brand new accord EX - MPG

Hi all,
I just got an EX 4cyl sedan about 2 weeks ago and my gas meter is half way and Ive only put on 130 miles. Ive been driving very conservatively especially for the 'brake in' period and really to up my MPG. Is this typical for a new engine? Im sorry if this a re-post. Thanks

You must divide gallons used into miles driven when you fill up the tank, forget the gas gauge. Your best mileage will occur after (roughly) 4000 miles.

Is this an automatic or 5 speed manual? Brand new engines use more fuel until they are fully broken in be it a Rolls or a Honda.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that it is an automatic and this is the first 130 miles I have put on the car. Thank you for your input

It took me about 21k to get my best mileage at 27mpg on a long freeway ride. I'm pretty happy that I average 24,25 lately overall.

I got an 07 VP auto a month ago. 18 mpg first tank, 19 mpg second. Now I'm at 2500 miles and doing 22.5 mpg.

My girlfriends rabbit went from 23 to 29. That's from new to about 5000 miles.

So yes, your milage will improve.

give the car about 10-15k miles to see the gas mileage even out....

:wave:

Both my 2003 and 2006 2.4L Accords got their best mileage after 15,000 miles and eventually peaked after 20K. Give it some time. :thmsup:

Make sure the tires are inflated to factory specs (measured when cold) if not a few psi above. Be sure to avoid jack rabbit starts and drive gently during your break in period.

Congrats and welcome.

Not much more to add to the good advice given here. However what I will say is that complaints of poor gas mileage with the 4 cylinder and auto combo is pretty common. Your mileage will definitely get better the more miles you put on the car, but from why I've read the 2.4L and automatic combo is not going to get you Civic like gas mileage by any stretch.

Oh Contriere Pierre (dating myself),

My last measurement over 4 tanks and 1600 miles. 29.8 MPG from a 60/40 Hwy/City driving. Had a tank in early summer of 35.7 on a HWY only tank, filled up both times at the same pump. Your statement that the Accord cannot get Civic like numbers is incorrect. I know several Civic owner's who barely get 30 MPG. And the ones who get 40 MPG probably drive like I do.(Mild hyper-mileing)

Happy motoring to all

I agree, it will get better....probably after the first oil change (5K).

I also agree, that the gauge isn't meant to be viewed as THE way to check MPG. Most cars either use the first half quicker than the second or visa-versa. Our Chevy would stay at full-3/4 forever.....then drop like a rock!

And here I go again, (agreeing) MPG will vary depending on the driver. I get 16 out of the SAME car as my price gets 26 on the same roads! He gets 30+ on the freeway in my car consistantly. Which ain't bad for a V6 that sure isn't babied!:D

Congratulations on your new Accord! Enjoy!!

since i've purchased my accord, i have only been able to get about 19-22 mpg on average in mixed driving daily. the car still has only 4700 miles on it with a 30% oil life. i plan take it in for an oil change/tire rotation at 5000 and hopefully that gas mileage will improve over time.

the best mpg ive been able to get so far is 27 mpg all highway, 22mpg mixed, and 19 mpg city. i guess that close enough to the epa estimates as im gonna get for now. i read somewhere that the j30 v6 doesnt really fully break in until like 10k and the k20 i4 at 20k.

im sure my gas mileage will improve after the first oil change. i use premium fuel (93) in my car and that helped me to stay in the 20s for gas mileage on average. on 87 octane i cant seem to pass 20 in the city unless i drive like an old man.

One of my (minor) fear coming from Integra GSR to V6 Accord is just how much more gas am I going to use on day-to-day real-life scenarios with mostly highway, but lots of stop-and-go commutor traffic.

I find that first full tank (after I bought the car a few weeks ago), with small amount of spirited sprints mixed in with disciplined right foot, that I was getting just a hair better mileage than the Integra at close to 30 mpg!

Most of it is the ability of the V6 to pull stronger at lower RPM in any gear, as an example, where I was turning 3,600 rpm in 5th in the Integra, I now turn 2,500 rpm in 6th at the same speed.

