Fuel mileage when you commute down (and up) a 5,000 foot mountain

[nomadchick]

I've been reading a ton of stuff after the Consumer Reports article saying that people can't achieve much beyond 36 or 37 mpg, and I'm flabbergasted by how they must be driving.  

 

Our Cmax has about 2500 miles on it, and our lifetime average mpg is almost 39.  BUT, I live at 5000 feet.  It's a 20 minute drive up a steep mountain to get back home from anywhere.  If I just take short trips down the mountain, it's hard to recover that when it's flat.  I find that going up I lose just a little more than I gain going down.  But here's the thing.  I totally make up for it on longer trips.  This morning I drove it to my office - about 55 miles - the first 11 miles down my mountain road are straight downhill with no gas.  Then I get on the freeway and cruise at 60mph (yes, I used to drive faster than that before the cmax, but these days I don't care - I listen to my audiobooks, get comfortable, and watch all the stressed out people going crazy around me).  Anyway, I got 72.6 mpg on my trip this morning.  

 

Even on my return trips home, when I'm on the freeway for 44 miles followed by 11 miles going up 5000 feet, I still average about 34 mpg.  

 

I do not understand at all how the Consumer Reports people were driving to not be able to get good mileage.  

 

Anyway, I used to drive a Chevy Aveo as my commuter car, and that only averaged 33mpg.  And it was tiny, stick shift, with not much storage.  To have a lifetime average of just under 39, with a car this size, is amazing.  If I didn't have this dang hill to go up every day, I'm positive we'd be averaging well over the 47mpg listings.  When we're out running errands, and we go from one place to another without going back up the hill, we average around 53, so if we didn't have the commute up the hill, I'm sure we'd be getting around 50 regularly.  

 

I just had to put in my $.02 as a happy cmax owner who is thrilled with the mileage.  

[Adair]

Hi Nomadchick,

 

I see this is your first post, so congrats and welcome to the forum. It's a great bunch of folks.

 

I'm with you, even on my worst tank of gas (which was last week in the sub-zero temps, with heater, defrost, bunwarmers, remote start....everything going) I still got 31.6 for the tank.

 

I'm coming from a Jeep Liberty that got 17-21 mpg, so I too am thrilled with the mileage I'm getting, and I know with the coming warmer months it will continue to improve.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Nomadchick, good to hear!

 

You'll find that the MPG numbers will go up. At 2500 on the odo, its only starting to break in. Although not as high as 5000 ft climb, I've done the Bishop to Toms Place and thats pretty steep and long as well and very, very cold and for me, I just stick it on 55 eco cruise and let it ride up the mountain. Can't do much to fight the physics :runaway: 

 

Its also too much to do otherwise given the gradient. Thus far, from Los Angeles to Mammoth Lakes which is a 290 mile climb, I've averaged 33.5MPG getting there but coming back, I think its like mid 40s MPG - go check out my 2 threads to the Mammoth. 

 

So yeah, sit cool and enjoy those down hill cruises, you can get some insane MPGs there for sure with little to no gas burnt...beautiful thing about hybrids for sure. And what goes down, must come up - you're so on the right track and cruise on the right hand lane and listen to the books or music.

 

Good stuff, and watch your MPG improves as you break the 3000-4000 and 5000 miles. The warmer weather would help as well  :) 

 

PS Let me guess, Apple Valley/Victorville down and up the 15?

Edited January 29, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax