Sure, we live in a day and age in which some cars–and even a few SUVs–can achieve real-world fuel mileage of well over 30 mpg, but where do we draw the line between fuel-efficient and fuel-inefficient?
What do you consider to be “fuel-efficient,” as far as a vehicle goes? 25 mpg? 30? 35? 40 or more?
Double digits.
>35 mixed
For me that would be >25
I feel like it is size & purpose dependent. Like if I had an F-150 and it pulled 30 mpg's in mixed use, no load in the bed or behind, that would be fuel efficient in my book. If I had a mk1 VW Golf with a TDi swap and it pulled 30 mpg's then I would consider that to be fuel inefficient.
I consider my Suzuki SX4 to be fuel inefficient as it pulls about 28 mpg's in mixed use, and highway driving isn't much better than mixed in-town use. It's a smaller car, FWD only, manual trans. If it was pulling high-30's I would probably change my tune, and over 40 I definitely would describe it as fuel efficient. The saving grace here is that the car is pretty reliable and hasn't needed much attention in the near decade I've owned it, 28 isn't abysmal, it's just not very good.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
Good point about size and purpose. Like you said, a truck capable of 30 mpg? Fantastic.
But if my Honda Fit was regularly returning anything below 30, I'd be annoyed.
My '14 Accord with the 4 cylinder / CVT combo gets ~ 30 mpg around town, and upper 30's at sustained freeway speed. I consider that really good for a non hybrid vehicle that is not too slow to get out of its own way when needed.
Yeah, I second (third?) the size and purpose thing. My truck gets 9 mpg, but that's okay because it's a big old beast that gets driven only when I need a big old beast. The CX-9 gets 27, and I think that's great for a vehicle of that size, performance, and comfort level.
As a general rule of thumb, I'd put the "fuel efficient" threshold at 30 mpg, but, again referencing size and purpose, the Corolla "only" gets about 33, which seems sub-par for a small economy car, and downright ludicrous when you put it side by side with the CX-9.
Clearly this number is moving, as there are now full-size "minivans" like the Sienna Hybrid that can pull down high 30's on the highway. If I was specifically shopping for a car based primarily on fuel efficiency (unlikely), I think that number would need to be north of 40 mpg.
My motorcycle getting 35 on regular makes it a pig. My Miata getting 35 on premium is advanced space ship technology.
Truck or SUV: 25+ when not towing or 20 while towing
Full sized sedan or wagon: 35+ highway
Small car: 40+ highway
I've seen the instant readout on my GF's manual TDI Jetta Sport Wagon show 70 for extended periods, which creeps into my mind more and more when I think about truly fuel efficient. I like to think that more cars are going that way.
My E36 is a small car making only 240hp and gets mid 20s on premium. I consider that way worse than my Jeep getting 20 on regular.
Low to mid 20s. Golf R, Tacoma, Cayman S, R/T Charger are all 20-26mpg.
My Mustang Ecoboost gets around 30, and it looks just like the V8 version.
iansane said:Double digits.
I own an FD, so... yeah :)
Dragndrive big block deal, 6-8. Small block, 12-20, but 10-12 if on E.
Normal dd, 18-up.
Edit- Avalanche on E gets 15 mixed, mustang gets 20-22 mixed on 93.
Between mixed highway/city, the '23 BRZ is averaging around 23mpg on premium. Not particularly good for a 4 cyl, but I also rarely pay attention to the "shift" indicator either.
And any time it's fully up to temp and there is a long on-ramp, it gets an "Italian tune up."
25 around town and 32 on the highway.
For the he race cars 9 mpg (the Datsun gets 13 and the F500 gets 9). My Showroom Stock C Miata got 9 mpg on track (NA 1.6).
TL;DR: For me, anything over 30 mpg's on the highway is a number I consider "efficient."
Long-winded response:
Performance impacts that, of course, but I was surprised to find that my '19 GTI gets about 36-37 mpg @ 75 mph. My old '93 Mazda 323 got the same mileage but at about 65 mph.
I consider the GTI very fuel efficient considering the performance, safety, and emission hoops that it had to "jump through" that that old Mazda never had to do.
I also enjoyed my Miata so much that I never cared about it's fuel efficiency. I checked it's highway mpg's exactly twice when I first bought it because I knew that would be the first question my dad would ask.
I really like the hot hatches (CTR/Integra Type S, Veloster N (and Elantra N sedan), but then I see they may not even get 30 mpg's and I pause at that fact ... and I know +/- 300 hp comes at a cost, and with ADM, what a cost it is.
Others make good points about the purpose of other vehicles like pickup trucks, etc., and I'd adjust my expectations accordingly for those.
And on track, I consider anything under 5gph to be pretty efficient. With our old engine the racecar got 3gph which was all I knew until I drove somebody else's car(and had to help buy fuel) that burned 12gph.
ConiglioRampante said:
I really like the hot hatches (CTR/Integra Type S, Veloster N (and Elantra N sedan), but then I see they may not even get 30 mpg's and I pause at that fact ... and I know +/- 300 hp comes at a cost, and with ADM, what a cost it is.
I have a 2023 Kona N. A steady 75 mph in Eco mode delivers 37-38mpg. Around town I routinely get mid to upper 20s mpg. If you stomp on the go pedal in the N mode........well that's another story. The point being it can be economical if you drive it that way.
For a car 35 plus
for a truck 19 plus (4wd, 3/4 ton = my needs)
In reply to Feedyurhed :
I'd argue vehicle age needs to be factored in as well. For over a decade I drove some form of 90's Corolla. They all got 32mpg, which I thought was pretty good for a $2500 CL car.
Flash forward a decade, and I bought a very beat up Prius for the same amount of money. It got high 40s/low 50s mpg and suddenly the Corolla lost a lot of shine
low-20's mixed and high-20's highway are good enough to me. 3 of the 4 DD's in my family fleet meet those numbers. Only the 2010 Ody does not, and that's OK because it's a brick.
In reply to buzzboy :
I agree, depends on the platform. Full size truck/suv capable of towing more than 5k lbs 25mpg. Midsize sedan/smaller cub's 35mpg. Compact 40.
modern stuff is pretty good. The Seltos gets better fuel economy than the 11 year older Rio the wife had doing the same drive with the same driver and the Rio was no slouch.
In reply to Feedyurhed :
Wow, Hyundai really under sells its published mpg efficiency. That's simultaneously good and bad to know!
As if Temptation wasn't already a constant companion.
ConiglioRampante said:In reply to Feedyurhed :
Wow, Hyundai really under sells its published mpg efficiency. That's simultaneously good and bad to know!
As if Temptation wasn't already a constant companion.
Can't really extrapolate real steady state cruise from the Highway rating. From any OEM. The advertised rating is so that it covers most drivers, so it tends to be low is you are super steady. And yes, there are regulations around the advertised fuel economy.
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