Hello,

I own a 2006 Acura TL automatic. Although I haven't used the car a lot, I always thougtht the gas milieage was poor compared to my old Honda Accord. I Basically I have been getting about 14 MPG city driving.

Friends with much bigger cars think there is a problem with the Acura I have.

I realize that it should be much higher, but before I take it to the dealer, can people give me some idea on their MPG. Any ideas on what could be wrong ?

I always fill with 91 Unleaded and the car says I can get 234 miles after I fill the tank full. Almost all driving is city.

 

ya that’s not right it should be a little better then that for a 2006 its very unlikely something going bad and needing a tune up have the car checked out or it could just be the gas you are putting in

 

with heavy city driving, you should be getting at least 17mpg. and when i say heavy city driving, i mean pretty much all city driving.

 

I'm currently getting 14/16 on my new TL-S...I heard during the "break-in" period you get lousy mileage. Is this true?

Since we're on this subject, which 91 octane gas brand do you guys think is best? I currently go to a 76 gas station since its real close AND the cheapest.

 

I go with Shell VPower or Mobil 93 octane

 

Sounds to me like you are not driving right.... not sure....

I remember when I was on the RX-8 forum when I was thinking about buying one of them... there was this guy who kept complaing how he got only 12 mpg or like that... took it to the dealer, and nothing wrong... complained for almost a year...

THEN he comes and said "I found out why, I THOUGHT THE TOP THREE GEARS WERE OVERDRIVE" (my emphsis...).... the guy drove around the city etc only using 3 of the 6 gears... only used the others on the highway...

I don't think I could get as LOW as 14 unless I was flooring it on all the lights and using the VTEC a lot...

So, either bad driving or bad car...

 

Short trips, all city, not smooth driving style = bad mileage.
If the car gets ~30mpg on freeway runs using the cruise control, there is nothing wrong with it.

 

I was only getting about 17 on my 06 until I reset the trip computer (hold the select button for 2 secs, I think) and then after that it went up to about 19-23 and it actually changes along with the average speed. before that it was stuck on 17 MPG and 23 MPH

 

Are you driving it like you stole it?

i.e. not coasting up to red lights, tailgating, lots of breaking, lots of quick accelerations? because things like that will destroy your gas mileage

 

i was getting 15 in the city with my 06...i couldnt stand it.

 

do you leave it parked and running alot because doesn't that kill mpg? i got alittle over 1100 miles on my tl-s and all i do is city driving and usually get 17mpg......

 

Well, I'd look at the following:

1) Tire pressure. Make sure all 4 are properly inflated.

2) Change gas stations. I'm like a dog. Once I find a gas station, I go to it religiously. Once years ago, I went to a different Mobil gas station on the way home from school and my gas mileage dropped by 5 miles per gallon.. Never went there again. Also, you might not be getting the 91 octane as you thought.

3) Go to a "quality" gas station, ie. Exxon, Shell, BP. (I haven't tried nor want to try Getty, LukOil, etc) Of course this is personal preference and what's available in your part of the country.

Finally, you say you "haven't used the car a lot". I assume the mileage is still very low, say less than 15000 miles. Mileage should improve as the motor totally breaks in..

Good luck

 

I actually drive by mixing some quick sprints here and there and overall maintaining a set speed and watch my distance to other cars (especially in front) so that I minimize speeding up. i also maintain a slightly-higher-than-average tire pressure, especially up front.

below is my actual recorded fuel economy for the first quarter of the year. i got the car spet 30th last year but decided to measure my actual fuel economy at the turn of the year.

 

i'm getting about the same for my 06tl also. it drives me crazy. i drive alot so it seems like i'm always filling up my tank.

 

Here is one possibility. My service manager at Acura dealer told me of someone that drove short trips in town and complained that the car got only 13 mpg……Turned out the trips were so short (3-10 miles etc) that the car never got out of closed loop (ie not warm enough etc) and thus the poor MPG…Manager took the car for a few days and MPG was iaw with window sticker...

If this is not the case, see dealer..

 

TL gas mileage is horrible in the city. When I fill up my car and reset the trip meter, it will never go over 17-18, unless I hit some open roads without traffic lights. If I am stuck in between red lights every block or so, I will be happy to get 15-16. I do not think there is anything wrong with your car. It is what it is. Just for the city mileage, I am ready to dump the car, but I do not drive much so it eventually evens out and I get about 23-25 average per fill up.

 

Thanks so much for everyones suggestions and comments.

Couple of points:

I drive really conservitively and do not push the car to any extremes. Heck I am 41 years old and living in a suburban location. The same driving style I did my Accord and that gave me 20 or so MPG.

The car is a Acura TL 2006 automatic that has been drive 8000 miles in over a year.= and a half.

Only utilize name-brand gas stations, in this case a Shell and use 91 unleaded.

I do press the reset button and after filling the tank it shows 234 miles available.

My trips are short in range, 3-7 or so miles at a time.

I am OK with understanding that the car is a 6 cylinder, auto and that city driving is less then hwy. What kills me is it is 14 MPG. I have friends that drive Expeditions that get the same mileage.

I'll take in the car to the dealer and get it checked.

 

We found the culprit... if you are only going this far for MOST of your trips... and this is stop and go... sitting at lights etc... finding parking spaces.. your SOL...

Was the Honda a 4 or 6??

Take it out on the highway and drive about 65 for a hour.. your computer will show that you can now drive MORE miles than when you started...

BTW.. if you are only driving that short.. you are probably not paying that much in total for gas anyhow...

 

I feel if you don't drive many miles a week who care about MPG. If you drive a lot of miles weekly it does matter. I work 14 days a month and for work only thats 70 miles a month. BUT I love cruising on days off. But using 93 BP $20 worth of gas doesn't go very far. I get about 17-18 jus city. But better then 11-12 with my 04 Tundra 4x4 Limited 4 door loaded with TRD and 4.10:1 posi. Shes gone now. Don't need a truck anymore. In the winter if I warmed it up alittle while scrapping the windows I was averaging about 8 MPG!

 

I consistently get 19 mpg in all city driving. That's in the suburbs, but all streets and lights, sprited driving but not crazy. On a highway trip 4 people in the car with luggage, doing 65-70 on the hiway (with my wife so calm driving) I've gotten 32 mpg a couple of times. That's on Amoco Gold. I always use high test in my car.

Dave

 

I also got 18-19mpg with 85% city driving. I recently stopped gunning it at the lights and driving a bit slower and now I am up to almost 22mpg. I get about 25-28 on highway.

 

I also have an 06 TL auto, and I also drive only 5 miles during the weekdays. I drive my son to school and take public transportation to work, and my annual mileage is about 8k.

My average city mpg is 16/17 and I use premium gas. On the highway, it is A LOT better ... avg 28-30 mpg. So, I don't think there is any problem with your car. Like many say, since we drive so little, the lower city mpg does not really matter much in terms of total savings.

 

ok, basically, the Trip Computer gives you a "guesstimate" of how many MPG you get based on distance, time, and fuel consumption. You have to set it at a specific timeing, like after your at the speed you'll be driving for a few minutes atleast. If you set it while taking off, obviously the car consumes gas to accelerate, which is perhaps how you'll see 12-13-14 MPG. If you set it while doing 50 going downhill without gas pressed its going to give you 50< reading. I tried all types of combinations, but you just can't rely on the trip computer for an accurate reading, i just ignore it now... The most accurate way possible is by using a calculator and some math equations, but who wants to do that. This why BMW is smart in giving you an active meter reading instead of a digital display, it is way less confusing for most...