Gas Mileage

[reuel5]

I have a Matrix 05 XR 2wd automatic with 17" wheel. I always drive it to my work. about 28 miles round trip. and get 24 miles to a gallon. And it's not really traffic like stop and go. Yesterday i went to Vancouver BC from Seattle. Fill up my tank up to the neck reset my odometer. then when i get back. I fill up my tanks 10.875 gallons then my odometer is 294.4 so my gallon is only running 27.07 miles. On the brochure of the matrix is 28/34 . I did not use my a/c during the trip. i have no problem with the condition of the matrix. it runs great. My question is only the gas mileage.

[Mins]

i get around 24mpg city with my '05 corolla le. Some people with 1zz seems to be getting worse gas mileage than expected, which I do not know the reason why.

[coquelicot]

Hmm, that's odd. I have the exact same type of Matrix you do, and I always get over 30 mpg. I may be doing a lot more highway driving, but still, even when I'm caught in nasty rush-hour traffic on the interstate, where I'm virtually at a standstill, I can usually still muster this.

Are you keeping your windows rolled down on the highway? I've heard that can pull down your gas mileage due to the drag factor.

[ksbrace]

Fuel economy varies TREMENDOUSLY with driving conditions and driving practices. During warm-up fuel economy is really poor, so lots of short trips reduce fuel economy (but, of course, you still burn less fuel overall than people who drive further, so it isn't as bad as it seems). Warm up takes longer in cold weather, so that hurts too. Lots of stop and go, especially if you really GO when you go, hurts too. And as you get over 65 MPH, and especially over 70, fuel economy falls quickly on the highway.

I have an 04 XR manual 2WD. My current commute is unusually good for fuel economy: 11 miles each way, 35-45 MPH, 6 stops, no traffic, no big hills. The little hills are perfect for coasting. I get about 41 MPG in summer, around 34 in winter with a garage (would be a little lower without the garage I would guess, due to more time spent in warm-up mode here in New England). I also kept track on two 300-mile round-trips this summer at 50-60 MPH (2-lane state highways in MA, NH, VT), 90 degrees F with A/C on the whole way, I got 43 MPG on each trip. But on another commute last year with some 70+ MPH highway I only got 35 MPG, and I know it would have been lower if the whole route had been at that speed.

So, if you are going to talk about fuel economy, it makes sense to also tell us a bit about your route, trip length, traffic, stops, and speed.

[reuel5]

i always close my window then just use the fan without the a/c on. then going to work if it's not traffic i can run 60 to 70 miles. and sometimes if it's really traffic my speed is 20 to 40 with a stop and go. my wife got a o4 celica 5 speed. i notice manual is more economy then automatic. i don't know what exact mpg she got. but i'm sure manual is more economy than automatic. i'm suspecting that the gas station (shell dealer) which i always put gas is not right amount of gallon in the pump.

[jonlemke1]

I also have an 05 XR 2wd that does not get the sticker mileage (28-34). We bought it in sept 05 and it now has 9000 miles and I rarely get better than 26 mpg for all around driving. On one longer trip I did get 29 mpg. I live in Washington State so the windows are always up and have not had to use the ac yet. A typical day for me would be a few short trips to get the kids to school (less than 5 miles each) and then a 45 mile round trip on the freeway to get them to swim practice. There are a few significant hills to negotiate. I also have a 87 DLX camry with 218K that gets 28+ for the same driving. After driving both cars numerous times I've noticed that the matrix does not seem to coast as well as the camry when you let up on the gas pedal. The engine seems to be more positively locked to the drive train, so when letting up on the gas the motor tends to slow the vehicle down more than in the camry. The old camry is quieter and has have a smoother ride. I guess overall I am a bit disappointed with the matrix, was expecting more from the newer technology. On a more positive note maybe the higher profile of the matrix accounts for the lesser mileage??

Jon

[ksbrace]

You are correct that the higher profile hurts highway fuel economy. That's probably a lot of why your old Camry does better (they were pretty low cars in 87, right?) How fast do you go on the highway? As you get past 65, and especially 70, fuel economy falls quickly. I was amazed that I could get about the same fuel economy in my 04 XR as I did in my 93 Saturn SW1 (wagon) despite the Matrix having quite a lot more power and being quite a bit taller, so the engine must be much more efficient to make up for the extra wind cross-section.

