[mhuckaby]

I'm only throwing this out to see what happens. I love my MO and most everything about it, except my mileage. No matter how, when, where or how long I drive and whatever fuel I use, I'm getting 17-18 MPG. I now have about 1800 miles on it.

1. Do you think there will be a fix?
2. You believe the cars will eventually "break-in" and the mileage will change?
3. We'll get over it?
4. Someone will start a class-action suit?
5. Something else will happen (other).

What are your thoughts? Has anyone "fixed" this "problem" or are there folks that never have had this issue?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Eric L.]

I think it is possible to get the EPA numbers if you accelerate as gently as possible to 55mph, stay at that speed, never use the AC or open the windows, and have your tires inflated way above Nissan's specs. But seeing how no one does this, we will have to be content with the not so great fuel economy. On a long road trip I was able to get about 22mpg on the highway doing 75mph, AC on. Now my commute to school is almost all city, and I only get about 15mpg doing that.

 

[stonemaster]

If I reset the mileage computer just as I get on the highway after I've reached highway speed (60-70 mph), and feather the gas, I can actually coax a reading of 26.7 miles per gallon or higher after driving several miles. No A/C, windows closed, and a flat, smooth, dry road. In Chicago there are no hills so the speed is almost always constant with very little accelaration required. I've been playing this little mileage 'game' on my commute to work just to see how high I can get the mpg to go (realistic or not).

One thing an EPA mileage estimate does not specify is how long the vehicle must sustain an MPG rating to be valid (at least to my knowledge). Nor does it specify any conditions under which the term "Highway driving" is based, thus, it may not include accelerating to highway speed which really eats up gas if you're even a moderate lead foot.

So if I can hit 26 mpg, even for a few miles, I guess I can claim my car gets "up to" (those magic marketing words) 26 mpg even though in the long run it's more like 16-18 mpg (which is what I normally get between highway and city driving).

 

[rtking]

Naw... mileage isn't too terrible.

I have 2,4XX miles on my MO now and I've noticed that my mileage is improving as the car breaks-in. I put on a K&N filter and I'm actually getting slightly better mileage with that also.

I can get 22 mpg with the A/C on and cruise 75 mph. But I can drag it all the way down to 14.3 mpg if I'm sitting in traffic a lot. If you look on the trip computer, you'll be surprised what your average speed really turns out to be! On my daily commute, my average mph is only 23.X mph. And most of that is stop-and-go with the occassional "Gun It Hard" to get the next lane.

FWIW, when I was in a Rental Dodge Durango and Ford Exploder and drove the same commute, I got 9.8 mpg with the Durango and 12.X mpg with the Exploder.

Bob K.

 

[dklanecky1]

EPA mileage estimate is just that, an ESTIMATE. It was designed to allow you as a consumer to have something to compare one vehicle's efficency against another's, hoping consumers would buy the more efficent vehicles.

IMO, there's no opportunity for a class action lawsuit.

I get consistently 19-22 which is clearly within the range specified by the estimate. I've gotten as low as 12 and as high as 26, depends on how I drive, and the conditions i'm driving in.

Mileage is better in the summer, worse in the winter, (in Wisconsin anyway).

 

[CAPE-MO]

My MO is just 3 weeks old and I'm on my 3rd tank of gas, and burning mid-range 89. Have logged just under 1000 miles and I'm getting 21.+mpg while "breakin it in" as suggested here in other threads. No complaints from my corner of the world!

 

[thecanuck]

Have to agree with the others, here. Once my break-in was done, I've consistently achieved 25 mpg highway, 17-19 city, with and without "toys" engaged. I've also installed a K&N. I run my tires at (or 1 PSI below) factory specs. Compared to my MO's predecessor, a 99.5 Pathfinder, I'm thrilled with my mpg. Even running 91 octane, it's cheaper to run than my PF ever was on 87 octane. :claphead:

And yes, remember, the EPA mileage is supposedly based on a "test" distance of only 100 km (or about 60 miles), at 90 km/hr (about 55 mph), with no toys engaged, for the highway rating. Or so I've been told.

