Should I be concerned about my gas mileage?!

[kelmen7]

Hello!
We recently purchased an AWD SX Telluride on 8/8/19. My wife primarily drives the car in eco-mode (Doesn't use AWD) and does a lot of city driving (She only works 20 min away). As of today, the Telluride is averaging 15.9 mpg for the total 1038 miles she's driven and just last week she was only averaging 14.5 miles! Should I be concerned about the car? I was expecting at least 18-19 mpg for city driving since 19 is advertised on the car. We are getting nothing close to that number

 

[TellyNY]

Does she do a lot of idling? Like in parking lots or waiting car lines?

 

[kelmen7]

Does she do a lot of idling? Like in parking lots or waiting car lines?

Nope she doesn't. She does "normal" driving back and forth with some stop lights and freeway (against traffic). That's what's I don't get.

 

[cheeks80]

Too much stop and go traffic takes a big hit on the efficiency as i see in my telluride. This is normal. I see that my gas mileage increases greatly when i hit the higways. The max i have seen so far is on a highway trip was 28 mpg and the lowest i have seen on my commute to office on a bad day (stop ad go traffic) was 18 mpg. On top of that if you have a heavy foot or use sport mode it could deteriorate further. Eco mode works good if you are conscious about gas efficiency.

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[Wildcatt76]

I have FWD only and similar driving - netting 23.4 at 4500 miles, set on Smart mode. I always turn the auto engine stop off. Don’t know how much AWD affects it, but would think yours sounds a bit low.

 

[TxAggie]

Another factor would be where you live and the fuel mix. Here in Texas we have 10% ethanol mixed in and I have NEVER gotten the published window sticker rating on any of my vehicles with that mix. If you are able to fill up with ethanol free, the mileage would increase greatly.

 

[Patsfan29]

We just took a quick trip to Florida and average 30.4 on the highway. I was shocked. That was cruising at 75 for the majority of the time. In town we are at 22, almost 23 but again, not AWD. I would keep an eye on the 15, that does sound incredibly low, even for stop and go and in town.

 

[GrumpDaddyB]

We usually drive our SX FWD in Comfort mode and average 30-31 highway and 24-25 in town driving. I would try driving in Comfort mode for a while and see if that has any affect. We also usually turn off Auto-Stop, we are not convinced it really saves anything. In my prior experience with several Kia Optima's was that Eco mode really didn't improve mileage and in fact, sometimes got worse mileage than driving in Normal mode.

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[Tellmeride]

That’s good to know grumpyD, will switch to comfort and see if it improves over eco. I tried all the modes in the beginning and felt no driving experience difference that’s why I have it on eco at all times.

 

[Mac]

Your MPG average does seem lower than what most are getting. Granted, the AWD models will be somewhat less. Make sure your tires are properly inflated (32-33 psi cold), use top tier fuel, and NO jackrabbit starts! It is possible the MPG calculator is not functioning correctly. Check your odometer reading between fill ups and hand calculate (miles driven/gallons used) to confirm the MPG display. The hand calculated vs the display values should be within 2-3 MPG of each other. The other thought is a brake pad hanging up. After a drive, feel around the brake calipers and confirm there is not an excessive amount of heat. You should be getting better mileage than what you are IMHO.

 

[DRK]

MPG fluctuates depending on a lot of factors such as the road, traffic conditions, driving habits and etc.
I usually put on the smart mode on my SX AWD. I drive 15 miles (including 10 miles of highway) for commute, 30 miles of round trip.
The MPG records between 30 to 33 for going to work, but it is only 18 to 23 mpg for coming home. I take the same roads.
It is slightly more downhills to work and more uphills to home. I'm saying MPG really varies depending road and traffic condition.

 

[jgunice]

Has anyone noticed the distance to empty monitor to be off by a gallon or two? For my last two fill ups, I was averaging 18 mpg, and the monitor said I had about 26 miles to empty--meaning the tank should have taken 1.5 gallons or so to fill up. Buy it took a few gallons less, meaning I actually had 36-50 miles of range left. EX, AWD. Is the range monitor programmed to be overly conservative?

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[GrumpDaddyB]

Has anyone noticed the distance to empty monitor to be off by a gallon or two? For my last two fill ups, I was averaging 18 mpg, and the monitor said I had about 26 miles to empty--meaning the tank should have taken 1.5 gallons or so to fill up. Buy it took a few gallons less, meaning I actually had 36-50 miles of range left. EX, AWD. Is the range monitor programmed to be overly conservative?

All the Kia's we've had with this feature seem to be slightly conservative, i.e. usually have about 1.5 more in the tank than calculated. Even so, I would not assume this to be fact.

 

[jgunice]

All the Kia's we've had with this feature seem to be slightly conservative, i.e. usually have about 1.5 more in the tank than calculated. Even so, I would not assume this to be fact.

Thank you for the feedback...much appreciated.

 

[Jdgate]

MPG fluctuates depending on a lot of factors such as the road, traffic conditions, driving habits and etc.
I usually put on the smart mode on my SX AWD. I drive 15 miles (including 10 miles of highway) for commute, 30 miles of round trip.
The MPG records between 30 to 33 for going to work, but it is only 18 to 23 mpg for coming home. I take the same roads.
It is slightly more downhills to work and more uphills to home. I'm saying MPG really varies depending road and traffic condition.

To be honest, I am glad all vehicles distance till empty are off with some reserve in the tank. My wife once came home and gave me the keys to my Lexus. She says "I think you need gas." Sure enough I get in and it shows 0 miles left till empty......