I own a SLM 4WD EX.

I purchased it almost 2 months ago, on April 12, 2003.

Every time I fill up the tank I have been keeping track of my fuel mileage, here are the results:

(note: this is all with mixed driving, about 60% freeway, 40% city, a/c on very rarely, hard acceleration very rarely)

1st fill up:
4/18/03
228 (odo)
218.4 (trip)
11.836 gallons
=
18.45mpg

2nd fill up:
4/24/03
449 (odo)
221.7 (trip)
11.996 gallons
=
18.48mpg

3rd fill ip:
4/30/03
655 (odo)
205.1 (trip)
11.305 gallons
=
18.14mpg

4th fill up:
5/5/03
912 (odo)
256.9 (trip)
12.460 gallons
=
20.62mpg

5th fill up:
5/12/03
1123 (odo)
211.5 (trip)
11.401 gallons
=
18.55mpg

6th fill up:
5/16/03
1349 (odo)
226.2 (trip)
11.484 gallons
=
19.69mpg

7th fill up:
5/22/03
1582 (odo)
233.2 (trip)
12.542 gallons
=
18.59mpg

8th fill up:
5/28/03
1822 (odo)
246.7 (trip)
11.844 gallons
=
21.47mpg

9th fill up:
6/02/03
2062 (odo)
232.8 (trip)
12.152 gallons
=
19.16mpg


Overall Mileage over 9 fill ups:
19.24 mpg

I'm dissappointed in the mileage I'm getting from my E. I thought I would be stepping up from my 1991 Accord (in which I was getting at least 22 mpg, driven more aggressively than my E).

Has anyone else taken detailed fuel mileage logs?

I calculate my gas mileage on every tank, and I am consistently getting between 23-25 mpg (last 3 tanks: 23.6, 24.4. 23.5 mpg). I think I'm on my 8th or 9th tank now. The driving conditions have been mixed; some interstate, some town, some slow on my country road. I think I'm a fairly conservative driver, or at least I have been with my new E. Interstate speeds usually about 70-72 mph. Oh, and I've had the air conditioning on a good percent of the time I've been driving.

SOP EX AWD

Yeah, I calculate my gas mileage too, and find that it is well below what I wanted it to be. Disappoints me, greatly.

Shaka.

Finding that I am getting somewhere between 22 - 25. I did have one tank below the 20 mark but I believe that is because was I driving in a lot of wind and rain. Feels like the monsoon season here in the North East.

95% of my miles are on the highway driving right around 72 mph on cruise control. Drive to work is 105 miles round trip and seem to fill up every two and a half days of work. About 275 before I refill... never let it get to "E" because I never know when I may get stuck in traffic. Getting much better then my '01 Escape which was about 20-21 mpg.

Smyth

I'm averaging between 21 and 24 mpg
I'm thrilled
I have a Jeep Wrangler with Header and Catback - 4" lift, 35" tires, etc etc
I'm getting twice the milage I was getting!
Now the Jeep is just a toy and not my daily driver

ORANGEE
:P :P :P

Bought mine on Feb. 28 and since then have pretty consistently gotten 23 to 24 mpg. Once or twice got only 22-point-something, and on a long trip once I got 25-point-something.

I'm with ORANGEE. Always between 21-24. Haven't had the opportunity to take any long trips. Sure beats my 98 Lightning.

I have had my E since March 14 and have over 10,000 miles on it. Just took it to California from Charlotte, NC and will be making the trip back in about a week. I have averaged at right about 25 mpg on this trip. That made me very happy since I pay 1.29 for 91 octane in Charlotte, and here in Los Angeles its like 1.68 for 86 octane. Overall very happy with the mileage.

I seem to be getting around 260 miles to the tank myself and I have been filling up imediatly when the gas light comes on.

Interesting Topic!
One of the factors influencing our decision to buy has been the lousy mileage. It it the shape's wind resistance or what? We get better mileage than many of you are reporting on our Vette with 100 more HP that has technology thats 20 years old (Ok car is lighter..but its a bloody V8!) Honda claims to be very "clean"...but despite their excellent efforts with hybrids their cars line's overall mileage is still a bit disappointing.
We really like the overall Element concept and will probably buy for its flexible utility.....but wish it was a little more cost effective to maintain!