 

[urbanias]

I'm at almost 16,000 miles. I reset the mileage computer with every gas fill-up. I did check the accuracy of the computer by calculating it manually when I first got the car and it's always within 1 mpg. I use 87 octane regular. I tried 93 premium and saw no improvement in performance or mileage over several tankfulls. I consistently get 19-22 mpg in mixed commuter driving, as long as I don't hot rod. If I do, it goes way down. Your driving habits make a BIG difference. On long trips, moderate weather, A/C off, flat roads, 65-75 mph, I usually see 26 mpg. Using the A/C takes off about 2 mpg. Considering the weight and power of this vehicle, I think the mileage is fantastic. In comparison, my wife's CRV gets 24-25 all around with 4 cylinders and 100 less horsepower.

 

[UncaDanno]

Eric, that's almost zackly what the EPA estimates are based upon. Goes something like this:
After break-in period, the vehicle is driven on the open, flat road, gently accellerating to 55MPH and holding that speed for at least 3/4 of the trip. Average mileage for 100 miles that way is the highway estimate.

The other estimate is a bit tougher, but imagine travelling about 30MPH for 100 miles with a 30 second stop every five minutes.

 

[MOjoe]

Just lucky, I guess. I'm getting 24 mpg doing 75mph on 400 mile trips Baltimore to Boston. Going 65-70 I've gotton 25-26 on trips, and mileage improving now at >10,000 miles. In all city driving with stop and go and many lights and no interstate then I'm at ~16. Lovin the mileage, I'm not disappointed. MOjoe

 

[Enforcer]

mhuckaby, here is how to test your mileage.

Find a 5-10 mile stretch of road. Accelerate to 60, set the cruise, reset the gas mileage computer. Drive 5-10 miles record the gas mileage and stop and turn around. Accelerate to 60, set the cruise, reset the mpg computer, and drive back approximately the same distance and record the mileage. Take the average of the two. That will account for acceleration, wind, and elevation differences.

You can also try additional runs at different speeds to see the effect.

I typically get 24.5mpg at 60-65 mph. Right now I have 1200 miles with an average speed of 37mph and the mpg is 21.7 (reset one of the trip computers and the mpg computer at the same time to get these stats).

 

[Kris]

Drove from Atlanta to Owensboro, KY. 370 miles. Cruise mostly on 75 - 76 mph except Georgia and Tennessee mountains where it was 80+ (I just loved watching the other struggling cars!). Over entire trip computer showed average speed 67 mph and 23.7 mpg. Oh, and A/C on, tire pressure 35 psi. Nissan standard air filter, Mobil 1 synthetic oil, 9,500 miles. Return trip - exactly same results.

For such a big car I believe these numbers are great. I am happy.

 

[pat]

mileage

Who cares about it!!! If you can afford a MO a few extra trips to the pump really doesn't matter!!!!:2:

 

[roylevitt]

i get consistantly 20-24 mpg's on the highway. Just took a 70 mile drive from norwalk to hartford (winding, hilly highway), with an average speed of 78mph!

 

[UncaDanno]

A class-action lawsuit, as mentioned in this thread's initial post, would do absolutely nothing to increase gas mileage for current Murano owners, even if it could be proved that the MO's mileage was sub-par (I certainly don't think it is).

It would do absolutely nothing to actually increase mileage for future Murano owners.


It WOULD absolutely put wads of money into lawyers' pockets!

 

[hfelknor]

Absolutely.


Homer

 

[Kris]

UncaDano,

your last sentence summed it up nicely!

 

[turbodog]

Guess I need to read my manual more closely.... can anyone describe offhand how to reset the mileage computer (on non-nav MO)? Thanks!

 

[UncaDanno]

Just push the button that displays the MPG and hold it down. After a second or so the MPG and DTE will reset to zero.

 

[turbodog]

Thanks! oh, and BTW, getting 18 - 21 MPG (calculated at fill-ups) in mostly city and short stretches of freeway, A/C mostly on (yes, even in December!) and running 87 octane fuel. Now at 4000 miles. Looking forward to the holiday trip to Florida to see what it will do with A/C off and steady freeway miles. No complaints about mileage.