Just filled up my tank this morning (regular unleaded from Safeway) and decided to attempt to get the best MPG I could on the way to work. Kept it in econ mode the entire 26 miles (18 of which was interstate), and manually put it in EV (all electric) mode whenever I had 5 or more bars on my battery. Some of the interstate was stop and go traffic, but not too heavy (tail end of rush hour). Used regen paddles whenever I knew I was going to need to slow down, and used ACC on occasion at highways speeds. I drive an EX with no extra weight in the vehicle other than my laptop bag. 51 degrees out and managed to get 55.1 MPG. I am very happy with the results. Thinking of video taping my dash on a future trip so I can see how using the regen paddles and the acceleration/breaking impacts the MPG (was pretty noticeable at times when I was looking at the dash and monitoring it during my drive).
Real World 2019 Insight MPG Testing Results
Honda2019
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Are you registered at fuelly.com? If not, please do and share your info! Them's some awesome numbers!
Nope, but will look into setting up an account. :smile: I only get above 60mpg when temperature rise above 60F. It has been under 60F the past few weeks with rain so my average tank is at 52mpg.
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Yes. I'll be coming South from Or. headed to Mt Shasta just South of Yreka, for a two day Conference. Just N of Yreka is the Siskiyou Pass, ....just S of Ashland Or. (home of a Shakespeare Festival). It's the biggest / craziest piece of interstate in the country, much more of challenge then the Redding to Dunsmere section you resfered too. N of Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass is the Grants Pass to Roseburg section I referred to in prior post. It's up and down, up and down, each up or down at least 2 miles.
Enjoy your trip to the Berkshires (never been there). I too avoid dirt/gravel roads. Suggest checking / adjusting tire pressures morning of your trip (for best handling /mpg on the trip) (I run 40 psi front 39 rear). What might be fun, is while on a curvey road, push the VSA to off .....with this car you can really feel the front / rear up/down balance, and side to side grip of the road!! ....It's groovey man!
Enjoy
-Mike
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158 Posts
Wow, that sounds like a roller coaster! Yeah, I love the way she hugs the road. Makes my other vehicles feel tipsy and clunky. I really miss not having regenerative breaking on my other vehicles too. That also adds to the fun with better self-breaking.Yes. I'll be coming South from Or. headed to Mt Shasta just South of Yreka, for a two day Conference. Just N of Yreka is the Siskiyou Pass, ....just S of Ashland Or. (home of a Shakespeare Festival). It's the biggest / craziest piece of interstate in the country, much more of challenge then the Redding to Dunsmere section you resfered too. N of Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass is the Grants Pass to Roseburg section I referred to in prior post. It's up and down, up and down, each up or down at least 2 miles.
Enjoy your trip to the Berkshires (never been there). I too avoid dirt/gravel roads. Suggest checking / adjusting tire pressures morning of your trip (for best handling /mpg on the trip) (I run 40 psi front 39 rear). What might be fun, is while on a curvey road, push the VSA to off .....with this car you can really feel the front / rear up/down balance, and side to side grip of the road!! ....It's groovey man!
Enjoy
-Mike
Saturday in the Berkshires was a golden, sunny, blue sky, crisp and dry day. I did over 200 miles exploring the high peaks around S MA and N CT. Even took a hike at Bash Bish Falls on the MA side. Drove down along the hills to Candlewood Lake, then headed back home over more hills going the long way. It was a great day. 62.5 MPG mostly in Sport Mode, but switched to Normal Mode anywhere it was flat for a while. I hit a peak of 71.9 MPG at one point heading south of the hills, but spoiled that by encountering unknown hill climbs in Normal Mode. I'm convinced Sport Mode is better for mileage in the hills. Yes, this time the battery charged up some nice reserves, and those really helped in the mountains. You can feel that electric motor "push". Temps were between 55 and 65 most of the day. It may have hit 70 a couple of times. Perfect spring day!
As a side note, I stopped at Honda on may way out and ordered Welcome (puddle) Lights and a trunk mat. A bit pricey, but I really want to put the final touches on my baby. I love this car! :kiss:
Phil
I've had the Insight Touring since March and now have 2300 miles on the vehicle. I'm averaging about 47 mpg in 70% highway (around 70 mph) and 30% city. I've generally gained a mpg or two since the beginning and live in southeastern VA, so the weather has helped over the past few months. Very happy with the car! Would definitely buy again!
