My father bought a 2007 Toyota Camry CE. The advertised mileage was 20-28 city and 40 hwy. However, he tracks his mileage and has been getting a consistent 14 city and 26 hwy. The dealer tells him that his car is working normally.
Is it deceptive advertising? What can he do to lean on the dealer? What might be causing a drop off in mileage?
I’m irritated because my dad is 72 and retired, so he bought a car based on good mileage, which isn’t there on this car.
[b]This car is new. It takes time and driving to get the vehicle to reach it’s optimal fuel mileage.
But here’s what I would do if I were you. I would take this new car for a weekend, and drive it under all kinds of conditions. Some freeway driving, some surface street driving, stop and go driving. The sooner you do this, the better the engine is broken in, and the better the engine management system adapts to all driving conditions.
Tester[/b]
It’s new inasmuch he’s had it for 6 months or so.
How is the mileage being determined?
At 2000 miles it gets better and shoud be at its best at about 5000. If the city driving is less than two miles at a time, the gas mileage will be bad.
The overall mileage should end up to be 23 MPG as listed in Consumer Reports. A subscription is cheap compared to reading the sticker on the car and then paying for the gasoline. One full tank costs a LOT more than the reference material. After I bought the used Tempo, I discovered the pitfalls of lacking current information. You may eventually find that the mileage has improved.
The mileage listed on the window sticker of a new car is measured under controlled conditions, inside a building. New car mileage is not determined on the road, where wind resistance, weather, traffic, etc., influence mileage. Hence the expression, “your mileage may vary.” The numbers should be viewed as “best case scenario,” not everyday mileage.
This is true with all vehicles, not just Camrys.
should have bought a subaru and gotten better mileage and tom and whats his name would be happier.
I hear ya, Bill, and you have my sympathy. If Dad ain’t happy, no one’s happy. But you may not be able to do much for him.
I have a strong suspicion that there is nothing wrong with his car. It is no different than anyone else’s '07 Camry. After all, you reported no symptoms and the dealer found nothing wrong. I’d stake money that if you turned this car over to me for a week, or to any other mileage-minded driver, that I would readily achieve fuel economy that was well within the EPA estimates.
So why does Dad insist this car performs so poorly for him? Well, you’ve given us not a single clue. My own guess, which you will not appreciate, has something to do with his driving style. Then there is also the method that he uses to determine mpg. Either of these issues, if faulty, can account for your reported results on a perfectly functioning vehicle.
With no further information we can be of no help. Nor is there much the dealer can do. All I can suggest is that you trade cars with him for a week and show, using your own methods, that this Camry is actually achieving its stated EPA mileage. Good luck.
The advertised mileage is based on the results of government test of that model. It is not something that the aadvertising guys made up. Those numbers have usually been very optimistic. Beginning with the 2008 models a new more realistic testing procedure should give more accurate numbers.
I must add that how the car is driven can make a big difference. If the driver has a lead foot, they are going to get far less than a more conservative driver.
The EPA figures are based on following the POSTED speed limits: usually 55 mph highway, and 35 mph city, with MODERATE braking and acceleration. Do you know many people who do this? Do you need two hands to count them? More as-people-really-drive figures are about 10% to 20% WORSE than the EPA figures.
Is this the 4cyl or v6 Camry. At best, the 4 cyl will average no better than 34 mpg on the highway, if you drive it gently. That’s based on my experience. I would suspect that your dad’s driving habits are such that he isn’t getting what he could. Toyota has never said that their Camry will get 40 mpg, except for their Hybrid. It’s possible that your Dad has pushed the Overdrive button on the shift lever and turned it off. If you can see a O/D light on the instrument panel, the Overdrive is OFF.
The mileage listed on the window sticker of a new car is measured under controlled conditions, inside a building. New car mileage is not determined on the road, where wind resistance, weather, traffic, etc., influence mileage. Hence the expression, “your mileage may vary.” The numbers should be viewed as “best case scenario,” not everyday mileage. This is true with all vehicles, not just Camrys.
BEST CASE SCENERIO??? Maybe if you drive like a 17yo. I’ve ALWAYS been able to beat the EPA estimates ever since they’ve started posting them.
Edmunds only shows a 4 cyl for the CE model. They show highway as 33 mpg for the auto and 34 mpg for the manual.