Greetings,

I'm nearing the end of my second tank. I keep it in cruise control set at 55-60 in a 65 zone and travel 28 miles each way uninterrupted by traffic. The terrain is mostly flat (Orange Count) with some small inclines that usually top off with longer declines and there are bridges to cross about every 3 miles (on average).

Anyway, in the beginning it was getting 53.8 miles MPG but then it suddenly dropped to 39 and has only slowly crept up to 41.1. The tank is almost over. The same thing happened on my first tank. I've learned to use little accel on hills usually gives good MPG on the feedback bars (whatever their called) and that down hill it maxes the MPG bars but in the end, I feel like I should be getting at least 48, since during the 28 mile commute, almost the entire time the MPG bars look like they hover around 55-60.

Is this normal or does the car still need to "break-in"?


Thanks,
Shawn

How much pressure do you have in your tires?

Shawn,
Have you been using your A/C? We've have some pretty hot and humid days lately. That can easily rob you of 5 mpg.

I have my A/C sometimes set on the lowest fan settings at 72*. I leave the moonroof cracked open during the day to help vent the inside. But I've made 3 days of driving w/o A/C and the MPG seems the same (unless I drop the A/C to 65* and have a higher vent).

If I leave off the A/C and open windows while driving, won't that alse reduce MPG? I'll try it, see what happens.

I do not know the tire pressure at the moment. It'll be whatever the dealer/manufacturer put in it.

Another this is that the first 1.5 miles of my drive (each way) has a lot of stop-and-go traffic, I've noticed it'll take about 3-4 MPG off my mileage just in that 1.5 miles and then I'll spend another 50 miles trying to get it back. I'm surprise a few minor accellerations (0-35 in 90 seconds (street) and 0-60 in 90-120 seconds (freeway). Sometimes I won't even hit 55 until about 5 miles into the trip) makes that big of a difference) (and during accel I usually see what looks like mid-to-high 40's on MPG except the beginning of the accel where it shows something like 5 MPG; during rest of accel and cruise control its usually at 55+).


Thanks,
Shawn

Shawn, glad to see you got the HCH ll-the Tacoma is a nice truck, but the latest Tacomas are a lot heavier than the ones from past years(close to 600 lbs heavier) and they have a lot more frontal area.You would be lucky to get 23 mpg with a 4cyl MT Tacoma,and 20 mpg Hy is a cause for celebration. You made the right choice-despite getting a lesson in greedonomics from your Honda dealers.
41 mpg is very good-about twice what the 2006 4 cyl Tacoma MT would give you.The MPG numbers you read here aren't "normal' numbers despite what HCH ll owners here suggest. Look at what CR got during their city loop-26 mpg-but about 46 mpg hy loop. Honda owners here are committed FE fanatics. The 46.5 mpg they manage to get is done with lots of FE tricks:1)They pump the tires up to 44 psi-right at the edge of an unpleasant ride 2) They get off the gas waaaaay early and glide as much as possible-learn to anticipate stops and learn your route-redlight timing,stop signs etc. 3)Don't use CC on uphills-D/C it and glide up;regain your speed going downhill. 4)Some actually severely curtail AC use.
You will gradually adopt these techniques, if the extra 5 mpg is important to you. If it isn't you will still pick up another 2 mpg just by " getting better' at using the display to max efficiency.
You are doing fine.The difference between 41 and 46 mpg over 12000 miles is just 22 gallons-just under $70/yr if you drive 12000 -miles/yr; just $1.50/wk..However the difference between 41 and 20 mpg is 308 gallons-almost $1000/yr-real money-$20/wk, week in and week out.If gas hits $4/gal it is almost $1300/yr!!
Luck,Charlie
PS NEVER GIVE A DEPOSIT!! Just Razzing you to jog your memory.In CA everyone seems to do it for those HOV cars!

Yes, we are fanatical freaks.

Instantaneous MPG can be very deceptive, as very small swings in actual gas consumption appear as huge swings in MPG. Also, the amount of gas consumed during accelerations is very difficult to estimate from an instaneous bar.

You should be averaging much higher with a 28mi each way drive at those speeds. I get similar numbers to you (also in Orange County, so similar climate) but my trips are much shorter, with a lot of hill climbs. I regularly cycle my pack to about 1/3rd left multiple times a day. The hill I live on alone (I go up and over, with several stops) reduces my tank mileage about 10%. My custom wheel/tire combo is also costing me as much as 8%. I also drive ~70 on the freeway most of time, and to top it all off, the HCH-1 was slightly less efficient than the HCH-2 to begin with. Given that scenario and driving style, I'd expect more like the ~50 you were seeing initially.

Even though I travel in the heart of rush hour twice a day for 28 miles, I still can do 75 if I want. In 6 years time doing this route, I've only needed the carpool fewer times than I have fingers on my hands. I got the car because its what I decided I want, not because I can get a carpool sticker that expires in 5 months. Though, if I get the sticker, maybe I'll "invent" use for it, but it really isn't a concern to me one way or the other.

The only real way (for me) to avoid paying $6k+ mark-up was by laying a deposit. All the places that I can walk into and pick up a car for MSRP are too far way or too long a commute for me to keep leaving work every day in the hopes that I'll finally get the car before everyone else on the call list arrives to pick it up. But the deposit actually did something else for me, it helped me to "plan" for an arrival and get my finances in gear accordingly and to have "think" time whether its what I want, rather than "impulse".

I'm happy with the $29.4k I paid out-the-door that includes a 7yr 120k 0$ deductible, custom moonroof, lojack-early warning, interior lights, pro-package, dimming mirror, and other things. Please, I paid $300 below MSRP on the day of 6/19/2006. Frustrating, I almost gave up multiple times, but I stuck with it and it worked out.

As for your advice and such, I agree, 40MPG isn't something to complain about but I'm actually trying to get my average MPG to a minimum of 45 MPG if I can. For me, this is a car, not an obsession, 50 MPG would be great but I'd rather drive and enjoy my car, but I will try and do what I must to average 45 MPG as that's where the (minimum) best pay-off for the car+payments vs. the Tacoma fuel (no payments) I had meets equilibrium (vs. loss) given a 12 month period of time @ 1,500 miles per month (my average driving).

Time will tell how much I really care but in the meantime I really enjoy driving this car and I never thought I'd enjoy any car. I hate them. I hate being in them, I hate being low to the ground, etc. But I really like the HCH-II. I have no "real" complaints.


Thanks,
Shawn

Shawn, I can get 48 mpg without thinking. It takes work to get 50 and over. I'm not a fanatic though. I drive 65-70 on the freeway.

The a/c can easily rob you of 10mpg. If you were not using your a/c when you first starting driving, and are now using it a lot more, thay may explain the difference. By the way, I get better fuel economy on the highway with my windows down and the a/c off than I do with the windows closed and the a/c on, contrary to what most people claim.

Also, check your tire pressure. Tires typcially lose 1-2psi per month. If a couple of months have passed since you last checked your tire pressure, you could be low. I keep mine at 40. I have also had mine filled with nitrogen which virtually eliminates pressure loss and is supposed to help get better fuel economy.

Weight can also affect mileage. Are you driving with more people in the car, or perhaps heavy 'stuff' in your trunk?

Just a few ideas to check out...

If nothing has changed, I would have your local dealer check your car out in case there is a computer or mechanical malfunction.

Good luck!