4th Jun 2011, 15:56
You are right when you say the driving style affects gas mileage. I have a older Buick LeSabre with the 3.8 engine. I had to make a 200 mile run to a work location and come right back. It was all highway driving.
As a test I drove there at 60mph, and returned at 70mph. The different was 7 mpg or close to 20% less fuel.
Same thing with pulling away gently or/and letting off the gas before the stop sign. My car will coast about 2 miles before the stop sign.
If every one in America would get smart, we could probably import 10% less fuel every day. HUGE SAVINGS in the big picture.
5th Jun 2011, 12:14
Driving style can save huge amounts of fuel. The recent test of the Cruze Eco by USA Today got 48.5 miles per gallon going 5mph over the posted speed limit. Dropping it 5mph would definitely achieve 50 mpg easily.
My I-4 Fusion will get as high as 40-41 mpg on the interstate with the cruise set on 60. Upping it to 75 drops it to 32-34 mpg. If Americans would drive the speed limit, there would not be any oil shortages, and fuel prices would drop drastically. Sadly, everyone is in too big a hurry.
7th Jul 2011, 13:41
People are taking notice of the Chevy Cruze and its awesome fuel mileage. It was the best selling car in the U.S. in June. Any non-hybrid car that can post mileage figures that are better than Japanese hybrids costing twice as much is going to be a hit with the American public. The additional cost, complexity and lack of reliability of hybrids keep most car-savvy people away from them. Any gas powered car getting 50 mpg is going to be a hit in the U.S., especially with cost-conscious car enthusiasts like myself. Hyundai and Kia are following the same formula, and their sales are outpacing every car maker on the planet. Kia was up 41% in June. At that rate they will soon be challenging the top-selling domestic brands. They are already passing Japanese car makers in U.S. sales.
8th Jul 2011, 13:23
In real world tests, the Cruze Eco has gotten 48.5 mpg on the highway portion of the tests. The testers stated that by driving gently and strictly obeying the speed limits (which they didn't for the test), 50 mpg was almost certainly within reach.
A few years ago tests were conducted to see how far you would have to drive a Prius to break even on costs, versus the gas-only Corolla. The figure was 660,000 miles. For the Cruze Eco, the figure is well over 1,000,000 miles.
In addition, all hybrids are equipped with extremely expensive battery packs that have to be replaced at a cost of thousands of dollars every few years. These batteries contain very toxic chemicals, and pose a huge hazard to the environment, offsetting any benefit of 2 or 3 mpg better fuel mileage. For this reason most people are far more likely to spend $15,000 less on a gas powered car, and save more than enough on the initial cost to make up for fuel costs for 1,000,000+ miles. This is the reason Hyundai and Kia are making so much headway in sales as opposed to hybrids. Their high fuel mileage 4 cylinder Direct Gas Injection engines run rings around the Prius in performance, while getting only 4-6 mpg less mileage at a cost of 10 grand less.
10th Jul 2011, 10:09
I've now driven 5,422 miles and have put in 120.117 gallons of gas, giving me an average of 45.14 mpg. Pretty awesome for a domestic car!
Again, I have the Eco 6 speed 1.4 liter turbo. My driving routes are a combination of highway (10%) and back roads (90%). I really wish they put a bigger gas tank in (like a 16 gallon) - but having a fuel range of 540/tank (12 gallon tank) isn't so bad :)
Hopefully it performs well in the New England winter!! I'll post again next February...
10th Jul 2011, 20:34
I totally agree. I was able to get 45 MPG highway out my car when I kept it at 60 MPH. I drive a '96 Toyota Corolla with nearly 200,000 miles on it (and an AUTOMATIC transmission!) That I'm getting better mileage than almost all of today's cars with a '96 Toyota that I bought off some guy's front lawn for $1800 bucks is pretty sad. Heck, I bought a Saturn SL2 for $200 bucks, and even that gets 39-43 MPG on the highway. All you've gotta do is slow down. Even my '99 Chrysler Cirrus with a V6 will get roughly 32 MPG on the highway at 60 MPH.
15th May 2011, 19:28
Post-review for my original comment from a week ago.
1) I've now driven over 1500 miles (in two weeks).
2) 85% back roads, 15% highway.
3) I accelerate slow, coast when I can and I do keep an eye on the onboard 'instant mileage' display. To me it's a game, how high can get the MPG to go! My commute to work is through hilly back roads and there are times I can coast for up to two miles at a time.
4) My last fill-up I went 586.3 miles, put in 12.941 gal for a 45.3 MPG rating. The car has a 28/42 estimated range - so I did exceed it... and without annoying other drivers - trust me, I don't like going slow (I'm type A).
5) What strikes me as odd regarding my last fillup was that I still had another 50 miles to go on the tank and the car is supposed to have a 12.6 gallon tank. So something does not add up here. And when I fill up, the moment the gas pump stops, I stop - I never top off. So maybe it's really a 13.6 gallon tank? I have the ECO 1.4 turbo model, I know that for sure.
6) As for the engine performance, the other day I had a car full of people (5) and a load in the trunk - and this car can book it when you want it to - I was astounded. Accelerated onto a highway with incredible pep. This is by far the best combination of performance (when you need it) and gas sipping frugality for all other times.
7) I am 100% thoroughly satisfied with my decision to by this. I was contemplating a Ford Focus and a Hyundai Elantra. Phew!
8) I have a spreadsheet that I keep track of all my gas fill-ups and expenses. I have done so for all the cars I've owned. My car before last was a Pontiac Vibe, 5 speed - had that for 5 years and average 37 MPG. My last Car was a Mercury Mariner and I got 23 MPG. Four cars ago a Mercury Sable automatic v6 - got 26 MPG with that one.
I truly believe the key to getting good gas mileage is just to accelerate slowly and brake really early (when you see a yellow ahead of you or whatever). Unfortunately with an automatic you can't just put it in neutral (I never did) - but with a manual shift it's the way to go - coast whenever you can.
I'm hoping I can get 50 MPG at some point - aim high, right? Certainly nothing wrong with 45.3 MPG! :)
And the on-star app for my phone is terrific. Can lock/unlock and see all the stats on my car whenever I want - love it!
If you choose to get a Cruze, you won't be disappointed.
Kevin.