20 mpg in Accord for city driving: Is this ok?

[mclasser]

I've recently started becoming interested in tracking my gas mileage. This summer, my Accord has been getting 20-21 mpg in the city. Some things to note about the conditions:

-Running 5W30 since had to use up my stash (Honda specs 5W20 but says -30 is ok in a pinch)
-Alternate between BJs gas and Shell or Exxon/Mobil
-Tires at 32 PSI (spec is 30); in good shape.
-Typical around-town driving with traffic lights; sometimes stop-and-go.
-Speeds from 30-55 mph
-Usually drive with windows down but 85+ w/humidity requires A/C at fan speed 2 and temp dial all the way blue (old school climate control)
-Car is fine mechanically. All fluids, spark plugs and PCV valve up to date. No oil burning.
-I don't jack rabbit from light-to-light or ride the brakes. Try to drive smoothly.

For a 4-banger Honda, is 20-21 mpg reasonable city mileage, especially with summer blend gas? I'd think the mid-20s would be more proper . Am I just expecting too much from a tired 13 yr old car w/almost 200K miles?

 

[Nick1994]

An Accord is a pretty decently sized car, definitely not the size of a Geo Metro.

Mpg sounds about right.

 

[CHARLIEBRONSON21]

My '03 I had got around 22 city so that's probably the magic number there.

 

[expat]

City mpg is hard to gauge, even the most stingy car will get 0 mpg at a stoplight.

 

[Lubener]

I would expect around 25 mpg in the city (no a/c)with your 4 banger Accord.With a small drop in the winter.City driving with a/c on will drop significantly.

 

[JHZR2]

What's the EPA city rating? If you're beating that +10% you're doing good.

It's mainly dependent upon stopped traffic, stop lights, and your gentleness on the accelerator and brake.

 

[wemay]

Sounds like real world city mpg to me. My Sonata 2.4 averages 23 in purely city situations.

 

[Eosyn]

per Fueleconomy.gov, you're getting the correct fuel economy for your 02 Accord.

 

[Shrubitup]

Originally Posted By: Lubener
I would expect around 25 mpg in the city (no a/c)with your 4 banger Accord.With a small drop in the winter.City driving with a/c on will drop significantly.


Also be careful with just the defrost on. It uses about 40% A/C. Use vent instead when possible.

 

[BISCUT]

What were your expectations?

 

[KrisZ]

Driven in the same city and traffic, my Mazda 3 gets about 27mpg if I drive it, if my wife drives the car, it gets about 24-25mpg. This tank, which was driven mostly with AC on and about 3 mile trips, the computer is showing the average of about 23.5 mpg.
How the car is driven plays a pretty big role.

 

[SatinSilver]

Sounds about right with city driving while the ac is on. The 4cyl has to work hard to move that weight. Not to mention your weight and any unneeded weight in the trunk.

How are you calculating the mpg's?

Hwy mileage can get into the mid 30's without ac on and mostly flat terrain. You can test it by filling the tank all the way up, drive on the hwy for 25 miles or so then fill back up and do the math.

 

[Silverado12]

FWIW the Challenger gets 22 in the city and the truck gets around 16 in the city. Seems a little low, but not too bad.

 

[mclasser]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Sounds about right with city driving while the ac is on. The 4cyl has to work hard to move that weight. Not to mention your weight and any unneeded weight in the trunk.

How are you calculating the mpg's?


You're right about the 4-banger having to work hard. This is a California-spec car with "super ultra low emissions" -- only making 135 HP compared to the 150 of non-Cali cars. You really feel the reduced power going up hills with the A/C on.

I carry a full-size spare along with the factory donut in the trunk. This probably makes the MPGs take a slight hit.

For calculations, I fill up gas after 50-75 miles of exclusively city driving. Then I just divide those miles by the gallons of gas I had to fill up with. This allows me to get pure city MPGs.

 

[SatinSilver]

Has the air filter been changed recently? Not for the mpg's but for some added pep. I had the 150 hp version and thought that was a little sluggish. People would be glued to my tail when accelerating. For a while I had the spare out of the trunk and could notice the extra pep.

Some Top Tier fuel may help performance a bit when accelerating.