Every person is going to have different MPG's as every person's route/conditions are different for the most part.
Well put.
Perfect conditions you get perfect milage. Unperfect, well it is the way you drive, the distance you drive. Hills, stop start and all in between.
As for break in milage. Again, it takes every engine to break in, IE get the friction worn down some and then it gets easier for the engine to move since it is in a smooth place. My Kia Rio took 10k miles and it went from 25mpg to 31mpg. So, give it some time. It will get better.
My other question about mileage to him was that the pure weighs about 1800 pounds, and the cabrio (which I have) weighs in at 2315. I said that it seems obvious to me that the mileage on a cabrio would be less. He had no answer, but agreed to contact smart HQ for me. I am beginning to think that the poor mileage is due to the fact that I have a heavier car and use A/C most of the time.
Any thoughts anyone?
Where did you get those weight specifications? A quick search shows that the cabrio weighs only 44 pounds more than a pure (not 515 pounds more), and all models are rated the same for fuel consumption.
In other news....
I guess I have validated my initial 56 mpg figure from the first leg of my weekend trip. My trip down interstate 5 from San Francisco averaged about 53 mpg with the A/C on almost the entire 350 miles (temp around 98 F through the central valley). Keep in mind that I had the tire inflation high, kept the speed at 60-65, and drafted trucks whenever possible (damn those truck lanes are ROUGH).
2300 pounds is the fully-loaded weight rating (GVWR?)... the ECE (whoever that is) determined that the Smart either can't or shouldn't be asked to pull more than 500 pounds beyond its base weight. I think it's an economy/safety thing rather than durability. The little creature's pretty tough.
A Cabrio with top down might get lower MPGs than with top up, I'm not sure. But the weight difference between Pure and Cabrio fully loaded is more like 80-100 pounds, not 500.
Just to add another experience, I have a Passion that just went over 3.5K I do not jack rabbit starts, but don't block traffic either. I try to keep my speed between 55-60 on highways and hold 65 On IStates. I don't pull any of the high-miler tricks but do try to keep my speed as consistent as possible and anticipate stops by gradual slowing. I have been getting 41-44 mpg mixed driving during the past 1K miles. Today I drove from Prescott (AZ) to Mormon Lake through Camp Verde and then home via Flagstaff. This route required three 3K ft. climbs and descents over 250+ miles. Most of it was mountain highway driving. Using Shell Premium I got 50.3 mpg.
I have two other considerations that I have not seen mentioned.
One is time of day you fill up. Since gasoline expands in higher temps, would you be filling up with less gas at afternoon 100+F temps, than say,
early in the morning at 65F ?
The other thing is when you fill up - is it possible to overfill the gas tank, with the extra gas running into the overfill tube?
I don't know much about cars, but here in California, our motorcycles have an overflow tube that runs down under the motorcycle, into a charcoal filled canister, the gas is held there until it evaporates and gets sucked back into the fuel system. I think that's how it works - I could be wrong.
With the Smart's little 8+ gallon gas tank, I would think you all would get varying ranges of miles per gallon.
I've been reading with envy people who get over 40mpg. Last weekend we filled up at Costco and then immediately left on a 2 day trip that covered just under 300 miles. We have 2,500 miles on the car. It included going over a mountain pass at 60mph in 4th gear. I drove my short 9 mile trip to work and then home again for 2 days and then filled up again. Used 6.6 gallons for a little over 300 miles. Used the same gas station.
Averaged 45.7mpg. I thought that was very good.
Yes, it's technically possible to overfill and flood the charcoal canister, which can result in a trouble code and warning light. That's why there's a warning label admonishing against topping off.
Since we picked up my Passion Cabriolet on Tuesday, I can comment on this thread I've been following for over a week.
We got our first gas today - at only 1/2 tank since we heard about the $$ of oil rising today. Filled up with 4.49 gal after driving 178 miles, which comes out to just over 39.6 MPG! We thought that was amazing for our first tank!!!
The driving on this trip consisted of: 55 miles or so on surface streets in the traffic in the Valley (Elev 1,200'), 70 miles on the grades of I-17 up to Camp Verde, with the remaining 50 miles in and around Cottonwood, AZ at aprox 3,500'. Since it was a flamin' hot 97 in the Valley, the top was up and the A/C blasting for most of those miles.
Well I completed my mileage test yesterday. To eliminate another variable, I was the sole driver for a complete tank of fuel. I paddle-shifted and kept the rpms below 3k using very small throttle inputs to slowly accellerate. I used high test fuel from the busiest station I could find and did all driving with the top up and the a/c on (it's still over 95 in the day here).
The results are in: 29.34mpg, that is, 8.49 gallons to travel 249.1 miles. In other words it sucks!
Well I completed my mileage test yesterday. To eliminate another variable, I was the sole driver for a complete tank of fuel. I paddle-shifted and kept the rpms below 3k using very small throttle inputs to slowly accellerate. I used high test fuel from the busiest station I could find and did all driving with the top up and the a/c on (it's still over 95 in the day here).
The results are in: 29.34mpg, that is, 8.49 gallons to travel 249.1 miles. In other words it sucks!
If my smart was getting the fuel econmy your smart is getting I would firmly but pleasantly work with the dealer and smart USA to get the issue resolved fairly. This process will probably be a little slow and painful and it will take many contacts with smart but something is wrong with your cars fuel and emmissions systems.
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