[quote:ad76bcf391="CorvetteArchives.com"]Interesting Topic!
One of the factors influencing our decision to buy has been the lousy mileage. It it the shape's wind resistance or what?
We really like the overall Element concept and will probably buy for its flexible utility.....but wish it was a little more cost effective to maintain![/quote:ad76bcf391]

Lousy mileage compared to what? The Element gets better mileage than many other small to midsize sport utilities. And I'm not sure why you'd say it's expensive to maintain; it's routine maintenance schedule is remarkably sparse. While it doesn't get the mileage of a Civic it's not a compact sedan (nor is it a 2-seater sports car). The Rav4 gets better mileage but it's smaller and not as versatile.

Very funny to compare a corvette to an element :roll:
Honda has the most efficiency engines on the market base on clean/fuel consumption and power 8)
Have you ever see a stock american production car (GM, ford or Chrysler)with an engine developping 120 HP per liter ? :shock:
Why Saturn want to use Honda V6 engine into his car ? Because, GM is not able to create an engine as clean as this 240 HP V6, only 3.0 liters... To produce this amount of HP, GM need a 3.8 liters with a compressor :shock:
Now, how many stuff can you carried into your Corvette ? :roll:

More cost effective to maintain? This vehicle is designed to be very cost effective, how about 10,000 miles between oil changes
That's not cost effective? - what plant is Corvetteconcepts.com living on?
If you are getting over 22miles a gallon in your V8 Corvette you must be driving it like a grandma

ORANGEE
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

I keep track of milage more or less. On it's "maiden voyage" from RI to VA.....all highway....best milage was 27mpg./ 23 about average.
I used to have a Civic....so this is definitely an adjustment but the hauling capacities of the E are worth it. we seem to have the two back seats out of the car more than in!

[quote:d9df9fcbbb="ORANGEE"]More cost effective to maintain? This vehicle is designed to be very cost effective, how about 10,000 miles between oil changes
That's not cost effective? - what plant is Corvetteconcepts.com living on?
If you are getting over 22miles a gallon in your V8 Corvette you must be driving it like a grandma

ORANGEE
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:[/quote:d9df9fcbbb]

Basicly I agee with alot you guys are saying.....very valid..BUT guess not explaining my point clearly enough
Staggie......right related to other SUV's.....but my point is more kinda being ticked off at Feds basicly.....lousy CAFE standards....arent pushing technological development the way it should. Its been 20 years since our Vette that had some intersting technology.....during deceleration fuel becomes delivery becomes leaner and computer corrects to retain decent driveability all with a computer that isnt even a Comodore 64 quality. Does this effect performance? Slightly, car has to bve tuned rather delicately or it will "chuggle" but 9 out of 10 drivers dont ven know the car does it! Quite frankly the big American SUV's market trend has poisoned Good companies like Honda who would have already adapted hybrid technology like in insight into entire line if it was more cost effective.....but consumers compare to the big American SUV's......and we all lose in cost of maintenance. "Poor" milage in Element is also alittle "boxier" than many suv's.....in reality its really an awesome looking VAN (not complaining just stating interpretation of its design)due to its height and wonder if making it a little less boxy in height and losing a slight bit of headroom would have affected the design and gained a little more mileage.

As for maintenace cost....wasnt addressing that aspect...Honda's are notoriously reliable.....its the fuel consumption aspect I was refering to.

Eric, I know kinda wacko comparison in every aspect......but was refering to the engine technology :) Ad to hauling stuiff I have greatewr flexabiulity with the Vette in EVERY aspect except for passengers. Grated the Element has alot of utility....but its also relative since its still less utility that a 4 banger pickup truck. I can also haul a heck of alot more stuff with a V8 than a little 4 banger even if I use the Element to its max capacity.I can haul a trailer/boat/RV full of with stuff behind the Vette and get the same milage although lose the passenger utility...so its a tradeoff. Ok it may not look totally cool........but it will work!

