6SpeedTA95

I'm looking at picking up a car that could be used for lengthy commutes (46 miles each way for 92 miles/day total).
I've been looking at TL's, 328i's and A4's but have decided to rethink the strategy a bit given the number of miles I'll be piling on. I'm trying to keep an open mind and looking at everything from Fusions and Accords (no Camry, hate Toyota) but the Golf GTI is probably tops on my list right now. TSX and Golf cost a bit more to insure than the Accord or Fusion or TL but they both seem to have better real world resale value as the miles pile on plus they're a lot more fun to drive.

The TSX is only rated at 29mpg highway which seems awfully low for a 2.4L 4cyl producing 200hp. But I know some mfg's tend to get better real world than their ratings while others struggle to meet their ratings. I was curious what sort of real world MPG you guys were seeing at 75 or 80mph. Any thoughts on my dilemma?

Simba91102

First and foremost, the MT is geared lower (higher numerically) than the AT, so all things being equal (speed, temperature, elevation, terrain, wind, etc.), the AT will return better mileage (and has a higher mileage rating). That said, there is a noticeable difference between 75 and 80, or 65 and 75, or even 80 and 85. You're right about the TSX mileage; it can do much better, but there's more to it than just speed. Not taking into account a headwind or tailwind (little known effect by most I'd guess, but they can make a real difference as the miles add up), in my 010 AT, I'm confident I could easily average over 30 mpg at 75, and more if I could drive slower. Can't seem to do that though, so my averages are always lower. An example would be a recent late night drive home. Approximately 60 miles on relatively flat terrain with little wind, and the cruise control locked on 85 mph. According to the on board computer, my average at that speed settled in at 28.4 mpg and stayed there. I can certainly live with that at that speed, though I have seen much higher figures when traffic forces cruising at slower speeds.

scheißterhöffer

I've got about 7K miles now and am averaging 29.4 MPG (my calculation, not the car's, which I find is consistently about .7 miles higher than I actually get) on my '12 6MT in a mix of city and highway. On the highway around town, I typically set the cruise around 70-72, though my work commute involves some of the hillier stretches of highway where I live (which is relatively flat), I suspect if I drove the highway between flat parts of the city I'd do better. Prior to this I had an '11 Sport Wagon with the 5AT and got the same mileage. I've noticed that I typically get about 1.7-2 MPG worse between late November and late March (same with my '11 5AT wagon). I assume this is a combination of changing gas blends with the season as well as more time spent driving the car with the engine not completely warmed up.

To your point, the other cars I've owned were a '99 Civic Si and an '04 TSX 6MT. All my Hondas/Acuras have consistently well exceeded the rated MPGs. On the other hand, my wife has a 2010 Fusion Sport V6 6AT that is rated 18/27. She may as well be driving a full size SUV because she probably gets about 16-17 mpg in that car. She takes alot of short, non-highway drives, but this still seems pretty unacceptable to me. I go about 500 miles on a tank and she goes about half of that.

I'm pretty pleased with the mileage I get given the conditions I'm driving in. But I'd expect a late model TL, 328, a4, or GTI would be able to get similar MPGs to what I'm seeing, or close enough that it wouldn't be a huge factor if I were making the decision.

Mikes2010TSX

I have about a 35 mile highway drive to work every day. I average around 30-31.5mpg per tank driving reasonably. We will see what happens to the average during the summer with the AC working a lot harder.

Mercedes>BMW

Lol.... This is obvious, if you aren't going to keep the vehicle longer than 6 years or something along the lines of that then go for the BMW 328i because it has free 4year/50,000mile maintenance. It gets 34MPG on the highway (probably more) and 240HP, not bad at all. The answer to me is clear, 328i!

6SpeedTA95

I'm buying used not new and don't want to spend more than 25k. Love the F30 sportline...but can't justify the $$$ especially considering when I'm done with it it'll have 150k on it and be worth 10k. A TSX or GTI would be worth similar with 140k miles on them and I'd spend 22-25k getting into them, not 42ish.

Nedmundo

In steady cruising around 72 mph, I get about 31 mpg with the 6MT using 93 octane, maybe slightly higher. That isn't stellar by today's standards, but I also drive a lot in downtown Philly, and wind up with an average MPG around 28, which is pretty good. Compared to my old Saab 9-5 Aero, the TSX doesn't do as well on the highway due to its much shorter gearing, but does much better in town, so for me overall it's about 2 MPG better.

6SpeedTA95

Local dealer has a CPO car on the lot, 2010 6MT for 24,200 with 22k miles on it. Gonna go drive it, seems a bit overpriced.

