A fellow 'toban! Enjoy the new car but don't expect stellar mileage. These aren't the underpowered fuel efficient Mazdas of old...if you get 1-2 mpg better than the Alero you'll be lucky. Granted I'm only on my 3rd tank, but it's average so far is low 9's per 100 km, nowhere near Transport Can ratings. I'm hoping summer and a few more kms will loosen things up. Can't argue the smokin deal though, under 12g for a brand new car ($5280 off!!)
Good day from Canada, eh?
- Thread starter ScooterMcTavish
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ScooterMcTavish
New member
Hey Emersonic, you can call me Morrisonic.
Already saw some improvement yesterday when the temps came up a bit. Who knew driving 90 could be so exciting - at least staring at the DIC (hee hee) made the time go faster.
At one point in my drive home yesterday, I was at 6.8 L/100 km, and finished at 7.6 - averaging 30 US MPG. Though I did have to drive 90 to get it.
Already saw some improvement yesterday when the temps came up a bit. Who knew driving 90 could be so exciting - at least staring at the DIC (hee hee) made the time go faster.
At one point in my drive home yesterday, I was at 6.8 L/100 km, and finished at 7.6 - averaging 30 US MPG. Though I did have to drive 90 to get it.
ScooterMcTavish
New member
Well, finally took some pics to post:
Trying to makeout the dealer sticker...did you get it at West Park as well? Looks like the one they had there...they seem to be flying off the lot anyway, and I can't recall now whether they still have theirs. Guess I'll check on Monday when I get to work. (I love those wheels - they sure do make the car look that much better)
Next time we roll through town on the way to Wpg I'll have to keep an eye open for your car...maybe wave.
Next time we roll through town on the way to Wpg I'll have to keep an eye open for your car...maybe wave.
ScooterMcTavish
New member
Yup, got it from Ray at West Park. Very good service from front to back.
Actually saw our first one in the showroom out at Ledingham in Steinbach last Saturday. After a full day of looking at cars, decided the Sonic should be punched up on the Auto Trader.
Up pops the orange one at West Park at a very aggressive price. By Thursday, it was in my driveway.
How's your MPG with the MT/1.8 combo? Cold Weather seems to really affect it.
Actually saw our first one in the showroom out at Ledingham in Steinbach last Saturday. After a full day of looking at cars, decided the Sonic should be punched up on the Auto Trader.
Up pops the orange one at West Park at a very aggressive price. By Thursday, it was in my driveway.
How's your MPG with the MT/1.8 combo? Cold Weather seems to really affect it.
Ray's a good guy...surprised he still sells cars; they do a nice job without the high pressure tactics. They need those "completely satisfied" ratings on the questionnaire or GM poops all over them. (though I didn't understand why I needed to leave a deposit and sign something saying I was going to buy the car "if my wife likes it" in order to take it home on a test drive...R/Car never questioned me on the $48g F150 - "sure! Take it!" I had to jump through hoops to take a shi7box $12g Sonic home...).
As you can see by my Fuelly numbers...mileage is not exactly spectacular. Got over 1500 km on it now though...and have seen low 8's high 7's on the highway, but that's with wind. Amazing how much even a side wind takes out of it (anything really). Probably not a good idea looking at the numbers while you drive lol. I was hoping for 5-600 km per tank, so far barely over 400 km. At least the tank is small so even though I'm filling up more often (thank God Pembina's only a few minutes away) it doesn't seem like it's that bad when you're only putting in 9-10 gallons...until you do the math and it works out to 30 Imp mpg (less than 25 US mpg). I kinda went by the Fuelly numbers of the majority...I should've gone with the worst case numbers, as I seem to hit those no matter what or how I drive. (My F150 is one of the worst on there too) With this thing I've started shifting at 2500 rpm, granny style...though I'm still driving 100-110 kmh, maybe I need to try 90 kmh (nooooooooooooooo......!!!)...or shudder...80! Seems to be the sweet spot for all 3 cars in the fleet. But really...who can drive 80 kmh?? Summer and more time/miles should get it better...wait and see, right?
How do you like the stock tires in snow? I found them so bad (read: scariest ever driving on snow, and I'm never scared) I went and dropped another 800 on wheels and off brand winters. Wow, what a difference that makes. Figured with a new driver in the house, I didn't want him putting it in the ditch and I wasn't confident enough in those tires for myself so sure as heck didn't want to take a chance with his life on those things. If you feel the urge for winter tires/wheels, check CC Customs on Isabel downtown (he has ads on Kijiji) - $290 + tax for a nice set of 15" alum wheels; why look ugly for 5-6 months of the year on black steel? Then you just need the rubber...spend spend spend!
