Hey all,

I purchased my 07 civic hybrid on Saturday and am watching the avg mpg like a hawk lol. So far, I have driven about 180 miles and am averaging about 36 mpg. Today I made sure to turn off my AC and drove the speed limit and I still avg about 36 mpg. I live in San Fernando Valley in Southeren California. Anything you can reccommend?

Alan

 

Welcome, Alan. You have step 1 correct which is to drive the car and step 2 is to turn off the A/C if you want an increase (A/C somtimes drags you down 5-10 mpg). Someone will post the excellent article here but I'll just say that the biggest help I can offer is to think ahead of where you are driving and anticipate. For example, if you are driving home and know there is a Stop sign over the top of the hill then don't accelerate up and over the top of the hill as you will be accelerating for no reason but accelerate enough so you can coast over the top or to the top so you can use your momentum going down the other side. Some call this "driving without brakes" where you time the traffic light half a mile ahead and lift off the throttle before anyone else but you also don't use your brakes to slow for the light as the other cars do but just coast and when all the other cars pull away from the light you are still at 20 mph and go up to 30 mph rather than accelerating right up to the light, stopping to 0 mph, then going back up to 30 mph. You will get better but it just takes miles and miles and hours and hours of practice sometimes. Take some weekend trips just for the fun of it to try things and for practice.

You can also toss a small notepad in the car. For repeat segments just write down the rough weather (clear, windy, or rainy) and then reset one of your Trip meters and note what it is at the end of that 5-mile stretch and a week later or the next morning note your MPG on that same stretch and see if you can improve on your numbers each time.

 

Thank you for your reply. That helps alot. On a side note, have you regretted your purchase? How have you enjoyed your car since you purchased it on a scale from 1-10.

Thanks,
Alan

 

Is it possible to give it a 12 on a scale of 1-10? I would give it an 11 except I am quite pleased with the performance and wow-factor of many items that were never covered in the many car reviews I read prior to purchasing. The Blizzak snow tires sold by TireRack are quite affordable ($700 for four snow tires mounted and balanced delivered to my door) and they perform almost equally in performance as the summer tires (in terms of fuel economy numbers).

The PCMCIA card in the Navigation audio system was hardly ever mentioned in any article and that is a huge selling perk for me (I drive 1,000 miles a week and spend lots and lots of time in the car every day). This was one reason I requested the Nav option.

The overall thrill of driving a video game and trying to beat your previous best "score" is the everyday thrill for me. I came from a 6-speed manual with lots of power and grunt and don't miss the power factor at all. I do miss the interaction of shifting through the gears but the only option was the CVT tranny and I don't mind at all anymore.

I am probably most-impressed with the CVT tranny. I never found a dealer with a Hybrid available to drive and only had word-of-mouth knowledge of the CVT tranny. It is basically glass-smooth like one of those horizontal people-movers at an airport.

Also equally-impressed with the great efficiency of the motor. Without trying the car easily gets 40 mpg, with some effort you can get 45 mpg, and more effort gets over 50 mpg. It is just fun to talk about fuel economy numbers in the 40s and 50s when most people are below 25 mpg on their best days.

But look through the other posts for "Hidden features" and other people who have had nothing but trouble from their cars. I've had 2 oil changes so far, installed a set of winter tires, and installed an Engine Block Heater. That is all for maintenance through the first 22,000 miles. That makes: $1,065 for gas + $14.31 oil change/tire rotation + $0 oil change + $700 winter tires + $90 Engine Block Heater = $1,870 total (but remember that the winter tires will last at least 3 winters so they should only be $250 so far). That is $1,400-$1,900 over 22,000 miles or 6.3-8.6 cents per mile. The gas cost is 4.9 cents per mile of that maintenance (meaning that straight maintenance is about 1.4-3.7 cents per mile of maintenance). My previous car was in the neighborhood of $0.50-$1.00 per mile of maintenance and when I drive 2,000 miles a month that makes for expensive upkeep. It is so much fun to own a Honda again.

Since I will not need to buy tires again for this summer, or next winter, or next summer, or the following winter, etc. then it is only going to be fuel cost and oil changes for the next 24 months or so. An oil change every 10 weeks (10,000 miles) at about $30 each time for three more times this year is $90 in oil changes and 30,000 miles at $0.05/mile is $1,500 so my rough guess of one year of gas + maintenance will be around $3,200 (with gas only being about $2,500!!!) but this is over approx 50,000 miles and still about 6.5 cents per mile. it is late though so hopefully the quick math calculations are in the ballpark.

 

Alan,

Congrats on the new car! First off, make sure you're starting with accurate numbers. Often, the port workers and the dealer technicians will drive or idle the vehicle and bring the numbers WAY down for the first tank. You have two trip meters, so use one for checking the MPG per tank (reset after each tank) and use the other one for short trips. You could reset this second meter right now and in a couple of days know if your mileage was being pulled down by the dealer or the port workers. Also, the dealer may not have completely filled the tank, so be prepared for this at your first fill up. In most cases, though, you'll get a pleasant surprise at each fill up... when you calculate your MPG by hand (miles driven / gallons pumped), you'll see MPG numbers that are 1 - 2 MPG better than what the display shows. We all ('06 & '07) have this little inaccuracy in our displayed MPG.

