2009, max range 400 miles with 50k?

[George350]

Is that the type of mileage this car will get, even if you do more than just the recommended service, always at the dealer?

Shouldn't the full tank be at least 500 miles? Or with age and miles the max range decreases?

[ukrkoz]

no, it ain't right.

I have 07 with closing on 64 000 miles on it, and I get summer time close to 550 when light comes up. Winter time 500, maybe 490. And this is in really hillocky area around Seattle. I could easily get 580-600 in planes.

[AML]

I have an '08 with 62k miles. Even with my aggressive/lead-foot/jack rabbit start/not paying attention to MPG driving style, I still average 34mpg consistently, yielding about 450 miles per tank.

It depends on what you define as "per tank" though. The physical size of the tank is just a bit over 17 gallons. But the Empty warning light will go off at about 14 gallons, leaving you with about 3 gallons reserve. I fill when it nears empty, before the light goes off, at about 13 gallons. I could easily add another 100 miles to my 450 if I went to true near empty.

Call it what you want. My daily driving style will give me 450+ miles per 13 gallon tank (just before light comes on), or 550+ miles per 17 gallon tank (past the light and dipping into the reserve capacity).

ukrkoz is able to get very impressive numbers (before even dipping into reserve) because, as I recall, he has a very conservative, watchful driving style.

So, George, your numbers seem off.

[ukrkoz]

AML is correct. I tend to refill as soon as light comes up, so my refills average 12-13 gal-s. I am not truly hypermiling, but I do follow humble driving techniques. It is virtually impossible to hypermile here due to terrain. I use only quality gas and best fluid available. I do have my "step on it" spells now and then, as she can be surprisingly zippy. But I do limit myself on those urges and keep it 5 above speed limit.

400 miles to a refill it OUTRAGEOUS though.

[George350]

I have topped it off I'm going to let it run out and see at what mileage the light comes on at.

Even after a full tank yesterday, my display showed 405 miles.. I'm still under warranty. should I take it in now, or let it run out and see?

If you Drive with the AC, will it affect the mileage by 100 or 150 miles?

[George350]

I don’t know what hypermiling is, so I don’t do that.. I drive pretty much like you, in the city though.. MY MPG tends to be 27-34.. I mix my gas.. Since the prices are all over the place, I have been getting Citgo since its 20 cents cheaper than the shell I usually go to..

I don’t use Fuel Injectors.. I have done all the service (15,000 25000 etc. ) My thinking has been since this added service has been pretty expensive the dealer does clean the injectors?

Originally Posted by ukrkoz

AML is correct. I tend to refill as soon as light comes up, so my refills average 12-13 gal-s. I am not truly hypermiling, but I do follow humble driving techniques. It is virtually impossible to hypermile here due to terrain. I use only quality gas and best fluid available. I do have my "step on it" spells now and then, as she can be surprisingly zippy. But I do limit myself on those urges and keep it 5 above speed limit.

400 miles to a refill it OUTRAGEOUS though.

[ukrkoz]

1. no. a/c will not knock your mpg down that much.
2. gas wise - you always get what you paid for. cheap gas - cheap performance.
3. you know what assumption makes out of person. do not assume anything about dealer service. they are business, not charity. at your age and mileage, you should not be worried about FIs. car age, not your body age.
4. hypermiling:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermiling
5. take her in, but do not expect much. you'll most likely get runaround and earful of bs.

you need to start paying attention to if your car goes into electrical mode when she's supposed to. speeds below 40mph with gentle acceleration or gliding; red lights; stop and go traffic. cruising at stable speed on level, you should see your mpg gauge handle sitting at 60 almost all the time.

and here's some cute hypermiling numbers:

In some places, hypermiling contests have been held to see who can get the highest mpg on a selected course.

The recent Maximum Fuel Economy contest was held in Elkhart, Indiana, where "world records" for the Honda Insight (213 miles per US gallon (1.10 L/100 km; 256 mpg-imp) round trip), Toyota Prius (136 miles per US gallon (1.73 L/100 km; 163 mpg-imp) round trip) and the Ford Escape Hybrid (76 miles per US gallon (3.1 L/100 km; 91 mpg-imp) mpg round trip) were achieved, albeit having been achieved while rolling through all stop signs and having the vehicle tires inflated well beyond recommended specifications.[6]

Another contest is the Tour to the Shore, held in New Jersey, which evaluates drivers of cars and trucks.[7]

The record for the most miles achieved out of a single tank of gas, with 2,254 miles (3,627 km) from the 13.7 US gallons (52 l; 11.4 imp gal) tank of a 2006 Honda Insight, represents an average of 164.53 miles per US gallon (1.4296 L/100 km; 197.59 mpg-imp) for the entire distance.

[ukrkoz]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_ec...zing_behaviors

[snookwhaler]

Actual fuel mileage is a strange thing and has so many variables there is NO answer. There is also NO ONE that can say that YOUR particular MPG's are not right and go have it checked. It is simply impossible to know what is right or wrong without knowing how you drive your car, A/C eco. or non eco., oil, tires, tire pressure, alignment, city driving, highway driving, idling for hours on end, etc... There are simply too many variables.

As an example.... I drive an 08. I run 0/20 Mobil 1 and the cheapest gas I can find. I run inexpensive but decent tires aired up to 35 PSI. I drive mostly highway at speeds between 70 and 85 MPH back and forth to my job 4 days per week. This is 90 miles 1 way. 95 percent of the the drive is all Highway. So, almost 200 miles each trip. Depending on the winds and the traffic my MPG's are 34 to 37 MPG. It is amazing the difference winds make in this car. There is a huge "aerodynamic advantage" if you learn to use it at speed.

Is this good or bad for this particular car? I don't really know and I don't really care. It is good enough and affordable enough where I don't have to worry about it. If MPG's are really that big of a deal for you, then you are probably thinking that you have bought the wrong car.... IMO... You would be correct.

The Camry Hybrid does well for what it is and that's it.... PERIOD... It was never designed to break records for MPG's.

My .02.......

[George350]

For what its worth, my driving is mainly city. Traffic not so much, but I do have lights. I'll just see how far this 400 mpg tank last me, and go from there.

[ukrkoz]

should actually benefit you, as hybrids have better mpg in city driving, vs. hwy one. ICE cars are the other way around.

[AML]

I actually find that suburban traffic is best for the Camry. Where the speed limits are 35-45 mph, allowing the car to go into EV mode and stay that way for much longer. There are few stops, and somewhat light traffic, so no needless braking and acceleration.

I don't know what part of NYC George drives in, but I've been to New York plenty of times to know that the traffic and streets downtown actually kill gas mileage there. Reason being mostly that there are a lot of lights, and there are lots of times where you're going to slow down a lot. And acceleration after those stops/slow downs are what kill it.

If you accelerate in NY traffic at a pace where you're trying to keep ICE off and EV mode on, you're never going to get anywhere and you're going to be pissing off a lot of drivers behind you.

Also as an aside, I've found that around 20-25 mph is one of the least efficient speeds to maintain in the Camry on longer city roads. At those speeds there is not enough momentum to carry the Camry forward on the slightest inclines and so ICE has to kick in, and when ICE is on to maintain those speeds, instant MPG is usually around 20-25 mpg.