CPR

SH-AWD/Tech; wish there were a way to default the IDS to Normal, instead of Economy. Definitely, better MPG in Normal
I've had mine since January 15th, & have tried both in identical conditions
strange, but true

marklw47

You could go into vehicle settings and pick the "last used" as your default IDS setting. As long as it's on normal when you shut the car off, should work.

FYI, I've found the same so far. I get about .5 higher MPG when in normal VS. ECON. That may change when it gets really hot and the AC's running full tilt.

weather

CPR...I agree with the previous member (^^)....You can't make the car start in Sport+ but normal is doable.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

Interesting - I wonder if there is a psychological reason for this. Perhaps the dulled throttle response in Econ causes you to be more aggressive with the throttle to overcome the "parachute attached to the back of the car" effect you get.

Stew4HD

Mine is set to Normal ATM, I changed the default to it in Settings

Ero

In vehicle settings you can set prefered IDS and pick from Last Used/Eco/Normal/Sport. It's individual for Driver 1 and Driver 2 as well, so I locked in sport and my GF locked in eco...

BTW what part of Brooklyn? I've only see one TLX other than mine in BK so far!

CPR

Actually, have seen a few; mostly 4 Cylinder models; saw a Bellanova White one on Saturday.
Acura of Brooklyn is selling them; I'm tight with the crew there
Live near the dealership, in Midwood

Ero

Oh cool...I actually tried to buy mine from Acura of Brooklyn, they gave me a good price and I even showed up to sign papers...and then they decided to not be open when their website said they should be...

I'm on the other side of Brooklyn by the city, I guess TLXs haven't made it that far away from the mothership yet

a77

I completed most of my last tank in sport+ and mileage came out pretty much similar to in sport only - some journeys better, some worse. When Honda first came out with the Eco "button" word from Honda was that there would be a saving of 6% on average. But average is the key word - some would save a lot more if they were inherently inefficient drivers, and some would notice no difference in mileage. I hate the parachute effect, but many people don't notice it. Try a CR-Z...I think anybody would there.

All ECO does is soften accelerator response, lower shift points, relax cruise control speed tolerance and backs off HVAC. None of which automatically means you'll get better mileage. If HVAC is backed off you may just increase the settings. You may not use cruise in the hilly conditions where it makes a difference. Lower shift points don't always mean better mileage (BMW used to argue that best mileage was got by getting to cruising speed faster, not slower, which ECO would do), a softer accelerator may just cause you to mash it more.

The best way to get better mileage is to minimize use of the brakes. Every time you use them energy is being wasted as heat. Which means anticipation is the key.

weather

I don't think of anticipation when I hear the word "brakes"....I associate it more for when I go to bed

CheeseyPoofs McNut

I suspect any MPG increase you would see by running in Econ mode would mostly be in stop -n- go inner-city traffic. The dulled throttle stops those jackrabbit starts and you really don't have to worry too much about "getting up to speed" in those cases. If you travel mostly freeway then running in Econ likely won't have much effect at all.

Rocketsfan

Over 30-something tanks of gas and mostly on ECON and Normal, there's not a huge difference between the two. I get varied gas economy on both, and that includes city driving. Sometimes ECON is better, sometimes Normal is better in terms of mileage - but not by much in either case. I'll probably switch to Sport next for kicks and see what happens.

Ero

I wonder if VCM only engages in eco mode....Acura has been really cagey about the details of VCM on these cars, other than that it's 6-3 and not 6-4-3

tlxsteve

Sports Mode is my default at 38 MPG on the highway. Econo got me 38.2 on highway. As someone mentioned, maybe Econo shines brightest during stop-and-go traffic.

rekx

That's odd.. The thing is though it's near impossible to replicate every day driving according to a scientific method. Hell, it might just be a sort underlying psychological thing where you're unintentionally going heavier in eco and lighter in normal or vice versa.

narnia

I'm getting about the same, so I drive in Sport since I like the way the car handles best in that mode.

MedX172

One thing I've noticed about a switch between Econ/Norm in my V6 is subtle changes in climate control. It seems like the fans scale back and the A/C backs off a bit in Econ. This my imagination?

marklw47

Nope, it's meant to do this. It'll go back and forth when you switch in and out of ECON.

LaCostaRacer

It doesn't surprise me that there is only a minor difference between ECON and normal mode for many drivers and the difference depends on the type of commute you have.

The 3GR's way back profiled fuel economy using a ginger pace to 50MPH vs a sharper pace (about 1/2 throttle) to 50MPH and determined it's better to more quickly get up to your most efficient cruising speed than take your time. I imagine that might still apply with the TLX to some degree.

