My MPG ~ 36

[churpee]

Just Did A 220 Mile Round Trip At Mostly 70 Per In The Hov Lane 40 Mpg

[bottlerocket]

I just did a trip from Los Angeles to Fresno, CA. Went over the grapevine down into the valley and back, A/C about 90% of the time, averaging about 75-80mph...

What mileage did my smartie give me? 36.3MPG

[Westfield 11]

Originally Posted by bottlerocket

What mileage did my smartie give me? 36.3MPG

I agree with you, the mileage results have been pathetic. We have 2 smarts, one in Los Angeles and one in Tucson, both get poor economy. I really think that any car this small and light with only a 1 litre engine should get over 30 mpg in town. We have been hard pressed to get more than 31 or 32 mpg and usually average in the high 20's. Highway mileage is unknown since we never use these cars for intercity driving. The one long trip (LA to Tucson) that I took gave a low of 31 mpg and a high of 39 mpg, all at the legal limit of 75 with a/c on driving solo with no luggage. Nothing to brag about in my book.

The line about "you had the a/c on, no wonder" is BS in my book. In the real world, when it's over 100 outside people use the a/c PERIOD! Real world comparisons require the car to be driven in a real world manner. Not using hypermileing tricks, but driven like the average person would use their cars. If you do that then the smart does not perform as well as most of us expected, thus all the "my mileage s&cks!!" threads.

[skyzdlimit59]

I have been averaging 36 on every tank after the first 3 (32, 32, 34). I am happy with the mileage I'm getting. I was driving a Yukon and averaging 12 on a good day so this is heaven for me. There were a number of factors that convinced me to buy the smart and although mileage was one of them, it was not the most important.
It's too bad that so many are so disappointed with the mileage but by the looks of the forums here, most are getting within the advertised low and high. ;)

[saskdiesel]

I think 32mpg city running AC all the time is good economy for a 1 litre car.
If you want 40-50 city you need two less wheels.
Or a CDI Smart.

[WhiteNBlack08]

I've been averaging 41-43, last tank 44.2 with A/C on 90% of the time. I definitely don't hypermile. I find higher speeds(65+) definitely hurt.

[bottlerocket]

Originally Posted by Westfield 11

I agree with you, the mileage results have been pathetic.

I was actually HAPPY with the 36mpg, considering I had the A/C on and was going higher than 70 mph (70mph seems to be the threshold where you start losing fuel economy).


I know I could get 40 or 45 if I really wanted to, but I enjoy still driving the way I do and getting 38mpg (my average).

[Broken Kid]

I drove my smart about 400 miles this weekend, probably 80-90% highway - no AC, windows down most of the time, speed between 60 and 70. (I tried drafting for a few minutes. Holy cow was that painful! Not worth it...) The average was 46 mpg. That makes me happy!

My experience with the AC came one week with humidity and temperatures over 90 (doesn't happen that often here). I was lucky to get 30 mpg with about 50% highway driving. Clearly AC effects this car. Fortunately, I am happy with the windows down most of the time! Other than that, I've been averaging about 40 mpg with the rest of my driving.

[mikie]

Originally Posted by Westfield 11

I agree with you, the mileage results have been pathetic.

Not sure who you thought you were agreeing with, but me thinks you could be a loner...

I didn't start this thread for anyone to complain about the smart's mileage. I posted it to give folks a sense of what my experience was after 5000 miles, various driving conditions and multiple fillups.

Given the fact that the car is built in one of the "Greenest" factories in the world, is 95% recyclable and delivers the lowest carbon footprint of any vehicle on the road, there are many reasons to own a smart car. The gas mileage happens to be a bonus in my book!

[jwight]

FWIW, recent trip of 2,750 miles, average mpg was 37.4, 99% with A/C on and highway speeds well above 65. Not sure what the EPA test cycle is like but I'm guessing their highway speed is kept to around 70 for the smart to be rated at 41 mpg. Real world traffic moves much faster, and the mileage suffers the faster you go.