This mileage is pretty impressive considering the Accord weighs some 500 lb more than the Integra!

And I love it.

very nice, thats slightly above EPA estimates, so you're all set there. when my car is at 2500 rpm, im doing about 75 mph.

it will probably just get better over time. as for me, my commute might as well be considered city driving since im only averaging about 20 mpg right now. it should improve and i hope to achieve at least 25 mpg in mixed driving.

Thanks for everyone's welcome wishes and input on here. Its great to have some really cool people on here... Does anyone have a recommendation for my first service?

i plan to do 5k oil changes and tire rotations regardless of the Maintenance Minder, except for the factory fill, which looks like the life will be at 15% in a couple hundred more miles. i believe thats when the service light comes on.

i would just leave the factory oil in until the service light comes on, and use the MM for oil changes. the Maintenance Minder has one flaw, which is tire rotations. i would rotate those tires on a regular basis to ensure smooth, even wear. 5k sounds like a good interval. i doubt that the Maintenance Minder will keep your tires rotated on a regular basis. it counts down oil life based on your engine rpms and operating conditions, which can range greatly between OCI's. other than tire rotations, the Maintenance Minder is an excellent feature and should be utilized.

I agree, it will get better....probably after the first oil change (5K).



I had my first oil change last week (5k), and the next tank measured 36.6 mpg! That was 80/20 hwy/city and a significant increase from previous measurements. I was quite pleased to see those numbers, and I feel like I was driving fairly aggressively.

I suspect that when you purchase the car with that supposed "free tank" of gas, it has enough gas to make the guage point to "F" but it ain't full. If you're like me, have a seventh gen and want to avoid the gas station as much as possible, top it off when you fill. I got 2+ extra gallons in the tank after the pump stops. Trip Odometer used to say 180 miles when the tank was 1/2 full if I stop the pump at the first click. Last fill up, I topped it off until I could see it full at the filler neck. I have 1/2 a tank today, the trip odometer says 250 now.

I'm not sure what the mechanical reason for this is, but it's recommended to not attempt to "top-off" the gas tank. Also, consistently ending your fuel-up at the first shut-off of the pump will yield more accurate mpg calculations.

I had my first oil change last week (5k), and the next tank measured 36.6 mpg! That was 80/20 hwy/city and a significant increase from previous measurements. I was quite pleased to see those numbers, and I feel like I was driving fairly aggressively.

seems like everyone gets better gas mileage after getting rid of that factory oil. i cant wait to get my oil changed once i reach 5k. my most recent tank only yielded 19 mpg. might be because i filled up last with Citgo 93. i swear that gas station i filled up at waters down their gasoline.

i usually run Chevron 93 and get 20-21 mpg with normal driving with some spirited runs. i just filled with chevron last night so my usually low 20s mileage should return. i really hope i can get this car to run in the mid-20s at least for mpg. i never top off my gas tank. was there a tread here before that stated that topping off can cause damage to some emission systems on our accords?

i got about 13.6 gallons in last night at the click. thats close enough and reassures me that there is still a reserve if i ever run really low in gas on a road trip. has anyone noticed a limited throttle response at WOT when the gas light turns on? i noticed this last week when i decided to run the car about 30 miles beyond the gas light. the car felt limited in throttle response throughout the whole range until i filled it up. i hope its just a feature that will help you save gas when you are running really low.

You can save yourself quite a bit of money by using 89 octane fuel, your V6 does not require high octane fuel, and it won't make you go any faster or improve your fuel economy.

My good fuel mileage is all done with 89 octane gas, Honda doesn't recommend it for the V6.

Octane number is one of those things where while the right amount is good, more of it ain't any better for your car, just cost more.

Now if you put a supercharger or turbocharger on the engine, then that's a different story.

i never tried 89 octane. maybe thats the secret ingredient since its a mix of regular and premium. ill try that on my next fillup and see if it makes any difference in the mileage.