hondamore

Latest fill up...exclusively city driving (with a few stretches of freeway driving)..32.2 mpg (7.3 l/100km).

My Sport Hybrid now has around 3500 miles and the improved mileage is likely a result of getting "broken in". My previous few fill ups were all around 29 mpg, so warmer weather and summer gas also make a difference.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I'm seeing the same very regularly.

neuronbob

Just a fuel economy update:

Still keeping track of the fuel economy. I haven't updated my Fuelly in a while, will have to do so.

Highway fuel economy is quite good, consistently 28-34 mpg depending on the amount of stop-and-go. The record fuel economy on my commute to downtown Cleveland is 36 mpg. Most of my tanks are 26-27 mpg during the warm months. I only fill with 93 and I drive the car sedately most of the time, only rarely using Sport Mode. Doesn't matter whether the average speed is 75 or 65 on the highway, as long as I can keep the speed steady for an extended period.

City mileage is consistently low, especially on short trips. I'm averaging 23-24 mpg in warm weather in city traffic, significantly lower than advertised. I've written to Acura about my disappointment with the fuel economy, to which their answer was to get a second opinion from another dealer. I visited my dealer today for the B16 service and asked for an assessment of the hybrid system. They checked the system with their computer and found no stored errors to indicate difficulty. They tested the electric motors and found them functional, when they were supposed to be functional. I know the folks at my preferred dealer have taken my complaints seriously, and they've tested as far as they can, so no need to switch dealers.

So, in short, everything works normally, though I continue to be disappointed at the fuel economy, which is not as advertised in my case. At this point, I'm going to drop the mileage issue given no broken or obviously malfunctioning parts, and just enjoy the car until end of lease, mileage be damned. The car works fine otherwise and has no significant issues.

PS my B16 service was around $220.

Malibu Flyer

Just pasted the 20,000 mile mark. My first 10,000 miles were at 28.7 mpg. The second 10,000 miles are now at 29.7 mpg. I think the difference is due more to more time on trips than anything about the car being 'broken in'. Either way, a very respectable number for a luxury sedan weighing in at over 4,000 lbs.

Still the most remarkable thing about the car is its handling and performance, not its gas mileage.

neuronbob

Yup, winter blend is back. Leads to a drop of 3 mpg in my average. Not complaining, just posting as a data point. Whatever they do to the gas here in the Midwest sucks.

George Knighton

I think you're all lead foots, every last one of you!

LOL.... :-)

hondamore

^^^I had the test done today and my right foot turned out to be mostly tungsten and not lead after all.

Winter blend gas has also robbed at least 3-4 mpg from my mileage (28 mpg latest fill), but my driving style of primarily short trips under 10 miles is the primary reason that I can't reproduce the 32 mpg I achieved when I was driving all over town this summer. Especially when the weather gets colder, short trips don't allow any EV time because the ICE is always warming up and always needed to heat the cabin. That said, I'm certainly not complaining about 28 mpg when I'm having this much fun driving and when my previous RL would be 7 or 8 mpg lower at this time of year.

neuronbob

^^^^^^
at both of you.

I confess to my leadfootedness. I drove my NSX 14 hours from Orlando to Cleveland yesterday after attending NSXPO. 85 mph the entire way.... As regards the Sport Hybrid, 26 mpg in mixed driving in a 4.3k pound car is still pretty good.

George Knighton

-

We must not be in the winter mix yet, I guess.

George Knighton

NSXPO?

You know a goober named Ken Sax?

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I am not sure if the winter gas is already in my area yet, but so far for the current tank I am back to my consistent 30+mpg returns so the recent issue with mid 20's mpg seems to be gone. I guess it was a bad gas issue. It was weird that by the end of that tank the mpg returns recovered so much to almost be normal. Oh well. One of those things I guess.

neuronbob

I met him, and let me tell you, he was a great actor during our dinner theater outing a few nights ago. Seems like a lot of fun.

