just a little guess on my part, the motor might be the same, but that doesnt mean it is using the same tranny, or gear ratios. because the camry is a bit bigger and heavier, they probably do have some slightly different gear ratios.

on top of that aerodynamics effect the gas mileage on any vehicle. the camry could have better aerodynamics, contributing to better mileage.

finally, the mileage that you see posted is almost always an EPA estimate on any given vehicle. that means you are not guaranteed to get that good, but you could potentially do better or worse than what is listed.

 

RPMs at 70 with Matrix???

So, what are the gear ratios on the Matrix compared to Camry and Corolla?

I notice that the Matrix with the 1.8 and 4 speed automatic gets 32 on the highway vs 35 for a Corolla. I doubt weight would make that big of a difference on the highway when they both get the same city mileage of 26.

Does anyone know how much higher a Matrix automatic revs at 70 MPH than a Corolla?
A Corolla LE seems to do about 2800 RPM at 70 MPH.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5HWl_zmKs0

I wonder how much different the Matrix is?

 

So, what are the gear ratios on the Matrix compared to Camry and Corolla?

I notice that the Matrix with the 1.8 and 4 speed automatic gets 32 on the highway vs 35 for a Corolla. I doubt weight would make that big of a difference on the highway when they both get the same city mileage of 26.

Does anyone know how much higher a Matrix automatic revs at 70 MPH than a Corolla?
A Corolla LE seems to do about 2800 RPM at 70 MPH.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5HWl_zmKs0

I wonder how much different the Matrix is?

ITS AIR DRAG plain and simple...a camry can get better mileage because of the lower coefficient of drag and lower roof height...same as why ALL SUVs suck for mileage....

 

I checked my rpm the other day at 70mph it was right at 3000 rpms in 5th gear manual tranny.

 

I just got my base model automatic Matrix last week, and I was disappointed to get a measly 23mpg on my first tank, despite doing a lot of highway driving. I hope that improves over time.

 

That's odd, I have a base model 1.8l manual and did 328 miles on the first tanks which comes out to just under 32mpg all local driving.

 

automatic transmission takes more power, and thus will decrease fuel economy. i have the XRS with 6 speed manual, and i was getting worse mileage when i was driving 60 miles each way for work that was almost exclusively freeway about 70-75 mph (~27mpg) as compared to my current 13 miles each way which is more in town (~30). not much of a difference, but gear ratios do make that difference.

jdhog, if you drive on the freeway and keep your RPMs up around 3500, your mileage will likely suffer.

libmanj, if it isnt the XRS, make sure you only put in 87 octane gas. anything more than that is just wasting money, because the motor in the base and XR models is designed for the lower octane gas. this could also crap on your mileage a little as well. only the XRS is designed specifically for 91+ octane. that is part of being high compression.

 

Highway gas mileage is highly dependant on the car's drag coefficient (Cd). On the highway, the fuel burned is mainly used to push the car through the air. Air resistance grows exponentially (to the power of two) in regards to car velocity
09 Matrix Cd: 0.33
09 Camry Cd: 0.28
08 Prius Cd: 0.27

City gas mileage is highly dependant on the car's weight. At low speeds, air isn't the biggest effort the engine has to overcome. Pushing the car's weight forward and making it gain kinetic energy is the majority of the engine's effort in city circumstances.

 

To add to Stefx's remarks, it'll also depend on the top gear (so 5th gear) ratio and final drive ratio.

 

As an update, I got 25 mpg on my second tank, up from 23. If the car can make it up to 27-28, I'd be pretty satisfied.I should also add that I live in Arizona and already need the air conditioner even this early in the season. I've heard AC cuts into fuel economy.

 

Brand new 09 with the 2.4L and on my first two tanks I got 26.5 MPG. It is more city driving than highway. I am pleased with it.

 

AC will definitely cut in on the gas mileage. the power for the AC is run by the motor, so it leaves less power from the motor to drive the car. the car needs a certain amount of power to go, so it will have to work harder to achieve that same driveability, which translates out to lower fuel economy.

