The thing is, it did not measurably improve my gas mileage.

Early on, I did some hypermiling just to see how it went. I was able to get into the 40s mpg with or without the econ button.

There is just not much savings with the little things the button does compared to anything I could do myself.

 

I got noticeably better GAS mileage in the city. I would not use it on the highway. but NYC street drive heck yeah,

 

I would like an Econ mode. I'd like it to extend idle stop, dull throttle response, and maybe detune the A/C. My logic is this: if the '15-'20 TLX has Econ, why doesn't the RDX have it too? And why doesn't the 2021 TLX have it either?

 

 

Because it is BS. Instead of dulling throttle response just drive slower - the same effect (lower average speed). Detuning A/C? Just set it to higher temperature.

 

My experience with Eco mode in a BMW was that it primarily improved highway mileage, not city.

 

Agree. Not that hard to do.

 

Become a “ hyper- miler”. Inflate your tires to 55 psi and get a passenger to push.

 

Like:

 

yeah our 2020 Tech SH-AWD is like 18.5 or 19mpg total average over 15k miles Sadly.

Im going to switch to full synthetic Eneos 0W20 Oil made in japan and see if that helps. When I did that to my old 4runner I gained 1.5mpg.

If I can get 22mpg that would be amazing balance to me since RDX can do everything so well!

 

Sounds like BS, how does it compare to mobil1 advanced fuel economy or Pennzoil that make similar claims about MPG?
your best bet is to get GF-6 oil that has latest improvements for fuel economy.

 

I hear about the GF-6 oil the other day also. I heard it greatly helps with direct injection carbon build up on the values which if true is a great benefit to all Direct Injection engines.
To know if these Acura's will heave the issue is too new to tell. Unless someone has more info on this.

 

I did not read anything about GF-6 standard helping with carbon build up.
Here are the improvements: GF-6 will provide low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) and timing chain wear protection while improving piston cleanliness and fuel economy.

I doubt you will notice any difference in fuel economy, maybe 0.1 MPG which is impossible to measure. GF-6 is a new standard, pretty much in a couple of month it will be the only oil you will find.

 

Instead of eco mode, I’d like my RDX to have the same get up and go in Sport mode as it does in a Sport + without locking out the top gears. It isn’t known for its mpg anyway, might as well have the power in sport mode.

 

Or get the new Rav4 Prime! Well, Im really leaning toward trading my A-Spec with the Prime.

 

I saw great reviews about the Prime.

 

Delete

 

I need some help. I've been driving very conservatively for the past few weeks with my 21' A-Spec and I'm always hovering at 18 MPG with comfort mode. Driving has been mostly city (90%) and I'm careful not to be heavy on the paddle. Yesterday, weirdly while I was driving on some back roads in Sport Mode, my MPG increased a bit. Any suggestions to help reach at least the advertised MPG rating?

 

You are lucky I am getting 14.2 in 90 % city. True city driving is no where near the rated 21. Unless they used San Fransisco and started at the top of the hill and let it roll to the bottom.
Acura has lied to all of us about city driving EPA.

 

EPA sets the mpg numbers, not Acura. According to Fuelly, most 2019 drivers are averaging 22 or better, which is on line with EPA numbers. I drove a demo recently that was averaging 25 MPG over 2500 city miles. So, the EPA numbers are very much in reach.

You might raise the issue with your dealer - didn’t someone in this thread cite a possible dealer fix?

 

As I understood it, the manufacturers submit their mpg testing and the results, and the EPA approves them, while spot checking a few here and there.
Maybe this was before the VW diesel gate?

From Car & Driver: "While the public mistakenly presumes that this federal agency is hard at work conducting complicated tests on every new model of truck, van, car, and SUV, in reality, just 18 of the EPA’s 17,000 employees work in the automobile-testing department in Ann Arbor, Michigan, examining 200 to 250 vehicles a year, or roughly 15 percent of new models. As to that other 85 percent, the EPA takes automakers at their word—without any testing—accepting submitted results as accurate.

Two-thirds of the new vehicles the EPA does test are selected randomly, and the remaining third are done for specific reasons."

EDIT TO ADD: From Fueleconomy.gov: "Fuel economy is measured under controlled conditions in a laboratory using a series of tests specified by federal law. Manufacturers test their own vehicles—usually pre-production prototypes—and report the results to EPA. EPA reviews the results and confirms about 15%–20% of them through their own tests at the National Vehicles and Fuel Emissions Laboratory."

