Originally Posted by
palebeachbum
Just got back from a roundtrip from FL to GA and back, about 400 miles cruising 55-70mph on country back roads the whole way. Just me in the car on the way up. Uphill trend the whole way. AC on 75% of the drive. 37.6mpg. On the way back, downhill trend, AC on 75% of the time, car completely loaded down with heavy cargo (power tools, floor tile) bottoming out the suspension, 40.0mpg. My final conclusion is that fuel economy suffers immensely from this little 3cyl. having to work so hard. A larger and more powerful engine could actually be more economical due to less strain. Ive said it before, but I'll repeat it here. My Versa was more fuel efficient at 55+mph even though it weighs 500lbs more and has a 1.6L 109hp 4cyl.