GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I like my vibe except I feel taken with the false advertised gas mileage. One reason I bought it, trading in my gas hog minivan was to get the near 30 city miles a gallon it advertised or at least the lower possible "range" it advertised on the window sticker. This winter here in Michigan I got one tank all city at only a little over 15 miles to the gallon. Other times I've gotten about 19 or just under twenty and even 17 on others. I have had readings of about 25 combo and one time got 31.5 one the highway with cruise control. Window sticker said about 34 highway. Mainly it's the city mileage I've been concerned with and even complained to Pontiac about it. I have about 5000 miles on it and do change oil nearly every 3000 miles. I even put gumout in it once prior to the first oil change to see if that would help.It is an automatic front wheel drive. Can anyone else help me with suggestions? Is it just my vibe is crap when it comes to mileage or are others having this same issue? Hell, my minivan could of gotten 15 MPG. I have heard from an independant car dealer that the Vibes get crappy mileage. It was the first thing he said to me when I asked him what he thought about Vibes. He is a friend and is not afiliated with any one auto maker. I'd love to hear from others on this. Otherwise I really like the car. It does not feel like a small car and rides great. I do think the tachometer jumps on it up over 2000 RPMs pretty easy with takeoffs though and was wondering if something was up with that?Help please!

You might want to review the thread in the Engine forum: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=13039 Mileage is a common complaint, especially with automatics in winter, in the city. Mine was dreadful until it broke in after a 2500 mile road trip in March. I have about 5000 miles now and get city 24mpg with an AWD/autoDiane

Thanks Diane. I did read a bit of that first couple pages and it just discouraged me more. Other than the first poster, the rest seemed to be bragging about how well there's was doing gas mileage wise. It's a long thread so I didn't read it all.

Quote, originally posted by viberider »I did read a bit of that first couple pages and it just discouraged me more. Other than the first poster, the rest seemed to be bragging about how well there's was doing gas mileage wise. It's a long thread so I didn't read it all.yup, it is a bit long, and the constant amount of folks getting great mileage suggesting those getting bad numbers are doing something wrong can get a bit umm, no comment But if you just read the last 4 or 5 pages, you'll see the past 6 months worth of discussions.

I hope I'm correct in saying it gets better with time Mine's got just over 60,000 miles, and my last few tanks in the warmer weather, I've gotten 36 mpg. During the winter the average was 32-ish mpg.Also depends on how you drive.... don't mash the gas!

You know I really don't think I am pushing too hard on thegas but maybe I do more than I think. I do often times try to avoid pushing too hard. However any get up and go to pass or pick up speed does throw the tachometer between 2000 and 3000 RPMs. Is that high for just a moderate push on the gas to get up to the speed I want quickly?

Check your tire pressure and try different brands of gasoline. I use Shell gasoline in my '06 automatic Vibe and average 30mpg combined. Last tank was 32.

Thanks. I will try Shell gas. Do you use just regular unleaded? I have my doubts about tire pressure being a problem, due to the computerized program (unless it's malfuntioning ) that alerts me if the pressure changes. I also took it back to the dealer who did a computer check on it and said all was well. It was after that that I contacted Pontiac who told me to take it to another Pontiac dealer for a second opinion. I have not done that yet as it involves travel to another city.

Quote, originally posted by viberider »I have my doubts about tire pressure being a problem, due to the computerized program (unless it's malfuntioning ) that alerts me if the pressure changes. The monitor will only tell you when one tire is not the same as the other 3 since it looks for differences in rotational speed, as I found out. If all 4 tires are roughly the same, but low, it will never alert you.Diane

The tire pressure system NEEDS to be activated.Read the manual and it tells you how to set it... It DOES NOT come set from the factory.

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6088&#p65128 has an excerpt from the 03 service manual on what to check if gas mileage is lower than expected.While I was typing this others beat me to the comment about the tire pressure monitoring system only looking for differences, not absolutes. Go Team!I too would be really upset if I was getting only 15 mpg.

I too would be upset with your gas mileage. I have an 06awd and I drive it HARD... just about everyday I red line it once or twice... and I still average 25-28mpg

Our tire monitoring system came already activated and set from the factory - it detected a slow leak from a screw we picked up. But, as Diane indicated, it only responds to relative changes between tires from when it was last reset. If all the tires are too low there won't be any indication of the problem.

i guess that would depend on the dealership... I know for a fact mine didn't come activated.

