ATTN: 2006 owners...? gas mileage

[Sempeboost]

I have a 06 SR5 4WD and I've been monitoring the gas mileage. I went on a road trip for 500 miles ALL HIGHWAY and the best I got (using the miles traveled/ gallons of gas) was 18 MPG and this was with over 1000 miles on it. And so now I did some City Driving and got a lousy 13.5 MPG!! Needless to say I'm pretty pissed. This was conservative driving and a little aggressive on the on ramps. I am really disapointed and I'm about to take my car over to the dealer and have em check this out.
The wierd thing is that when I fill up the tank the RANGE is 358 Miles and my AVERAGE MPG is 18.1. I know for a FACT I can't go 358 miles on a full tank and I'm not getting 18.1 MPG. Has there been any TSBs for 2006s yet?? Sorry for the vent but I'm supposed to get 17/21 which should be good for an SUV. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

[sharp4runr]

I take it you have the V6 since you quoted the 17/21 mileage estimate? You do understand that it is an estimate right? You must have a heavy foot or something isn't working right on your 4runner because I go through pretty heavy traffic on my daily commute and I still get an average of 17MPG. I go through I95 traffic through the "Springfield Mixing Bowl" and anyone who knows the DC Metro Area knows what a pain that is.

When I fill up the Trip Meter resets to around 400. Try resetting the meter. The trip meter will estimate by your past numbers to calculate what it thinks you'll get with the tank of gas you have.

Are your tires inflated properly? Underinflated tires will cause more friction thus decreasing gas mileage. I normally run 35+ PSI.

Any excess weight in the vehicle?

Gas Mileage has a lot to due with driving habits. If you do a lot of "jack rabbit" starts and hard stops then you'll gas mileage will suffer.

I hope some of those tips help. If you're curious about my numbers you can see my anal retentive number crunching of my gas mileage in the Excel file in my signature

 

[paulnohio]

I have an 06' w/the V8 that has 1200 miles on it now. I am averaging about 16mpg city/highway. I am confident that once I get more brake in miles, the runner will get a little better mileage. Overall, I am happy so far. I have the V8 and realize that I may get 18-19mpg at best after brake in and am happy with that.

 

[RL4673]

I am getting about 17.8 out of my V8. That's after 1000 miles.

 

[UoD]

A lot of it depends on the speed you are driving.

If I drive on a highway where the speed limit is 70 (thus I am doing about 75) -- I will get about 19 or 19.5 MPG with my V8.

If I drive on a state road that has a speedlimit of 55mph ... I get 20.5 to 21 MPG.

In the city here in Tallahassee where traffic is nothing but stop and go the whole time .... I get around 14.5 or 15 MPG.

Keep in mind that the best speed if you want the best MPG is around 55mph ....

 

[Mantis]

I have an '06 V6 Sport with about 600 miles on it, and I'm getting 19.1 MPG combined city/highway so far. I drive lightly though - no quick starts or stops.

 

[dingo]

Sempeboost,

I noticed this too when I first took delivery of my 4Runner back in September 2005. When I filled up my first full tank, the range said 300 miles. I was like"WTF?!?! It should be more!" I was also getting only 14 MPG too.

However, it's now been 2.5 months, and 3000 miles later of mostly highway driving. I had the first oil change at around 1400 mi. Everytime I fill up my gas tank, my range has been steadily increasing as well as my MPG. The computer states that my range is now 378 (and it climbs about ~10 mi. everytime I fill up) and my highest MPG has improved to 21.6 since I took delivery back in September. Give it a bit of time and see what the display reads after break-in. Perhaps the computer needs more data over time to calculate a more precise value(s)? I also experimented with different octanes, but that is another story. I didn't really feel any difference.

I also have my stock Dueler H/T's inflated to about 33-34 psi all around. When hot they expand to about 35-36 psi.

Edit: I also took out the third row seats to see if the weight change made any difference. Not much, but I figure that having 50 less pounds in the back is better since I don't use the third row everyday.

 

[Sempeboost]

It's a V6. Right now I have about 2300 miles on it so after I do an oil change (replace with synthetic) hopefully the gas mileage will go up. I just expected better gas mileage especially on the highway maybe hoping for 21+. I did a couple calculations and being on a full tank - 19 gallons, 358 Mile range = 18.1 MPG which the computer states. I'm going to check my trip meter and range display to see if they coincide - anyone have his problem?? Thanks for all the replies guys.

Alvin

 

[Atlanta_man]

Just did 3,130 miles in 9 days.

Atlanta - Houston - Dallas - Atlanta.

Actual mileage at 75 mph on the interstate for 300+ miles at a stretch was 20.1 - 20.3 mpg. A/C on about half the time but windows always up.

16 - 17 in town.

The 870 miles I did alone yesterday was a killer. That's a long long way.

2005 V8 2WD LE

 

[Koz]

Change all the fluids to synthetic (diffs and engine), bump up the tire air pressure (40 psi in summer, 37 in winter), use the cruise control and try to keep your foot of the right pedal.

Koz

 

[Atlanta_man]

did all that before I left

except for the diff (not diffs)