We just received our first 2008 TSX and the window sticker reflects the new EPA mileage estimates. It now shows 20 city and 28 hwy vs 22 city and 31 hwy.

 

What's changed? Same engine and drivetrain, isn't it?

 

The EPA changed their standards for 2008, so all vehicles will be lower than before. I actually am much closer to the old estimates than these. I was getting 26/33 before I got my Pole Positions, now I get 23/?.

 

VANDY, where are you located?

 

The only change was to the sticker price, it's now $100 higher on the base TSX $28,860.00.
As to where I am located I would rather not give my exact location but I will say that we are in the Midwest.

 

VANDY's in the Vice President's bunker running the Executive Branch with Dick!

Do the new U.S. EPA numbers reflect both manual and automatic equipped cars? Curiously, the old figures favored the automatic in the city as I recall.

 

VANDY's in the Vice President's bomb-proof bunker running the Executive Branch with Dick!

Do the new U.S. EPA numbers reflect both manual and automatic equipped cars? Curiously, the old figures favored the automatic in the city as I recall.

 

The EPA has added more tests to their standards for model year 2008. Before they would slowly accelerate to 60 and drive in optimum weather (75*), cruise slowly around, no radio, no air conditioning etc. Now they accelerate and brake @ a much faster rate, speed up to 80 mph, drive it in hot and cold weather, etc.

In general terms we will see a 13-15% reduction in posted EPA numbers with as much as 25% reduction on Hybrid vehicles.

New EPA standards

Anyway, it's much more realistic now, although it's still not perfect.

 

The new estimates came as a result of poor mileage in hybrid vehicles! There was an outcry of complaints to the manufacturers of hybrids that the mileage estimates posted did not reflect what people were getting. Many were lead-footing their Prius' and complaining that they were only getting like 40 mpg on average. The manufacturers blamed the method U.S. EPA used. The U.S. EPA admitted that the old test tended to favor hybrid vehicles. The test that was just phased out was very old, and didn't really reflect the distances people drive nowadays, for example.

 

Another thought. Honda Motor just settled the odometer lawsuit. Apparently, they were on the rather extreme end of the error range (4%-5%). I wonder if the odometers on the 08 models are now set closer to 0 error which would yield a roughly 4%-5% reduction in observed fuel economy.

 

I dont think that would change much. Lets say you did it buy hand. You filled up to full let it go all the way down and filled up again to full.

With the 5% extention that would mean 420 miles with 15 galloons would mean 28MPG


If you drove 400 miles (which is what the odo woudl read) and then filled it with 15 gallons that would be 26.6MPG

So I think that had some effect on it but it wasnt the only factor.

 

I read somewhere that they had tightened these up in the 2007 models.

My 2007 TSX has a near-zero speedometer error based on those traffic speed thingies, but I haven't GPS verified it yet.

http://www.kirotv.com/consumer/11066352/detail.html

 

i've been also getting mostly the old EPA, i drove all city on the weekend and got 25 mpg and i've been getting between 28-32 mpg on the highway.

 

whoa.. 25mpg with city driving? i try so hard to drive like a grandma in the city and i still only get 18mpg... but i guess theres less traffic by you?

 

25 mpg city is only possible with coasting. It's tough for the TSX to achieve great fuel economy in the city b/c of its heavy weight. I could only manage 18 mpg in Albany, NY. For those who think I can't get good milage, I got 38 mpg on the 330+ mile trip home. All my mpg are calculated. 20 mpg is a more realistic number for strictly city driving. It should be pretty easy to beat the advertised 28mpg hwy

 

i do reset my trip computer on the navi everytime i fill up on the car and it says on my 120 mile trip i averaged 25.4 mpg.

i wish on the highway i could get more than 32 mpg though.

my tire pressure is at 38/36 though.

 

Not all hybrids were that far off. I drove an 03 Honda Civic Hybrid for 4.5 years over 65K miles and my lifetime MPG was 45.5, which was only 1 or so off of EPA for that model year. Prius on the other hand, had a much larger error margin (Prius owners contributing to an independent database (greenhybrid.com) got about 48 MPG average, and I think the sticker was more like 60. Funny thing is any car you "leadfoot" will get low MPG - hybrid owners just notice it more because they watch the mileage.

 

Looks like New testing methods= new #s....my 04 AT gets around 26-28 city if I just stay out of SH/red line and no extra long periods at idle (you do shut your car off in that long drive thru lane, right?)....and a solid 29-31 hwy car loaded @ 70-75mph.....