Side note... be sure to plug in your mileage into the GreenHybrid website database after each tank!

Next, as a fellow So. Cal hybrid driver, I know that the past few days we've had some nasty winds. High winds will definitely impact your mileage. I'll often try to tuck in behind a big truck (at a safe distance!) when cutting into a nasty Santa Ana headwind.

Biggest recommendation I can offer is to keep your speed down. The car seems to get the best mileage in the 53 - 57 mph range (depending upon terrain and winds, of course!). Above that and you'll start to slip MPG. Some folks bought their cars to get from place to place quickly... they live with the MPG penalty and drive 70+. Others bought it to get the best MPG around. They drive 53 and consistently exceed 62 mpg (yes, it's really possible!!!). I'm in the middle. I drive 57 - 63 except when forced to go faster (carpool lane!). My first tank was 41 mpg. I then had three more in the upper 40's. My last 20 tanks have all been above 50!

One other pointer... Bump your tires to high 30's or low 40's (but don't exceed the sidewall rating). Higher PSI gets you better MPG and improved cornering... but a harsher and noisy ride.

Enjoy!

 

Thanks all for your great feedback and suggestions! Today, the worst happened. I was at the gas station getting some cough drops on the way to work, and as I was curving around the corner, i hit the curb which holds the gas pump. I was horrified knowing I did some body damage. I got to work and looked at the driver side... and the bottom railing on the left side of the car was damaged, it was dented and the paint had been chippied! I felt sick to my stomach as I was only able to enjoy my "new" car for 3 days. I took it to a body shop to get an estimate and it was 550.00 and it would take 4 days to fix Am I alone in having your brand new car become damaged only a few days after purchasing it? Please say I am not... and for those of you who have experienced this, I need a picker uper if you can tell me what you did.

Alan

 

In Nov 06, I bought my first new car - new 2007 Nissan Pathfinder on Thursday. That weekend, I took it up to Lake Tahoe to see the snow and break in the 4 wheel drive.

On the way down, I was going to fast and crashed the truck. I was in a spin and hit the center divider 5 times - front, right, left, back then front. I paid $36K total, damage estimate was $42K. Insurance payout was $32K. Ownership cost was $2K per day plus 5 years of higher insurance cost!

Does this make you feel any better? Even after 10 years, my heart still aches!

 

Hey Casper,

Wow, I am so sorry about that! That definitely puts my little incident today in perspective. I would say, Atleast you were ok, but I know that many times, we know that mentally but it doesn't make us feel any better for what happened. Although I didn't experience that, my wife and I got into an almost head on collision a month ago and it was one of those moments where you knew it was coming and there was nothing you could do. I just remember hearing my wife scream and thinking that we were both going to get seriously injured and possibly die. I had never been so scared in my life, yet it was for my wife. So needless to say, I am happy you were ok.

Alan

 

alan,

Congrats on the new car! Once it's fixed (that stinks, by the way- I sympathize. I have seen a couple of other people posting on this forum who had something terrible happen to their brand new hybrids, but it didn't happen to me, luckily) there are a lot of tips and tricks you can use to pull up your mpg each tank you drive.

First of all, as you drive along, periodically check the mpg reading under your speedometer. Having that meter there is the world's easiest way to become a more fuel-efficient driver. You can see the things you do that use the most gas- it makes you much more aware of your driving habits and gives you a gauge for the lay of the land along your commute. This can be really helpful.

Second, try coasting more. Some people think they must always have their feet pushing on the pedals- not true. Coast to slow down incrementally, before you hit the brake when stopping, when you start down an incline and you're already at speed, or when you are stopping with no one behind you, plenty of time, and you can see where you're going.

Third, you're already on the right track. Going the speed limit and turning off the AC are fantastic first steps. I tend to think, like Jeff, that you started with an inaccurate reading. Reset a trip meter and give yourself a fresh start to get a better perspective. The first two hundred miles on a hybrid are a little funky, anyway. You're just breaking in the battery and getting used to everything, so things will improve. It's early yet- don't be discouraged. I know you can do it!

 

I am at the end of my 4th tank and Ive tried all of the above, speed no greater than 65 mph, AC off, 36 psi (cold), coasting as much as possible to red lights etc, and Ive been avg 37 mpg on my last 3 tanks. I have an 07 HCH, Im kinda disappointed as I was expecting mileage in the mid 40's.

I have been making 15 mile trips mostly, 70% of them fwy. I live in San Francisco where its hilly. My digital readout has been accurate, I usually am at 36-37 mpg and then when I fill after the light comes on at 370 miles or so it takes 10 gallons to top it off.

I have 1k miles on the odometer, I would like to think that Its broken in. I am amazed that HCH 2 owners are averaging 50+ mpg, even 60? Is everyone being honest with the mpg or do I have a lemon?