MPG on your daily driver?

[Ned Bulken]

I fueled up the LOML's protege yesterday, she's been driving my truck until I can get a repair done on the car. I got an amazing 42.5 mpg on this last tank: 9.82 gallons to go 418 miles. I know I won't get that out of the truck when I finally wrest it from the LOML's grasp, but it will be interesting to see how good I can do with that as well.

I've been careful lately to only do the speed limit (30mph in city to 55 mph rural)where appropriate on my daily commute, which sure has helped mileage wise.

[Lars Thomas]

Best I can do is 23.5 on a Maxima. I can't exactly claim the same thing you did about the speed limit.

[tod evans]

11 in the 56, same pulling the 20` trailer.

[Ned Bulken]

well... I'll be honest, the gendarme have been patrolling heavily along my commute route. It is 'easier' for me to just put it at the speed limit and not have to worry about speeding, especially at 0500 on my way into work, before the coffee kicks in.

[Ken Garlock]

Ned, that is excellent, even better than excellent, mileage. At that rate, it would be cheaper for you to buy cheap rot-gut vodka for fuel.

A friend bought a new Dodge charger with a variable cylinder engine. He says he gets 20 mph driving to and from work, and he can't detect when the engine goes from 8 to 4 cylinders.

I noticed that Gullible Motorist (GM) is now selling a variable cylinder engine. Why did it take a German company to wake them up? When I see the Capital-one TV ad about the fat banker looking at the small businessman under a magnifying glass, I think of the GM board of directors.

[Ned Bulken]

Ken,
yeah, I'm toying with the idea of getting a 'strictly' commute rat fuel sipper, but with that kind of mileage from my well equipped little protege, the only way I'd beat it would be with a diesel from VW, IF I could ever pry one out of the used car market at a reasonable price.

[Jim Becker]

27.4 MPG average in my 2006 Highlander Hybrid Limited and 48 MPG in Dr. SWMBO's 2002 Prius hybrid.

[Joe Pelonio]

Since gas reached $3 I have mine parked, the '72 El Camino, getting
11-12 mpg. Since then I drive the Explorer that gets 15-16, and that's about the same as my Wife's Liberty and my Son's Dakota.

[Steve Ash]

69 Chevelle SS (450 horses) running high octane gas I still get 18 m.p.g. when I cruise and keep my foot off the pedal....what fun is that though.

2001 Chevy ext. cab pickup also gets close to 18 when I check it, but doesn't need high octane fuel.

[Lee DeRaud]

I noticed that Gullible Motorist (GM) is now selling a variable cylinder engine. Why did it take a German company to wake them up?

Probably because GM got burned big-time when they used that concept back in the 70's. (Don't know if they actually invented it, but they were certainly the first to use it in a passenger car.) It takes 21st century engine-management electronics to make it work properly.

[Ned Bulken]

Steve, no fun at all, but hey, that's the price you pay for all those horses under the hood. I really miss my old chevelle, had a 350LT1 in it, got about 12mpg tops. (I was young and it was a muscle car)

I just looked up the EPA on the Protege, I'm 'beating' the EPA estimate by just a bit. wonder how I'd do with a tune-up.

[Lee DeRaud]

Only about 20 (Acura CL), but that's almost all surface streets and no particular shyness about using the right foot.

[Jim O'Dell]

Unfortunately, about 14 in my E-250 cargo van. And only abut 17.8 on extended hwy trips in it. Luckily I live close to work and only have to fill up about once every 4 weeks unless we make a trip in it. Jim.

[Erin Raasch]

55+ with my 2005 Toyota Prius . . . and suffering from a terminal case of Smug.

Erin

[Jim Benante]

VW diesels are the best for mileage IMHO. I bought my wife a 2003 VW Jetta TDI. It gets 40-50+ MPG. In addition, we run biodiesel. Biodiesel can be mixed with diesel in any percentage. I run anywhere from 5% to 99% depending on the cost of diesel vs. biodiesel. Right now they are about equal in proce so I go with mostly biodiesel.

Hybrids are great, but nothing beats the sound of a diesel. The VW's are slightly louder than a gas engine until you get up to 30-40 MPH then they are quieter. I love the sound of an idling diesel.

For another great forum check out http://www.tdiclub.com/

We typically get 600-680 miles per tank with mixed city and HWY driving. I have had a few 700+. Some say they have gotten 1,000, but that must be 60 MPH with very few stops. I haven't beat 750 myself. The engines after 2003 are more horsepower and I think a little less efficient, but not much.