Simba91102

Which model? If it's a base, that price is probaby at least $2K high, a little less if it's a Tech model. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when you have your sights set on an MT. They suffer from somewhat of a Catch 22; they're fairly rare (about 5% of production), but also can be hard to sell. I think for the most part, dealers want to be rid of them if they find themselves with one on the lot (it's true that it takes only one buyer, but he/she can be a long time coming). Try not to be too enamored with the MT, as the dealer will realize he has the upper hand (since he has what he'll know is perhaps one of the few, if any, MT's you'll be considering). That said, try not to be too hung up on the final price. As long as you're satisfied with the deal, don't worry about it. In a few years (or less), you won't remember what you paid, and you won't care.

6SpeedTA95

That's a good question, I'm confused as to what options you could get with the 6MT on the 2nd gen TSX. I know it has bluetooth but does not have Nav. Does that help?

ceb

Real world MPG really depends on traffic and driving style.

With my 2012 wagon, I set my cruise to a few miles over the speed limit or the flow of traffic whenever I can.

My best mpg I've gotten on a 200 mile drive on a fairly flat interstate was a displayed 36.8mph.

The best mpg per commuting tank was 30.2 actual which included a week of commuting (28 miles each way -about 10 of those stop and go in town.) and the usual evening going to stores and what-not

mmafighta

The newer GTI's are pretty reliable and better mpg. It can easily go 140K without a problem, and to be honest probably a lot more fun to drive than the TSX.

The only reason I'd get the TSX is the added reliability assurance....(I've racked over 95K in my 09' without a single engine glitch aside from the knock sensors....Electronics, navi, and other stuff is a different story though )

and you're right about the F30's, the turbos are a bit worrisome (bmws dont have the greatest track record with their turbos)...I'm sure the car will run bulletproof within those 4 years, regardless of miles, but once you get to the 5th, 6th year...things will start randomly fall apart like clock WORK!

mmafighta

A good upsell, however the value is placed on it being a MT and low miles !

6SpeedTA95

Yeah, I won't overpay for it though...I was really hoping for an 11...I had read (I think on here) the 2011's had revised steering programming and more sound dampening...any truth to that?

Acura_Dude

^

6SpeedTA95

The 10 was not in good shape. The dash was pretty faded, the ebrake had zero tension, it had a lot of rattles, you could see where a hole had been repaired on the drivers seat...

Just overall not a very good car. We drove an 11 5AT after that and it was MUCH better. Quieter, less rattles, the dash wasn't faded to shit...overall pretty good but want the 6MT.

I do NOT understand why the VTEC crossover is at 6000rpm...that is mind boggling that engine loves to rev, it's smooth, makes a great noise but you only have good power for 1100rpm...maybe 1300 if you rev to fuel cutoff.

komplexZ

if you drove a first gen, otherwise, try again...

6SpeedTA95

It was a second gen, I only went WOT once, seemed like it was around 6k could have been 5500 I guess, I was merging on the highway wasn't paying that close of attention...

pilot511

I have a 2010 6mt tech package I drive about 60-65 miles a day for work. I love it its not that fast (had a 2011 VW CC stage 2 before) but gas is great....for doing 300-350 miles a week I usually have a quarter tank left. Mine does a lot better using regular (87) too. Good luck in your decision.

fiebru1119

I have a 2009 6MT and drive about 450 miles per week (mostly highway at 75-80mph). I usually get 475-485 miles per tank, which ends up being about 30.1-30.3mpg on the on board computer, and 29.5mpg or so calculated at each tank fill.

komplexZ

it's 5000

6SpeedTA95

Good to know, perhaps my next test drive won't be so rainy and I can get on it a bit more....

ESHBG

Hmm so despite the gearing it does seem as if you can save quite a bit by shifting for yourself. I have an AT and do 90% city driving here in Philly also and in the winter I am lucky to get 21 mpg (now that we are in the warmer months I can do about 23-24). I am conscious of my driving style too and it still doesn't seem to save much.

I can kill it on the highway, though, and on the all highway trips I have done I am able to easily squeeze out 31+ mpg.

waaasobe

well, my commute to work is 30km there and back and i average 7.3-7.4 l/100km so on a full tank i get around 800 km before i fill up. my commute consists of 50% city 50% highway. i reckon if you're only doing highway you could get pretty close to 1000 km

damaged442

I drive about 70 miles a day for work. I normally get between 500-550 miles per tank depending how I drive it. The best I've done so far, based on the MID, was 568 miles, 22 miles left on the range and 34.5 mpg.