What's the best MPG can the PT Cruiser get?

[yaris]

Originally Posted by grungerockjeeper

Lawchick, is your car a turbo or standard? Mine's a turbo and even with my leadfoot driving its WAY better on gas than my jeep. I went a week on approx 6 gallons of gas and I couldnt do that in a million years in the jeep.

Also is it a manual or auto trans? Autos generally suck (jmho) but if you have a 4cyl you will waste a LOT of power which they dont have to spare in the first place. My sister had a dodge shadow in highschool and even tho she drove like she is 80 y/o she got 24 mpg tops. That car was in perfect tune. But I hear of PTs with manual trans and standard engines getting in the high 20s all the time on the highway. Thats not too bad, considering what it is.

I can confirm, I get around 24 in mixed city and highway driving with my 06 manual n/a. imo for a car of this size, that is alot useful, and with a 2.4L that power it pretty nicely, its not that bad at all

edit: forgot to say, to achieve this mpg, I need to be gentle on it, so roughly follow highway speed limits(60mph here), rev the engine as low as possible(at 35mph I'm already in 5th gear at 1000rpm(of course I need to downshift to accelerate)) usually never go over 3000rpm and half throttle(which is more than enough to follow the traffic)

[grungerockjeeper]

You got a LOT more self control than I have! I like to roll, and the sound of the turbo whine as I grab the gears is pretty damn fun.

[yaris]

Originally Posted by grungerockjeeper

You got a LOT more self control than I have! I like to roll, and the sound of the turbo whine as I grab the gears is pretty damn fun.

I never said I was driving like that all the time... just did it a few tanks when I got it to see how it is and then... I started to have fun...

but still, I'm not too hard on it, I don't think that car is made for sport driving.

[grungerockjeeper]

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, its prolly not the most extreme sporty car but it can definitely be tuned to be. It was definitely a compromise for me since I could either get a Mustang GT and give up my Jeep or have something like a PT and keep it. I just got lucky and found a turbo PT with low miles, a 5spd and a decent price.

[LawChick]

Originally Posted by grungerockjeeper

Lawchick, is your car a turbo or standard? Mine's a turbo and even with my leadfoot driving its WAY better on gas than my jeep. I went a week on approx 6 gallons of gas and I couldnt do that in a million years in the jeep.

Also is it a manual or auto trans? Autos generally suck (jmho) but if you have a 4cyl you will waste a LOT of power which they dont have to spare in the first place. My sister had a dodge shadow in highschool and even tho she drove like she is 80 y/o she got 24 mpg tops. That car was in perfect tune. But I hear of PTs with manual trans and standard engines getting in the high 20s all the time on the highway. Thats not too bad, considering what it is.

It is an automatic and it is not a turbo. I love the car but it sure does burn a whole in my purse at the pump.

[grungerockjeeper]

Yeah there ya go. Id suggest if you like the PT but need more mpg trade it for one with a 5spd and you'll get a LOT better mileage.

But its a compromise like anything else. No PT is going to be the mpg champ, thats just not what its cut out for. My PT is my 2nd car, my main rig is the Jeep. I wanted something better on gas, and more suitable for daily commutes or roadtrips. But I wasnt about to give up style, driving experience or performance so Im happy with mpg in the mid 20s since I actually like my car. I coulda got a cammaccord, kia or some other bland, faceless sedan that would be great on mpg but Id hate it with a passion and Im not gonna drop my hard earned cash on something that I cant stand. Just my 2 cents.

[grungerockjeeper]

Originally Posted by jonas1022

We love our PT, and recommend it to anyone that wants a small good looking car. But if you want mpg, buy a Focus (or dare I say it?) Cobalt. Chrysler isn't going to get you mpgs...

I wouldnt say that. When my parents were here last, they rented a Charger. It was only a 2.7 v-6 but had decent power. And, both my dad and I are in the 250-260 pound range, my mom weighs nothing. Still, thats 3 people and my dad isnt what you'd call an economy minded driver (prolly where I get it) yet it still returned 28mpg on the highway. Thats pretty damn good from where I sit.

[85_305]

Originally Posted by yaris

I can confirm, I get around 24 in mixed city and highway driving with my 06 manual n/a. imo for a car of this size, that is alot useful, and with a 2.4L that power it pretty nicely, its not that bad at all

edit: forgot to say, to achieve this mpg, I need to be gentle on it, so roughly follow highway speed limits(60mph here), rev the engine as low as possible(at 35mph I'm already in 5th gear at 1000rpm(of course I need to downshift to accelerate)) usually never go over 3000rpm and half throttle(which is more than enough to follow the traffic)

Just something to keep in mind, 4 cylinder motors dont like to be lugged out like that. They are designed to be ran higher in the RPM band and thats where they are most efficient. Lugging a 4cyl is bad for economy, and riding the RPMs higher and using less pedal is actually more efficient.

Originally Posted by grungerockjeeper

Yeah there ya go. Id suggest if you like the PT but need more mpg trade it for one with a 5spd and you'll get a LOT better mileage.

But its a compromise like anything else. No PT is going to be the mpg champ, thats just not what its cut out for. My PT is my 2nd car, my main rig is the Jeep. I wanted something better on gas, and more suitable for daily commutes or roadtrips. But I wasnt about to give up style, driving experience or performance so Im happy with mpg in the mid 20s since I actually like my car. I coulda got a cammaccord, kia or some other bland, faceless sedan that would be great on mpg but Id hate it with a passion and Im not gonna drop my hard earned cash on something that I cant stand. Just my 2 cents.

Accords are HARDLY faceless.. with all due respect. A car with 270 hp, 6spd, and a 30mpg highway rating and this beautiful body would be considered faceless to perhaps a porsche or ferrari...

Originally Posted by grungerockjeeper

I wouldnt say that. When my parents were here last, they rented a Charger. It was only a 2.7 v-6 but had decent power. And, both my dad and I are in the 250-260 pound range, my mom weighs nothing. Still, thats 3 people and my dad isnt what you'd call an economy minded driver (prolly where I get it) yet it still returned 28mpg on the highway. Thats pretty damn good from where I sit.

Dodges are pigs. I know a lot of people that have chargers and they all get in the teens for mileage.

[02ltdpt]

I average 26.7 highway at 70 mph and around 25 at 80 mph. In the city i get about 20-21 and with mix driving 24 mpg. And that's bringing the rpms up to redline several times. I have a computer that will tell me what i am getting and doing the math with pencil and paper it's close to the same thing. I have an 02 limited edition Automatic. If i keep at 60-65 on the highway i'll get close to 30 mpg.

[Archpope]

Driving across the desert coming home from Labor Day weekend, I was able to get 350 miles out of a tank of fuel before filling up. That comes to 28.3MPG. That was also with the A/C on >90% of the time and an average speed of 73.6MPH.
Unfortunately, my next tank was the exact opposite. Mostly driving back and forth through the city (my commute is 2.4 miles each way) and never getting to go on the freeway, I dropped to ~17MPG.
On the average over time, I think I get ~250-260 miles out of a tank, which is 20MPG or so. I've joined Fuelly so I'll see if I can get more accurate numbers in the long haul.