(though I didn't understand why I needed to leave a deposit and sign something saying I was going to buy the car "if my wife likes it" in order to take it home on a test drive...R/Car never questioned me on the $48g F150 - "sure! Take it!" I had to jump through hoops to take a shi7box $12g Sonic home...). As you can see by my Fuelly numbers...mileage is not exactly spectacular. Got over 1500 km on it now though...and have seen low 8's high 7's on the highway, but that's with wind. Amazing how much even a side wind takes out of it (anything really). Probably not a good idea looking at the numbers while you drive lol. I was hoping for 5-600 km per tank, so far barely over 400 km. At least the tank is small so even though I'm filling up more often (thank God Pembina's only a few minutes away) it doesn't seem like it's that bad when you're only putting in 9-10 gallons...until you do the math and it works out to 30 Imp mpg (less than 25 US mpg). I kinda went by the Fuelly numbers of the majority...I should've gone with the worst case numbers, as I seem to hit those no matter what or how I drive. (My F150 is one of the worst on there too) With this thing I've started shifting at 2500 rpm, granny style...though I'm still driving 100-110 kmh, maybe I need to try 90 kmh (nooooooooooooooo......!!!)...or shudder...80! Seems to be the sweet spot for all 3 cars in the fleet. But really...who can drive 80 kmh?? Summer and more time/miles should get it better...wait and see, right?
How do you like the stock tires in snow? I found them so bad (read: scariest ever driving on snow, and I'm never scared) I went and dropped another 800 on wheels and off brand winters. Wow, what a difference that makes. Figured with a new driver in the house, I didn't want him putting it in the ditch and I wasn't confident enough in those tires for myself so sure as heck didn't want to take a chance with his life on those things. If you feel the urge for winter tires/wheels, check CC Customs on Isabel downtown (he has ads on Kijiji) - $290 + tax for a nice set of 15" alum wheels; why look ugly for 5-6 months of the year on black steel? Then you just need the rubber...spend spend spend!
lambertsonic
New member
Sounds like you guys got a stellar deal ! I paid probably too much for my ls ,but i bought it a year ago . Gas mileage should be much better Than that . I average 550km to 600 km a tank at this time of the year . In the summer ill do 650,
to 700km if I am not driving it like a race car .
to 700km if I am not driving it like a race car .
Swordsmith
242hp/252 ft-lbs BNR EFI
I do think the stock tires are unfortunate on anything but nice dry days with little wind.
The automatic transmission is costing you some mpg, the 1.8 is costing you some mpg, the cold air is costing you some mpg... but I bet your driving habits are costing you more than any of the above. I can get 44mpg on a nice warm clear day (we're talking 60's warm, I haven't even owned the Sonic in summer weather yet) driving it like my mamma drove, and I can get 29mp driving the same roads on a cold day where I'm gunning it up onramps and passing everyone to stay just ahead of the pack and so forth.
The automatic transmission is costing you some mpg, the 1.8 is costing you some mpg, the cold air is costing you some mpg... but I bet your driving habits are costing you more than any of the above. I can get 44mpg on a nice warm clear day (we're talking 60's warm, I haven't even owned the Sonic in summer weather yet) driving it like my mamma drove, and I can get 29mp driving the same roads on a cold day where I'm gunning it up onramps and passing everyone to stay just ahead of the pack and so forth.
Well, Scooter's is an AT, mine's a stick...and I don't know how much more granny you can get than shifting at 2500 rpm. I've been through PA twice in my life, but that was over 20 years ago...so I don't remember the terrain...is it hilly? Just wondering if that isn't better for mpgs. Reason I say this is 2 years ago we went to the Rockies with the camper in tow, and oddly enough, I could get up to 14 Imperial mpg pulling the trailer, and on two tanks going from Banff to Calgary at 120 kmh (70ish mph, no trailer) and also from Banff to Jasper and back (slower, still no trailer) - so lots of high steep climbs etc etc...I averaged 24 Imperial mpg, in an F150 with the turbo 6. I can't get 20 mpg here on flat prairie MB at 110 kmh...I average 11 with the camper locally (the '08 F150 actually did better pulling the camper, and that was in 3rd gear instead of 6th like the '11 is - mind you the '11 pulls it like a freight train where the '08 struggled a bit...but I digress...)... I thought maybe it was a sign - "Move to the Mountains!!" (Oh I wish) But alas that's more expensive than a 2-3 mpg improvement from moving there... : rolleyes:
: rolleyes:
ScooterMcTavish
New member
Yup, I've only had mine for 3.5 days now, so the sample selection is still pretty small.
