Just took a 20 mile trip, mostly highway. Even with some aggressive acceleration it got about 43mpg! Beats the pants off a 2001 Honda Accord.

 

I'm averaging 35.6 mpg with a mixture of 80% city & 20% highway for my last 3 tanks.

 

Ya this lil engine is crazy efficient at 40 mph. You can barely touch the accelerator and it'll cruise along at barely over 1000 RPM. I understand now how you were able to exceed 50 MPG with the AC on. I mostly drive interstate where the slowest I can go is 55 mph so I can't exceed 50 MPG without turning off the AC and even then sometimes I only get an MPG of high 40s.

Drafting behind semi's is dangerous and you are only saving like a few cents a mile. You could draft off the truck's rear flank, that is behind the truck and in the next lane over, so you get some draft but you can still see ahead of you. This is tough to do if the truck is going a different speed from you. Like if the truck is going 65mph, that is too fast for hypermiling so you might be better off driving by yourself through dirty air at 50mph if you can spare the time and safely go that slowly.

 

Thanks. I got the Fuelly to display. A/C - Non-A/C doesn't seem to matter. I can get 55.5 MPG driving into town, a trip that has lots of down-slopes. Coming home, it's mid to high 40s.

Before I got the Fit, I was hoping to average, maybe, 38 mpg. Getting upper 40s is amazing. I drive to get good mileage. My son has an identical car, so it will be interesting to see how he does. He uses drive-up windows and is in city traffic more than I am.

 

You'll probably get better numbers on secondary roads. The "highway bonus" for mpg is because you spend less time stopping and starting, while the higher speeds hurt mpg. Back roads with 45-55 speed limits are where the real numbers are. But if you have to be on the big highway, the big rigs do a lot to make up for the higher speeds.

 

The AC definitely matters for MPG. If you click on the AC button, the idle engine load almost doubles from 18% to 30%. I repeatedly drive the same route, with the same traffic, and the same throttle technique, and I have compared the AC difference many times. With the AC on I only get 45 to 48 MPG and with the AC off I get 50 to 54. So it seems like the AC burns about 10% more fuel. This is with ECON on which cycles the compressor on and off to minimize the AC power consumption. It would make an even bigger difference with the ECON button off. In general AC can reduce MPG by up to 25%.

As a hypermiler, I open the windows at low speeds to keep cool but close the windows at high speeds to reduce drag. I strip down to my undershirt to suffer heat with the windows closed. A good way to cool your body without AC is to bring a bottle of ice water in the car. Prevent the car from heating up in the first place by parking in the shade, tinting the windows, and using a sun shade in the windshield.

 

Thanks for mentioning that A/C cycling on and off in Econ mode. I wondered about that. Adjusting the temperature slightly warmer would use less compressor. So in non-Econ, the compressor must run all the time?

With the car getting such good mileage, and me needing the A/C so infrequently, I'm not going to suffer in the heat.

As for opening the windows, I think popping the rear of the moonroof open would help. More air would flow in and flow out.

I'm gradually learning how to work what used to be called "The Radio." I have an XM radio working through it.

 

At highway speeds, I have the left front and right rear windows open a bit (very exacting measurement). I judge the distance by wind noise- the louder it is, the more the opening is disrupting airflow, and they both end up open less than an inch, with the reear open less than the front. It gets some air flowing through the car without hurting the aero too much.

 

Still very disappointed in these mileage figures. The second second gen Fit should have been getting this kind of mileage. This one should be easily getting 50 mpg.
My 08 HHR with 112,000 miles averages between 34-37 mpg, over 550 miles per tank, I fill up once a week. I would be stopping every three or four days to fill up the fit. Too bad the HHR is a PITA to keep going.

 

40+ MPG, how do these poor saps live with those horrible numbers?

*Sarcasm, 40+ is great in an auto hatch.

 

Yeah, the second gen can be disappointing at times- three of my first four tanks were below 40.

I should have bought an HHR!

 

It seems funny complaining that gas mileage is below 40 MPG. Years ago, we were thrilled with 30 MPG.

 

I'm satisfied with what I'm getting.

 

That is awesome!

 

That's nothing. 50 mpg on both legs of a round trip. I'm returning to the same elevation so there ain't no gravitational funny business here. Highway, no traffic, ECON, AC off.

 

On my first fillup, 70% city with AC on 95% of the time:

367 miles driven
8.449 gal filled

= 43.138 mpg

 

Like they say, the EPA ratings aren't accurate. I'm glad the Fit is proving that - on the high side.

 

Mine keeps creeping up. Average now over 30.

 

yeah, I was VERY surprised b/c the motor is still breaking in. and I was accelerating pretty aggressively the entire tank

 

We're MPG twinsies! I had about 12 miles of range left at this point. The gas light came on at about 35 miles of range. My actual MPG calculation was 38.7 MPG, but I probably filled the tank way fuller than I should have. I pumped in 8.9 gallons, when it first shut off at 8.5. This was 60% highway driving, AC on about 90% of the time.