 38 all around. I have my tires rotated and balance every 5k and I have 40K on the tires with no abnormal wear. Yes, the ride is more "bumpy", but you'll smile more at the pump!!

#488 of 507 '09 xD by mcmax

Sep 06, 2009 (8:14 am)

New '09 xD automatic. First tank was 29 mixed driving. Several tanks later...latest mpg was 31+ with AC and 75+ highway speeds + city miles.

#489 of 507 Re: mpg [Mr_Shiftright] by joseph07

Nov 19, 2009 (12:52 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 20, 2008 11:01 am)
Hi, I also have a 2006 xA with 36K mi. I bought it recently and I believe the dealer change the oil and filters. Yet I am not getting more than 240mi per tank/10.28 gal. I drove to East Stroudsburg from NYC and after 240 I needed to put more gas. Do you think this is normal? I expected at least 340 for this small car. My ex has a 6cyl 2005 Subaru Legacy and with 12 gal I've driven 400 miles. That is ~330 for 10gal, in a 6cyl car. What do you suggest? Should I check if the oil filter needs to be emptied out a little bit? Thank you for your help in advance.

#490 of 507 Re: mpg [joseph07] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 19, 2009 (8:28 am)

Replying to: joseph07 (Nov 19, 2009 12:52 am)
Well first off please excuse me but I find it really hard to believe that a 3.0 Subaru can achieve 33+ mpg, because that is 75% higher than it is rated to get. (EPA rating is 20 mpg) It's not my intention to be critical or to question your math skills, only to introduce the following suggestion:
 
You really have to calculate mpg based on a number of fills-ups, not just one trip. Doing it for just one trip can be wildly inaccurate, because of variation in fill up technique, blends of gas, how the car sits, how fast you are driving that day, etc.
 
Also, you may recall that many people here have mentioned that once little Scion engine gets over 65 mph, the gas mileage drops like a rock.
 
So I'd say calculate at least 5-6 fillups and let us know how it's going.

#491 of 507 EPA and MPG inaccuracy by joseph07

Nov 19, 2009 (12:28 pm)

I have read your comment and thank you. Just to clarify, I drove in my ex's car to at least 4 different places this year and believe or not I calculated the amount of miles I got on each trip. From The Bronx to Washington, or to Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Toronto I could calculate at least 340 gal each time I filled up the tank. Now, the reason I made this comparison is because I believed my Scion would let me go to East Stroudsburg (~110mi) and come back with only one tank. Well it didn't and I had to fill it up when I reached Fort Lee, NJ. I just put 10.5 gal after having put 10.28 last November 11. That is just one week for 225 mi driving from my house to Manhattan and a couple of times to Yonkers.
 
I understand how MPG works, but you don't have to be a savvy to understand that by zeroing your odometer seeing that is has measured 225 mi when is time to put gas again this means your tank only gave you that amount for the 10.2 gallons you put the last time and in just 8 days. But I will make sure I do a couple of fueling to be able to provide you with more accurate information.
 
One more thing, is it possible that when the filters were changed they were set to be filled up with a ratio higher than what's recommended?

#492 of 507 Re: EPA and MPG inaccuracy [joseph07] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 19, 2009 (2:52 pm)

Replying to: joseph07 (Nov 19, 2009 12:28 pm)
I have no idea why the Subaru should exceed EPA estimates by nearly 100%. I guess driving it a certain way could do that---I dunno what to say. Subarus are notorious gas hogs for their engine size, as a rule--especially the 3.0. So what I'm saying is that don't judge your Scion by this rather miraculous result. It's some kind of anomaly.
 
Regarding the Scion--one thing to keep in mind is that these little cars are geared (in the transaxle gearing) for acceleration, not for top speed. They are, in other words, not a "long-legged" car. This is why the 65mph + penalty kicks in.

#493 of 507 Re: EPA and MPG inaccuracy [joseph07] by crazedcommuter

Nov 24, 2009 (9:28 pm)

Replying to: joseph07 (Nov 19, 2009 12:28 pm)
I have an 05 XB with automatic. Is your XA auto or manual? The stick shift has a higher 5th gear RPM than the auto so it gets less mpg.
 
Are the tires the stock 15" or are they upgraded to 16. 17, or 18"? Tire pressure at 35psi? Oversize rims and tires rob the Scion of mpg. I also get less MPG with the tire pressure set at the door sticker of 29psi. Oversize tires will make you lose mpg substantially as well as some oversize aftermarket exhausts. Some posters have complained that CAIs have robbed them of 8-10 mpg.
 My mpg drops from 32 to 28 when the stock 15" tires are rotated at the tire shop and they set the pressure back to 29psi.
 
Have the plugs been changed with platinum tipped plugs as specified by Scion? I change the air filter every 10k miles and the oil is 5w-30 full synthetic.
 I have 101,000 on mine and it still gets 32-33 mpg and average about 330 miles per tank. I run it regularly from DC to NJ and back at speeds up to 80.
 
I hope some of this helped.

#494 of 507 Re: EPA and MPG inaccuracy [crazedcommuter] by joseph07

Nov 26, 2009 (2:58 am)

Replying to: crazedcommuter (Nov 24, 2009 9:28 pm)
My 06 xA is automatic and came with 15" tires. Last time I tested for tire pressure was about two weeks ago and made sure these were at about 32psi each. Perhaps this have something to do with it.
  
Regarding the plugs, I have no idea whether these are platinum or any other material. I just know that when I bought it last month I expected the auto dealer to perform a 26 points inspection (whatever this means) and assumed they would change oil and plugs or anything that is considered essential for good performance after some months being parked.
 
It currently has 37150 and as I said before, not in this opportunity, for instance, I put $30.02/10.5 gal on November 19 and combined it with a fuel system cleaner I got from AutoZone. That day I got 50 miles for 1 gal according to the gas meter, but the day after began to decrease progressively. As for today, it shows 198 mi for about 7.5 out of 10 gal consumed.
 
Another thing I've noticed is that the gas meter fluctuates a lot, even when I turn the car on the same day. The other day saw it marked 5 gal (I assume each line represents one gal since it hast 10 in total) during the night, and when I turned on the next morning it had dropped to 4.5 gal or less.
 
To make it easier, I already know the car has some kind of filtration, although the guys from Toyota service told me there is no gas leaking. It might be the tank cap or something like that, but I am thinking of taking it to another shop for another check up.
 
Thank you for your comment.

Messages Page 50 of 52

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement