Potential buyer looking for stats on range of manual Trans cars

[jimmy2shoes]

Hey guys, new here. I'm thinking about getting a new car soon and a slightly used frs is on the list. My main concern right now is how far this vehicle can be driven on the interstate before needing to be filled up. I drive about 64 miles round trip every day and in my ford escape I am only getting about 17 mpg and around 260 miles on a 16 gallon tank of gas. Currently I think I'm paying 140 a month for gas. I want something fun though so I've been looking at the frs/86 and the mazda 3 hatch.

So if the manual drivers here could please post the trip mileage they get when the gas light comes on after driving most if not all interstate I'd greatly appreciate it. I know it's not the best way to determine mileage but for my purposes it's important. Really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by jimmy2shoes

Hey guys, new here. I'm thinking about getting a new car soon and a slightly used frs is on the list. My main concern right now is how far this vehicle can be driven on the interstate before needing to be filled up. I drive about 64 miles round trip every day and in my ford escape I am only getting about 17 mpg and around 260 miles on a 16 gallon tank of gas. Currently I think I'm paying 140 a month for gas. I want something fun though so I've been looking at the frs/86 and the mazda 3 hatch.

So if the manual drivers here could please post the trip mileage they get when the gas light comes on after driving most if not all interstate I'd greatly appreciate it. I know it's not the best way to determine mileage but for my purposes it's important. Really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

I do way more than that each day and get 34 mpg. Perfect highway commuter.

[ToySub1946]

My car is manual transmission.

Mileage varies greatly depending on just how fast you drive. Speeds over 70mph get you worse mileage.
I hate to say it, but keeping your speed down on freeways is the best way to save on gas. I don't do it, yet it's the best fuel saving trick.

I've gone 400 miles at freeway speeds before being on near empty....that's AFTER the gas light comes on. I'd say that's about as far as you'd wanna go. Most times you'd not wanna go more than 375 miles without having to worry.

I average 26-28mpg combined near home. I've averaged 31.5mpg driving a 3000 mile distance on almost all freeways. These figures are based on a calculator, not what the instrument cluster says. The average figure in instrument cluster is usually about 1 1/2 mpg too optimistic. I usually drive 7-8 mph over the limit. Limits are 65mph east coast, 75mph in the west.

Tank holds 13.2 gallons....and premium 91-93 octane is a must.

Our fuel here (always higher than east coast) currently up in price. $3.399 for premium. That's $.30 more than regular fuel here.
One time, on a trip, I paid $.60 a gallon more for premium than regular.

My suggestion: Buy a good used Prius.

[extrashaky]

Although the fuel economy in this car is very good, take any mileage claims you see here with a grain of salt. The car has a fuel economy readout in the instrument cluster that is almost always wrong. Many of the estimates people post are based on that overly optimistic readout rather than actual math.

The tank holds about 12.5 gallons of usable fuel (the last half gallon is not reachable by the pickup), and the fuel light comes on when you have 2.4 gallons of usable fuel left, or after 10.1 gallons have been used. I was averaging 30.5 mpg (actual math) when I was running stock rims and tires. So on a fill of about 10 gallons, I was getting around 300 miles on a tank and could stretch it to 360 if I kept driving after the light came on. That was mostly highway driving when I was putting 2500 miles per month on the car.

HOWEVER, mods to this car can have significant effects on fuel economy. When I swapped the OEM low-rolling resistance tires (made for economy) for 18x9.5 rims and Michelin Pilot Super Sports, my economy dropped to about 25 MPG, which equates to about 250 miles from full to fuel light.

Driving type and style also make a difference. Mileage drops off dramatically in city driving, and the car is significantly more efficient at 60 MPH than at 90 MPH (we had some roads in Texas with 85 MPH speed limits).

All that seems to indicate that you'll likely save some money on gas compared to what you've been driving. However, keep in mind also that this car requires at least 91 octane and prefers 93. Even though you'll use less gas, each gallon will cost you more. It will still probably come out cheaper overall.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Although the fuel economy in this car is very good, take any mileage claims you see here with a grain of salt. The car has a fuel economy readout in the instrument cluster that is almost always wrong. Many of the estimates people post are based on that overly optimistic readout rather than actual math.

The tank holds about 12.5 gallons of usable fuel (the last half gallon is not reachable by the pickup), and the fuel light comes on when you have 2.4 gallons of usable fuel left, or after 10.1 gallons have been used. I was averaging 30.5 mpg (actual math) when I was running stock rims and tires. So on a fill of about 10 gallons, I was getting around 300 miles on a tank and could stretch it to 360 if I kept driving after the light came on. That was mostly highway driving when I was putting 2500 miles per month on the car.

