I've only had my 2002 TL Type S about 3 weeks with 78k km and just checked the mileage for the first time. It's running at about 10.6 L/100km or 26.5 mpg Imperial/22 mpg US. The fuel light came on just above 500 km. This is just normal driving, which is about 50/50 city/highway. I'm sure it would be worse just city but it's rated at 12 L/100km city so I wouldn't' expect better than that, but certainly better than you're getting.

 

Ok...finally filled up the wife's "new" TL-S. 23mpg

Not that great. I was expecting more. Specially considering more then 80% of this tank was freeway. And I haven't even BEAT on the car yet!

I was expecting to get at least 25mpg with mixed driving. At this rate, I fully expect my wife to get 20mpg on her commute with freeway driving and some stop&go mixed in there.

UGH!

 

To add to the community database, our 2000 TL with 117kmi has averaged 26.7 mpg over the last 50kmi. The one-way daily trip model is 20 miles on Nor Cal back roads at 55-60 mph followed by 24 freeway miles at 75-80 mph. Am running 89 octane fuel, and Michelin's (2nd set) at 34 psi. BTW first set of MXV4's went 91kmi, longer than Tranny #1 (84kmi).

This is my first post, hope to contribute to what appears to be a very high caliber forum.

 

I've got 42K on the odometer now and average in the low 20's in mostly city driving. On the highway I get upper 20s.

 

Ok..filled up again today. Got 27mpg this time. So I'm a lot happier. Especially since gas just jumped up like $0.25 in 1 day here in the SF BayArea!!!!

Anyhow, another note. Gas light came on while driving home. Drove another 25miles or so. Filled up. Put in 14gallons. So that means the light came on when I had 4 gallons or so of gas left in the tank.

 

Ahhh, my favorite subject...taking fuel management right to the edge. 2000 TL fuel capacity is spec'd at 17.17 US gallons. On a normal week the fuel light fires at 385 miles, and I take it to 430 mi before refueling, where she takes in about 16 gallons for an avg of about 27 mpg.

Try to start her with < 1 gal in the tank and she's edgy, takes added 1 sec or so of cranking.

Like everything else she does, TL runs out of gas gracefully; she'll hiccup or sneeze, but slosh her with couple of nice s-turns and she's good to go for another 5 miles.

 

you definitely shouldn't be waiting that late to fill up the car. You will definitely do some damage to some component if you continue to wait that late to fill her up...but to each his own...if you want to f*ck up your TL, that's your choice....good luck.

 

Sorry, but what component are you referring to?
(The "f" wasn't necessary)

 

Driving around with the gas light on damages your fuel injectors in the long run.

WOOT* 1,000th Post! (again)

 

yah that's what I heard. I think that the lower down you run your gas tank, the more contaminants get into your engine, thus dirtying your fuel injectors, which over time will decrease your mileage and f*ck up your engine. Do what I do, once you hit the gas light, go to the gas station...or fill up before the light comes on.

 

Golly.....what do you think causes the damage guys? Maybe I should use a fuel additive?

 

This IS your problem.

You're driving the car on extremely short trips, in very cold weather. You let it idle until warm, either at the beginning or end of the trip. All that idling time is at zero mpg, if you couldn't figure it out.

I spent some time in Maine a few years back, with my Honda Accord and '92 Vette. The Accord gets me around 30mpg, AC on, on my 20mi commute to work here in Orlando. The Vette got me around 21mpg on that same commute. Call it 40% highway, the rest city. When I was in Maine, I lived 2 short miles from work. I'd have walked this, except for an exceedingly narrow bridge, and my occasional need for a car to do business. When I ran my Accord in this manner, it got me 17-18mpg. As winter came in, it dropped to 15-16mpg. The Vette got me 9-10mpg on this 2 mile course. On my return trip from Maine to FL that December, I averaged 27.5mpg in the Vette.
Very short trips are ruinous on your mileage, and aren't really good for the vehicle, either.
Additionally, the colder the coolant temp on startup, the richer the initial open-loop operation of the injectors will be.

On 3-5km trips, I don't know that you can do much better.

Todd

 

well let me give you a relative idea of what my average day of driving consists of.

-Take my dad at 7:15 to the Go train, and return from there, it is 7km/each way to the go train, so about 12-15km round trip
-then the car sits outside for about 1h then I go to school about 1.2km from my house...I'm a lazy ass I know I should walk it.
-Then I leave the car for about 4h and go back home at around 12:40, another 1.2km. Sometimes will run a few errands, where I drive about 5km, but that's the maximum
-Some more errands (take sister to hebrew school, pick up **** for mom, go to friends house in the area).
-Pick up my dad at the Go train again 12-15km.
-Go for coffee with my girl, she lives about 900m from my house, and then 2-3km for coffee, and then back.

so in total I do about 50km in a day's driving, mostly short trips 'cept to the GO train, and this is 100% city driving...

now does my mileage sound hideous? After thinking about my driving style, I realized that my driving style in terms of short trips and what not is what's f*cking up my average...there's nothing wrong with the car.