Did my first MPG test.........

[Dave Van]

My car is a Smart Pure with the only option the factory alarm system and the 9 radio I added myself. Car has a little over 2500 miles on it. I did a by the book break-in. I have made no other mods or even changed the oil but will do that with factory oil filter and Mobil1 oil at 5000 miles.

This is how I did it.
Filled my Smart at my Shell station. 7.5 gallons of 93 octane.
Used the medium fill rate on the pump, stopped when the pump shut off...no top off.
Set the cars trip odometer to zero.

Left on a trip to see my kids at Marshall U. Trip was a mix of 2 lane back roads, some interstate at 70 mph and some running around in town once we got there.

I do drive conservatively....not a hard core hypermiler but I use many of the technics. Easy application of gas and brakes, smooth driving overall.

And although it was the 4th weekend...traffic was light and no real ‘sitting’ in traffic jams.

At the end of the trip I returned to my Shell station, same pump and filled my Smart in the same manor.

Trip odometer was at 359.8, gas it took to fill was 7.329 gallons. That works out to 49 miles per gallon if I did my math right.

Disclaimers. I am relying on the cars trip odometer to be pretty accurate. I am also relying on the Shell gas pump to be accurate. I was a little surprised at the results....so I am doing it again right now and will post those results too.

[jefferios]

Best thing to do is to have multiple fill-ups to calculate an average. I got 52mpg once, the next fill-up was 40mpg. So around 46mpg average.

[Dave Van]

I plan on doing the same system over the next 4-5 fill ups. I keep a log in my car (have from the start) I will post the results as I go. It shocked me as well.....although I still feel a base model should get a little better mpg than a fully loaded Smart.

[VinceLA]

That radio9 should add a bit of weight to your Pure, Dave. So I'd say you can do 50mpg.

[unicycle]

Originally Posted by jefferios

Best thing to do is to have multiple fill-ups to calculate an average. I got 52mpg once, the next fill-up was 40mpg. So around 46mpg average.

Correction: You CLAIMED 52 and CALCULATED 52, but you did not GET 52 mpg. You just didn't get a good read on the actual amount of gas you put in for that trip.

I believe that Dave Van can accurately claim to have gotten in the high 40s. That's a great first tank.

[deltadart]

I would say your mileage will get even better when you have around 7,500 on your Smart. Every car I have owned started getting it's best mpg around that mileage.

[Dave Van]

Update on my MPG testing.

I filled the car up using the same gas and station I used last test. The mileage for this tank worked out to 47.2 mpg.

I feel like this is pretty good because this last tank of gas was not my normal Shell 93 octane. I was traveling and had to use another brand which had, and I did not know until after I had filled it, 10% alcohol added which I like to avoid as it can reduce mpg. And I also drove the car a little harder with out as much hard core Hypermileing this time. So a little hard driving does not seem to hurt the mileage too much.

We'll see if going back to the Shell with out the alcohol gives me back my 49+ mpg......

[jwight]

Pretty impressive! The best I've been able to do so far is 41.9 so you're doing something right (or I'm doing something wrong.)

[Dave Van]

I think there are a number of factors that help me get the good mpg.

1. Wife and kids say I drive like a old fart. Most times I do. If I want to drive hard and fast I get in one of my muscle cars. Don't need it in my Smart.
2. Smart Pure. I don't know how much all the options that most Passions have weight but it has to reduce mpg on weight and drag (A/C)
3. The area I live in. Very little traffic, almost ZERO time sitting in traffic. Lots of driving at 45-55 mph on roads by myself.
add these up and it has to help the mpg.

[SmartCard]

Originally Posted by Dave Van

....so I am doing it again right now and will post those results too.

driving to Marshall again?

great results....was going to ask if you had the A/C on at all, then reread and realized you had a Pure with just alarm and radio!