Winter blend starts production in September, but it seems to arrive in our local gas stations at the end of October or thereabouts. This car, as I've mentioned before, seems more exquisitely sensitive to the switchover than any other car I've owned, so it's easy to tell when the change occurs.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

Well if that is right and I suspect it is, then we have all been running on winter gas for a while now. I wonder if that mixture is different by region? Meaning is the CA mix different than for the northeast, or central areas? Could that be a contributor to the wide array of mpg between us taking into account driving styles, roads, traffic, trip duration, terrain, etc...

neuronbob

Fuel blends do indeed differ by region. The NE, Midwest, and CA all have their own blends based on regional needs, or at least that's my feeble understanding of it.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

Very interesting. I am no chemist, but I wonder if someone in the oil/gas business could chime in on this question. Not today, but at some point I will research this further unless someone else beats me to it. I would think that modern DI ICE engines would adapt to various mixtures in a semi-consistent way so that we would all operate in general range of each other regarding average mpg. It is possible your right foot is a tad heavier than others. I have seen my mpg drop to the low teens for a short trip if I engage sport mode and enjoy its offerings.

George Knighton

Some blends contain less energy than others.

If we banned ethanol, we'd all suddenly get a couple more mpg.

dzionny_dzionassi

Why dont we ask that our new President lol

George Knighton

There's a place near my home in the country that advertises ethanol free gasoline.

I might try that a few times to see how much better the MPG gets.

On the other hand, I'm also sort of afraid of non-top tier gasoline.

0_o

neuronbob

This is a very general treatise on the topic, in the context of California's trying to save consumers money. I hope it helps.

Summer-Blend vs Winter-Blend Gasoline: What?s the Difference?

TampaRLX-SH

With buzz of relaxed EPA regulations and corn lobbyists, there may be a reduction or elimination of ethanol.

I continue to use Shell Top Tier fuel and have yet to see the seasonal fluctuation, which tends to be less in the temperate climate.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

So a report on my mpg as it is mighty chilly today. Of late I have seen very regularly 26-26.3 mpg per tank which I think is quite fair considering how little it is operating in EV mode this time of year. If in the warmer months I see 30-50% of the travel (sub 58 mph stuff) in EV mode and that produces 32+ mpg, I think the 5-15% EV usage creating mid 20's mpg for normal everyday driving is really good.

Scott in AZ

Palm Springs to Phoenix, averaged 76 MPH for four hours including long stretches at 90+ MPH and averaged 26.9 MPH with 91 octane California winter smog-formula gasoline.

neuronbob

And people call me a leadfoot. 26.9 mpg is not bad in that circumstance, and in hot weather with the A/C on.

psheu

I must be doing something wrong... I'm getting 25s average.... what's the secret guys?

neuronbob

Does Florida get a winter blend of fuel?
City vs. highway driving?

hondamore

Thus far I think we have attributed less than optimal mileage to:
1. Winter gas - composition of the fuel itself burns easier when it is cold, but hurts fuel economy
2. Cold weather - the ICE is needed to operate the cabin heater thus the car spends less time in EV mode
3. Lead foot driving - having fun with the performance of the car definitely hurt mileage...but it is just so much fun
4. Driving Patterns - lots of short trips tends to hurt mileage because the engine needs to get up to operating temp. thus doesn't allow EV mode.
5. Highway driving over 75 mph - all cars drink more fuel when you hit crazy speeds.
6. Obviously, lots of time in Sport Mode

By the same token, the following have been shown to increase mileage:
1. Summer gas
2. Long steady-speed stretches under 50 mph
3. Long, steady-speed highway driving under 70
3. Warm, but not too hot weather - no need for cabin heater and little need for air conditioning
4. Any city driving where you can alternate stretches of steady speeds under 55 and slow stop and go traffic which you can use predominantly EV mode

Just my two cents...I was going to add to the "known to cause poorer than average mileage"...5. Your name is Bob.

