By the way,

I can't figure out why I'm still getting an average of 33 mpg. My real-time display seems to regularly fluctuate between 40 and 80 mpg. The two don't match. I wonder if the CVT (still trying to understand how this works) has something to do with this.... possibly calibrated incorrectly. I'm just quoting others here. I really don't understand the CVT and its purpose.

 

The CVT is just the transmission, instead of changing gears in steps it can choose any ratio, so it's continuous in it's variability unlike the stepped transmission where the ratios are limited to the number of gears the car has. It shouldn't affect your mileage too much, other than the fact that it's way easier to consume more fuel with hard acceleration as compared to a manual transmission, but it doesn't mean that it does necessarily consume more.

 

Thanks Erick!

 

Renee-

I don't know if this could even be a possibility being as how recent your purchase was, nor would it explain the subpar mileage you've been getting to date, but just to throw it out there...

Before I took my '05 HCH CVT in for the recall (umm update, yass, update...), the discrepencies between displayed MPG and actual MPG were enormous. Since the recall, every tank of mine has magically been read within 0.5 MPGs of actual FE.Could be flukey, I don't know. And like I said, it doesn't begin to explain why your stats are so low, but you might want to check with your dealer just to ensure your HCH received its software update. It can't hurt.

 

Hi Michael,

I did take my car in for the recall software update. The dealership suggested that the mileage would possibly get better afterward. When I noticed that it really wasn't improving drastically the service manager had me bring in the car again to check that 'everything was working in perfect order' They of course said 'everything is ok' and sent me on my way. The service guy, not the manager, was somewhat hostile to the idea that my car 2005 HCH could get more than 31-32 mpg and really felt 'checking' it would be a waste of time. I demanded it since the manager offered.
I hope that indeed they did check it.

Renee

 

Renee and Brent, this is just a quick commendation on your approach to this problem. It is great to see folks in a frustrating situation who maintain their composure and work towards a solution, rather than just being angry and fuming about.

So I wanted to take a moment to recognize your intelligent and graceful problem solving. This will hold you in good stead not only here, but in other life circumstances as well.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

I think it's important to understand that at highway speeds the car acts like a regular non-hybrid car. The electric motor is used for accelerating, not cruising. You may have noticed the charge/assist bar shows the engine actually charges the battery while doing high-speed cruising, with no assist at all. And the HCH has a little 78hp ICE, compared to the 2005 Civic Sedan's 115hp engine. The smaller engine struggles more in certain conditions.

I rented a HCH and got horrible highway mileage initially, but eventually figured out how to get over 35 mpg even when going 80mph... you have to be very careful in how to press the gas pedal. You want to press it as lightly as you can without decelerating. The engine is weak enough that you can press fairly heavily on the gas pedal without any change in acceleration, so you think that's the amount you have to press to maintain your speed... but you'll find using a lighter foot yields equal performance but better mileage.

 

Glad you realized this....you're HCH experience would dramatically improve with this change alone.

 

Well I had mentioned it in a comment on the original thread, though I guess some people missed it. But even the 37mpg that I was getting at best was not great, and it required me to be very careful with foot placement and it also required a constant speed on perfectly level roads. The Prius required no such special conditions, and it sounds like the new HCH won't either. It appears to confirm my hypothesis that a more powerful engine was needed to get better highway mileage.

 

Actually the 06 has the following advantages over the 05:

- New 16 valve motor versus the old 8 valve: superior combustion chamber swirl at light load, as a result
- Reduced aerodynamic drag, although they've not yet released by now much
- 9% wider CVT range to permit lower cruise RPM

Those alone are likely what gives it the bump from 48 to 50mpg for the EPA highway figure. I don't think a peak horsepower increase matters, nor should the increased IMA power matter much on the highway. Reduced drag, lower cruise RPM, and improved combustion swirl are the major factors.