Almost all EPA numbers will drop...no big deal....stomp on it from stop to stop and drive 80 every where you can and yep you do get the lower #s.....

 

I wish I could get 38mpg, my best is 36.1 mpg for a 350 mile trip. I guess the AT helps with it's higher gearing.

 

If it's any consolation, just a 0.4 gallon overfill/underfill discrepancy on that 38 mpg claim brings it back down to 36...

Most of my "unusual" mpg's, both good and bad, have been due to gas pump issues, and it's difficult to pump gas consistently enough even with an accurate pump to get an accurate reading with a smaller amount of gas. When you're pumping less than 10 gallons, the small differences add up, and the differences add up in both previous fill up and the one in which you are making the calculation apply. For example, if you really overfill on the previous tank, and then underfill on the current one, this makes your mileage go up. Underfill on the previous tank, and overfill on the current one, and your mileage goes down. That's why the average over many tanks is really all that counts.

(In one extreme case, the pump said I put more gas in than the capacity of the tank, even though it wasn't even near empty when I started).

 

While you were vacation Acura announced their releasing the all new 5.0L V10 with 550HP early and the TSX is the first to get it!

 

i was surprised on my navi this morning to see even if i drove "80-85mph" this morning because i was a bit annoyed with the asshole drivers this morning that I still got 29.2 mpg reading on the navi.

whenever i drive normal, relaxed, and like a grandpa, i get that 32.6 mpg reading on the navi. i hate these drivers in the morning that ride up your ass. maybe i'll just stop looking in my rearview mirror unless i need to change lanes.

 

 

I avg 27 with local and highway driving

 

I always average 34-37 MPG highway driving (Monterey - SFO at 70 mph)...

 

In Chicago not possible to got at a steady 70.

 

I agree.....In chicago, were always changing speeds between 65 and 90 mph....VROOOOOOOOOOOOM! Jusss Joking!

 

You do realize that number is 1-2mph high, right? Whenever I done the math to check the number the car calculates, it's ALWAYS higher the the actual mileage I got.

 

well so are you saying that right now in bumper to bumper traffic i'm getting 28.4 mpg on the navi readout. so it's actually only 26.4 mpg then? i always picked to reset the navi trip computer whenever i fill up for gas.

 

I drive a VERY consistent mixture of about 50/50 interstate/non-interstate miles in my '04 AT TSX. I got 27 MPG on my FIRST tankful. Not bad for a car with a sticker rating of 23/32 MPG. The car had 62 miles on the odometer so i figured it was already getting broken in when I got it. Anyway, I have gotten a consitent 27 MPG on the vast majority of my fill-ups. Sometimes in the winter it will fall to 26 or even 25 MPG, but only rarely. On my few cross country (interstate) trips I have gotten as high as 36 MPG. Overall, in 4 years and 49k miles I would say this car has consistently gotten better mileage than the sticker predictions. Not anything amazing, but certainly not disappointing.

 

I've tracked this error margin between the display and actual for the last 6,000 miles (17 tanks). The average margin of error is +1.8 MPG, with the high at +3.0 and the low +0.8 (it's always high).

Average MPG: 29.4

 

I am averaging about 20-21, but mostly city driving. i only have 748 miles on the car

 

TSX Computer is always incorrect, shows higher MPG than actual. 06 6 speed, 25 city/hwy combo, and 20-21 city. All highway, guess is 30

 

I've tracked mine since purchase (July 2006, ~16300 miles) and I find similar results. My mean margin of error is +1.6 between the calculated and displayed MPG.

My average MPG is 25.4 due to quite of bit of SF city driving.

 

More like 5-40 on the highway... during rush hour

 

Nice way retain your car value..
Mine has about 14000.. I drive 50 miles a day.

 

Same here on my 2008.

 

yeah.. the TL gets better gas mileage then us according to EPA

 

I've gotten a pretty consistent 27-ish mpg (actual, not MID) in my 07 6-MT, with a mix of 50-50 city/highway. Never seen a tank below 25.

After a fill-up last a couple of weeks ago, I drove 10 miles all-highway and the MID indicated 39.8 mpg. Even if that's off by 2+ mpg, pretty amazing...

 

How r u getting such great gas mileage??? What is the octane rating where ur at??? 91 or 93. I always wondered if it would make a significant difference if 93 octane were available here...