TampaRLX-SH

Yes we do. But it is a different refinement level than what you have in the north. There is a 'southern' winter blend that is distributed to the southeast and southwest



psheu: How many tanks have your run through your SH? My first 3 tanks were 25-27 mpg. Then it settled into the EPA ratings 28-32mpg and my average is usually pegged @ 30 mpg in my mostly city driving. Keep in mind the tranny software is also 'learning' your driving style so it may optimize performance and efficiency. Next. are you making use of the reactive force setting on the accelerator pedal? It firms up the pedal to smoothly engage the power, again to optimize EV before the ICE fires up. It will also better enable you to finesse the throttle when cruising below 50mph, again to optimize EV use. If you drive 95 a lot I cannot imagine you can finesse the throttle without being cut off constantly. I know the driving technique there is to keep on the car you follow with throttle / brake / throttle to prevent another driver cutting into your territory in the lane. Last, the car being new I had spent a lot of time learning all the features and tech. Though you can do that in EV mode, as the batteries drained, the ICE would fire up as I sat in the driveway. That, of course will kill efficiency.

pac1999

​​I am not sure how you all are doing it. I must just have a lead foot. I have averaged 23.1 mpg on my first 9200 miles and 23.4 mpg on the next 8600 miles in my 2016 RLX-SH . About a third highway and 2/3 city streets on my 20 mile daily SoCal commute from Orange County in to Long Beach.

neuronbob

I am not alone! I gave up on feathering the throttle and just use that low-end torque afforded by the e-motors. Much more fun that way.

George Knighton

Pull up your INFO screen and see how many miles are EV compared to total miles.

Those of us who have the best MPG seem to be about ⅓ EV.

This last A trip refill was 30.8 mpg avg. I don't remember the total miles...just under 400, I think.

George Knighton

I suppose, but you might jerk your passengers around a little bit. In addition to the jerk starting off hard, there will be a second jerk when the pistons start moving.

TampaRLX-SH

^^^ I had to read this a few times before I realized George was not calling Bob a jerk....twice.

neuronbob

Haaaahaaaahaaaaa!

Scott in AZ

Wow! Phoenix back to Palm Springs; in much lighter traffic; averaged 75MPH with adaptive cruise control the whole way .... this time averaged 29.9 MPG. I'm not sure what to attribute the improvement to ?

- Tank full of AZ gasoline not CA winter blend?
- Break in on a new car?
- Cruise control in light traffic rather than dodging left-lane slowpokes?

All of the above, probably. But I'm pretty pleased/impressed with 30 MPG.

hondamore

^^^Staying below 90 probably helped.

I confess to enjoying the mileage of the Sport Hybrid as much as the performance and SHAWD despite the latter being by far my primary reason for buying the hybrid version of the RLX. If nothing else, it gives me something to be happy about on the rare occasions when I'm forced to drive in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic.

To answer your question, the mileage should improve a bit after the first few thousand miles (based on my experience).

TampaRLX-SH

Also, above 78mph you loose any benefits of the electric motors. They are designed to de-couple above that speed to prevent overheating. So the higher speed stints where on the merits of the V6 alone. And as with any vehicle the higher speed will decrease efficiency with the typical increase in wind resistance. Further, the higher speed will lessen the VCM engagement.

My MPGs have been spot on with the ratings and I am at 29-30 mpg most every tank. However, I have not done any highway cruises for any length of time with my SH. This weekend I have a trip to Orlando, so it will be my 1st experience with nearly exclusive highway cruising and I am curious to see mpgs north of the rated 32.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

So in as close to a scientific manner I conducted a mpg test this morning. I ran a loop of 20 or so miles on the highway where I could test setting the cruise control at 77 mph, then 79 mph to see what the EV assist would provide in mpg. Here is what I found using winter grade gas, the heat was on, and traffic was very light so it was consistent as a data sample:
@ 77 mph returned 32.3 mpg
@ 79 mph returned 28.6 mpg

getakey

I believe that difference is not attributable to EV assist. Probably totally due to increased speed. Those mpg's are virtually same as PAWS. SH has slight advantage with 7 speed tranny.
At constant speed, there is no advantage due to EV assist.

Scott in AZ

Big hill >> lower fuel economy.

