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Anyone getting bad gas mileage?

30K views 32 replies 24 participants last post by  Tarsun2 
#1 ·
Brand new 2016 Limited Platinum and city/hwy driving I'm only getting 17 mpg. Does the car need to be broken in? I thought the Highlander was supposed to be getting at least 21 mpg?
 
#7 ·
I agree. Heck, I have a 2nd Gen Highlander with lower mileage specs than the 3rd Gen, yet I've consistently pulled (with OEM touring tires) 19 city/26 highway (at 70 MPH) 28 (at 65 MPH). Even after taking a mileage hit mounting larger diameter all terrain tires, I still pull 18 city/25 highway, and average 20 MPG on a tank.

I also have a Base model, which, if memory serves, weighs about 300 pounds less than a Limited model due to wiring, motors, etc. the the high-end version carries around but not the Base.

In the end, driving style has more to do with poor mileage than any other factor. My advice to the OP, check to make sure tires are properly inflated, reset the ECU so that it learns your shift points and not the gorillas who drove it around at the dealership, and give the tires and transmission time to break-in. I know there are people who espouse that cars don't need a break-in period nowadays, but FWIW I have two friends who are lifetime mechanics and they firmly believe a vehicle won't reach its full mileage potential until several months or about a couple thousand miles have been reached.
 
#4 ·
Gas mileage



My 15 HL XLE AWD is getting the same. My best is 24.5 mpg. I mostly get 17 for city/hwy driving.

When I hit the reset button while the car is cruising at highway, the MPG reading spikes up to 30's and even 40's. And it takes a while to drop it down. Why is that?
 
#9 ·
We bought ours in January, and the gas mileage was atrocious for the first few months.
Whether that was because of the bitter cold and winter mix gas, or needing to break in, Im not sure, but even highway mileage was bad.

We live in the country, and so very little stop and go, but we averaged around 24 mpg during the summer. Winter hitting again, it has dropped to around 20, and will likely get a little worse as temps here drop below zero for the next several months.
 
#10 ·
I was traveling over the long weekend and I averaged about 24 during the 5hr drive to upstate NY. Then driving around town I was down to 18.

The largest factor for gas mileage is how you drive. Jack rabbit starts....driving at higher speeds.....hard braking instead of slowing down and braking more gently - all have drastic effects on your gas mileage. Two people with the same vehicle and similar commutes...but with drastically different gas mileage.....most of the time it'll be how differently the drive.
 
#13 ·
I've gotten as low as 8mpg over 1000mile trips with this engine :lol:
Well, damn, Patrick, not everyone tows a 155mm howitzer around like you do....:lol:




I was traveling over the long weekend and I averaged about 24 during the 5hr drive to upstate NY. Then driving around town I was down to 18.

The largest factor for gas mileage is how you drive. Jack rabbit starts....driving at higher speeds.....hard braking instead of slowing down and braking more gently - all have drastic effects on your gas mileage. Two people with the same vehicle and similar commutes...but with drastically different gas mileage.....most of the time it'll be how differently the drive.
What he said and I said earlier, the driver is cause number one for poor mileage.
 
#16 ·
Your owner manual gives info. on new engine etc..what to do. I've never seen 21 mpg around town, just similiar to others. My best mpg (25+) has always been freeway, no stop & go. Now...in case you don't eventually get at least 24mpg on freeway, then I'd ask my self..why not? Good luck.
 
#19 ·
I was thinking about that video and don't all new cars basically come with summer tires? Summer tires are too hard and poor on gas mileage in the winter.
 
#24 ·
This is what I get as far as fuel economy. All city driving. Canadian XLE, all season tires,
Average Fuel Economy (MPG) 20.73
Total # Fill-ups 10
A couple of questions for you:

1) AWD or FWD?
2) Imperial gallon or US gallon? (Imp gal = 1.2 US gals.)

Thx!
Jim / crewzer
 
#23 ·
The definition of "city driving" may vary too. I have a 13 mi round trip work commute that includes 12 traffic lights (each way) and I have to do it at peak times. Needless to say my city mpg is under 14. As stated, I've also noticed a considerable difference on the highway between doing 65 and 80 - 24+ mpg vs just over 20. Also, I thought my mpg's dropped when I put my 22"s on, but after switching back to stocks in mid October, there's been no change; I think my city/highway split just happened to lean more toward city right when I put them on (and I was often running late, i.e. driving faster on the highway than I'm supposed to).
 
#28 ·
My experiences with my HL XLE AWD

right after purchase i had a 1000 mile drive from Portland to LA
the MPG was 24.6 (Speed between 65 to 75) - chevron gas


LA City driving during traffic free hours from Burbank to LAX (22 to 27 mpg) - costco gas
I hit 27 on no traffic occasions.

LA traffic peak times between 18 to 20

Recent trip

LA to Bay area 24 MPG (Speed 70 to 75-80 some times) - shell oil

Bay area to Portland 24.7 (65 to 75/80)- shell oil


Portland City traffic peak time i am getting around 16.7 MPG
The traffic is literally very slow

So I feel that driving conditions mean a lot.

Please note I was the only passenger. with lot of cargo like the weight of 3-4 adults in the car apart from me on the long hauls.
 
#29 ·
Last reset on the OD was at 4100 miles and I'm showing 21.6 mpg. Very flat roads here in SC, bridges are the only incline I encounter. 85% of driving is 55-65, very little stop and go, and I'm easy on the throttle. On highway trips I've been averaging 23.5 to 24 when calculating manually. I will say that these numbers are comparable to my old 2011 Pilot that had the variable cylinder management, so my HL results prove there really is no advantage to having that based on identical driving conditions...heck I have to give the HL a compliment every once in awhile.
 
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