HOWEVER, mods to this car can have significant effects on fuel economy. When I swapped the OEM low-rolling resistance tires (made for economy) for 18x9.5 rims and Michelin Pilot Super Sports, my economy dropped to about 25 MPG, which equates to about 250 miles from full to fuel light.

Driving type and style also make a difference. Mileage drops off dramatically in city driving, and the car is significantly more efficient at 60 MPH than at 90 MPH (we had some roads in Texas with 85 MPH speed limits).

All that seems to indicate that you'll likely save some money on gas compared to what you've been driving. However, keep in mind also that this car requires at least 91 octane and prefers 93. Even though you'll use less gas, each gallon will cost you more. It will still probably come out cheaper overall.

Mine is calculated. The fuel gauge is off by 3 MPG at my current rate so if I believe it I get 37.
Like you said there are much greater impacts on what each person gets then what the gauge tells them.

[theadmiral976]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Mine is calculated. The fuel gauge is off by 3 MPG at my current rate so if I believe it I get 37.
Like you said there are much greater impacts on what each person gets then what the gauge tells them.

Like Tcoat, I am another manual transmission, 93-octane fuel, heavy interstate highway driver in all weather conditions. I calculate my fuel economy with every stop. Of the stops where the entire tank has been driven at near-constant highway speeds I get ~34 mpg at ~70 mph. This drops to 30.5 mpg at 80 mph. Numbers trend down a point or two when the temperature drops below 45 F.

As others have said, city driving is very inconsistent across the people and conditions, so I wouldn't hope for too many clear answers there. FWIW, I have never seen calculated mpgs drop below 21* on 93 octane fuel in the city.

*driving within the scope of the law and keeping rpms below ~4500. It's really easy to get about 1 mpg if you drive around in second gear all day...

Oh, and after rereading your post it looks like you also were interested in tank range. When I hit E on 93 octane, I usually am at ~320 miles. I've gotten to 375 miles before I chickened out but still only put in 12.6 gallons as compared to the 13.2 gallon max capacity (see extrashaky's post above). So I guess what I'm saying is that with conservative highway driving you might see a max range of just over 400 miles on 93 octane and otherwise stock MT car.

[SCQTT]

I'll play.

I use to drive 80 miles a day round trip and had a girlfriend that lived 600 miles away. (I moved)

I now work at home and no longer have a girlfriend. Sorta turning feral.

64 miles a day times 250 working days (excludes weekends and 11 additional days)
As a baseline we'll just use your commuting miles. Obviously you'll drive more, but you drive about 16,000 miles per year just getting yourself to work.

Let's just assume gas is $2.50 a gallon

In the Escape you use about 941 gallons, about $2,350 or $195.00 a month.

Let's say you buy something very pedestrian (hybrid) that gets 45 MPG

You would use 355 gallons per year, about $890 per year or $74 per month.

These are the two extremes you will probably not get better than $74 per month or worse than $195 per month.

The difference between the best and the worst is $4.03 a day, probably a cup of coffee.

The difference is $121 a month or $1,452 per year. Certainly NOT enough to justify buying a new car unless you NEED to buy one. Is the Escape worn out? Is the Escape $121 more useful or more fun than something like a Prius?

Now let's take the 86 and say you were able to get 27 out of it. That is 571 gallons per year or $1,428 per year, $119.00 a month. Of course you need premium so lets say $2.80 a gallon so about $1,600 or $133.00 a month.

It is hard to justify making a change unless it is already time for a new car.

When people consider these things they often forget there is a bare minimum they are going to use unless they change homes or jobs. in your case about 16,000 miles per year.

The cheapest thing you can do is probably a Prius at about $75.00 on month.
You could have a bunch more fun driving something like an 86 for about $60.00 more a month, or just keep on driving the Escape for $120 more a month than the Prius or $62 more a month than the 86.

My previous daily drivers were Corollas, on average they got great MPG, about 38. At 16K miles per year I used about $1050 in cheap (2.50) gas.

Let's say I get 27 in my 86. That is $1,660 a year using expensive (2.80) gas.

Not considering the initial cost of the car or the maintenance the 86 will cost me $50 a month more than the boring Corolla.

My 86 is worth $1.70 a day extra compared to the Corolla, but your math may be different.

When you drive an 86 all the cool dudes give you free beer and all women show you their boobs....so right off the bat it is totally worth it.

[swarb]

www.fuelly.com

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by swarb

www.fuelly.com

http://www.fuelly.com/car/scion/fr-s

[jimmy2shoes]

Originally Posted by SCQTT

I'll play.

I use to drive 80 miles a day round trip and had a girlfriend that lived 600 miles away. (I moved)

I now work at home and no longer have a girlfriend. Sorta turning feral.