Manitoba is flat. I mean real flat. I mean, a rise of maybe 30 ft over a 100 km (60 mi) stretch.
Driving home in single digits F at 60 mph netted me about 30 MPG. Driving home in the teens F got me over 30 MPG US, until I got a side wind which pushed me to 30 MPG highway driving 55MPH. Yes, at 55 MPH for a 36 mi highway drive, I got 30 MPG.
So no, not driving style causing the mileage - thinking the engine is just very sensitive to temperature, plus I'm still not even at 400mi on the odometer yet.
Looking forward to the stock tires on dry summer pavement - mine came with the 17" which look great, but leave something to be desired on any snow. Think we're near the end for this year, but will probably pick up some steel 15" rims and snow tires for next year.
Manitoba is flat. I mean real flat. I mean, a rise of maybe 30 ft over a 100 km (60 mi) stretch.
Driving home in single digits F at 60 mph netted me about 30 MPG. Driving home in the teens F got me over 30 MPG US, until I got a side wind which pushed me to 30 MPG highway driving 55MPH. Yes, at 55 MPH for a 36 mi highway drive, I got 30 MPG.
So no, not driving style causing the mileage - thinking the engine is just very sensitive to temperature, plus I'm still not even at 400mi on the odometer yet.
Looking forward to the stock tires on dry summer pavement - mine came with the 17" which look great, but leave something to be desired on any snow. Think we're near the end for this year, but will probably pick up some steel 15" rims and snow tires for next year.
NOOOoooooooooooooooooooo............!!!!!!!
Steel are...aside from super ugly...not a lot cheaper than aluminum...and they're ugly!! I know I'm too old to care...but I'm a wheel guy...and even my Fusion got alum wheels for winter. Get a nice set of 5 spokes for maybe $100 more all around (much easier to clean the snow out the back of the rims too when they get plugged up - trust me) - we got 5-6 months of ugly...why make your car suffer for it just to get black, rusty, steel, ugly wheels? Cruze wheels fit...or find a wrecked Sonic hatch (gotta be one by fall, right?)...anything but steelies!!! :blankface:Wife said she was getting 7.2 south of Morris on the way home from Wpg today...tailwind helps...that's 39 mpg. (32 US mpg)
ScooterMcTavish
New member
LOL - don't worry, I was going to cover the steel with some chrome-like plastic maltese cross spinners from Canadian Tire.
Actually not a bad idea looking for 15" aluminum at a wreckers.
Good to hear your wife got the mileage, but it did get into the 20s F yesterday. Plus wasn't the wind SE? Know what speed she was going?
Actually not a bad idea looking for 15" aluminum at a wreckers.
Good to hear your wife got the mileage, but it did get into the 20s F yesterday. Plus wasn't the wind SE? Know what speed she was going?
Swordsmith
242hp/252 ft-lbs BNR EFI
Problem with steel isn't the look (well it is, but...) it's the weight. Lighter your wheel and tires are, the better your MPG will be; weight of these matters a lot more than weight anywhere else since you have to spin them as opposed to just move them and stop them.
ThatTmoGuy
New member
Also being unsprung (meaning the suspension does not hold up the wheels and tires) mean dropping a pound in the wheels and tires is almost like dropping three pounds of body weight.
ScooterMcTavish
New member
28.6 MPG US - better than the 26.4 MPG US I got on my way to work this AM. I work in Winkler, and wind was from the NW this AM - a hinder for 44km and a help for 16km.
Guessing with the odo reading given by Fuelly you haven't had the first oil change yet. I'm wondering how much a difference that makes. Gotta think the suspended metal etc in the oil raises the viscosity.
Maybe I'll plug in the block heater tonight and see if that helps any.
Guessing with the odo reading given by Fuelly you haven't had the first oil change yet. I'm wondering how much a difference that makes. Gotta think the suspended metal etc in the oil raises the viscosity.
