Congrats on the HCH II and welcome to the forums!

I'm glad to read that your MPG is improving! When I picked up my HCH II my MPG reading was 10 MPG after 70 miles!! I figured out that it was non-efficient driving during dealer-to-dealer transport coupled with the 63 mile computer reset bug.

My MPG is know a little over 37 MPG and I expect thast it will continue to improve. Have you done a search on hyper-miling? There are some great tips that'll help you get good MPG.

 

It is getting worse, I read a couple of guides to hyper-milling, and made a lot of effort to get them in practice, however after about 60 miles (half of which were on highway with cruise control) I only got 29 mpg. Worse than that, my tank was full yesterday on delivery by dealer, the morning of today missed one fuel bar, and today with the counter at 90 miles I have half fuel tank! Even my Pontiac Sunfire is more efficient than that! Also, the car feels definitely powerless, with the battery almost fully charged and only myself inside the car (and I weight 180 pounds) the car goes from 0 to 60 in more than 20 seconds! I don't expect it to be a power car, but it really lacks power (at least for the fuel it is consuming), it feals very heavy and non-responsive, and on high revolutions it feels like the engine is spitting pistons...

I think something is definitely wrong in my car ... I am really beeing very careful driving with ease, keeping the rpms at the lowest possible, and trying to get the instant economy meter at the highest value possible (which is very difficult since almost always it remains very low). I also brake with distance, and maximize the use and effect of the auto-stop feature... I also have the air-conditioning off, along with the windows down all the time (trying to withstand the high temperature inside the car), the temperature in Mexico City is quite high, even in winter. The only thing I can think to be the problem is that it is not adjusted to the oxygen levels at Mexico City, which has a very high altitude... but that sounds ridiculous for a car of the latest technology...

 

I don't believe that low economy would be the result of air density in Mexico City. Significantly thinner air would tend to make the car more sluggish than at sea level. However modern engines meter fuel based on mass air flow measurements and oxygen sensor data, neither of which needs to be calibrated for altitude. This might be a stretch, but it is even coneiveable that fuel economy might improve slightly with decreased air density.

Assuming that the drivetrain is running properly I tend to look for parasitic loads such as a stuck caliper, which would result in one wheel being much hotter (sometimes dangerously hot!) than the rest. This is highly unlikely on a brand-new Honda but maybe it is worth a very careful check anyway. You would be able to feel the heat on your hand from a few inches away after a period of driving. Increased heat on the rear wheels vs. the fronts might indicate trouble with the parking brake. Again, not likely on a new car.

 

I'm going to make a dumb question...

Could it be that you are actually reading kilometers per liter?

No..I'm just joking. After reading your additional posts, there must be something else. But 18 KPL is about 42 MPG.

 

What type of gas are you using Pepe? Just curisous if it's a flex fuel?

 

No,

From reading your posts, I can tell you something is DEFINITELY wrong with your car. Whether it be in the battery or the IMA motor or even the ICE engine, SOMETHING is definitely wrong. And I thought maybe the altitude too, but no, it doesn't kill mpg THAT much. You're getting about HALF of what the rest of us get. That just isn't normal. TAKE IT BACK !!!!

 

I made another trip, this time of 61 miles, and I got 30.2 mpg. As soon as I can I will take it to the dealer to have it checked up. The car feels very very heavy, and I don't think this is normal. My fuel tank is now 1/3 and it was full on tuesday... I am afraid I will be told "this is normal because it is a new vehicle" or "we could find nothing wrong, your driving habits are to blame".

 

I hope this won't be the case...
I know that for Honda it was a very big deal to introduce Hybrids in Mexico.

I don't know if the same happened in Mexico City, but in Monterrey, there was a full page ad in the El Norte newspaper, with the pictures of the lucky Mexicans to receive the very first hybrid vehicles to be sold in Latin America.

This issue is extremely high profile for Honda. I don't think that they can afford the bad press. The stakes are simply too high. Honda is behind Toyota in the US hybrid race, they need to get a strong foothold in other markets before Toyota does.

So, use your leverage as purchaser #5, and make a big fuss about it.
Tell them that tu tienes amigos en Estados Unidos y Canada muy bien informados who have Hybrid Civics, and we tell you that the performance that you are getting is not normal.

Give them the URL to this site.

 

Today my car was returned after a lot of tests by the dealer. The head of engineering guys told me that they totally emptied the tank and put only 3 liters (0.8 gallons) of gas (Premium, 92 octanes), and the gas lasted for 98 km (60.8 miles). Therefore, according to him, the display is giving a wrong meassure. He recommended me to use 92 octane gas and see how much gas I get for a full tank from a totally empty tank from a thrusty gas station (many gas stations in Mexico use adulterated gas). I hope (even with 60.8 miles for 0.8 gallons of gas sounding fantastic) he is right. He promised to check with other engineers the inaccurate display and told me to give him the car next week for further revision.

 

Pepe.

We, (hundreds of us unseen by you) are following your story with interest and sympathy. Seems you have a good dealer who is tackling the problem for you in a proper way. Keep him at it and all good luck!

Nigel