Fuel Economy

[dezmond1962]

I am really disappointed with my fuel economy. Honda CRV SE Sport Auto, (2004) the figures state I should be getting 30.4mpg combined a 50 litre tank works out at 13.2 gallons im i drove exactley 110 miles yesterday and it took half a tank so that averages out a 16.5 miles to the gallon surely thats not right, it has just been serviced any suggestions please

[2RedV's]

I am really disappointed with my fuel economy. Honda CRV SE Sport Auto, (2004) the figures state I should be getting 30.4mpg combined a 50 litre tank works out at 13.2 gallons im i drove exactley 110 miles yesterday and it took half a tank so that averages out a 16.5 miles to the gallon surely thats not right, it has just been serviced any suggestions pleaseHow are you calculating fuel mileage? By looking at the gas gauge? You have to calculate mpg manually to be accurate.

A 110 mile trip doesn't make for much of an average. Take an average over at least 3 tanks of fuel. There are too many variables otherwise that will mess up the results. Example: Always fill up at the same station and same pump, always fill up at the same time of day, preferably in the cool mornings since gasoline expands with heat...

If your European "figures" are anything like the ones the US EPA produces, they are idealistic and not real world. You are not supposed to get the fuel mileage on the sticker, just to use it as a guide between vehicles. The US EPA tests vehicles on a chassis dyno with all accessories turned off (even the air conditioner) and measures results by analyzing the gases that comes out the exhaust pipe. There is no wind to come into play, no aerodynamics are taken into consideration, etc. The vehicle is "driven" very gently and never exceeds 56mph for the highway test!

[dezmond1962]

I hear what youre saying red but dont you think half a tank of fuel to do 110 miles is a bit too excessive. that translates to 6 and a half gallons used and my air con wasnt even on. if the mpg doesnt improve or i get no solutions to what i think may be a prob i may have to sell as i just cant afford that sort of running cost

[2RedV's]

I hear what youre saying red but dont you think half a tank of fuel to do 110 miles is a bit too excessive. that translates to 6 and a half gallons used and my air con wasnt even on. if the mpg doesnt improve or i get no solutions to what i think may be a prob i may have to sell as i just cant afford that sort of running costHow do you know it is a half tank of fuel used since you you are relying upon the fuel gauge and not actual amount of fuel used? You cannot guess fuel mileage based upon a guess of how much may or may not be left in the tank.

[Carvingbarn]

I have just gone over 1000 miles on my 07ex. I am a conservative driver. I have been calculating my mileage manually. I am averaging a little over 16.6 miles per gallon, city driving. I have worked to get the best mileage I could. The best tank was 18.5 MPG. That was with half the tank highway driving. I am glad if you are doing better, but this is the best our new CR-V has done to date.

[HenryHonda]

Having owned two European spec CR-V's over the last five years, I have never managed to achieve the economy figures stated by Honda or the UK Government.

I generally find I achieve around 25 mpg (imperial gallons) overall with mixed driving. I have recently returned from a 2500 mile trip around France using mainly autoroutes. The car was quite heavily loaded and I regularly cruised at 80mph - the French speed limit. The car returned an average of 21 mpg.
That hurts when it costs about $100 (£50) to fill up every few hours!

My car is a 2003 CR-V 2.0L SE Sport manual.

The 2.2 CDTi is the way forward for me!

[Keithieboy]

I can cope with the poor economy that my auto returns(my 4.2Litre Amazon gave more mpg) but the small tank/poor mpg is a real pain as you have to be constantly be aware if you are driving long distance eg UK to Costa Del Sol that some stations may not be open 24hrs.

[Sandpebble]

For low MPG's check 1.air filter,2.tire pressure,3.octane rating of fuel, 4.oxygen sensors on exhaust,5.fuel injectors,6.fuel filter,7.obstructions in air intake duct,8.transmission shifting properly.And don't forget to remove the lead foot.:p

[madcrv01]

all of the above as sandpebble put it,also if you taking trips where there is an elevation change, 1000 feet over 200 miles that can make a difference.

[Sandpebble]

The torque rating is the hill pulling ability. The low torque gas engines cause the transmissions to do the work,at the expense of fuel consumption. The 2005's and newer have a better transmission that has one more foward gear that kicks in at 48 MPH. It also shifts down to a higher gear for hill pulling at a higher speed saving fuel. The use of cruise control has no advantage going up and down steep grades,as it is to late to kick in and causes the transmission to work harder using more fuel. Use your foot to accelerate the vehicle prior to the grade changing uphill. This will give you the speed up and keep the transmission from shifting so much. If the grade upward causes constant up and down shifting,put the transmission in the gear just under the highest until grade changes to downward or level,or less of an upgrade. Some cruise controls with lazer assist see the grade changes before they come and accelerate just at the right time as you can do with your foot once you get a feel for it. The soon to come to US diesel 2.2Tdi engine will have much more torque and not wimp out as the gas low compression /low torque engines do.The other thing you can do is get a feel for your inertia sensors that give you a free wheeling gas savings which is great except for some reason it kicks in just as you are applying the brakes when going downhill at a low 25-35 MPH. If that bothers you, as is does me, put the transmission in lower gear and it will stop the inertia sensor from kicking in.:cool:

[2RedV's]

That "inertia sensor" is part of the "Grade Logic" system which downshifts the transmission to assist in downhill braking and act much like a manual transmission in that regard. It is a nice feature. It also keeps the transmission in a lower gear while going up a hill in order to prevent un-needed gear hunting which many people complain about in other vehicles.

[Flinty]

Hi All ,Just took ownership of my CRV 2008 EX Man: and have just been on a run approx 180 mile's set my fuel av at the start I didn't go over 70 mph (uk speed limit) Motorway all the way except 10 miles at the end of the trip my av was 46mpg ,I am pleased with that as the CRV as not done 1000miles yet. I am sure it could get better,( I was trying my best to see what I could get) . Its that right foot that causes the problems.:D

[Hughesy]

Hi All ,Just took ownership of my CRV 2008 EX Man: and have just been on a run approx 180 mile's set my fuel av at the start I didn't go over 70 mph (uk speed limit) Motorway all the way except 10 miles at the end of the trip my av was 46mpg ,I am pleased with that as the CRV as not done 1000miles yet. I am sure it could get better,( I was trying my best to see what I could get) . Its that right foot that causes the problems.:D

Glad to hear it Flinty. I take it you have a diesel? I am waiting for mine to be delivered, glad you like yours!

[Flinty]

Yes she is a Diesel ,are you in the uk ?:)

[Hughesy]

Yes I'm in the UK, just updated my profile!

I think the CRV is selling quite well here...

[netlang]

Just to add my input

I get between 27 - 29MPG running around locally and on a recent journey doen the motorway not exceed 70MPH with Cruise I got 42MPG

Mine is an 07 Petrol Auto

[Hughesy]

42mpg on a long stretch is good for a petrol auto.

My last tank was 41mpg. Not bad considering a few short journeys thrown in. I hope it will loosen up a bit (1,400 miles otc so far) and get closer to mid 40s with care.