'07 Caravan - very poor gas mileage

Dec 29, 2007 2 Replies

This summer I bought a new 2007 Caravan base model with Flexfuel. For the first tank of gas, I got about 18mpg in town, a little below stated mpg. Then the mileage kept going down. In cold winter now, it only gets 14mpg. I exactly followed the advice for break-in, and get services on time. This never happened to our other new cars. I used to own a '94 Caravan, even better mileage than this one. I know there are some additives to gas in winter, but that should not cause so much loss to efficiency.



Thanks.


Bummer. Have you talked to your dealer about it?

For what?

Could have something to do with the FlexFuel capability, which your '94 Caravan did not have. Fuel blends do not have the energy density (BTUs) of gasoline, which causes a drop in MPG when they are used. For example, propane is about 85%, and CNG is about 60%. Don't know about blends like E85. Based upon your experience I would guess 78% (14/18).

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required