64 miles a day times 250 working days (excludes weekends and 11 additional days)
As a baseline we'll just use your commuting miles. Obviously you'll drive more, but you drive about 16,000 miles per year just getting yourself to work.

Let's just assume gas is $2.50 a gallon

In the Escape you use about 941 gallons, about $2,350 or $195.00 a month.

Let's say you buy something very pedestrian (hybrid) that gets 45 MPG

You would use 355 gallons per year, about $890 per year or $74 per month.

These are the two extremes you will probably not get better than $74 per month or worse than $195 per month.

The difference between the best and the worst is $4.03 a day, probably a cup of coffee.

The difference is $121 a month or $1,452 per year. Certainly NOT enough to justify buying a new car unless you NEED to buy one. Is the Escape worn out? Is the Escape $121 more useful or more fun than something like a Prius?

Now let's take the 86 and say you were able to get 27 out of it. That is 571 gallons per year or $1,428 per year, $119.00 a month. Of course you need premium so lets say $2.80 a gallon so about $1,600 or $133.00 a month.

It is hard to justify making a change unless it is already time for a new car.

When people consider these things they often forget there is a bare minimum they are going to use unless they change homes or jobs. in your case about 16,000 miles per year.

The cheapest thing you can do is probably a Prius at about $75.00 on month.
You could have a bunch more fun driving something like an 86 for about $60.00 more a month, or just keep on driving the Escape for $120 more a month than the Prius or $62 more a month than the 86.

My previous daily drivers were Corollas, on average they got great MPG, about 38. At 16K miles per year I used about $1050 in cheap (2.50) gas.

Let's say I get 27 in my 86. That is $1,660 a year using expensive (2.80) gas.

Not considering the initial cost of the car or the maintenance the 86 will cost me $50 a month more than the boring Corolla.

My 86 is worth $1.70 a day extra compared to the Corolla, but your math may be different.

When you drive an 86 all the cool dudes give you free beer and all women show you their boobs....so right off the bat it is totally worth it.

See now you're hitting the nail on the head. What I have doesn't get great mileage but when you factor in the premium gas for the 86 I'd only be saving about 20 bucks a month by some of my calculations. Enter the 2016 mazda 3 where the 2.0 can get almost 40 mpg and the 2.5 gets a little less. I figured with that i'd be paying about 80 a month in gas! Compared to what I'm paying now that's huge. Problem is I LOVE to drive. I want something that handles great. I was shooting for a nb miata but that all fell through. It also suffers from the same problem as the 86 in this scenerio. It gets better mpg than what I currently drive but the premium fuel almost cancels out the benefits. On one hand I have the fantasy of driving a "real" car (2 door, front engine, rwd) but then I'm met with the reality of the costs of gas and the practical side says maybe you should get the 3 instead. They say it has the best handling in its class. Whatever I get will have a manual trans, I CANNOT drive auto anymore. I have dreams of shifting gears I miss it so bad. Plus I have to factor in the fact that while I can sorta afford premium gas atm, in the next year or two I may be in a situation where I'm not making as much money. This would make the 3 much more important. Oh, but that car... it's such a cool car, and part of me just says screw it, buy it and enjoy and eff the money.

[DasFrs]

If you want one, get one. You'll go farther per tank, but the costs wont really make a huge difference due to price difference in fuel.
I get about 320/tank with 75% highway driving while on 93 and having fun along the way.
If you're trying to save time by stopping less, this car will help.

[Yardjass]

I'd just buy what you want and rationalize it by saying we could just as easily be back in the $4/gallon of regular days and you'd be paying more anyway.




More importantly, these cars get what is generally considered good fuel economy. Run a calculation real quick and look at the price difference to run a 10 mpg car for a year compared to a 20 mpg car. Then do the same thing for 20 mpg up to 30 mpg and notice that the difference is lower. Our car does well enough where you aren't seeing huge savings to jump up to a prius or other fuel sipper. You get a lot more fun for not a lot more cost.

[SCQTT]

No idea where you live, but I'll sell you my Miata NC. 06 45K fresh Pilot Super Sports.
Charcoal grey with back powder coated stock wheels. It is the first year of the NC with the catfish mouth rather than the smiley face. Grand Touring, 6 speed manual, leather Bose stereo. It does NOT have heated seats, but pretty much everything else.

All stock with the exception of the wheel color....and a shift knob.



Being a motorcycle guy I am usually on them on perfect days. This thing is normally in the garage collecting dust.

You could buy this and keep your Escape.

[nextcar]

Repeat after me...

A gallon is not the same around the world!

An imperial gallon is 1.2 US gallons, and this has been the cause of many MPG arguments.

A location of "earth" does little to help direct your expectations.