 

That sounds a whole lot better than the Gen 2's. I would swear the 05 XR AWD i used to have got about 16 mpg in town. Of course thats driving on a military post, speeds rarely exceed 40, and dividing ~170 miles per tank, by 11 gallons of gas. (the tank is 11.9 gallons)

 

i used to work at boeing, and our group had a company car. it was a ford focus wagon with an automatic. speed limit inside boeing is 15 mph. we occasionally took it to one of the out buildings and got it up to 45 mph on the city street, but that was only for about 1 minute. that regularly got 150 miles on a tank of gas which was about the same size, maybe a bit larger, although i dont remember because i didnt fill it up much and i havent been there for 2 years now.

 

i just put in 10 gallons at $35 and i ran it at 25mpg... so this seems about rite..

 

SportLynn,

What model and transmission is your new Martrix?

 

i have the '09 Sport model. and its a 4cylender.
and excuse my lack of knowledge... im very new at this. so i have no clue about anything about my car...
so if you could help me out... that would be great! thanks so much!!

 

I just got 350 miles exactly out of my 3rd tank of gas. Fill up was
10.809 gallons which calculates to 32.38 mpg

I'm amazed it's that good considering I do tend to step on it, coupled with quite a bit of ac and mostly all local driving.

 

That is great mileage. I'm only 1/4 of the way through my 2nd tank, but am predicting about 420KM, which is only 260 miles, but then again this is the 2.4L AWD Matrix. But I am still hoping to get a bit more than that eventually.

 

I continue to be disappointed with my mileage. Again, I'm driving a brand new base model matrix (automatic), and after four tanks, I'm averaging 24mpg. It's not pretty.

 

Have you talked to the dealership about this libmanj? I have tried to talk with mine, but they have sort of brushed me off. I'm going to tear them a new one once I get my survey, which I haven't recieved yet. I wonder why we are getting such crappy mileage. I am getting about 22.5mpg to put it in imperial terms.
:Bruce:

 

Have you talked to the dealership about this libmanj? I have tried to talk with mine, but they have sort of brushed me off. I'm going to tear them a new one once I get my survey, which I haven't recieved yet. I wonder why we are getting such crappy mileage. I am getting about 22.5mpg to put it in imperial terms.
:Bruce:

Dealerships dont CARE about mileage or if it meets the EPA figures...they just want to sale the car...EVERY car ive owned has gotten VERY close to or sometimes even a tad better than the EPA numbers....WHEN I DRIVE NORMALLY and somewhat conservatively....ONLY MY MATRIX HASNT.....tells you something doesnt it?? If I drive the same all the time......same drive, same commutes, it MUST be the vehicle then! They wont admit they matrix ISNT living up to its claimed figures or all hell would break lose...toyota reputation etc would be ruined or the governtment would have to step in or something so they pretend their is no issue with MPG....its EASY to say...."Your mileage will differ"...etc..or some such crap

 

I have the base model 1.8L 5 speed manual. I am on my 4'th tank, so far about 32mpg. That's mixed city/road miles. I am a life long biker and am now wondering if exhaust and air intake mods would improve the MPG or hurt it. On my latest Harley the pipes and air kit improved the millage. But then again I am not sure what mods are allowed under warrenty.

 

overdrive

One thing you auto drivers might check, could be hurting your mpg, is make sure the Overdrive is switched on if you have it......just a thought.

 

One thing you auto drivers might check, could be hurting your mpg, is make sure the Overdrive is switched on if you have it......just a thought.

jdhog, that was the ticket.

I've been driving around with my car in 3rd gear a lot of the time. It's because I wasn't realizing that 3rd gear and D are right next to each other. I was pulling the shifter down and to the left to get it down that jagged path it has to go down. Now I know why my car seemed like it was laboring a bit on the highway. BTW, could I have done any damage to the car by driving it in 3rd gear on the highway.

Anyway, realizing what an ignorant I am has really improved my mileage. My first tank driving exclusively in D got 365 miles on about 11.5 gallons, which rounds up to 32mpg. I've gone from disappointed to extremely happy.

