2007 AT Yaris Disappoints me - Toyota Yaris Forums

frankencar · 01-27-2010, 01:37 PM

Okay...

So I bought a used 2007 Yaris, AT, superbasic (no power anything). My wife and I share it, and though we're both conservative drivers - her a bit more than me - we're getting only 28-32mpg, typically getting 30 mpg on a tank. Now at first, I was okay with this because that's exactly what the EPA rating was, and for essentially an economy car it worked pretty well for our needs. However, after seeing these forums...I know there's a difference with the MT, and some hypermilers out there, but I've even seen some much higher claims for the AT. Which leads me to believe that either I've got a lemon, or there are lots of people out there who are calculating their mpg wrong

The one thing that concerns me is where the AT shifts. I haven't paid attention to it in awhile because I like my loud music in the car, but it seems to shift into fourth around 45mph, so when on the freeway going 55-65, the engine sounds like it's running at an unhealthy rpm. Is that normal? It seriously sounds like it needs an OD to me...but honestly I know nothing about gas cars. Electric is my thing. Please help! I'd love to solve this before my roadtrip in April.

WeeYari · 01-27-2010, 01:49 PM

You're getting pretty much the norm for an AT, cold weather, winter formula gas. The claims of higher mpg are basically exceptions, and not the norm.

At 55-65 mph, your engine will be spinning at around 2800 - 3000 rpm. This again is normal for small displacement engines.

You have nothing here to worry about/fix before your roadtrip.

eht13 · 01-27-2010, 03:05 PM

I'm pretty sure that my AT sedan is at 3K or so RPM when cruising at 80MPH.

b_hickman11 · 01-27-2010, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankencar

Okay...

So I bought a used 2007 Yaris, AT, superbasic (no power anything). My wife and I share it, and though we're both conservative drivers - her a bit more than me - we're getting only 28-32mpg, typically getting 30 mpg on a tank. Now at first, I was okay with this because that's exactly what the EPA rating was, and for essentially an economy car it worked pretty well for our needs. However, after seeing these forums...I know there's a difference with the MT, and some hypermilers out there, but I've even seen some much higher claims for the AT. Which leads me to believe that either I've got a lemon, or there are lots of people out there who are calculating their mpg wrong

The one thing that concerns me is where the AT shifts. I haven't paid attention to it in awhile because I like my loud music in the car, but it seems to shift into fourth around 45mph, so when on the freeway going 55-65, the engine sounds like it's running at an unhealthy rpm. Is that normal? It seriously sounds like it needs an OD to me...but honestly I know nothing about gas cars. Electric is my thing. Please help! I'd love to solve this before my roadtrip in April.

Wait until May or June to test your MPG.

frankencar · 01-27-2010, 05:33 PM

Well as I said, I've had the car for awhile now and in no weather have I had more than 31mpg.

MadMax · 01-27-2010, 05:51 PM

I've tracked my gas mileage in my 08 Yaris LB (with an auto) since getting it in November 2008, and it always decreases during the winter. Driving easy, I only get ~33 MPG during the winter, whereas I am closer to 37-38 MPG during the summer.

Secondly, are you sure you're not knocking the shift lever out of OD and into 3rd gear? It happens if you're not careful. I drive at 60 MPH on most of my commute and the car doesn't sound like it is stressing; but we are only talking a 1.5L 4-cylinder engine and a subcompact that isn't as sound-proofed as a bigger, luxury car. I usually crank up the radio as well, so I don't notice it either; but I have checked just to see how the engine is running at highway speeds (not having a tach stinks) and it appears fine to me.

Also, what kind of tires/rims are you running? I have aftermarket 17" rims and wider tires, which takes a bite out of my mileage. Friends with stock Yarii get better mileage...

