Is this mpg right?

[carviewsonic]

There is probably info somewhere on a Nissan Sentra forum as to the accuracy of the mpg readout.

I kept track of mpg on our previous '03 Park Ave for a few months, and found the digital readout was slightly optimistic by 1or 2 mpg.

 

[Warstud]

Can't explain why it's not right, but I would confidently say it's not right. According to fueleconomy.gov, the highest highway MPG for any '17 Sentra is 37 mpg (some owners claim up to 42).

Speed and distance can greatly improve MPG

 

[Hall]

Speed and distance can greatly improve MPG

By almost 25% above even the best user-claimed MPG or 40% above EPA estimates? Others (who know the route) have suggested the OP's trip was downhill and to wait to see what happens on the return trip.

 

[miden851]

majority of mpgs board computers are very optimistic at the top of fuel tank; towards the empty level, they show more realistic numbers

in your case it seems just by looking at the pictures, you did use nearly 1/4 of gas from the top so id say it is a very optimistic

however, just by having that option to gauge mpgs while driving, it pushes the owner to get the best mpgs out of it generally

 

[Warstud]

By almost 25% above even the best user-claimed MPG or 40% above EPA estimates? Others (who know the route) have suggested the OP's trip was downhill and to wait to see what happens on the return trip.

Seems high to me also....I was just throwing that out there.

 

[joegreen]

When i worked for enterprise car rental i was always able to get in the high 30s - mid 40s when driving around. I don’t know how accurate the in vehicle computer is but that’s what it said.

 

[Chris142]

It's definitely optimistic. We got stuck in traffic on the way home. Took 2.5 hrs to go 7 miles before it opened up. It dropped down the 28 then went back up all the way home. ended with this.

 

[hank2]

A lot of downhill can really skyrocket fuel economy on the short term. When you're off the throttle, short of a stop, you're not using any fuel on nearly all FI cars for decades. Even a four banger can drop to 8-10 mpg climbing a hill. I occasionally make a trip to northwestern Pa. I get 29 mpg going there with lots of uphill and 40 mpg for the entire return trip. Actual computing. That's on a Scion XD with 1.8 and auto.

The mpg readouts on both of my two Scions are quite optimistic. About 8% on the XD and 11% on the XB2. Others have reported that their electronic mpg readings are accurate on other makes.

 

[Lubener]

Start with full tank. Miles driven divided by gallons used. I do not believe the dash MPG indicators and highly doubt you got 51 MPG.

 

[Number_35]

Elevation and prevailing winds make a huge difference. We did a number of trips to the Rockies with a loaded minivan. Heading west we were steadily gaining elevation across the Prairies, starting at about 750' elevation here, and hitting about 4500' in Canmore. I know that doesn't sound like much over 1450 km, but we would typically do 11 l/100 km heading out, and 9 l/100 km coming home.

The confounding factor is that the prevailing winds are from the west. Therefore we typically faced headwinds on the way out, and benefited from tailwinds on the way back.

Others have confirmed the difference.

 

[jurko]

I get occasionally over 50 in my Golf.
This is from today's shopping trip to Reno and back home.
Gas is Top Tier Sinclair 87.