 

OK, so it is fuelly that is lying. Some sumbitch is lying if my own numbers don’t match.

 

Interesting and surprising, considering how much money is tied to CAFE standards. Nevertheless, Acura would be ballsy to cheat on the test following Dieselgate. There’s also plenty out there about how EPA numbers are a flawed guide for most consumer, although I’ve found them ultra conservative and easy to beat with all the cars I’ve owned.

 

Sumbitches are the worst.

 

One day while up in Detroit working on training for a new model we were rolling out we took a trip over to the secret site where the company did its EPA mandated testing. The manufacturers do this stuff very much in secret. The day we were there they were doing the emissions part of the test. The tests are done on dynometers, not a real highway. The driver has a computer screen next to him and he has to follow a graph with the required speeds and loads. The drivers are UAW union guys and are very highly skilled at driving the car just right to get the best results. They practice the routine until they can get maximum results. Once they have their technique perfected for each car then they do the actual test. Trust me, they don't drive a car like you do! But the EPA has very strict guidelines as to the way the car will be driven. It accellerates at a certain speed, cruises at a prescribed speed and then brakes and speeds up again, at ceratin rates dictated by the EPA. The drive cycle is done in order to try to make the test results from all cars tested meet the same criteria leveling the playing field. (Avoiding one car maker from driving 35 MPH steady and calling it "highway" driving for example).

Real world drivers can do worse or better than what the ca maker published. After all, the car maker had no choice as to how the car was driven, that was dictated to them by the rules.

BTW: Back in the 1990's when the EPA had mandated emissions testing on all vehicles to renew their license we ran a lot of classes to help mechanics locate and correct emissions problems. Every once in awhile while testing certain models in class we would run into these strange situations where the vehicle would fall out of closed loop and go into a very lean condition without the rich-lean swing normally used to feed the catalytic converter the mixture it needed to do its job. We put in a call to one of the fuel programmers up in Detroit and found out they had programed some of the memory blocks to go very lean in order to get higher numbers on the EPA fuel economy tests. Not quite as radical as VW or others did with all out cheating on their on-board OBD II tests twenty years later, but a sign of things to come. Trust me, VW was not the first vehicle maker to bend or break rules, they just went too far and got caught.

 

Yes VW was bad. I think though Acura at least in my case and a few others a city is a red light about every 1/8 a mile. To me that is a city. Like NYC and Chicago. 14.2 is very far from 21 on the epa sticker. I have a complained filed with Acura client relations about this. I hope others follow suit who live in a big metro area. If my car was 19 or 20 it would not be a big issue for me.

 

1) The test for fuel economy is rigidly controlled by government mandated standards. Acura, nor any other car maker, get to make up their own test to improve their numbers.
2) There is no warranty on fuel economy, period. I spent three years as a technical expert on a state Lemon Law board. We all had to go through legal classes to insure we were 100% compliant with the state law in our decisions. It was made quite clear that we would not consider any case based on fuel economy as that factor was out of the control of the car manufacture and was not a warranty item. And yes, people tried to bring those cases but we had to refuse them.
3) City driving is not based on your city, rather its a drive cycle that is dictated by the EPA built around an "average" type of driving. From time to time the EPA has made revisions in the tests as complaints were made of the previous versions of the test being unrealistic.
4) Some people actually can "beat" the results, based on their driving situation. I know I normally match the Acura figures for "City" as where I live (Louisville, KY) city driving is vastly different than a place like New York. I can do trips where I hardly ever even hit a top light and I avoid the congestion of "down town" especially with the current situation going on!
5) As for the "highway" ratings, I vary from around 26 to as high as 32 depending on where I am driving and how much a hurry I am in. On fast Interstates where you have to go 75-80 to avoid being run over I get around 26. On the flatland of Ohio and Indiana doing local state highways at 55-60 MPH over 30 MPG is not rare. I got over 30 MPG just last weekend on a 115 mile drive in Indiana. That was casual sight-seeing drive up the Ohio river.
6) As they say, "YMMV" but there is no warranty on fuel economy unless you could prove there was a mechanical defect that caused it.
The world is just not a fair place. If I had to drive in stop and go traffic I would get a Prius. As it is I have a Honda Fit for most of our city driving and it can easily do over 30 MPG in the city.

