Expected Fuel Economy

[OutrunRAV4]

Hey guys,

I bought my Rav4 last July and love it! The only thing that's disappointed me is the fuel economy.

Sorry I haven't worked out the MPG but from a full tank to near empty I'm estimating I'm getting around 260 miles out of it.

Also how I drive it doesn't seem to make any difference - I did a long straight journey on motorways which was around the 250/60 mile mark, driving sensibly and keeping it around 65mph tops. This made no difference to me tearing about round town doing short journeys, nipping between my place, work and my missus (urban driving wise) - exact same results. Doesn't seem right.

Is this to be expected? What do others get out of there mark 1 Rav4 here?

Cheers!

Al

[mozz78]

i average about 300/320 miles per tank in mine around devon and towing a medium trailer, but your right with dosent seem to matter haw you drive unles you rag it then it uses fuel in a big way, regular maintenance will help :-)

[myrefugeisintheLord]

How you drive CAN make a difference. But if you're driving an auto, it can make that difference more difficult to gain. On ANY auto vehicle.

Some helpful reading for improving fuel economy: 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com

65+ Vehicle modifications for better fuel economy - EcoModder.com

[OutrunRAV4]

Yes I would have expected 300miles+ on a full tank, hell I have an old sports car from 1985 that currently does better mileage!

But yes I totally agree that how you drive it does affect mileage, my point being here in this topic though is that for me in this Rav4 it seems to make very little difference.

Eg a straight motorway run avoiding harsh braking/acceleration, no stop offs, no extra things on (lights, radio, air con, windows open, etc) keeping it at no more than 65mph in 5th gear I should see a *significant* difference compared to the usual urban short driving - ie getting the missus and kids around town, getting to work and back, shopping etc with lights, air con, radio, etc etc on. There was practically no difference. Which makes me think there's something quite wrong.

Cheers,

Al

[shrtskts]

I just took a 300 Mi trip and made it in one tank going an average of 45 cause of snow. I'm pretty pleased

[myrefugeisintheLord]

Well, if there is a mechanical issue that's messing up your mileage, then I would say it would have to be highway driving related. You won't have an issue that ups your city mileage to even them out.

I'm not experienced enough to offer up knowledgeable suggestions. I hope someday I'll be there!!

The first thing that comes to mind is doing a compression test. My thinking is that it has to be something related to high engine load. Exhaust leak?

I hope someone more knowledgeable chimes in. It's not fun getting poor mileage!

[ARK]

Are you driving a 4 or 6 cylinder, do you have mechanical or hydraulic lifters, mileage in total, oil changes and grade, auto or manual shift, brakes clear, clean, not dragging, if auto shifting correctly, have you cleaned the throttle body and air filter, EGR, mass air flow, IA control, is the engine carbon clogged, cleaned the O2 sensors...

All these things can play havoc with MPG, but first...do a proper test to see what MPG or liters/hundred you are getting. Guessing is not the answer. If you have a tach, use it, see if shifting automatically is within the econo range, not the power range. You must test the car for slippage, for stuck brakes, for excess baggage, for obstructions, then check the timing, the compression, leak down. With more info then you can decide if you are wasting gas. And remember Winter is colder, you burn more gas to start, run and warm up.

[supton]

I agree; the usual recommendation is to figure mpg (or L/100km) on 3 or so tankfuls. [Using paper and pencil even if the vehicle in question has an mpg readout.] For all you know someone shoved a bowling ball into the tank, or it's dented, or otherwise not filling to stated capacity.

Next time you go out for a decent drive (say more than 10miles without stopping), check around the brakes immediately and see if any are warmer than the rest. You may have a dragging brake, and those tend to be easily repaired. Old plugs, old air filter, old O2 sensor can all contribute too, as could low tire pressure, bad alignment (which should show up as funny tire wear, or short tire life).

[myrefugeisintheLord]

Now THAT'S some GOOD info!!

[CPD]

My rav gets about 200-220 miles on 3/4 of a tank of gas. I think it's partially that I'm driving in town, and when I'm driving on the highway, it's all 55 zones, where I'm running at high revs and at the top end of 3rd gear. Popping between th high end of 3rd and low end of 4th depending on what the road's doing HAS to be hard on the car and milage. If I have to run the defroster and idle it to warm it up, that milage goes WAY down to 18.0 to 18.5 mpg, with regular, up-ad-go milage being in the 20 to 22 range.

That's still better than the 12 to 14 my dad was getting with his old Eagle before he parked it... and that was on a good day