My fit is less than two weeks old but so far the fuel economy as displayed in the info screen is around 20 mpg. I'd say to have done half highway half city driving but 20 mpg is even less than I'd expect in a SUV...
Is it normal that the gas millage is worst at the beginning or is there something wrong with the car?

 

To be honest it really depends on how you drive it. When i first got mine I was excited and was heavy on the pedal, but have since gotten an electronic throttle controller and set it to eco which helps. my commute mpg went from 21-23 to 27-29. Seeing that your in staten island and im in long island, our traffic is very similar, you may want to consider getting an etc and or some lightweight wheels for better fuel economy in stop and go traffic.

 

First, yeah, new cars can take a few hundred miles to get the mpgs up. Also, if it wasn't rest when you got it, it probably had test drive milage on it, which tends to be worse for mpg.

Next, if you are driving short distances in stop and go conditions, that'll hurt as well. The only things worse is adding in hills.

Give it a few hundred miles to break in.

 

Like Java said it does depend on how you drive. I can get 30+ mpg when I try. But I tend to be a little heavy on the throttle so I get more like 25-27 mpg. Even with a Prius you still have to drive conservatively.

Malraux was also right. The fit isn't the best for short distance stop and go. That is where the hybrids excel because they don't have to use their petrol engine to move those small distances. The fit hates short distances and stop and go but get it to 70 mph on the interstate and you'll easily get 34+ mpg. Find a big truck to draft and you'll probably see 40 mpg.

 

What did it have when you drove it off the lot for MPG?

First thing to do is verify you are getting bad economy by doing a complete fill up with quality gas (shell, etc...) and reset your trip meter. Then go for a full tank and report back.

~SB

 

Hey DMY- Being from Staten Island as well, I can tell you the Fit hates short trips and stop and go traffic. MPG's will not be good...however, once you get it on the highway, the MPG's go up dramatically. Depending on highway traffic, I can get mid 30's no problem...but then neighborhood/city driving brings it down to average about 30-32 MPG. Maybe you are doing more city driving than what you think?

 

break it in and it will drop. the more miles you have the better MPG i get.

I had the 2009 FIT S same options as my 2011 and i get better MPG on my 2009. 34-38

My new 2011 FIT S. i get 22-28 i still have 300+ miles on it and waiting for the miles to go up for better MPG. also its in break in period and i drive it like a grandma compare to my 2009 and i still get shitty miles on my 2011.

Gas that i use (always CHEVRON)

2011 FIT S 91 octane, full tank i get 310 miles (the niddle is right on the empty line) this car is driven no more than 70 MPH - grandma style)

2009 FIT S 91 octane, full tank i get 350 miles (the niddle is right on the empty line) this car is driven real hard paddle shifting and gassing it like im 16 years old. LOL )

 

I think you have some ideas above, check back after a few tanks of fresh gas to see if things don't improve. Also check the easy things, like inflate the tires (TPMS won't alert you until 25psi).

 

this talk of better gas mileage after the engine is "broken in" is way overrated.

the first full month i had my fit was november 2008.
here is what my ave MPG was for each november i've had the car....

nov 2008: 31.5 mpg
nov 2009: 31.8 mpg
nov 2010: 31.2 mpg


if you're getting 20 mpg, then you must be doing a ton of short trips with lots of stops and starts. ...or something is wrong.

 

As a matter of fact I actually did a lot of small trips (<1 mile) and that on hilly roads BUT I also did reset the calculator and then did a 8 mile interstate trip and it again was showing below 22 mpg...
Anyway, I think I will try to take it for a longer ride soon and reset it before in order to see what happens. But thanks for the info that this can not be explained with the not yet done break in...

 

not sure how can it be over rated i have 2 honda fit S one is 2009 with 45k miles and one is 2011 300 miles got it with 2 miles.

when i got my 2009 honda fit new with 13 miles i get around 24-28 MPG. but now its got 45k i get 36-38 depending on my driving feel.

my 2011 gets 24-28 it sucks but the more miles i add the better MPG i get. it started at 24 when i got it at 2 miles and now its got 300+ im getting 26-28MPG the more i drive the better MPG. not sure how this is over rated since it was tested before also My dad is a mechanic for HONDA for 20 years. we have tested and seen it on our cars.

also i drive it same condition and same speed almost everyday... and the average full tank i get on my new 2011 is 310 and my 2009 350-380.. same street, same speed, same condition but i drive my 2009 harder than the 2011 and i still get better mileage.

 

a lot of under 1 mile trips will kill your MPG.

as for 8 miles on the interstate..... 22 mpg is very low, but it would depend on your speed, how often you have to brake and accelerate, how much you keep your foot on the gas and whether or not you use cruise control.

 

i say it's overrated because of the MPG stats i posted from my own car.
i base it purely on that.

maybe you're getting better gas mileage because the engine is breaking in... or maybe it's seasonal fuel changes in your area. or maybe something else. i dont know.

where i am, there is always a bump-up in MPG when they switch from winter to summer fuel...... plus MPGs are just worse in winter independent of the fuel.

here in NJ i get, on average, 2.5 mpg better in summer than winter.

but anyway, my comments are based solely on my personal experience

 

What are your tire pressures at? What was your speed on the freeway?

Try this test. Inflate all 4 tires to the recommended (e.g. 33 psi for sport). Put into 5th gear. Set cruise at 65 mph on a flat freeway. Drive for 1 mile in both directions (to eliminate wind factor). If your instant mpg shows under 30mpg for both directions, something is wrong. Either your gauge is defective, or your car is.

At the next fillup, hand calculate the gas mileage. If it agrees with the gauge, then something's wrong with your car. If the hand calc is way better than the gauge, then the gauge is defective.

 

you guys must be driving like nuts. so far 1500mi into my fit, i am averaging 35mpg. i drive nicely but not like a grandma

 

Things the Fit hates:

1. Hills
2. Stop and go traffic
3. Short trips
4. High AC usage

The more of those that you have, the worse your milage will be. Living in a city, in the south, will major hills all over the place, I get pretty poor milage. Its a function of where you live and what your average route is like.

 

i have a fair amount of hills, dont stop and go much, my average trip to work is 35mi, and i havent had to use ac yet

 

By hills, I also mean having to downshift into 2nd to be able to get up them at all, as well. Not like an interstate hill where you go down to 4th for a bit.

 

i imagine that goes for most any car.

 

Bingo! A simple reset of the trip meter will do it. Select the trip meter, then hold down the button until it goes to zeroes.

Most likely your fit had some idle time and short trips around the dealer (through PDI, etc), and that messes up the average.