BEAR-AvHistory

Think there is a lot of truth in this. Expect in addition to being in ECON you also need the driver in relaxed mode.

Might be best for over the road driving to get the best mileage. Set ECON, set the Cruise Control & just steer.

BTW FWIW I drive in Sport+ with the stick in Sport mode. Don't like ECON's lack of go when you press the pedal in city traffic. 22mpg all round 31mpg on the interstate.

Dizfoogeofrey

i drive on normal, fells like im having good mpg

BEAR-AvHistory

Found this today in Motor Trend, quickest cars with over 30mpg on the road. Acura made the list.

The 20 Quickest Vehicles That Also Get 30 MPG - Motor Trend Page 2

Hoosier_TLX

I'm surprised the TLX wasn't there but the RLX was. I may be crazy, but I'd swear my car gets to 60 in less than 6 seconds. I'm not sure if they're doing a combined MPG thing or highway MPG, but it sure seemed like an ad for Bimmers.

I'm still trying to determine if I get better mileage in normal or econ, but it's difficult when I prefer to drive in Sport or + modes

CPR

My SH-AWD/Tech, definitely does a sub 6 second 0-60MPH, & gets 30+ MPG, on the highway, in SPORT mode! Someone either miscalculated, or plain screwed up.

a35tl

The FWD TLX V6 and the Accord V6 should both be on that list. Both models have been clocked to 60 in under 6 seconds and they're both rated 34 mpg hwy. Why does the Camry make the list and the Accord does not? The Accord has a 4 mpg advantage to the Camry.

nore03

I average about 18-19 mpg combine no matter what setting i'm in. I'm pretty sure its more my fault than the cars fault though. The car has a "fun as hell so I can't baby it" factor going on with it. Now that I think about it, pretty sure its more the cars fault than mine...... Gotta love it

BEAR-AvHistory

RLX is pretty quick.

Its just actual highway mileage not EPA numbers. I just would make it at 30/31mpg. Longest highway run so far, NC to NJ, was 485 miles. My inside Raleigh according to the car is 22.

Don't worry about mileage but intuitively would think a "normal" driver would see better mileage in normal. Believe econ can work if you drive it to max the mileage, boring.

Also daily drive in sport+

BEAR-AvHistory

Looks like they are using their own 0-60 test numbers from their Road Tests, #20 Camry got 5.8 & the TLX SHAWD 5.9. 1/10 is close enough for government work, could have gone either way.

1Louder

Funny I was just going to post this in the best MPG thread but this is more relevant.

I've gone through 7 tanks in all the modes, with each tank having the same drive pattern (daily commute). I have a SH-AWD/V6.

Econ average: 27.2 mpg
Norm average: 27.7 mpg
Sport average: 29.0 mpg

I actually learned a lot about driving efficiently with my 2002 Civic hybrid. Carried that over to my TSX and consistently got 29-30 MPG. My conclusion so far with my TLX is that your MPG has a lot more to do with your driving style than the mode. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's all driving style.

All the modes do is adjust the pedal travel relative to the acceleration. Econ gives you more pedal movement without really changing speed - theory being this allows you to hold consistent speeds better by allowing for smaller, fuel saving adjustments to hold speed, which is what saves you gas. Sport is on the other end of the spectrum - short pedal travel before you start taking off - requires a very trained right foot to make small adjustments. Norm is in the middle. The modes (except Sport+) have nothing to do with the amount of gas that goes to the engine or the transmission settings (as far as I've been able to research).

I think the reason I can get as good and better mileage in Norm and Sport is because I've trained my right foot to follow a few simple rules. This isn't anything new (and I realize it's no-brainer stuff) but I'll offer them here for those that are interested. I think if someone does these basic things, they can drive efficiently in any mode.

1) I drive with the instant MPG display on all the time. You'd be surprised when you are cruising that you are probably using more gas than you have to in order to maintain a constant speed. The meter helps. Over time, you'll get a feel for the minimum amount of pedal pressure needed to hold speed. I can cruise at 50 mph on a level road and hold speed at about 45 mpg on the display. My best tank was 34 MPG (all highway) just doing this, going 60-70 for about 220 miles.

2) Accelerating too fast uses a lot of gas. Unless I need to make a move or I'm just having fun, accelerate as slow as you can without being a traffic hazard. This is where Econ is supposed to help, because it kind-of enforces that for you. But you can pull it off in any mode. I could accelerate gently in Sport just fine.