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Me too. Don't worry, your mileage will get better. Temperature is one factor, but I also believe break-in as another. I now have over 6,000 on mine, and even in Sport Mode I can't get bad mileage. 50's and 60's are easy. I should try the 105 MPH test again. Last time it was cold, and I still got 37+ MPG. I bet it would be better than that now. :wink:
Phil
Don't know if it is the summer gas or something else, but just hit my best mpg yet: 80.1
It was a 32 mile trip over mostly back roads, 35-50 mph, lots of hills up and down, had a good start with a downhill run at the beginning which fully charged the battery. I was in Normal mode, which is where I drive almost all the time for best results. Then took my time, ended up over 80 mpg!
It was a 32 mile trip over mostly back roads, 35-50 mph, lots of hills up and down, had a good start with a downhill run at the beginning which fully charged the battery. I was in Normal mode, which is where I drive almost all the time for best results. Then took my time, ended up over 80 mpg!
I live in the Rio Grand Valley in SW Texas. No cold weather or hills. My drives are usually less than 20 miles at a time about 20% highway. Drive in EV mode.
I planned on checking my mileage every month. Jan was 41.4 mpg, Feb was 47.9 mpg for 143 miles. I then realized it is not smart to put 3 to 4 gallons in to fill up which leaves a lot of old gas in the tank. So I drove from Feb 28 to May 9 when the low fuel light came on. This was at 386 miles and put in 8.26 gallons to fill tank. The calculated MPG was 46.7. Odometer shows 800 miles since new. Since car had 55 miles on odometer and full tank when I took delivery, I have driven 745 miles using 16.48 gallons. This is 45.21 MPG. On May 20 the odometer shows 828.2. I doubt I will see 50 MPG with my driving habits. I do not need or want a smartphone to get music so I have learned to live with the local radio stations so I usually just don't bother to turn it on and just pay attention to my driving. If I ever take a long trip I hope I can find a plug in CD player to have good music!
To do something different I will try the SPORT mode and see how I like it. I appreciate all the topics and comments on this forum which I find entertaining and educational.
I planned on checking my mileage every month. Jan was 41.4 mpg, Feb was 47.9 mpg for 143 miles. I then realized it is not smart to put 3 to 4 gallons in to fill up which leaves a lot of old gas in the tank. So I drove from Feb 28 to May 9 when the low fuel light came on. This was at 386 miles and put in 8.26 gallons to fill tank. The calculated MPG was 46.7. Odometer shows 800 miles since new. Since car had 55 miles on odometer and full tank when I took delivery, I have driven 745 miles using 16.48 gallons. This is 45.21 MPG. On May 20 the odometer shows 828.2. I doubt I will see 50 MPG with my driving habits. I do not need or want a smartphone to get music so I have learned to live with the local radio stations so I usually just don't bother to turn it on and just pay attention to my driving. If I ever take a long trip I hope I can find a plug in CD player to have good music!
To do something different I will try the SPORT mode and see how I like it. I appreciate all the topics and comments on this forum which I find entertaining and educational.
How aggressively do you drive? Given the description of the terrain and weather, you should be able to do much better. For around 2 months with similar or worse terrain (hilly) I have an overall average of 55-60 mpg, use Normal mode typically.
Doesn't Texas have speed limits of 70-85mph? His MPGs seems pretty good if that is the average speed he is driving on the highway.
In reply to Jc-vt and andrew 28. I not an aggressive, pedal to the metal driver. I drive in EV mode and some trips are a half mile one way at 20 mph. Of my 800 miles driven so far I would guess 300 miles is highway at 60 to 70 mph, speed limit is 70. These highway trips are less than ten miles each way. Most of my trips are 30 to 50 mph with stop lights. Car has seen 80 mph a few short times. Yesterday I tried sport mode for a 3 mile trip to store and the car seemed noisy. It looks like you have to select sport mode each time you start up. I will try normal mode next time I drive car. Given my driving habits I should get a fun car with a CD player and not worry about the mpg. Am thinking of selling Insight and getting a late model Miata that has a CD player. I am 74 years young, single and live alone so I don't need to haul people around and friends have SUVs and pick ups if I need to haul something big. I am one of the few people who spend more TIME driving golf cart than car. It is 1/2 mile from home to first tee in cart.