I think you will find your mileage will improve with time. With idling and warming up the car in the winter to stay nothing of moving at snails pace in the traffic where you get no miles to the gallon, I would not use that as the mileage you can expect from your vibe. I have had mind for 2 years mind the mileage has continually improved to just over 30 combined. I'm sure if you compare your gas bills with what you paying driving the van you will see quite a difference. PS no one gets the mileage that stated on the sticker. Keep the faith. You made the right choice. People stay the same things about diesel cars in the winter.

Quote, originally posted by goodvibrations »PS no one gets the mileage that stated on the sticker. Au contraire mon ami! I'm the poster girl for "gets sticker mileage" I have in every vehicle I have owned over the past 20 years, that was why I was so upset that my Vibe as delivered couldn't do it. I'm still not thrilled with the city numbers, but 2mpg under sticker I can live with on an automatic, not the -9 I had when I bought it.Diane

The tire pressure monitor is activated. I did that soon after if not the day I purchased it. I will check the pressure, but they do that auto matically with oil changes I get and just had one. Still I will check it out. I am desparate to figure it out what's going on. My last fill up was 5/08/07 and I had 243.3 miles on that tank which was near empty ( enough the inidcator light was on ) and I bought 10.91 gallons to fill it with one short top off ( I try to top it off the same every time for accuracy ). That comes to 22.3 MPG all city driving. I now would actually be happy if I consistently got that for in city driving despite originally hoping for more. I know it doesn't seem this way by the way I have been expressing myself but I know that more times than not you don't usually get the sticker mileage. My complaints have nothing to do with not getting the sticker mileage, but more getting only 15 to 19 city driving when the sticker said 29. That's a bit too far from where it should be. I am not a heavy driver. Ok on occasions I might be a bit but only about 10 to 20 % of the time. I have been keeping track of my mileage since I bought the car late Nov 06 and here is what I have been getting: The first tank I didn't calculate in Nov. Starting in Dec mostly city 12/15/06 184.9 miles @ 19.545 MPG; 12/17/06 I think combo 146.2 miles @ 26.485 MPG; 12/22/06 I think mostly on the highway 299.3 miles @ 26.557 MPG; 12/25/06 city mostly 41.4 miles @ 20.658 MPG; 12/26/06 212.3 miles highway? @ 29.262 MPG; 1/08/07 combo - more city 246.5 miles @ 22.482 MPG; 1/17/07 combo? 208 miles @ 24.36 MPG; 2/12/07 city 173.5 miles @ 15.531 MPG; 2/16/07 city 54.1 miles @ 18.332 MPG; 3/07/07 combo 253.3 miles @ 24.936 MPG; 3/16/07 combo 184.4 miles @ 21.249 MPG; 3/19/07 highway 202.1 miles @ 29.733 MPG; 3/25/07 combo 307.3 miles @ 27.575 MPG; 4/20/07 city 219.1 miles @ 19.622 MPG; 4/22/07 highway 79.7 miles @ 27.08 MPG; then the last fillup mentioned above 243.3 miles @ 22.3 MPG all city. I really thought that at one time I had gotten 31.5 MPG on the trip to IN in Dec. 06 above but it looks like I was wrong and I've never gotten even 30 MPG on the highway yet. I am getting, so far, the best Highway MPG at what the sticker said I should get in the city. Surely one can't be happy with that, or do I just need to chill and it will get better as the car breaks in more? But 7 to 10 miles per gallon better? I doubt breaking in a car will give you more than 3 to 4 miles per gallon better. I might be wrong, but that's why I am posting this here to find out. Thanks for all the attention you folks have given me.