[trdbryan]

For anybody that lives in the colder areas during the winter your fuel economy will be a lot worse. If you are letting your car idle in the morning untill it warms up (like 5 to 10 min) you are wasting a ton of fuel. The best procedure for cold weather driving is to start your car first, then clean off the windows or get settled in your car and start driving after about 1 or 2 minutes. At the start you want to drive gently to allow the whole car to warm up (engine, tranny, bearings....etc) I told a friend of mine to try that with her car because she was letting her 1990 civic idle for 15min every morning, when she tryed it she got 150km more on a tank!!! Then if you want to get better fuel economy change your driving habits, don't race up to street lights (if the light is red coast up to the light) watch your speed on the hwy and maintain a constant speed. It can sometimes be very hard to obtain listed fuel economy ratings, they are done in a controlled environment on a dyno, and the speeds that they travel at to get the ratings on the car are unreasonably slow.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/020724.htm go here for tips on getting better fuel economy.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/050921.htm go here to see how they test cars for fuel economy in the US and Canada

B

[Tom 2000]

Originally Posted by reuel5

I have a Matrix 05 XR 2wd automatic with 17" wheel. I always drive it to my work. about 28 miles round trip. and get 24 miles to a gallon. And it's not really traffic like stop and go. Yesterday i went to Vancouver BC from Seattle. Fill up my tank up to the neck reset my odometer. then when i get back. I fill up my tanks 10.875 gallons then my odometer is 294.4 so my gallon is only running 27.07 miles. On the brochure of the matrix is 28/34 . I did not use my a/c during the trip. i have no problem with the condition of the matrix. it runs great. My question is only the gas mileage.

Were you waiting/idling for a long time at the border crossing? I burned my share of gas waiting in line at the Peace Arch crossing in the past - sometimes as long as 45 minutes.

I've had better luck at the truck crossing just east of there.

[acrylucs]

When i'm at the VT/QC border crossing on 91 i turn the car off and then open the door and push the car forward durring summer if the line is long. which is usually isn't. go mileage!
in my XRS i always do beter than 27, usually sit around 32. However, i slapped a Thule rack on my car can its starting to hurt the mileage a tad, especially highway and if skis are on.

[edmellnik]

Well I just bought a used 2004 matrix XR automatic from a private party. 68k.

I am getting about 18 mpg. I bring it to the dealer and they say there is nothing they can do. No Check engine lights and the computer readout scan says everything is OK.
So I am mystified. There must be something someone can do. The engine is obviously not performing right.

ed

[titaniumXR]

there are so many things that can cause bad gas mileage from a bad catalytic converter to the kind of gas you use and how old the gas was or is. I would get your catalytic converter checked, but you should through a check engine light when that goes bad, but u never know, check ur spark plugs see if there are bad, make sure ur not leaking gas, and tru going to 93 octane and see how that works

[titaniumXR]

Originally Posted by reuel5

I have a Matrix 05 XR 2wd automatic with 17" wheel. I always drive it to my work. about 28 miles round trip. and get 24 miles to a gallon. And it's not really traffic like stop and go. Yesterday i went to Vancouver BC from Seattle. Fill up my tank up to the neck reset my odometer. then when i get back. I fill up my tanks 10.875 gallons then my odometer is 294.4 so my gallon is only running 27.07 miles. On the brochure of the matrix is 28/34 . I did not use my a/c during the trip. i have no problem with the condition of the matrix. it runs great. My question is only the gas mileage.

I have an 06 matrix xr with 17 scion wheels and a fujita intake, and i drove about 650 miles this past weekend, mostly highway, but i drive aggresively also my speed range was from 70 to 105. or faster lol. but i only use about a lil over a tank and a half. I usually get about 31 miles to the gallon city driving, but i dont driving like a grandma, i step on it to. so i am quite pleased. I could only imagine what kind of mileage i would get if i drive more conversatively. but anyways, weather and tires, and rims, and tire pressure, and gas, and an intake all effect the mileage outcome. so i ride on scion 17" wheels rapped in 225 45 17 hankook ventus V4 tires filled at 35 psi, and I user 93 octane, and have a fujita intake. so yeah.

[TRXR4KDS]

I just got 34 MPG (US) driving between 65 -75 MPH. In Canadian terms, that was 110-120 KPH and 40.5 MPG or 7.35l/100k. I've got an XRS with intake and exhaust, running 18's with 235/40/18 rubbers.

[Georgenfla]

I checked my fuel mileage on a short trip last weekend. It was just over 70 miles round trip, but not actual interstate driving. Half of the driving was in town driving, the other was on a more steady drive at around 60mph. I got 31.4 miles per gallon, and that's with the a/c running. My car is an 06 Matrix XRS, modified airbox with a K&N filter, and modified exhaust. I was pleased.