Orangee.........are you taliking about oil changes? EVERYBODY can get at least 10,00 miles out of Mobil 1 or comparable synthetic oil. I've changed out cars with 20,000 miles with Mobil 1 and it looks virtually as clean as when it went in........basicly all cars today from any manufacturer are same so dont think thats an issue. Ad to driving like a grandma.....that is a frequent misnomer regarding ignorance of well engineered performance cars. Let me educate any other non believers
Example mileage. I have onboard computer that lets me monitor all this info......so its not guessing!
Spinning wheels around isnt a true indication of the "REAL WORLD" mileage we're discussing here.... We're talking AVERAGE reasonable driving with similar performance aspects. Around town cruising the vette averages 18-20 MPG...thats with 100 more HP and a boatload more torque ....spin the wheels alittle at every light and that drops to 16MPG. But same thinng happens in any Element if you drive aggressively right? The town average seems to be pretty much the same between the 2 cars which is pretty sad considering! The element gets BLOWN away on the highway by the vette in mileage which is VERY disappointing! At a cruise of 65-75 MPH I've averaged as high as 32 MPH Highway...on a 140 mile trip through NJ,NY,CT....yes!! NO BS.!.(thats not "instant MPG"....just no traffic. If I average by the tank the way you guys are since you dont have computer I routinely get 26-29 MPG cruising at similar speeds to you guys. Why is it better? I think the factors are Drag Coefficient(thats why Honda coulda made E Less Boxy) and Rpm's..you guys burn one heckof alotta fuel trying to maintain speed up hill shifting gears and the like.....vette doesnt need to shift at all..
Dont get me wrong I really like the E and will probably get one for hauling kid around ...but I'm just making the technology comparison being disappointed that the E isnt a available as cool hybrid yet.......hey if Ford is gonna do it with escape (*...No doubt Honda will soon...I'd rather kick in extra $5,000 for that technology that spend it on duel power sunroof like somebody else here did!
:P

What I was getting @ was the people bitchen about the mileage they are getting. There is a federally mandated sticker on every vechile sold in the US that has the anticipated mileage you can expect to get in that vehicle.
So the mileage you are getting in your E is within what the sticker says. Case closed - you can visit the fed site @ www.fueleconomy.gov

as for the mileage on the 'Vette, I stand corrected - per the sticker on my granma's vette the 5.7 L automatic -Premium gas (not real economical) avg's are 18 city and 25 highway

ORANGEE
8) 8) 8)

I have 4,000 miles on my 2WD EX. I have kept careful records of my mileage since my first tank of gas and I have never gotten more than 19.3 MPG regardless of driving conditions, which vary. The "E" was advertised to get slightly better mileage than this "23-26" was on the sticker. (Maybe that was downhill with a brisk tail wind)?
My dealer says it could be the gas (not). I am hoping that a trip to the service Dept. will make things better (and not worse). I was told that they would have to drive the car approx. 30 miles under "controlled conditions" to determine the "correct mileage". I am not exactly anxious to have some technician drive my car any distance, and I am disappointed that they don't trust my calculations! :)

Hank, I would be very interested in what the service department's final discovery turns out to be. I have about 3000 miles on my E and the very best gas mileage I have gotten is 21mpg. But, on the average only getting about 19mpg. Sure would like to figure out a way to improve it. I am running a tank of premium in it right now to see if that has any effect at all.

Checking back in... after a few more tanks since my last post... last three tanks, 25.5 to 26.5 avg. Same driving conditions as before... all highway and about 72 MPH Cruise.

Well, a trip to the dealer (service Dept.) to determine what (if anything) is causing my poor mileage (19-21 MPG) was seemingly uneventful...and a waste of time. They told me that everything "checked out OK". They looked into things like the injection system and the O2 sensors and fuel lines, air filter, etc. One service manager told me (jovially !) "that's about what you can expect from something with no aero-dynamics and a lot of weight". I was disheartened to say the least. Now I am wondering how Honda can advertise that this vehicle is rated for "21-27 MPG" on the window sticker??
I also wonder if the other "E" owners reporting higher mileage aren't calculating it incorrectly? The dealer told me that everyone is getting the same mileage from this engine in the "E" (19-21 MPG). And a 4x4 should get a bit less.
Meanwhile, I got the car home and went grocery shopping and the bottle of Pepsi I bought rolled out of the back door onto the pavement and EXPLODED.....all over my interior (of couorse!). I spent an hour trying to remove Pepsi from the dashboard and headliner, seats, carpets, etc.
Does anyone know a good exorcist? (LOL) :shock:

Yuck! Sorry about the Pepsi, Hank!

But, I am quite sure that I am calculating the gas mileage correctly. I am consistently getting 23-25 mpg with my EX 4WD. That is with mixed driving conditions, ranging from my dirt road to interstate, at least half with the AC on. I haven't done any long road trips yet to check the straight interstate gas mileage.

