Is it cost effective / advantageous for fuel economy to use a block heater?

 

If you use one and your parked outside you'll want one that pumps the fluid, otherwise you'll have to run it a long time to heat the engine up. They do help on mileage in my experience, because you kind of dodge the warmup cycle.

 

Ive come to the conclusion that my Fit sucks in the city.

30mpg if I am really trying and 27mpg when I drive normal in the city of Anaheim, California. I like this car but its best mainly on a highway.

 

You are not alone, I'm getting really bad efficiency as you can see below, but I reset on of my trip to testa different driving style and is working, getting 29 mpg (12.3 km/l in metric). Traffic in my city does not help at all, if you drive gently people behind get impatient and stick to your butt, I really hate that

 

If you consider how bad it would be in a car that does not get good fuel economy the view is different. I am in Los Angeles and I struggle as well but you would easily be getting 20 mpg or less in the city like this with a lessor car.

 

Since adopting a more "gentle" mode of driving in the north Atlanta area, I have gone from 29 mpg to 32/33 mpg, and just as beneficially have reduced the level of stress on this aging carcass. With the exception of coasting to intersections in order to shoot for the change to a green light, I am a speed limit driver, so the turkeys on my tail can just stew in their own juice. I also like to engine-brake, but am sure to touch the brake pedal when someone is behind me.

 

That's about what I get in the city when driving conservatively but the highway isn't any better for me. I must be driving uphill and into a headwind every day.

 

We've had our 2015 Fit EX-L a little over a year, and I can see a definite MPG change from summer to winter gasoline blends. Here in Ohio, we've always been aware that oil companies modify our fuels for winter use, but it was never that obvious until we purchased the Fit. Last winter, between oil changes, we averaged 36.9 MPG. During the warmer summer months we were averaging 39.5 MPG. I just changed oil again this past November and reset the trip odometer. Since that time we've averaged 37.5 MPG. Our driving habits are constant throughout the year, approximately 60% urban and 40% rural. It is quite evident the Ohio winter mixes are detrimental to fuel mileage. Not sure what fuel additive package is affecting this change, but I'd like to see more research done to improve these winter numbers. Are other northern states seeing the same results?

 

Winter itself affects the numbers. The fuel blend isn't innocent, but it's not as big a factor as the cold temps.

 

Second fill up, 2016 FIT LX, manual, 522 miles on the odometer. 32.6 MPG, none of it highway driving.

Driving on snow covered roads, four snow tires on, and very cold temps. My FIT's doing a bit better than my Toyota Matrix did in the same conditions.

Edited on January 29, 2016: MPG improved to 34.1 with third fill up. I attribute that to gaining familiarity with the 6-speed transmission. Had been driving a 5-speed Toyota for 11 years and the shifting patterns were quite different.

 

My lifetime average on 2011 Fit LX (30,000 miles) with AT & 45% city driving is 35.3 mpg. Lowest tank was 30.8 in Jan & 90% city driving; best tank was 44.5 in May 95% highway (backroads not freeway). Mine drops about 10% with winter fuel. I hand calculate at each fill and drive pretty conservatively 95% of the time. Very satisfied.

 

Do you guys figure your MPG manually or use the dashboard computer?

 

Manually. Use an UltraGauge or ScanGauge for numbers to drive by, but use fill up numbers against the odometer for records and calibrating the gauge.

 

The cold in the Windy City is playing havoc with the mpg this week. I'm about 35 miles into my latest tank and my average so far is 25.6 mpg ... definitely the lowest I've ever seen on this car. Up until now it's always been in the low 30s at the least by this point. Wow.

 

pretty much averaging 34MPG (seems to be smack in the middle of the EPA sticker range) no matter how I drive to try to tweak it.

2015 LX 6MT

btw thanks for the add.

 

Just passed the 1500 mile mark. Display reads 46.1 mpg (90% highway miles). Manual calculations came in at 44.5 mpg - closer to the dashboard display number than I thought it would be. I'll see if the 1.6 mpg difference will change when I check again at 3000 miles.

 

I use an app called Gas Cubby for fuel and service. Super app that computes the mileage and also reminds you about certain maintenance items, like rotating tires.

Have 12 years of gas/service records for my Toyota, which I guess I should delete since it's not in my garage any more.

 

I have one of the first 2015 EX-L and I have never received less than 39mpg. I just drove (no freeway) to Oceanside CA which is a 25 mile one way trip. Going there (downhill) I got 52mpg coming home 41mpg. I weigh 170lb the wife 130lb and I am not an aggressive driver. I suspect those with the horrible mileage weigh 300lb and their wife even more and they are the first away from the light

 

Ok update time. I just hit the 3000 mile mark. Calculated manually I'm at 43.0 mpg. Dashboard display says 44.4 so the gap between the 2 hasn't changed much since the 1500 mile check.

I noticed the Fit mpg can drop quite a bit if you drive into a strong headwind. Driving north from Florida to Georgia I hit a headwind I'm guessing was 20mph and my dashboard mpg dropped from the usual 45-46 to 38.5 for the whole 500 mile trip. Too bad I wasn't heading south that day - might have got mpg in the 50's.

 

I have 275 miles on my new lx and am averaging 43.2 mpg with about 60% hiway and 40% city. i drive like an old guy cause i am an old guy. also i run about 39 psi tire pressure.