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It appears to be off by ~2-3 MPG over manual calculation. On my short run today, it might have been even 4 over. I'll be sure to record it on my controlled test.
Abysmal MPG - RTL-E
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I do 95% city driving and I'm getting between 16 and 18. What's more, I am a bit of a lead foot. I like to power up hills and accelerate my chosen line out of curves.
Question: I may have missed this earlier in the thread but how are you figuring miles per gallon? My numbers are from Fuelly. Nothing about the onboard MPG figuring software strikes me as being very reliable. When the Mid and the 8 inch differ by 4 to 5 miles per gallon sometimes you have to wonder.
Question: I may have missed this earlier in the thread but how are you figuring miles per gallon? My numbers are from Fuelly. Nothing about the onboard MPG figuring software strikes me as being very reliable. When the Mid and the 8 inch differ by 4 to 5 miles per gallon sometimes you have to wonder.
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I've been checking by hand (calculator) and the GasTracker+ app from Fuelly.
Does the fuel efficiency show up in the 8-inch screen somewhere? I've only been using the Trip A counter above the steering column.
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I can't speak to whether this has to do with the truck, your driving, the So Cal roads, or whatever. While I normally drive in So Cal, my major mileage is on long haul trips. I don't have experience yet with MPG in So Cal. Here is my gas mileage over the first 5,000 miles (doesn't include all fill-ups) based on calculations from fill to fill against mileage. Note that in a couple of cases I compare it to the dash estimate, which appears to me to be pretty meaningless.
I did increase my tire inflation cold to 37 all around just before the two best days. The truck dash advised that they got to about 40 hot.
The toll road you drove has lots of hills, as you note, some of them pretty steep. On the stretches I got the best mileage the weather was cool, so little to no AC (which really saps gas mileage per Consumer Reports), rolling hills (but not like the toll road), and very little traffic. Had two humans, one dog, and a light load of luggage.
The lower mileage I got was I think attributable to some serious uphill driving combined with lower tire pressure and very high outdoor head (100 or so) that had the AC working hard.
I did increase my tire inflation cold to 37 all around just before the two best days. The truck dash advised that they got to about 40 hot.
The toll road you drove has lots of hills, as you note, some of them pretty steep. On the stretches I got the best mileage the weather was cool, so little to no AC (which really saps gas mileage per Consumer Reports), rolling hills (but not like the toll road), and very little traffic. Had two humans, one dog, and a light load of luggage.
The lower mileage I got was I think attributable to some serious uphill driving combined with lower tire pressure and very high outdoor head (100 or so) that had the AC working hard.
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Thanks for the detailed data, Lifesaver1. I'll start a list like that and add it to the first post in this thread once I have some more data.
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LifeSaver, what speed did you usually run?
Also, it might be interesting to try some level-ground runs at various cruising speeds from 55-70 mph (or so...), just to see the differences. (The aerodynamic drag component increases as the square of the speed.)
I would think that you could use the RL's onboard mileage computer just to get an idea of the relative changes. (I assume it has an "instant mileage" mode.)
Also, it might be interesting to try some level-ground runs at various cruising speeds from 55-70 mph (or so...), just to see the differences. (The aerodynamic drag component increases as the square of the speed.)
I would think that you could use the RL's onboard mileage computer just to get an idea of the relative changes. (I assume it has an "instant mileage" mode.)
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For those following this thread, I'd like to point out the disclaimer I added to the original post. If it turns out that I'm just not paying close enough attention to my driving conditions and patterns to explain my lower than expected mileage, I want to be sure this thread doesn't unjustly stamp the Ridgeline with a scarlet letter of inefficiency.
Further testing tentatively scheduled for this weekend!
Further testing tentatively scheduled for this weekend!
More octane means more power for the vehicle in same amount of fuel. ECM adjusts the engine performance for the new fuel= better fuel mileage. ECM takes a while to reset, so it continues to keep the same fuel saving parameters with the less energy concentrated fuel for a while. Then it says WTF is going on, and changes its parameters. A tonneau will increase MPG 10% due to less drag, full synthetic will increase another 10% due to less friction in engine so needs less fuel to do same work. IDK if Ridgelines have tonneau's available cause I drive a 2012 tacoma, but my MPG went from 17-19 to 20-24 with these changes. I can get a supercharger and that would add another 10% but it would cost too much versus fuel savings. But, damn a 5 second truck!
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I think you may have an honest beef. If you take it in the dealer they will likely turn you away and say it's new needs to be broken in. To some degree they would be right in that comment New motors these days are quite intelligent and monitor driving conditions as well from the owners driving habits. The more it recognizes this pattern the more clear mpg you will see. City driving IMO is a nuisance when predicting mpg it's always weak results the highway is where the engine wants to sit in and give you a steady result. Not to many people can just highway drive which brings us to a average mpg, totally changes where people live.