3) Anticipate stops to avoid having to come to a full stop. If I see a red light ahead (again, I'm not being a hazard), I'll let off the gas a quarter mile away if I can and coast as long as possible. With luck, light changes before you have to completely stop and you can speed up from say 20 or 25 mph rather than 0.

4) I turn off my climate control if I know I'll be stopped a long time and the auto stop engaged. I found the engine will pop back on if climate control is needed. If I'm not suffering, I just turn it off for long lights. Keeps the engine off.

Honestly I think that all there is to it. Combine that with the VCM and the auto stop and 30 mpg is pretty attainable in any mode.

At the end of the day I think I'm settling on Normal for most of my driving. I like Sport, but if you are in stop and go traffic (which I encounter every day) Sport is a tad annoying when you are trying to hold 10-15 mph. Econ is too forgiving - I feel like I have to floor it just to get going after a stoplight.

mapleloaf

Thanks for the clearly articulated explanation of the effects of different modes on fuel economy. My own "research" would support your explanations regarding the differences between modes and the all important impact of acceleration rates on fuel economy. I use Eco primarily for those stop and go conditions where muting the climate control and acceleration can improve my fuel economy. Otherwise, i use Normal or for most of my Driving, with an increasing dose of Sport for those thrill seeking times. In both of these modes I have also found the sweet spots where holding speed with minimal acceleration returns excellent fuel economy numbers in city cruising, at times in the 8.5 litres/100 km range.

I have also found that even with the Climate Control on, my Idle Stop function stays on for the duration of most traffic lights. As temperatures continue to warm and air conditioning operates more frequently, I suspect this will change. When it does, your simple tip about turning off the climate control will be most useful.

ostrich

Just took a trip from Calgary to Banff this past weekend. In terms of pure highway driving only, the best gas consumption with my SH-AWD Elite model was 6.0 litres/100km, or 39.2 mpg!!! If I include the entire trip, which includes a bit of driving in downtown Banff, then the average for the trip was still a super 7.1 litres/100km, or 33.1 mpg!!! I used mostly ECON on the freeway, and SPORTS while in town or whenever I need to accelerate on the freeway... And this is a car with only 8000 km on it so far - imagine what the gas consumption may be, once the car is properly broken in!

Needless to say, I am mighty impressed!!!

weather

Ostrich...that is PHENOMENAL!! That is where Honda/Acura excels at making such efficient engines!

ostrich

Weather, it is totally amazing! I thought my 4G TL SH-AWD was not bad for fuel efficiency, but this is just off the hook!!! What an outstanding improvement over the 4G TL SH-AWD!!!

It's also interesting that now that I have finally gone on 2 long distance trips (once to Edmonton and back, and now to Banff and back) the car seems to have "loosened up" more too - it feels even more responsive and fun to drive now.

to Acura indeed!

mapleloaf

That is amazing! I'm curious as to what your average speed was? BTW, yesterday, on a 14 km round trip to and from the Y in the evening from home in suburbia, I averaged 8.0 litres/100 km in Sport Mode. Admittedly, very few red lights, but I was impressed!!

ostrich

Hi Mapleleaf, my average speed on the freeway was probably around 110 km/h. It was smooth as butter on the freeway and I was way impressed! This car simply has amazing fuel efficiency!

mapleloaf

It does. And I find the cylinder deactivation to be entirely seamless.

a77

Just refueled after getting 828 kms about 515/miles on a tank, all in Calgary. My last tankful, which also included a weekend trip to Banff got 7.4 l/100kms. This tankful 7.3. Coming back from Banff at 120 to 130 once out of the park got 5.8. It's a bit net downhill and usually there's a tailwind. So I am now matching the TSX nearly, though the TSX has a bigger tank and was easier to brim. Should get a bit better when the winters come off. I presume gas stocks aren't winter mix now? Mine's a 4 cyl. Does look like the V6 is just as good on the highway.

All in sport or sport+ by the way (using sport+ to lock it in 8th).

BEAR-AvHistory

Lots of good info on mileage. That said I was wondering if it actually really effects anyones wallet? My math might be off, but a quick try suggests at $3 a gallon a 39/31 spread over 15K miles is only about $6 a week.

ostrich

No, it does not really affect my wallet, but I find it much more convenient that I do not have to refill my gas as often, and I also like the fact that it is environmentally friendlier

youngTL

Fuel is more expensive than that in Canada, and over the course of a year you could easily save $200 or more even if you just save 1L/100km (and some guys are beating the ratings by more than that) if you drive 20,000 km a year.