Most of my driving (3/4) is with the A/C on because I'm in Florida. The good news is that the Pepsi came off of every surface without a mark!
Yea! rubberized interiors! (But I'm switching to coke). :D

EX AWD SOP about 1400 miles

I get no better than 20 MPG. City only drving on my last tankful was 18 MPG.


Was hoping for 20% better. Hopefully as the car breaks in it will improve?

highway trip from Columbus, Ohio to Washington D.C. :: 25 MPG

Not bad for a whole lotta hills.

It seems like there are two distinct groups when it comes to gas mileage. Those getting great gas mileage, and those getting less than expected. Have to wonder why that is. A friend of mine was suggesting that since motors even though rated as a certain horsepower fall within a range--some lower and some higher. Do you think it is possible that those that are falling in the higher range of horse power are the E's that are getting poorer gas mileage? I don't know, maybe this whole line of thinking is crazy, and maybe I am looking for a justification for my LOUSY gas mileage!! :) You know, if I was getting more horse power, than it would a compensation for the lack of fuel economy.

[quote:f835a88dc5="pedsflightrn"]It seems like there are two distinct groups when it comes to gas mileage. Those getting great gas mileage, and those getting less than expected. [/quote:f835a88dc5]

I was thinking this might be 2wd vs 4wd?

I don't think it's a two VS four wheel drive issue since several posters here with 4wd say they get better than 21 MPG (if those figures are correct?). It may have something to do with the gas where you live since it does vary regionally. The other factors are the type of driving you do ( HWY/ Traffic) and the type of driver you are. I know that here in Florida I have the A/C on almost all the time and the traffic is usually stop and go so that does make things worse but I have also driven several hundred miles on the HWY with no A/C on and still gotten only 19MPG. I doubt if there is any difference in engine horsepower (since the "e" only comes with one standard 24 valve DOHC). So, we either have to grin and bear it or intstall a sail. :idea: :D [color=blue]

How about checking your odometer. It used to be that the speedometer/odometers were typically off by 10%.
I have a manual transmission with 4WD and over 2 tanks am getting 22mpg with 75% being the the foothills on winding roads. I hoped for more but expected about this. I would be disappointed with <20. But then, my odometer may be the wrong one.

My E is still in break-in- I only have 420 miles on it- so I wasn't expecting great milage. But after driving about 90 highway miles and 100 city miles, I was surprised to find I had gotten 24.4mpg during that time. That's pretty good. I'm a pretty smooth driver and use cruise control on the highway so I usually get decent milage. I think I have yet to push the accelerator more thna 1/4 of the way... and probably never will ;-)

A manual transmission will always get better mileage than an automatic. I do a lot of highway driving alternating with city driving. The highway driving here in Florida means trying to keep-up with the pack while you're doing 80 and everyone else is passing you like you're in reverse (really!). You have to drive agressively here in order to NOT get run over by a low-riding civic with a loud muffler and a radio that cost more than the car is worth.
So, maybe in some idyllic pastoral setting, I would be getting the promised mileage....maybe? But here in the "real world", it's still 19 MPG.

Ok, I have a 5spd manual 2wd, live in Houston (A/C on all the time), rush hour traffic a constant, same have-to-drive-over-the-speed-limit ro get run over conditions, but still am getting over 21 mpg with over 24 using cruise control (72 mph) driving from Houston to Austin and back.

With that said, I do accelerate gradually (no rubber burning here), don't rev it while setting still in traffic, and don't punch the gas when passing. Also, I don't have the A/C on A/C max, just the regular settings, with the recirculate air option on 'cause it's more efficient to cool a small volume of air rather than fresh air from outside.

I know my calculations are right - that at each fill up I note how many miles I've gone since the last fill up and how many gallons I've used to cover those miles. Within the tolerance of the auto-cutoff devices of different pumps and with getting on for 6000 miles, I get an average of just under 22mpg in city driving and around 26mpg for highway. Mine is a 4WD EX auto.

And while I'm thinking of it, the fuel efficiency of the auto Elements is supposedly slightly better than the manual - likely because the gearing is slightly 'longer' in the autos so the revs are a bit lower in top gear.

I can't help but wonder if some of the people suffering lower than usual gas mileage aren't perhaps noting the miles driven and dividing by the capacity of the tank rather than fuel actually used. An easy mistake since one assumes that the low fuel light comes on when fuel is low. In fact the low fuel light appears to come on for most E owners with 3 or more gallons left.

