Originally Posted by arbittan

I would like to thank everyone that put in advice on the mileage. I will say for the people on this forum treating their cars like handicapped or crippled things, you really need to revaluate yourself.

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I will let a few more tanks go by before I send it in to the dealer to check it out. Hondas do not provide loaner cars when you drop them off for service, so I need to calculate my cost into the rental.

Originally Posted by gumby

arbittan,
Why don't you tell us about your normal drive, rather than flaming those that you are seeking help from? You ARE seeking help, right?

Tire pressure being too low (and 24 is TOO LOW) does hurt MPG. We'll be curious to see if that ALONE makes a big difference for you.

I agree that 24 psi is very low for the car. Like I said in my post, either the dealer was trying to compensate for my old car ride or they just didn't check the pressure prior to delivery.

Merely guessing here, about your drive and how you drive, so don't be offended , but here goes:

I suspect you have a rather short, city-drive. When I go out (on a cold engine) on a short city drive, I have gotten as little as 26MPG. That same trip back (on a warmed-up engine) delivers 40+MPG. It's entirely possible you are driving much of your drive with a cold engine, which gets terrible MPG. I probably average 38-40 in strictly city situations. I do not work excessively at getting great MPG, but I don't ignore it by any means. Do you outrun the yellow light, or stop and wait (engine off, maybe!) for the next green? That acceleration to get though the light could be costing you - and more than it would've in your previous car, because now you might be able to spend that stopped time with the engine off. There are many variables like this that make direct comparisons between your HCH2 and previous cars difficult.

I drive about 15 miles one way to work. Coming back home is either 15 or 20 miles depending if I stop off before heading home. The engine is cold in both cases since I usually bring lunch to work with me or ride with someone else. I usually drive the speed limit and may go over it by 10mph. (people behind me hate that). When the light turns green I am not the one leading the pack of cars, merely the one in third or fourth When a light turns from green to yellow, it will depend on how close I am to the light (we have red light cameras here so running lights isn't my cup of tea. I will usually coast to the red light until it is necessary for me to apply the brakes.

Your car is new, right? It also probably will get a little better MPG as the car (and you) break in.

My car is new. It is only three weeks old now.

There are some very simple techniques that will help your MPG. Read Tarabell's article. Some of them may seem extreme to you (as well as to me). If so, don't try 'em. Fair enough? You may learn something. I did.

My first TRIP (several hundred miles home from the dealership!) netted me 43MPG (I think). That was on a TRIP! Now, I can get 50+ on my 37 mile commute to work every day. And well over 50MPG on a true trip. Let me just say - "It wasn't the CAR."

My best tank of gas was also from the first dealer fill up. But my dealer has its own tank located onsite.

Not sure if you do this, but driving fast (like over 70 all the time) is very bad for MPG. Some cars it's worse than others (aerodynamics and other factors), but it is uniformly bad for MPG. It's physics. Slowing down form 70+ to 60 will make a big difference.

Unless I am on the highway, my car will be closer to 65/70 on the highway. My 1994 Civic felt stronger at higher speeds then the newer 2007 does.

There are ways to drive this (any vehicle, really) the same speed and get different MPG, depending on how much pressure you put on the gas pedal. Getting up to speed, then feathering the pedal. Just enough to maintain your speed. That works well for MPG.


Also, are you SURE you got EPA CITY MPG or better with other vehicles, and yet cannot achieve same with this HCH2? I ask, because many, many people *think* because the sticker said xx MPG, that that's what they were getting - without really checking it. Even if you were checking it with the other vehicle, and got EPA CITY MPG, that's no guarantee that you *should* get EPA CITY with another vehicle (hybrid or not). Vehicles are different and have different "sweet-spots" for MPG. The HCH2 seems to love 48-55 MPH.

I keep a mileage log for my vehicles. My best tank on my SUV was over 26mpg hwy going to and coming back to NY. I only used one tank of gas on it.

We're not ALL extremists. But many of us care (at least a little, some a lot) about getting better MPG, using less fuel, funding less terrorists. Count me in that group!

I have seen not all people on forum sites are extremists. At the same time, some views that are deemed radical or such do not appease me. There are many people advice I have taken on this site, such as yours to help me figure out where the problem exists. I will find out this weekend if the tire inflation helped. If not, I will be making an appointment to the dealer to look at the car.

Good luck and keep us posted. Many here are willing to help (or even commiserate with you, if need be!).

Originally Posted by arbittan

41/51 posted on the sticker has nothing to do with coasting. Some people here have also used their AC and still getting over 40mpg. I am not asking alot from this car, the tax break is good but I would be getting the same mileage from a normal Civic with normal tires.

Originally Posted by spinner

No, that is not a proper apples to apples comparison. A normal, modern Civic with auto transmission (25/36) would net you even lower mileage. The mileage you are witnessing, as low as it is, is relative to the official ratings for the vehicle. You just can't make direct comparisons between anecdotal mileage of one car to the official ratings of another.

At the beginning of this thread you said you had a 1994 Civic and that you were getting up to about 40 MPG in it. Civics from the 90s are closer to engine size and power to the HCH-II than the current ones, but the Hybrid is heavier nonetheless. What was the official rating of your 1994 Civic? Was your mileage with the old Civic derived from the exact same driving conditions as your new Civic Hybrid? I suspect that those earlier results came from much more highway driving, but I don't know what you know. Just checking if your expectations are reasonable.

My 1994 Civic DX Coupe is stated at: Manual: 34 mpg / 40 mpg from Edmunds.com

I was getting the mileage or better from what is stated. It was a really awesome car. If I didn't have a truck total it for me, I would still be using it. Honestly, my family has a 1997 and 1998 model Civic and I didn't like the interior in those years. Even the previous model Civic the interior was questionable. Honda in my opinion made the bast work in the 1993-95 series.

It sounds like my commute to work is close to yours in distance, and I usually stick to city roads, though I staunchly adhere to speed limits. Most of my trip is on arterial roads with some long stretches between traffic lights and I get up to 31 or 37 miles per hour with moderate-to-low acceleration (not a speed demon but I don't make myself a nuisance either). Flat roads account for about 50% of the trip, under which I can cruise and feather the accelerator while there is a trickle of regeneration going on. I live and work in Toronto, which currently is seeing temperatures in the 50s and 60s with extra humidity, and my auto climate control is set to around 73 degrees. If this was the only driving I did, I would expect to see around 39 MPG at this time. Does any of this parallel your conditions?


Road conditions here are not too bad. It is not completely flat. I have a lot od curves and hills but not too many hills.

It could be that your dealership did a poor job during PDI and something's not quite right. You already know about your underinflated tires. Could they have given you the incorrect engine oil? Did you swap the oil after delivery (you shouldn't)? Engine break-in may be something, but I don't give it credence; My first two vehicles have been as efficient on their first day as they were after the supposed break-in period.

The dealer was an okay dealer. They were the best to deal with though. I had another car with negetive equity and two other Honda dealerships were not readily eager to sell me a Civic. They wanted to sell me an Accord, which is a nice car, but I didn't want another Accord. I wanted a smaller commuter car. The dealer is a no thrills dealer, no loaner program, no first oil change for free, no dedicated service advisor. I would consider this dealer the Walmart of Honda dealerships. But then, I haven't been to a Honda dealership since the 90's. All of my cars have been premium model cars.

The more you tell us, the better we might be able to help.

Originally Posted by jjvera00

Arbittan
When I do drive my old ways though at 75+miles per hour, I still get 39-41 MPG.