A complete description of how the testing is performed can be found here:
Fuel economy standards testing

 

Louisville, KY yes is quite different than NYC. I understand your point if I wanted better Gas mileage I should have gotten a Prius. I could have gotten a CRV also and I would have gotten closer to the rated epa sticker. Within a few gallons or 2.
That is my issue 14.2 is not even close to 21. Also you can not expect a lead foot to complain about gas mileage when he floors it from red light to red light.
This issue is stated as 21 mpg city. Louisville, KY to me is more of suburbs not a city and this is no offense to you.
LA, NYC, where 1/8 of a mile is a red light and the speed limit is max 25 mph. In none rush hour red light timing I can catch 4 or 5 or more green lights MPG is still the same.
Totally different than Louisville, KY where I bet you could drive though town and maybe catch 4 or less red lights.
Now as far as a highway I get 28 level ground and 29 rolling down a hill. Which is very acceptable.

 

Here is a suggestion for better "city" MPG...Move to Louisville. As a bonus its actually a much nicer place (most of the time) to live than NYC and much less expensive! :-)

I had a '17 CR-V before my RDX. It got slightly better fuel economy but not really that much, maybe 10% at best. I try to avoid driving the RDX around town anyway as the Fit is much easier to park and zips around like a little sports car while it sips fuel.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Midi Man we have the same car. My Aspec gets craptastic 14mpg city driving. If It got closer to the EPA false advertising I wouldn't care.

No regrats though. The RDX is a great all around packaged premium/luxury car.

 

I know really disappointed in city gas mileage. I got 9 to 14 mpg. Driving like grand pa that's what pissed me off. I expected maybe 1 or 2 mpg difference than he EPA sticker.
I was disappointed so I dumped mine. I had that fuel pump recall, they fixed the unable to change drive mode twice, second time it came back with in 2 months from just sitting in the garage..
I don't know if the Acura dealer or Acura corp or both are dumb, because when you fix something it should be fixed. I am not a Acura bash boy either. I had a 90 Legend L loved the car truly loved the car. But this RDX is way behind that one in every aspect from Acura Corp down to the Acura dealer. I can honesty say in 20 plus years the RDX should be leaps and bounds better than the 90 Legend.but it's not. Fit and finish is very poor also. Acura has lost me as a customer I will get a Lexus NX or RX H next time.. My next car will be a Lexus it's way better over all that Acura is. I am just waiting on Toyota to finish testing the Solid state batteries on the Toyota before moving them to the Lexus.

Now the RDX is fast but there is more to a car than driving around like a lunatic in a desert like the commercial always show

 

In real city driving (as in driving in Philadelphia or NYC) mine gets 10-15mpg so about the same as yours. Lucky for me I do mostly highway and have 25-26mpg over the last 25,000 miles.

EDIT: The worst was 10mpg in NYC and the best city I ever got was 15mpg in Pittsburgh, with all evenings and weekends.

 

Yes but the car is rated for more in the city., The lied big time on the MPG. I drive mostly in the city so it was very important to me that the City MPG be very close to the sticker.
I appreciate your info it helps a lot knowing I am not the only one getting poor gas mileage in the city.

I drove the car to GA and I got 28 to 30 mpg on the highway.

 

IMO a number of car makers have done things to get the higher city EPA numbers. The worst for me was an AWD Toyota Sienna 2006. It was listed at 15 city and 21 highway and reality said it was 8 city and 16-18 highway. I have a Subaru Legacy 2016 that is rated a comical 26 city and 35 highway. The Subaru gets 16-18 city max but I have seen 35mpg highway. I had a Buick Regal, Pontiac Grand Am, and a Honda Civic that got close to EPA city. Nothing from the 2000s era has been close to meeting EPA numbers. For gas cars I just ignore it and divide the highway number by 2 and it's pretty realistic.

I'm sure they are all doing something to get the highest numbers possible. The EPA has a highly structured test that is reproducible but I do not believe that it actually reflects reality of city driving.

 

Good info. Yes I think Acura tested the city gas mileage in San Francisco going down hill. LOL I had a 2020 MDX ASpec loaner and I got 17 to 19 in the city.
That car is bigger and heaver than the RDX so I know they really fudged the RDX numbers. This RDX car is the worst I have had. I had a 90 Legend L and I still have a 92 ls 400 both got better city gas mileage than this 2019 RDX. But anyway I dump the car since the infotainment system is pure junk with the unable to change drive mode kept happening even after the dealership fixed it. I don't miss it at all. TO me Acura has lost me for ever.. I will get a Lexus NX or RX in a few years once Toyota works out the solid state batteries.
They are testing them in the Toyota and if good they will move them to the Lexus line.