2004 Maxima - low mpg?

These MPG figures are for people who drive like a granny. Can we assume you NEVER give it more than =very= light throttle? You never go over the posted speed limits? I think 20MPG is good for one of those cars. If you wanted closer to 30MPG, you should have bought a 4 cyl, if anyone even sells 4 cyl cars anymore?

no no no i'm in my early 20's and give it my fair share of throttle. i mean i take it on long weekend trips, drive through the cities, and run errands .. i mean, normal stuff. is this low mpg something that can be fixed?

Again how do you drive it? The speed limit on trips? Never zip away from a light doing errands? What you (and I) consider "normal" isn't how they drive the cars when they rate them. It's why SUV drivers are shocked when they discover the 14MPG rated is really like 9-10 when they drive them. I think 20 MPG is about right for that car driven like a early 20's person would be driving it. :-)

i do my fair share of zipping away from a light. but yes, i figured as much

- that actual mpg figures will be less than the rated figures. i just wasn't sure if 19.7 was a smaller-than-usual number. thanks for your input steve t.

I've driven mine a total of 6000 miles and am averaging around 25 (commuting). At my first oil change (3,750 miles) I replaced the factory oil with Amsoil -- the engine is really quiet and I did get about another

I have a 93, 112K miles and I average 27-28 mpg -- calculating 80% highway and the rest city streets. Pretty good eh? Lanette

My 2005 Maxima 3.5 SE has 1200 miles. I'm getting 23 mpg right now with the same 80/20 driving. All highway will probably yeild pretty close to the mileage Nissan claims, 28mpg highway.

My old 93SE w/manual gave me the same 27-28 highway. My 2000 manual and 2002 auto both barely eek out 21mpg, even in all highway driving.

I have a '02 SE, and I have been doing a lot of highway driving recently. I get anywhere between 29 - 33 mpg, based on the road/terrain conditions.

And on 80/20 split, I normally get around 25 - 27 mpg.

-BI

This may be true, but probably isn't if you are relying only on your trip computer for data. The best way is to compare how many gallons you buy vs. miles driven.

It's a fact that the Maxima's trip computer is very generous in its estimates of gas mileage.. mine as well. See

The vast majority of drivers there claim close to 20mpg overall. But there are a few who report better mileage and are not relying on their trip computers.

Don't read the number from trip computer. It's usually off by 2-3mpg.