I believe my driving habits are not conducive to 50+ MPG and am surprised MPG is so much below Honda claims.
I believe my driving habits are not conducive to 50+ MPG and am surprised MPG is so much below Honda claims.
If you have nice roads where you drive, you can try bumping up your cold tire pressure to 40psi. Seems to give @hasarad great MPGs.:smile:
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My average so far with 1400 miles is 54.9 mpg.
Thanks andrew28. With the temperature about or over 100 degrees here for the next 4 months I am a little leery about bumping tire pressure up to 40. Given the few miles I drive I am not worried about my MPG unless it drops below 43. The roads are pretty good down here, at least the ones I use.
Yeah, that's way too hot to bump to 40PSI cold. Probably would be 45-50psi when hot but just imagine the MPGs gained. :surprise::grin:
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158 Posts
Nearing the end of yet another tank, I was getting pretty low MPG numbers in the range of upper 40's, when just a little while ago I was pulling upper 50's and well into the 60's. Temperatures not too high yet, I was suspecting a change of formula at my usual BP gas station. So, I went in search of even better gas.
Here is an interesting resource for anyone looking gas with no ethanol:
https://www.pure-gas.org/
Trying to get 87 octane in non-ethanol gas is impossible anywhere in my area. I found a source in Monticello, NY that was said to have 87, 89 and 91 octane. Unfortunately, that was the main distribution compound, and they were closed on a Sunday. Didn't see pumps, just trucks and tankers. Down the road another mile or so they did have a station, and it only had 90 octane non-ethanol. I was below empty (0) by 10 miles, so I filled the tank with 9.5 gallons at $3.40 a gallon (not cheap).
Since I was passing through my 36 mile test loop course on I-84, I decided to do a test run with a full tank of this gas. It was around 79 degrees and sunny, somewhat humid, but no rain. Tire pressure 40 PSI up front, 38 PSI in the rear (my preferred levels for mileage and handling). Adaptive Cruise Control used on all runs, and stuck to the PSL of 65 MPH. The first run was with Air Conditioning on at my usual comfort level of 68 degrees, and no air re-circulation (fresh air mode).
RUN 1 - 65 MPH in NORMAL MODE with AC ON = 53.5 MPG (not my best, but warmer conditions and using AC)
RUN 2 - 65 MPH in NORMAL MODE with AC OFF = 55.9 MPG (same 79 degree outside temperature - AC does impact MPG)
That's pretty close to my best NORMAL (which is my best MPG mode) run on this same course with cooler temps. I expected a little better. Since my MPG has been low, I decided to check the oil level. It was low...just on the end of the stick on the first mark, and that was with a hot engine. I added some AMS Oil Signature 0/20 and did another run.
Run 3 - 65 MPH in NORMAL MODE with AC OFF = 58.5 MPG (now that's like what I expected, although it was pretty warm outside)
And as a final ride home from Exit 3E, with a mix of speeds 65 to 30, with many winds and slowdowns, I got a respectable 70.5 MPG right into the driveway. Now that's more like it! :smile:
It might be time for that first oil change. I bet those numbers would be even higher. I'll see if I can get this done next weekend before the gas is used up so I can do the same test with new AMS Oil in the motor. I want more trips in the 70's!
Phil
PS - A local Stewarts near me has non-ethanol 91 octane. Actually, lots of them do. I'll probably try that gas next. Then we can crunch the numbers to see if it's worth the extra $$$. :wink:
Here is an interesting resource for anyone looking gas with no ethanol:
https://www.pure-gas.org/
Trying to get 87 octane in non-ethanol gas is impossible anywhere in my area. I found a source in Monticello, NY that was said to have 87, 89 and 91 octane. Unfortunately, that was the main distribution compound, and they were closed on a Sunday. Didn't see pumps, just trucks and tankers. Down the road another mile or so they did have a station, and it only had 90 octane non-ethanol. I was below empty (0) by 10 miles, so I filled the tank with 9.5 gallons at $3.40 a gallon (not cheap).