Maybe I'll plug in the block heater tonight and see if that helps any.
28.6 works out to 34.3 Imperial...not bad, but probably no better than the Alero is it? Just think...in two more months it should be warm enough we should start seeing even better numbers.
No oil change yet...I'll wait 'til 5000+ before getting that done. They tell me they use synthetic from the factory (and will on oil changes)...but say I should change it every 5000 km anyway...yeah, because with rated changes from the mfgs at 12-16,000 km, they're losing a crap-load in the service department. If you did 3-4 changes per year before and are down to 1-2...well that's half the profits they were making before. That's a lot of coin at $50+ per if you think about it. On the one hand, why would GM/Ford et al say you can go 16,000 km if you couldn't (that seems too much) but the dealer says 5000? They've seen cars with issues that go longer (really guys? You also sell magnetic rust control modules...and I'm supposed to believe you? Good thing he's one of my best friends, I can poke fun at him regardless.) On the other hand, I had an 89 SHO, put nearly 400,000 km on it, changed oil religiously at 5000 km intervals...never ever did anything to that car. Wrote off due to hail, guy who bought it from me tore the engine down and said it was clean as new and ran like a top...and I drove it a whole lot harder than I drive anything I own now...(oddly enough it avg'd 30 mpg, and I used it, a lot) I also used Quaker State exclusively...swear by that stuff, assuming they haven't changed the formula in the last 25 yrs. Now...since you can't just dump the oil in the garbage or in the back alley anymore, I just let the dealers do it - they have a barrel in back that has "whatever oil it is you want" in it. lol
it should be warm enough we should start seeing even better numbers.No oil change yet...I'll wait 'til 5000+ before getting that done. They tell me they use synthetic from the factory (and will on oil changes)...but say I should change it every 5000 km anyway...yeah, because with rated changes from the mfgs at 12-16,000 km, they're losing a crap-load in the service department. If you did 3-4 changes per year before and are down to 1-2...well that's half the profits they were making before. That's a lot of coin at $50+ per if you think about it. On the one hand, why would GM/Ford et al say you can go 16,000 km if you couldn't (that seems too much) but the dealer says 5000? They've seen cars with issues that go longer (really guys?
You also sell magnetic rust control modules...and I'm supposed to believe you? Good thing he's one of my best friends, I can poke fun at him regardless.) On the other hand, I had an 89 SHO, put nearly 400,000 km on it, changed oil religiously at 5000 km intervals...never ever did anything to that car. Wrote off due to hail, guy who bought it from me tore the engine down and said it was clean as new and ran like a top...and I drove it a whole lot harder than I drive anything I own now...(oddly enough it avg'd 30 mpg, and I used it, a lot) I also used Quaker State exclusively...swear by that stuff, assuming they haven't changed the formula in the last 25 yrs. Now...since you can't just dump the oil in the garbage or in the back alley anymore, I just let the dealers do it - they have a barrel in back that has "whatever oil it is you want" in it. lol 
ScooterMcTavish
New member
34.3 imperial is great except that the Window sticker said 55 mpg imperial
$ub$onic, when us Canucks say 5k, we mean we're used to an oil change every 5,000 km - that's 3,000mi US.
E-S - I thought the same thing. Oil changes every 12,000 km doesn't give the dealership an opportunity to sell you something. This being said, why would they say this was OK if it cost them warranty $$$$$?
I did hit 33 us hwy today at 100kph on the way home - I do have hope of hitting 40 us hwy this summer.
Apparently transport Canada still uses the old two phase (pre-EPA) mileage tests specs for the manufacturers. In other words, using the 35 mpg us benchmark is best for us to measure MPG.
BTW, the Alero was averaging 19 MPG US. That 3.4 v6 suffers in the cold.
$ub$onic, when us Canucks say 5k, we mean we're used to an oil change every 5,000 km - that's 3,000mi US.
E-S - I thought the same thing. Oil changes every 12,000 km doesn't give the dealership an opportunity to sell you something. This being said, why would they say this was OK if it cost them warranty $$$$$?
I did hit 33 us hwy today at 100kph on the way home - I do have hope of hitting 40 us hwy this summer.
Apparently transport Canada still uses the old two phase (pre-EPA) mileage tests specs for the manufacturers. In other words, using the 35 mpg us benchmark is best for us to measure MPG.
BTW, the Alero was averaging 19 MPG US. That 3.4 v6 suffers in the cold.
