Joined
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381 Posts
Took the Caliber on it's first major road trip (2000+ mi).
http://ww2.convectionconnection.com:8080/UND-visit/
Overall, the vehicle rode great. On the way up I averaged 25-28mpg @ 70-80 mph on gentle hills/ to flat interstate with a ~5-15mph headwind. Total odometer is still just a hair over 3k so it still has a way to completly break in.
The trip back was much quite horrid mpg wise, however. Much of the way I had an insane headwind... we're talking 20-30mph. With the fairly high drag coef. the Caliber is a bit tougher to drive than a sedan in the wind. I noticed that given a 20-30mph headwind, the Caliber had to remain at !300-600rpms! higher than normal. Normally at 70-75mph, it stays around 2400-2700rpm... in teh headwind I was often at 3+k... hence the decreased fuel efficiency.
Detailed tank info:
#1 339.5mi - 25.3mpg (all interstate, 75-80mph, slight headwind)
#2 358.4mi - 27.7mpg (all interstate/US hwy 70-75mph, slight headwind)
#3 364.1mi - 25.17mpg (60% interstate @75-80mpg, 40% city - technically more like 1.25 tanks)
#4 284mi - 21.4mpg (all interstate, 75-80mph, monster headwind)
#5 267mi - 23.4mpg (interstate/us highway 70-75mph, monster headwind, not quite completely depleted tank)
#6 296.2mi - 23.14mpg (interstate/us highway 70-80mph, monster headwind)
PS: didn't see one other Caliber on the way. Got quite a few interesting looks, however. I also got complimented on it today. Too bad it was because the parking ticket guy had to talk for 10min with mission control to figure out how to log the vehicle :O
http://ww2.convectionconnection.com:8080/UND-visit/
Overall, the vehicle rode great. On the way up I averaged 25-28mpg @ 70-80 mph on gentle hills/ to flat interstate with a ~5-15mph headwind. Total odometer is still just a hair over 3k so it still has a way to completly break in.
The trip back was much quite horrid mpg wise, however. Much of the way I had an insane headwind... we're talking 20-30mph. With the fairly high drag coef. the Caliber is a bit tougher to drive than a sedan in the wind. I noticed that given a 20-30mph headwind, the Caliber had to remain at !300-600rpms! higher than normal. Normally at 70-75mph, it stays around 2400-2700rpm... in teh headwind I was often at 3+k... hence the decreased fuel efficiency.
Detailed tank info:
#1 339.5mi - 25.3mpg (all interstate, 75-80mph, slight headwind)
#2 358.4mi - 27.7mpg (all interstate/US hwy 70-75mph, slight headwind)
#3 364.1mi - 25.17mpg (60% interstate @75-80mpg, 40% city - technically more like 1.25 tanks)
#4 284mi - 21.4mpg (all interstate, 75-80mph, monster headwind)
#5 267mi - 23.4mpg (interstate/us highway 70-75mph, monster headwind, not quite completely depleted tank)
#6 296.2mi - 23.14mpg (interstate/us highway 70-80mph, monster headwind)
PS: didn't see one other Caliber on the way. Got quite a few interesting looks, however. I also got complimented on it today. Too bad it was because the parking ticket guy had to talk for 10min with mission control to figure out how to log the vehicle :O