What apalls me is the comment by a Honda service guy that 20 or less is all that can be expected - independent assessment and Honda themselves claim (rightly in my experience) 21-26mpg and any competent service tech should know that the figures on the sticker have to come from something more substantial than Honda's corporate imagination.

I have just over 3,000 miles on my auto EX. I was use to getting about 20 MPG but the last two fill-ups I am at 24MPG. I am happier about this. I have gone more highway miles w/ short trips these last two gallons as opposed to just work and back up and down the interstate and in-town miles. SO I would guess around 21-24MPG. Not bad I should say

i've got almost 11k miles on mine ... never had worse than 20.x miles per gallon (and that was a road trip with two bikes on the roof); my best milage was 26.x -- that was all highway driving and in the middle of a 4661 mile (official tally) road trip.

[quote:66ea8ed5f7="Hank"]A manual transmission will always get better mileage than an automatic.[/quote:66ea8ed5f7]
That's what I've always been told, too, but their website shows the automatic with a 1mpg advantage in the city, and city/highway being the same.

One of the other E forums has a link to the Computer Based Training that the sales folk get to see, and that little video pointed out that Honda put a lot of work into the transmission to make that happen.

I took a 250 mile trip last week. Drove about 35 miles in town, about 50 miles with a fast crowd running between 90 and 95, and the rest of the time using cruise set at 78. Got 23 mpg. Considering the aerodynamics, I am very pleased.

I also have an Acura TSX with a 200 hp version of the same engine and running 80+, I get 25 mpg - aerodynamics and a bit less weight, I think.

Anyone else have a problem with the fact that the Owner's Manual says it's a 15.9 gallon tank, and it's really a 12 gallon tank?

Are you assuming it's a 12 gallon tank because the gas light/guage show it empty at around 12 gallons? You can drive for quite awhile after the light comes on -- I've put 14.something gallons in there before, so ... I have no doubts that if the tank were completely dry, it'd hold 15.9! :D

I know the gas tank is at least 15 gallons because I have put 14.8 in mine and it was still running. I have 900 miles on mine and overall I have averaged 24.5 mpg. That is probably 3/4 highway and 1/4 around town. I think that is excellent for a 4WD AT vehicle with the A/C running all the time. Maybe some folks with low mpg have very heavy feet. I drive gently.

I have a 2wd automatic with 5 tanks of gas:
tank 1: ~20mpg (all city)
tank 2: ~24mpg (all highway)
tank 3: ~24mpg (all highway)
tank 4: ~24mpg (all highway)
tank 5: ~25mpg (all highway)

I have always had the air on low. Very small load every time, except for some on the first tank.

Look at the number of people in the E. It can affect the load drastically, which may affect the milage. 4 people = ~600 lbs - close to load limit.

i have 1000 miles logged so far and i've been getting 18 to 21 miles per gallon. I drive with the air on most of the time and when it's not on, I drive with the front windows open. So, i'm not sure if that makes a difference. but it definitely seems to be getting better gas mileage each tank.

Mixed driving only have checked twice and I got 20 the first time and 21.7 the second. Not elated or disappointed I have only had the vehicle sine July 2 and have put just over 600 miles on it. Beats the Dakota I used to have hands down as it only got about 16 (on a good day) under the same sort of driving. I am really curious to see how this thing does on a extended road trip though. :mrgreen:

My family just returned from a 490 mile round trip from Fairfax, VA to Pittsburgh, PA. This is the first long trip we have taken in our Element EX named Stubbe. I am glad to report that we averaged 29.2 mpg! I am estatic as I had previously been averaging about 18 mpg, in primarily city driving.

Are you assuming it's a 12 gallon tank because the gas light/guage show it empty at around 12 gallons? You can drive for quite awhile after the light comes on -- I've put 14.something gallons in there before, so ... I have no doubts that if the tank were completely dry, it'd hold 15.9!

Word.

Thanks B.

I am also in the 18mpg range. I run the A/C non stop, let her idle at lunch time for about a half hour while I take my power nap. :roll: So far I have close to 900miles on my E.
I have found with all new cars that I have owned milage definitly gets closer to the manufactures estimates as the milage accured goes up I/E break in time. :P

i have a 2wd ex w/about 2,300 miles on it. we're getting 30+ miles per gallon on the interstate. that's doing between 65 and 70.
just checked this past wknd. drove over 700 miles.