I would say on average you should get better then your result so perhaps your on board computer is off and needs to be looked at. I would also suggest a back to back comparison with another demo RL 2 from the dealer. Same route same settings same driving and see what the trip computer says.
I would say on average you should get better then your result so perhaps your on board computer is off and needs to be looked at. I would also suggest a back to back comparison with another demo RL 2 from the dealer. Same route same settings same driving and see what the trip computer says.
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Generally speaking, I drive 7 - 8 mph above posted highway speed. In most of the NY upstate area, posted was 70 I think, so 77. Iowa I believe 75, so 83. Anyway, in that range.
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I agree on the potential beef RTP2017 may have. Based on his driving loops, etc. getting G1 mileage makes me think something is up with the ECU or potentially some driveline drag coming into play...No way calculated highway should ever be below 20 mpg unless you have the cruise set at 85 mph+ and a head wind...
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Sorry for the lack of updates - new baby boy = never time to screw around doing what I want to do! >
Unfortunately I wasn't able to do the full down-and-back to Oceanside (probably the best "flatland" test I can do without a long trip). But I did get a decent trip out to my in-laws to let them all go "goo" at our boy. I drove like a grandma on her way to church the whole tank, but did have about 10 minutes of idle in a parking lot to calm the baby when he got fussy in his car seat.Here are the calculated results for that tank:
187 miles / 9.813 gallons = 19.1 MPG
The tank was about 80% highway miles. ECON mode was off the entire time.
So it wasn't great, but it also wasn't as horrible as my previous tanks. I'm still anxious to get out on that long test.
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Congratulations on having your new baby boy! That's awesome.
Bad news sadly is you should be still getting way better than 19mpg highway driving.
To give you an idea I'm driving a new f-150 ecoboost 3.5 and my city only as a low is 18-19mpg and a high of 21.4mpg. The highway is incredible had it as high as 32-34mpg but in most cases it usually sets in about 24.8-28mpg. Of course the evil city with my combination is a killer so it ends up down in the 22-23.7 average highway with some city residential but we have hills everywhere to climb. Mix in the rest of the tank with more city and it drops again on average but that depends on your daily driving conditions. On a trip per basis it can be extremely good but I would expect your truck to be very very good as well.
I would estimate your highway to be similar as what I get. The city should better but some reason most are actually not getting as good city but also average combination mpg is same or lower in most cases. That surprises me a bit. I would have figured better city mpg with the smaller lower to the ground much lighter truck. I do find the ecoboost to be very intelegent engine with the 6 speed transmission as its set to always find the gear that allows the rpm to be its lowest. Until you step on it then it's an angry beast.
I think perhaps you may want to ask the dealer to check it out. Maybe like I said try out another demo and see how it calculates your test drive go back to back with the salesman.
Where you will actually find that time is another battle. I know that feeling oh so well.
Bad news sadly is you should be still getting way better than 19mpg highway driving.
To give you an idea I'm driving a new f-150 ecoboost 3.5 and my city only as a low is 18-19mpg and a high of 21.4mpg. The highway is incredible had it as high as 32-34mpg but in most cases it usually sets in about 24.8-28mpg. Of course the evil city with my combination is a killer so it ends up down in the 22-23.7 average highway with some city residential but we have hills everywhere to climb. Mix in the rest of the tank with more city and it drops again on average but that depends on your daily driving conditions. On a trip per basis it can be extremely good but I would expect your truck to be very very good as well.
I would estimate your highway to be similar as what I get. The city should better but some reason most are actually not getting as good city but also average combination mpg is same or lower in most cases. That surprises me a bit. I would have figured better city mpg with the smaller lower to the ground much lighter truck. I do find the ecoboost to be very intelegent engine with the 6 speed transmission as its set to always find the gear that allows the rpm to be its lowest. Until you step on it then it's an angry beast.
I think perhaps you may want to ask the dealer to check it out. Maybe like I said try out another demo and see how it calculates your test drive go back to back with the salesman.
Where you will actually find that time is another battle. I know that feeling oh so well.
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Have you spent any time in the truck sitting and idling with AC on? That kills the mpg much faster than regular stop-n-go city traffic.
The mileage you describe on the highway is pretty reasonable I think - you are in a hilly area and your truck probably isn't going to be able to get the full advantage of VCM that people might see on extended interstate driving in the flatter areas of the USA. If you are not running in 3-cylinder mode, you would expect to get economy very similar to a similar sized truck running in 6 cylinder mode - like a Gen 1 Ridgeline for example. 20 mpg is pretty typical for a Gen 1 in highway driving.
It would be interesting to see how much time your truck is actually spending in fuel-miser 3-cylinder mode. If it's not getting up to temperature or switching in to VCM, you won't see the 24-28 mpg that others are reporting.
