New Nissan Frontier - Mixed Thoughts on Fuel Consumption

[Nathanisking]

Picked up a 2013 Nissan Frontier Pro4x Crew Cab 5 speed Auto in Dec.
The estimated mpg rating is said to be roughly 15-16mpg. So more than a month has passed and I've gone anywhere from 9 mpg to under 12mpg (best so far).
All I do is city driving and I guess there is a break in period? (currently 860 miles on OD) but new vehicles don't need break in do they?

On my current tank I have 102 miles on the current trip since my last fill up and I'm already ready to fill it back up. I for see myself filling up every week.

Overall I really like the truck, but I was expecting some better fuel consumption.

[Draigflag]

That cant be correct? A fully laden 70,000 pound 18 wheeler does more miles per gallon than that!

[Nathanisking]

Some have said its because of the winter blended fuel. All I do is city, but you'd think I'd get better mileage than 10 mpg. If I knew the mileage was this bad I would of gotten a full size haha

[trollbait]

Winter fuel economy is going to suck for many reasons. Some of which will be even worse in Canada. We need some more information to pinpoint this. What is the tire pressure? If it hasn't been checked recently, the cold could have dropped it. How long is your regular trip? Short ones will drag down fuel economy by not allowing the vehicle to completely warm up.

You can disconnect the tube that goes from the air filter box to the outside. Sucking in air from the engine bay will help speed up warm up times. So will a grill block. A block heater would be best.

There still appears to be a break in period for cars these days. Not that any special care needs to be taken, but I have noticed mpgs improving from when the car was first bought. It could be more breaking in the driver though.

[Nathanisking]

Tire pressure should be fine, the truck is brand new. I guess there is alot of short trips in town.

On really cold mornings I let the truck idle for a couple minutes, but maybe the trip isn't short long enough to be warmed up?

I don't tramp the go pedal, and I ensure the truck is shifting under 3000rpm.

[trollbait]

If the dealer adjusted the tire pressure after it sat in a garage bay, the pressure will have dropped once the freezing temps got to them.

I'll use the remote start while walking out the door on the real cold mornings, but I won't wait when I get in the car. I do it to give the fluids a little extra time to get flowing. Driving the car is what gets the engine warmed up. Idling to warm up tends to use more gas than what is saved be driving on a warm engine.

I'd look into a block or coolant heater. I know some gen2 Prius owners would use them year round for improved fuel economy.

[andyrobo]

As of today Fuelly users have tracked nearly a quarter million miles in 47 2013 Frontiers and the average is 17.2 MPG (link) which is pretty consistent for the Frontier going back over a decade. Have you checked to make sure all the spark plugs are firing? Has any service center done any testing to make sure they could find anything?

[Draigflag]

Not sure if this helps, but here's a list of 4x4's that use a lot less fuel if you're disappointed with yours. Plenty that do 50 to 60 MPG, take your pick!

http://www.nextgreencar.com/most-economical-4x4-cars/

[trollbait]

The Chevy Trax might be available in Canada. It can be had as a Buick in the US. I don't think either have a diesel option. The Outlander PHEV was originally coming to the US, but was selling so well in Asia and Europe there wasn't the supply. If Mitsubishi is still around, we will get it.

[IIbulletcatcher]

Originally Posted by Nathanisking

Some have said its because of the winter blended fuel. All I do is city, but you'd think I'd get better mileage than 10 mpg. If I knew the mileage was this bad I would of gotten a full size haha

Welcome to my world. At least you're getting a truck for your fuel economy.