Welcome to the board, sry to hear about your bad mileage.I got my vibe March 05 and around October 05 my cat converter died, only then have I seen 21mpg and under, 15mpg being the lowest. Once my cat was replaced I never gained back the drop in mileage that occurred. For the heck of it I tried 89octane gas and that has helped (even tho it theoretically shouldn’t) and that’s all I use now, I think the vibe got addicted to it.I am kinda hard on the gas, now and then (rpm’s up to 4k and occasional redline) and around campus (cityish driving) I average around 26mpg. Over my 2yrs of ownership I have an overall avg of 28. Most of my highway trips (to campus or to home, 120miles) I avg around 32-34. What kinda speeds are you doing on the highway? Cruising @ 70 seems to be best, cruising at 75 for a period of miles you will see a significant drop in mileage (3-4mpg maybe more). If you cruise at 70 and accel to 75 or 80 to pass it will have an affect but it will be minimal.

Highway speed- I usually cruise at 75. Gasoline - I use reg unleaded.I am hopeful that a tweak here and there I may see a bit better MPG especially with further breaking in. Otherwise I will probably keep the car at least a couple years and maybe sell it and get a new or used vehicle that's proven to be good on the gas.

my vibe was gettin it's worst mileage when i first bought it in feb of 06. it's gotten better over time, and i think that 76 brand gas has given me the best results, but i don't think they have that in the midwest. i don't remember any 76 stations when i lived in indiana. back then i used phillips 66 and i got good mileage on the cars i had then. one thing you can do to improve your mileage/performance is get a k&n drop-in air filter. they're about $50, but you never have to replace it, only clean it with the k&n recharger kit that takes about an hour or 2 depending on the weather. you'll get better mpg, and your throttle response will be a little better. i put one in my mom's rav4 and she could tell the difference.i have an 05 GT with a k&n short ram intake, and my mileage has increased quite a bit when i don't drive hard, especially on the freeway @ 80mphBTW welcome to the family

I have noticed in mine (using one of those scangauge tools) that best fuel economy is after the car is well warmed up. A few of those fillup cycles you posted stand outQuote, originally posted by viberider »mostly city 12/15/06 184.9 miles @ 19.545 MPG; 12/17/06 I think combo 146.2 miles @ 26.485 MPG; 12/22/06 I think mostly on the highway 299.3 miles @ 26.557 MPG; 12/25/06 city mostly 41.4 miles @ 20.658 MPG; 12/26/06 212.3 miles highway? @ 29.262 MPG; 1/08/07 combo - more city 246.5 miles @ 22.482 MPG; 1/17/07 combo? 208 miles @ 24.36 MPG; 2/12/07 city 173.5 miles @ 15.531 MPG; 2/16/07 city 54.1 miles @ 18.332 MPG; 3/07/07 combo 253.3 miles @ 24.936 MPG; 3/16/07 combo 184.4 miles @ 21.249 MPG; 3/19/07 highway 202.1 miles @ 29.733 MPG; 3/25/07 combo 307.3 miles @ 27.575 MPG; 4/20/07 city 219.1 miles @ 19.622 MPG; 4/22/07 highway 79.7 miles @ 27.08 MPG; then the last fillup mentioned above 243.3 miles @ 22.3 MPG all city. How much do you drive it each day, is there a regular pattern, say one way commute of 5 miles? Those two bolded tanks are each almost a month after the previous tank. If a lot of your driving is short trips from cold starts, then it will be hard to get a lot of mpgs, not much to do about that.I see a drop in mpg at 75 compared to 65, and to a lesser extent, at 65 compared to 55. There was a thread http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=28117 suggesting the fuel/air mix goes rich at high speeds causing lower economy at higher speeds, but I think wind drag has a big impact on vibes. Perhaps try dropping down to the speed limit next long highway trip, see what effect that might have.Although my mpgs are a lot higher than yours, I drive a lot more, and for the same period of time as your posted records, I spent about $950 for about 385 gallons of gas for my Vibe.

Here's an interesting note. I accidently went about 7 - 8K between oil changes last time, And by the end of it, my gas mileage was way down. Immediately after the oil change, my mileage shot up again. While the cars engine seems to be extremely rock solid, it is temperamental.Right now, What i do every fillup is meaure how many litres it fills, and how far i went since the last fillup. I'm not sure about Imperial measurements since i'm in canada. But maybe you can tell me how these relate.i'm getting approximately 500km's on a 45 litre fill up. My driving is virtually All city driving as i live in Toronto.

MRCN RCE: what kind of mileage are you getting @80 mph with your mods?