The mileage you describe on the highway is pretty reasonable I think - you are in a hilly area and your truck probably isn't going to be able to get the full advantage of VCM that people might see on extended interstate driving in the flatter areas of the USA. If you are not running in 3-cylinder mode, you would expect to get economy very similar to a similar sized truck running in 6 cylinder mode - like a Gen 1 Ridgeline for example. 20 mpg is pretty typical for a Gen 1 in highway driving.
It would be interesting to see how much time your truck is actually spending in fuel-miser 3-cylinder mode. If it's not getting up to temperature or switching in to VCM, you won't see the 24-28 mpg that others are reporting.
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Thanks for the feedback, Martyn1075 and Uncle Festus. I'm still leaning toward the possibility (or maybe just hoping) that my driving profile and AC usage are the explanation of the low MPG. I'm not looking forward to the rigmarole of convincing the dealer that I'm driving a lemon.
I'll keep reporting my results here for those watching, and I'm still planning to run that flat loop down to Oceanside as soon as possible.
I'll keep reporting my results here for those watching, and I'm still planning to run that flat loop down to Oceanside as soon as possible.
My last three fill-ups, according to Fuelly, were 17, 17 and 16 MPG. In that last batch I did 25 miles of highway driving and all the rest was city. I fill up about once a week. The last trip I took I got 24 miles to the gallon and I was driving at speeds above 80 with a lot of braking and bumper-to-bumper, so a lot of acceleration. In other words the worst highway driving short of towing. Finally if you look at the 8 inch screen and from the home screen press Info and then on the next screen press Trip you'll get a computer-generated real-time miles per gallon which is woefully optimistic in my experience. If I went by that I'd, be averaging 19 to 20. And then there's another miles per gallon readout in the MID screen behind the wheel. It is sometimes even more optimistic than the 8 inch screen. So when people bandy about miles per gallon, I never know which numbers they're quoting. So much so that I find it kind of pointless to talk about it if we're not going to refer to the method that was used to get to the number.
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^^^ Eggszactly.
As I stated earlier, people tend to lie (by addition or omission either maliciously, accidentally, or due to ignorance) and/or exaggerate to impress the world or themselves. That's why I generally disregard reports from "Chicken Littles" complaining about only getting 12 MPG or bragging about getting 28 MPG - those are outliers. By now, there have been enough Fuelly reports to establish reliable enough data that individual reports can be dismissed. According to real-world data, the 2017 averages 4 MPG more than the 2014 so far - which matches my personal experience.
As I stated earlier, people tend to lie (by addition or omission either maliciously, accidentally, or due to ignorance) and/or exaggerate to impress the world or themselves. That's why I generally disregard reports from "Chicken Littles" complaining about only getting 12 MPG or bragging about getting 28 MPG - those are outliers. By now, there have been enough Fuelly reports to establish reliable enough data that individual reports can be dismissed. According to real-world data, the 2017 averages 4 MPG more than the 2014 so far - which matches my personal experience.
I drive what I consider real easy and conservative normally. In the busier part of the suburbs with more frequent stop light, under my "normal conservative" driving I get 14-15MPG with/without eco mode on. When I want to, sometime I drive like my great grandmother pissing everyone else off on the road, a lot of anticipating and coasting to red lights, I can get 19-21 on the same roads with the eco mode on.
Frequent stop and goes and how you stop and go is the main driver of MPG it appears.
Freeway at 55MPH I can get the computer to say 29. 65MPH at 27. 75MPH at 24-25. 85MPH 23.
For that this long drive with 95% highway I calculated 26mpg.
I've driven full tanks before 90% busy suburbs, lots of lights, driving how I normally drive (not aggressive at all but also not making a point to achieve hight MPG and I get a calculated 14MPG.
You may consider the way you drive conservative, but is probably still aggressive compared to how honda drove during their certification.
I keep the odometer page up on my display with the "live" fuel use bar. If during city driving and you make a point to try coasting with the meter at or above the 30-40 mark most of the way, and minimum time spent accelerating below the 10 mark.
Frequent stop and goes and how you stop and go is the main driver of MPG it appears.
Freeway at 55MPH I can get the computer to say 29. 65MPH at 27. 75MPH at 24-25. 85MPH 23.
For that this long drive with 95% highway I calculated 26mpg.
I've driven full tanks before 90% busy suburbs, lots of lights, driving how I normally drive (not aggressive at all but also not making a point to achieve hight MPG and I get a calculated 14MPG.
You may consider the way you drive conservative, but is probably still aggressive compared to how honda drove during their certification.
I keep the odometer page up on my display with the "live" fuel use bar. If during city driving and you make a point to try coasting with the meter at or above the 30-40 mark most of the way, and minimum time spent accelerating below the 10 mark.
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