Since I was passing through my 36 mile test loop course on I-84, I decided to do a test run with a full tank of this gas. It was around 79 degrees and sunny, somewhat humid, but no rain. Tire pressure 40 PSI up front, 38 PSI in the rear (my preferred levels for mileage and handling). Adaptive Cruise Control used on all runs, and stuck to the PSL of 65 MPH. The first run was with Air Conditioning on at my usual comfort level of 68 degrees, and no air re-circulation (fresh air mode).
RUN 1 - 65 MPH in NORMAL MODE with AC ON = 53.5 MPG (not my best, but warmer conditions and using AC)
RUN 2 - 65 MPH in NORMAL MODE with AC OFF = 55.9 MPG (same 79 degree outside temperature - AC does impact MPG)
That's pretty close to my best NORMAL (which is my best MPG mode) run on this same course with cooler temps. I expected a little better. Since my MPG has been low, I decided to check the oil level. It was low...just on the end of the stick on the first mark, and that was with a hot engine. I added some AMS Oil Signature 0/20 and did another run.
Run 3 - 65 MPH in NORMAL MODE with AC OFF = 58.5 MPG (now that's like what I expected, although it was pretty warm outside)
And as a final ride home from Exit 3E, with a mix of speeds 65 to 30, with many winds and slowdowns, I got a respectable 70.5 MPG right into the driveway. Now that's more like it! :smile:
It might be time for that first oil change. I bet those numbers would be even higher. I'll see if I can get this done next weekend before the gas is used up so I can do the same test with new AMS Oil in the motor. I want more trips in the 70's!
Phil
PS - A local Stewarts near me has non-ethanol 91 octane. Actually, lots of them do. I'll probably try that gas next. Then we can crunch the numbers to see if it's worth the extra $$$. :wink:
The non-ethanol gas stations are too far from me and the octane levels start at 94 so not worth it for me to try. I'm kind of curious which one is more fuel efficient with the AC. Recirculate mode or fresh air mode? Whenever I have my car in Eco mode, the Insight will turn on recirculate mode(even though I had it off with the AC on), so I assume it might be that mode.
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836 Posts
I find that oil level and gas mileage tend to go hand in hand. My Colorado would get significantly worse gas mileage if the oil level was low.
At some point in time we will have to organize an insight cruise, using different oils, same filter, same gas, same road same cold tire pressure. To see if a single oil brand produces better mpg. It'd make sense that oil is one of the most important fluids to affect mpg.
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158 Posts
I tried heat with recirculated air a few times to save energy, but then the windows fogged up every time. :sad:
I prefer fresh air, and would rather run fans with cracks in the rear windows than stale recirculated AC air. However, all bets are off in the heat wave season, which usually lasts a week to two weeks here in NY. We will take the hit. Besides, I'm so bi-polar with alternating between high-speed Sport Mode driving, and hypermile max MPG driving, that getting great MPG all the time is not that important to me. It's more of a challenge to see how good I can get it, and experimenting with it that's interesting and fun. As far as Econ Mode, it has yet to do anything better for me. It just has not produced better numbers over Normal Mode. I do not even drive my Insight in enough city traffic to see if Econ maybe works better in that condition. I'd personally prefer 100% Sport Mode driving all the time. It feels better, but then I'd never see how good the MPG could be.
Phil
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158 Posts
Yeah, there are so many experiments that would be fun to try, like oil experiments and whatnot. The hard part is weather changes that you can't control. Just a change in wind speed or direction can ruin a series of tests, not to mention temperature.
So true about oil being important. I tend to forget that, but always see an increase in MPG after an oil change. I was sort of surprised to see the level that low, as I checked it about a month before and it was fine. Then again, I do go on rampages from time to time where I "blow it out" doing over a buck (with all my radar and laser defenses on "high alert").
And just yesterday my wife calls me afraid of some "warning" that came on the display. Some "wrench" symbol with A1 (or is it 1a?). I finally got the official notice to change my initial break-in oil. Good timing! Time for AMS Oil Signature. Can't wait to retest after that.
Phil
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