How many miles per tank (mostly highway driving), and how many gal to fill up?

[SteveMondragon]

We're looking into trading in our 2010 Toyota Prius for a 2009-2010 Pilot (EX-L or Touring) since we need a larger car now for a growing family, and right now we commute a good amount to work on a daily basis. I've read quite a few MPG threads, but didn't really see any mention of what I was actually looking for. What I wanted to see was what type of real-world numbers can the Pilot achieve, just to get an idea from what I'm used to now.


Here's my drive & results right now....

- 60 mile round trip, 50 of that is on the freeway (LA rush hour)
- 30 miles of that is in a HOV lane with constant 40-60 mph speeds... the rest in stop & go traffic (could relate to slow city driving)
- Realistically I'm able to get 340-360 miles from 1 tank of gas
- I completely fill up the car and that takes me approx 8.5 gallons each time (I realize the Pilot will take more)
- I can go approx 6 days before having to refill


I realize that I'm not going to get anywhere near the MPG in a Pilot as I do in my Prius, or even save much money during fill ups (I've already considered this). But the main things that I would like to know is how many miles are you able to get out of 1 tank of gas in your 2009-2011 Pilot? And also how many gallons does it take at the gas station to fill up your Pilot so that it's completely full again?

Just looking to compare those numbers as I'd rather have to fill up once a week instead of 2 times a week (like if I drove my Land Cruiser to work everyday.... uses twice as much gas as the Prius, and can only go half the distance traveled per tank).

[rocky]

Expect to use twice as much fuel than your Prius

[landar]

The Pilot tank holds 21 gals completely filled.

Since you would not want to run it dry, let's say you use 19 gallons between fills. From here, it is simple math. If you drive 30 miles @ 40-60 MPH you are going to get reasonably good MPG, maybe 22 MPG. But the stop-n-go stuff is going to kill the mileage, maybe 10 MPG. If we combine those two, you will get 13.75 MPG overall. Therefore, you could go 261 miles on 19 gallons. Since you need 300 miles for 5 days round trip to work, you would have to fill up more than once per week.

The real unknown is the LA stop-n-go traffic. You might get 15+ MPG if the traffic is light in which case you might just barely make it on one tank. The Prius really excels in this respect because you can use the electric motor to creep along whereas the Pilots engine will be burning gas all the time. You are getting 40 MPG out of the Prius, your burn rate in the Pilot will be closer to 3x.

[jestmaty]

What landar said....

Real world mpg, all city stop-and-go (Houston, Tx) for me is 12-13 mpg. Now that's in an 04 Pilot, but I assure you, mileage is pretty much the same 8 yrs later with the recent versions of the pilots.

My Pilot hold 19 gallons, rarely ever need more than 18 when I run it really low. So... 18 gallons X 12.5 mpg = approx 225 miles between fill ups.

If you're a real fuel economy nut, you may just wanna die a little inside every time you fuel up. I go twice as far on the same amount of fuel in my Miata than I do in my Pilot. Of course I can only carry one person in the miata vs. a boat load in the pilot.

YMMV

[jjgoff2012]

I've got a 2012 Touring. After my first oil change I wanted to do a good check on the mileage, I filled the tank completely full...I was actually able to pump 22 gallons into it. Mixed driving over a week I drove 480 miles on a tank and pumped right at 22 gallons in it the next fill-up...21.8 mpg. Since I was checking the mileage, I was conscientious not to accelerate too hard and avoided hard braking...I wasn't hyper-miling, but I was definitely being as smooth on the throttle and brakes as possible.

[Arizonaadam]

On a trip to San Diego, (300 and change), I got about 280 on a tank before getting nervous. Of course, I never let the fuel light turn on. It was down to maybe an 1/8th

[mudbog]

If I wait until the fuel idiot light comes on, it takes 18 gallons to fill the tank. I can get over 400 miles per tank if only doing open highway driving (usually between 22-25 MPG). Stop-and-go in town driving lowers the MPG to 15-18 MPG.

FWIW -I used to have a 2006 Prius with the HyMotion conversion and got around 65 MPG. But the only thing the Prius had going for it was the high MPG. All the high tech features on the Prius didn't offset it's small size or uncomfortable seats. I also didn't like the brake fade when the ABS kicked in.

[iggibar]

I manage around 250 miles per tankful. I usually never let it run down to E because the chance of getting stuck in bad traffic is pretty good. I have been averaging(based on the computer) 15.6mpg combined. I decided to try this new free airpump at Get-Go a few days ago, and realized that the air pressure on my tires varied from 22 and 28, from what they are supposed to be at 32psi. I filled them up, and instantly noticed the difference in mpg. I drove 20 miles in the city, and averaged 21.1mpg driving at around 35-40mpg. Combined driving is now at 19.4mpg with freeway speeds ranging from 10-70mph. This is totally acceptable to me because the Passat 2.0T I had managed 21+mpg, while still driving it a bit...spiritedly. I guess I never thought about the tires because I am used to going by look, but it just never looked low, and the ride was softer. 32psi gives you a harsher ride. Can't wait to get new tires!

[MFS]

2012 EX FWD. Get around 16.8 mpg driving in city. No highway what so
ever. My commute is 25+ miles a day (an hour and 30 minutes in total
apprx.) and the tank lasts me about 10 driving days with morning warm
ups/deicing and occasional after work short trips. Keep in mind this car is being driven in Northern VA/DC Metro area.

Open highway driving gets me around 24+ mpg.

My fill ups are exactly 18 gallons after light comes on. No topping
off after gas pump clicks.

This is from a trip to Baltimore MD today

[Johnjk]

I stop for fuel around 360 miles. Light is not on. takes around 18 gal. The computer says I'm at 20MPG combined city/hwy. My commute is around 30 miles a day. Minimal stop and go. I come in to work around 6:30 so all the lights downtown are pretty much blinking yellow. I got lucky this morning and didn't touch the brakes until I pulled in to my parking lot. I head home around 4 and I may have to slow down to 45 for a mile or so. The rest of the time my freeway speed averages 72. I go about 9 days on a tank depending on what the kids evening activities are. It's flat here and my big mileage hits come from headwinds for the most part.

My last long trip a few weeks back in the snow averaged 23.2, round trip, Columbus OH to Wellington OH. I have a trip to Pensacola in a couple weeks. I'll be tracking on that one

[1YESfan]

Stick with your newer Prius. You won't make a good pilot owner and I'm sure you will be very unhappy when it comes times to spending money on gas. I'm positive that you would be disappointed in losing a few m.p.g.s even if you install a roof rack to make more room in your Prius. You already have a large/larger vehicle ( Land Cruiser) so me thinks you already have the best of both worlds.

[natiedean24]

this site is a good indication of real-world mileage people are getting for various Pilot model years:

Honda Pilot MPG Reports | Fuelly

[mike_engr]

2009 Touring FWD, 22k miles...

I filled up today at 405 miles with 18.56 gallons.
for a calculated: 21.8 MPG. Probably 80% highway.

Happy to be getting 4 to 5 more MPG than my ol' 2WD 4Runner!