So I made the trip eastbound from Palm Springs to Phoenix again, this time slower (averaged about 6 MPH slower) but otherwise similar conditions. My fuel economy 27.0 MPG with Arizona gasoline was nearly the same as my first eastbound trip a few weeks ago (26.9 MPG the first time, with California gasoline). Both eastbound trips about 10% lower fuel economy MPG than the westbound trip. I'm pretty sure the big difference in the westbound trip fuel economy (30 MPG) and eastbound is the big hill 30 mile hill from the Coachella Valley up to Chiriaco Summit ... basically from sea level up to 1700 feet. I noticed my mileage for the first part of the trip was about 20 MPG. After that the elevation is a wash ... the rest of the trip is up and down through the Sonoran desert but our home north and east of the PHX valley is at about 1800 feet elevation. So the big hill makes a big difference for a two-ton car.

I know, I know ..Absolutely no one other than us RLX geeks would possibly care about this. You should have seen the "eye roll" DW gave me when I shared this exciting information with her!

One more insight ... On a 4 hour trip like this the ACC and LKAS is freakin' awesome. Makes me want trade up our 2010 MDX .... but that will be a while since it is running like a top.

TampaRLX-SH

I made my 1st highway jaunt of any significance this past weekend to Orlando overnight, then home. 88 miles each way of almost exclusively highway travel 60-70mph. My average was 34.3 mpg, no passengers, no luggage, aside from an overnight duffel, AC on, and ACC in 60mph & 70 mph zones using Top Tier Shell Premium fuel. That was a bit higher than I expected as my SH has been spot on the rated mpgs since the 3rd tankful.

It was also the first time I really made use of AcuraWatch at any length and I was very impressed with the system. At a few spots when traffic slowed, even stopped for wrecks, the ACC was great for the accordion effect of slow, stop, start, accelerate, slow, etc. I had it set on 2 car lengths as it gave me more buffer to react if the system did not respond to my liking. It did once miss a car cutting in front of me and I had to brake - but CMBS alerted and tugged the seat belt.

I also had a better opportunity to experience the LKAS sensitivity. It works very well on highways with soft arcs in direction. It stayed very precise and center to the lane without the 'bumper bowling' effect I have experienced in other systems. The one point I would ask for improvement is the manner in which the car informs you that the car 'sees' the lanes. The solid lines / hollow lines in the MID don't do a great job alerting you when the system is on / off. In Florida we have many roads that are concrete or coquina / light color and the contrast of the lane markers is not enough for the car to 'see' the lanes. SO as you travel over different road surfaces or patches, the system is on / off cycling. I would like to see the lane indicators in the HUD as it would better alert the driver in similar fashion as the CMBS BRAKE alert in the HUD. I also notices a few times when the lanes were not visible to the car, the LDW alerted me when I drifted to the lane markers - which I was not aware I had done - very clever. But with the slightest grip on the steering wheel you can feel the car correcting the center position of the lane. I could let the car drive itself as long as I intermittently gripped the wheel to keep the sensors from triggering 'Steering Required'. I am impressed how precise the steering is.

Fortunately I did not have experience the RDM but based on my experience with the rest of the AcuraWatch features - I think it has good possibility of saving my bacon. I did receive 2 or 3 false alerts from CMBS but none caused the car to react dramatically. Only a BRAKE flash and / or seat belt tug. With ACC on, it did start to slow, but not abruptly and resumed set speed right afterward. And the deceleration of the ACC seems a bit aggressive at times, but I guess the balance of overreacting vs cutting too close favors the latter.

I also learned that the slight 'tug' I had noticed on a shorter highway cruise was not the VCM. It is actually the ACC slowing and it does so using regen braking (which also explains the MID mpg meter maxing at 50 mpg). I can say I was not aware of any VCM engagement now that I had time to experience this for 2 hours of driving and viewing the power distribution monitor showing the regen at the time of the sensation.

But best is this car's highway cruising behavior. It was more than I expected and considering I was not in favor of these systems (I chose not to get that tech on my former RL), I can say it does make it more relaxing. Still I would never allow the car to supplant my attention as the driver - which I fear too many drivers will. Such comfort, technology assist, performance and safety all north of 30mpg is quite an accomplishment in my book.

Considering I have had my SH for 19 months now - I am a little late to the party with these observations!