Why does the 2009 Vibe GT get such poor gas mileage?

[5speed4]

Going by the EPA ratings it gets (city/highway):21/29 with 5-spd auto21/28 with 5-spd manual20/26 with 4-spd autoThe Toyota 2.4L engine has VVT and is rated at 162 lb-ft of TQ and 158 HP.The curb weight of a Vibe in GT form is 3160 lbs.Compare this to the Chevy HHR (a slightly larger vehicle but with similar profile) equipped with the optional GM 2.4L engine which gets (city/highway):21/30 with 5-spd manual22/29 with 4-spd autoThe GM 2.4L engine has VVT and is rated at 167 lb-ft of TQ and 172 HP.The curb weight of an HHR with 2.4L is 3208 lbs.The HHR is bigger, heavier (slightly) and has more torque/horsepower and yet gets better gas mileage than the Vibe GT (particularly when comparing the 4-spd autos). What's up with that? Isn't GM the one that reportedly produces the gas hogs?

[Truckin1999]

I would think the differences can be attributed to the gearing in the different trannys. Not a huge difference in the numbers you posted. I don't care about the posted mpg anyways since it varies so much from driver to driver, and the region you live in. The HHR has the ecotec which from what I've heard is a very good little motor.

[northvibe]

I would agree with the EPA rated numbers are roughly okay but its really depending upon the driver..although the newer rating system seems to be better. The hhr's ecotec is much different from toyota 2.4l. But look it isnt that far off. The ecotec is from europe they know how to make engines.

[5speed4]

Quote » The HHR has the ecotec which from what I've heard is a very good little motor.Agreed. FWIW, I loved the 2.2L Ecotec that was in my 2003 Grand Am. The low-end it had was much nicer than the 1.8L. It made driving a manual a breeze.

[safooma]

Good luck getting 29-30 mpg out of the 2.4 ecotec with the auto though. I would know...I had an 06 G6 that had that drive train and it would only get 26 or so on my 60 mile daily commute(90% hwy/10% city). I could get 30 out of it pure hwy. Thing was pretty powerful though, for a 4 banger.

[Silversn95]

Another thing to consider is that one automaker could be better than another in optimizing the engine/transmission calibration to the EPA test loop for determining fuel economy. In other words, GM could have done a better job matching the HHR powertrain efficiency against the test loop requirements than toyota did with the 2.4L. It still seems that the Vibe GT is rated low though. My mom has a new Rav4 with the same engine and it is rated at 20/28 for her 4 wheel drive SUV. I have driven it and did manage 28 mpg on the highway. I was impressed.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by 5speed4 »Going by the EPA ratings it gets (city/highway):21/29 with 5-spd auto21/28 with 5-spd manual20/26 with 4-spd auto...The HHR is bigger, heavier (slightly) and has more torque/horsepower and yet gets better gas mileage than the Vibe GT (particularly when comparing the 4-spd autos). What's up with that? Isn't GM the one that reportedly produces the gas hogs?The numbers are all very close except for the 4-spd automatic transmission versions. In the Vibe w/2.4l that trans. is only offered with the AWD (not base or GT) and gets worse mileage due to the extra drivetrain components on the rear wheels. Is that the case for the HHR as well? Otherwise that could account for the difference.

[5speed4]

Okay, so the 4spd auto is only available with AWD, that does make a difference. AWD is not offered at all on the HHR. Nevertheless, I am impressed that GM beats Toyota (even though it's in GM's car) in the non-AWD applications.

[vintagegz]

most people still think 'Toyota' means great mileage, this proves it is not always the case. GM does produce a nice family of engines in the Ecotec line. For those with 2.4 Ecotecs the owners manuals do sometimes (not always) state that Premium is recommended but not required.

[lowincash]

in all honesty, i'm not too impressed with the mpg for the 2.4 either...i mean it's good but not great. but i'm not complaining...it's heck a lot better than the 15-18 mpg i was getting with my previous car lol but i do wish it was higher tho or maybe if our cars can get a bigger gas tank so i can drive longer without having to fill up. but i don't care much about the posted mpg too...it says for the GT automat it gets up to 29mpg hwy and i've gotten close to 31 one time. i can live with that =D

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »I would agree with the EPA rated numbers are roughly okay but its really depending upon the driver..although the newer rating system seems to be better. I don't understand the stickers. So far in mixed driving I'm getting 21.5 mpg. The car is rated 21 city, 24 mixed and it gives a "range" that's supposed to be dependent on your driving. I've been trying hard to see what the maximum mileage is and I've not been able to get out of the center of the range. So the range makes no sense. In response to the original poster, the car is a "GT" which means it's tuned for power instead of gas mileage. You could probably re-program the chip and get better mileage but you'd lose the power you paid for.

[5speed4]

Quote, originally posted by ned23 »I don't understand the stickers. So far in mixed driving I'm getting 21.5 mpg. The car is rated 21 city, 24 mixed and it gives a "range" that's supposed to be dependent on your driving. I've been trying hard to see what the maximum mileage is and I've not been able to get out of the center of the range. So the range makes no sense. It does take time to break in a new engine, so you may be seeing that.Quote »In response to the original poster, the car is a "GT" which means it's tuned for power instead of gas mileage. You could probably re-program the chip and get better mileage but you'd lose the power you paid for. Correct, but the Ecotec 2.4L is a performance engine as well and actually has more torque and power than the Vibe 2.4L. (the HHR offers the mondo-performance SS engine as well in the 2.0L turbo).I haven't looked up the drive ratios, so maybe that's a consideration.