The discussions in this forum are really helpful.
I recently bought a 2007 HCH, used with 44K miles.
I reset the trip A and B odometer, and took it for a 6 mile drive yesterday in the city.
However the readings show 22mpg which is very low. What could be wrong.
Should I calculate mpg manually instead of relying on the reading.
I learned from this site about the driving details to achieve great mileage, but with normal driving I should be able to get good mileage.

Thanks for your help.
If it helps - it is very cold here.

 

Your trip was too short to get an acurate idea of your mpg, especially in cold weather.

 

Must have a hole in your tank! I don't believe I could get 22mpg if I tryed! Better take it in for service. First thing I would check is the air cleaner. Is it coasting OK? Brakes dragging? Something is way off!!! Hal

 

I agree that 6 miles was a short drive, but unless you were going uphill the whole time, you were in stop and go traffic, or unless it was twenty degrees below zero, you should have gotten more than 22mpg.

I would suggest a stop at the gas station. While you're there, fill up your tank and reset trip A. Also, fill your tires up to 40psi. This is a compromise level between the recommended (for comfort) 32psi from Honda and the 45psi max for your tires. If you find the ride harsh, you can let air out after a few drives, but that way you are starting with everything set up for good mileage.

Next, get out on the open road and drive for 20-30 minutes. Head to a road where you can drive 60mph that is as flat as possible and let us know what your mileage is (maybe reset trip B for a mile and see what you get). If you're still getting low mileage, this will help us see in a more controlled environment how your car is performing.

 

Thanks for all replies. I will surely put your advise to test this weekend and update. Thanks again.

 

Where do you live? Someone may by nearby who could ride with you and look/listen/feel for stuff.

 

I stay in Madison, WI. Its really cold here, and I own the car for a week now. This is my first drive in this car so yet to experiment the stuff told.

 

Welcome to Greenhybrid!

I agree a 6 mile drive is not a good test of the HCH potential. ANY hybrid will do poorly with only such short drives. You may get an occasional stellar MPG performance out of a short drive like this, but it's usually at the expense of depleting the hybrid battery's stored energy, which must be replaced later at an MPG cost. Also, cold weather means the car takes a LOT longer to warm up. ANY car will get poor mileage when the engine is cold.
Also, "normal driving" is so subjective as to be a useless statement. I've seen people that think their driving is "normal", when in fact it varies wildly person to person. It IS normal to use some juice from the hybrid battery when accelerating. But ,if you see lots of instances where the meter says you are USING juice from the hybrid battery, you may be driving more agressively than you realize. Many people call this normal, but it's a little bit on the agressive side of normal. Many people think 80MPH on the freeeway is normal, but that's agressive, too, and almost all vehicles get considerably less than the EPA-estimated MPG at this speed.
It'll probably get a lot better with a longer drive and warmer temperatures.

Still, I'd check things out on the car itself.
(1) Make SURE the AC is off, except when needed for defrosting/defogging. If the display does not say "AC OFF" it is NOT off. Very common issue.
(2) Absolutely check the tire pressure; 32 psi minimum.
(3) Make sure the oil level is not too full.
(4) Make sure the air filter is clean.
(5) Make sure the oil in the car is 0W20 or 5W20 (this can make a big difference, I've read here).
(6) Find out if the CVT (tranny) fluid has been changed, and at what mileage. If it has not (or cannot be confirmed), I'd get it done right away. These CVT trannies are a little tempermental without clean fluids.
Since you bought the car used, if you do not know these items are done properly, I'd just have them done. Air filter is easy to replace yourself and costs $10-$20. Oil change can be $25-$50, depending on if you do it yourself or take it somewhere. This is a cheap form of insurance if you don't know enough about the car's history.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful comments and advice. It really got me the direction and action I had to follow.
First I drove the car a little more, about 100 miles in a mix of city and freeway driving. I should say 50% of both.
The average mpg increased to 36! And the highway mpg over a distance of 20 miles was 47 mpg. That makes me a very happy person.
As you said, the short drive earlier was too short to conclude anything.

Thanks again for your help.

 

And I also changed oil.