Welcome to the freakworld Steve!! Engine break-in is the primary factor on your present MPG, that and becoming familiar with how your Fit likes to be driven. Where and how you drive will determine things. It's a learning curve, but you should have it down by the first oil change.

Be patient and get to know your Fit.

Follow the MM and take it to 15% then schedule the change, or DIY. You're most likely thinking synthetic. Save that for the second change. My Honda service guy has been specific in saying to let the dino go for two changes then switch over. Has to do with proper break-in. It's part of the reason NOT to change out the factory oil. It took me a while to be comfortable with it all, in fact I was at 9K miles and still was showing 20% oil life when I took it in and told them that this was the first new car I've ever owned that needed the tires rotated before the first oil change. The guys laughed and said the first oil change is free and they were going to change, 15% or not, it as well as rotate the tires.

K_C_

 

Man That is some funny $hit

heck I'm comming from a Mustang that averaged around 12-15mpg no matter how I drove it.

 

Ya my GS400 gets roughly 17 city and 20 highway. I am loving the FIT! 35mpg and I don't even have 700 miles on it yet!

 

I have a 2011 Sport Fit with automatic. Where I live it's hilly and lots of stops and
stop lights on a short drive. If I drive locally for a full tank I only get 26-28 mpg.

If I drive the car on longer trips for a full tank mpg is around 35-36. I did a 300 mile
drive toward the beach, roads rather flat and only a few stoplights I got 39+ mpg.

So in my experience for over 7k miles your mpg can vary greatly based on driving
conditions. I keep up with normal traffic and don't make any special effort to get
high mpg.

FWIW, I have a 2008 Mazda 3 with 2 liter engine, automatic transmission and it will
sometimes get 36 mpg on longer trips. It will do better than the Fit in hilly terrain
because the Fit shifts down lots more than the Mazda. With both I try to maintain
a steady speed at or slightly above the posted speed limits.

Clifton

 

I quickly browsed the responses but never saw anything about resetting the ECM. Wait until your car is at ambient temperatures (ie, been sitting overnight) and unplug your battery for 10 minutes. Then plug it back in and start the car. Make sure the A/C and all electrical draws are off (lights, radio). Let the car idle until the cooling fans kick on twice. Turn off. It may take 10-20 minutes for this to work. After you've done this, fill up and reset your trip. Note the mileage and report back to us.

 

All,

I will see what happens with time. Thanks for your inputs of gas mileage experience.

Zilla, sorry you had to trade in your mustang. Two different concepts between the Fit and a 600hp kb mustang! The KR is tremendously fun to drive. It has 750hp, 615rwhp. An exciting ride to be sure.

Great forum here and thanks for welcoming me!

I'll post with more details on short shifting, etc... Many things to comment on.

Steve

 

Make sure you have your radio codes at hand or you'll be annoyed with yet another problem when doing this.

 

Thank you - I forgot to mention this.

 

I bought a 2009 MT fit sport with 30K+ miles on it.
I changed the tires losing ~5-7% in mileage but it gained in noise and control.

By the calibrate ultragauge I get ~31mpg in 70% city + 30% hwy.
The car mpg gauge is totally off showing me +36 mpg. So don't trust the car gauge.

 

I average about the same in my 2012 AT. My best being 32, my worst being 23. My commute is mainly city and some freeway, but I'm usually going around 75 on the freeway and dropping into 3rd quite a bit. I've noticed that the Fit really doesn't like short commutes (less than 3 miles). Just be easy on it, it's really sensitive to throttle input as well. Other than that, everyone else is pretty much spot on.

 

OP, What's your highway commute like? distance and speed. The Fit is not a fan of 70+mph speeds so Break-in, Stop and go traffic, stop lights, and 85mph driving will be a combination that will kill your economy. My experience is that the fit likes commuting at 45mph for 35 min and quite happily returns 38+mpg. My new commute which is 6 miles with a stop to drop off my son and some uphill to work, dropped that number to around 32 or 33mpg. The fit is VERY subjective to it's environment.

~SB

 

Some really good points brought up here. Thanks everyone very much.

The Fit has a small engine and little torque. It will drop down into a lower gear in a heartbeat to maintain speed. I agree on many points as a result that have been brought up.

-break in...very possible
-cruise control should be limited in hilly areas. Even highway hilly

The small engine I believe is the culprit. It really does have to be baby'ed. I'm pretty good at that. Don't know if my wife will be.

I'll track the mileage manually. It sounds like there is some additive in the oil, so I'll hold off on that oil change until 15%. I'll break the engine in and keep track of mileage and report back. Hopefully in the 30mpg + range.

Again thanks. Y'all have made me feel real welcome!

 

Oh, no no no no no.

Do not baby the Fit...

There have been plenty of members that have babied their Fit... to get WORSE MPG.

No, no, no, no... NO.

 

^^^Agree 100%. The Fit is made to be driven man. Getting up to speed normally without babying the tranny all the way up will increase gas mileage, not hurt it. I always say- drive your Fit, don't let it drive you.

 

dang, good stuff guys. I have a 2012 AT and my mileage has been crap. Lots of short trips and I've been babying it. MAN. At least now I know what the problem is

 

Hell, were getting 39mpg @ 70mph. checked it 'again' yesterday on a 200 mile freeway run. Got 37mpg on the way home from the dealer the day it was brought home. When it gets roughed up a bit mileage dips into the lower 30's.

 

It's odd that ppl are saying not to baby it. I'll continue with the break in process and the manual checking of mileage. Complete the break in stage,'get that out of the way as a possible cause, then look at how is the most efficient way to operate the Fit.

It sounds like many have done that already with some nice results.

In all cars that I've owned in the past and present, shifting at 2000rpm with modest acceleration made a huge difference/increase on gas mileage. Provided the surrounding terrain would allow for the shift at 2000k. This exercise is really demonstrated in the Shelby. Get on it, and mpg will drop to 8. Drive normally, and you'll get 18. Baby it and shift at 2000, and you'll get 23-25.

Good discussion! I'll keep track of it with detailed notes. Love the Fit. And want the gas mileage to go with it!

 

Difference is.. that Shelby is making an appreciable amount of torque at 2k and is geared as such.

The Fit is a completely different animal.

 

I shift at 3-4K at least.

 

Break in consisted of blasts to 6000 and deceleration to 1500 or so, in 1st, 2nd, 3rd., right of the showroom floor. Ring seal's the key to proper break in.