 

everyone knows mileage will vary some.....but USING that as an excuse for poor mileage is lame. My camry gets the same mileage as my matrix, so there must be something wrong. Ive seen WIDELY varying mileage figures on this board from matrix owners, so I wonder if maybe there are some technical problems toyota doesnt want to venture into? I expect a matrix to get somewhat better mileage than a heavier camry ESPECIALLY in the city, but it actually gets worse sometimes....something they are not telling us.

 

The factors that control MPG
1) Miles driven/ cubic feet of a variable fuel/air mixture displaced by the engine and efficiency in burning the mixture.

The fuel air ratio varies based on throttle position and RPM.
Ignition timing varies based on throttle position and manifold pressure. Valve overlap timing changes allows raw fuel to pass right through the exhaust valves in wide open throttle conditions. There are some other variables but that's the basic and the ones people have used to make power since the advent of the internal combustion engine.

Back in the day lift/degree changes on cams did the same thing as today's variable timing, but it was a permanent condition which caused very rough idle but great WOT performance and terrible gas mileage

Given a steady state fuel air ratio with fixed timing points and a non scavenging cam, this little engine could make about 30 to 40 HP on a good day. By controlling the fuel/air and timing of valves and spark it makes 130hp+.

Bottom line:
Your mileage is controlled by your foot. The engineers gave you the possibility of good mileage but your foot takes it away. Wide open throttle acceleration uses a ton of gas.

I still wish I knew which mods are warranty safe.

Just my opinion

 

The factors that control MPG
1) Miles driven/ cubic feet of a variable fuel/air mixture displaced by the engine and efficiency in burning the mixture.

The fuel air ratio varies based on throttle position and RPM.
Ignition timing varies based on throttle position and manifold pressure. Valve overlap timing changes allows raw fuel to pass right through the exhaust valves in wide open throttle conditions. There are some other variables but that's the basic and the ones people have used to make power since the advent of the internal combustion engine.

Back in the day lift/degree changes on cams did the same thing as today's variable timing, but it was a permanent condition which caused very rough idle but great WOT performance and terrible gas mileage

Given a steady state fuel air ratio with fixed timing points and a non scavenging cam, this little engine could make about 30 to 40 HP on a good day. By controlling the fuel/air and timing of valves and spark it makes 130hp+.

Bottom line:
Your mileage is controlled by your foot. The engineers gave you the possibility of good mileage but your foot takes it away. Wide open throttle acceleration uses a ton of gas.

I still wish I knew which mods are warranty safe.

Just my opinion

Okay so WHY does my camry get the same or better mileage CONSISTENTLY? Why is the matrix less efficient?? Trust me its not driving style, I drive VERY conservatively, almost boring. I try every trick there is to improve it and it STILL gets very mediocre mileage

 

I filled the tank yesterday... it was a shoking surprise to find out mine is so thirsty - 22-23 MPG. It was the 1st tank. I guess it's not enough to understand it's real consumption...
We'll see...
___________________
Matrix 09, 1.8L, AT, Package B

 

Wow, that's low. How much ethanol is used in gas where you are?
That could be some of the issue with low mpg. We are at 10% in my area, if it goes higher the mpg will go down.

 

Man that's some terrible mpg for the automatic. what the heck is going on/wrong? are they using a bag of quick dry as ATF?

 

I'm planning to get an 09 this year. I hope the mileage isn't that bad.

If so many of you think you're getting such poor mileage, why not take it to the dealer? This is the 2009 Matrix forum and your cars are still under warranty, no? Maybe it's a bad O2 sensor, low tire pressure, extra weight in the car, break-in period etc..?

Seems to me most variances are due to driving patterns and conditions (weather & roads)

I suggest taking it to the dealer for a quick peek instead of repairing problems on a message board. Your car is NEW AND under WARRANTY!

 

Mpg

Got my new matrix with 15 miles on her. Dealership filled her up for me... I just had to put gas back in when the fuel light came on. I put in 11.5 gallons and i had gone 315 miles which equals 27.3 mpg for my very first tanks of gas!
Not bad...it was about 85% highway driving on that first tank as well.