Cheers! M2

chew246214 · 01-27-2010, 05:52 PM

Yep winter gas in the north east and dedicated snow tires.. mileage fell on it's face.... was doing well over 40 mpg matter of fact 44.6 average sedan a/t with regular tires and non winter gas.. now down to low to mid 30's... either way better then 12 in my truck i figure

MadMax · 01-27-2010, 05:55 PM

Winter gas is not limited to the northeast, we've got it down here in southcentral Texas...

kargoboy · 01-27-2010, 05:56 PM

To the OP, where are you doing most of your driving?
And for the record, a lot of people don't know how to calculate their MPG correctly.
Even on this forum.
E-Present company excluded I am sure.

frankencar · 01-27-2010, 06:40 PM

Most of the driving is freeway, I'd say 70/30. Actually I have never heard of "winter gas..." there's literally a different gas pumped in winter?! I'm using all-season tires, stock size. I'm pretty sure I'm not knocking the shifter out of D, as I don't even get close to touching it. To my ear it still sounds like it's stressing, but like I said, not too experienced with cars/mechanical stuff.

frankencar · 01-27-2010, 06:53 PM

Next chance I get, I'll take some video at high speed so maybe someone can give me an answer based on their experience.

RETRO · 01-27-2010, 06:56 PM

you have 2 different drivers driving the car it will be hard to get a good mpg due to differnt driving habits..I get 38 mpg in my car when my wife drives it she gets 34 mpg..Winter gas is less quality than summer gas and you'll get about 2-3 mpg less than summer gas. In Alabama we have the crappy winter gas

Altitude · 01-27-2010, 07:30 PM

Lots of hills in your area? Those high mpg numbers are definitely the exception as most of the drivers reporting them use hypermiling techniques. I average about 32mpg with mixed driving but always short trips and lots of hills.

b_hickman11 · 01-27-2010, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankencar

Well as I said, I've had the car for awhile now and in no weather have I had more than 31mpg.

You did not mention that in your first post.....

b_hickman11 · 01-27-2010, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankencar

Most of the driving is freeway, I'd say 70/30. Actually I have never heard of "winter gas..." there's literally a different gas pumped in winter?! I'm using all-season tires, stock size. I'm pretty sure I'm not knocking the shifter out of D, as I don't even get close to touching it. To my ear it still sounds like it's stressing, but like I said, not too experienced with cars/mechanical stuff.

Remember there is more than 1 "D." Yes there is a winter gas and a summer gas. Winter gas will usually drop your mpg around 4 mpg on average based on the outside air temp.

YAR1S · 01-27-2010, 10:15 PM

lots of factors affect your ride.
check your air filter
make sure your tires are good and properly inflated
check spark plugs
calculate your mp3 accurately
dont jack rabbit from stoplights (my biggest pet peeve)
if your overweight = decreased mp3
declutter your car dont carry more than you need to
make sure you only AC when needed and dont leave defroster on
keep windows closed, a/c is just as bad on gas as wind resistence from open windows
use dfco, make sure your in "D" and not "3" to avoid hyper-revving.

those are the things that pop into my head when someone isnt getting good gas mileage.

supmet · 01-27-2010, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kargoboy

And for the record, a lot of people don't know how to calculate their MPG correctly.
Even on this forum.
E-Present company excluded I am sure.

+1

Quote:

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

Remember there is more than 1 "D."

My car only has one "D"

Quote:

Originally Posted by YAR1S

check spark plugs
if your overweight = decreased mp3
declutter your car dont carry more than you need to
keep windows closed, a/c is just as bad on gas as wind resistence from open windows
use dfco, make sure your in "D" and not "3" to avoid hyper-revving.

Don't bother even thinking about your spark plugs until 30k. Don't check them til 60k.
Losing weight and decluttering your car will net you a whopping .00001 mpg
Typically air resistance doesn't catch up to the A/C until around 45 mph
Some 2007 yarii will only engage DFCO if you are in 3.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RETRO

you have 2 different drivers driving the car it will be hard to get a good mpg due to differnt driving habits

Especially when you throw in a learning ECU... .

To the OP: Don't let ridiculous internet claims ruin your love for your car.

bear4 · 01-27-2010, 10:52 PM

Well, we have 2 Echos - same engine as Yaris. One Echo is AT and the other one is a manual. The manual gets at least 42MPG even in the winter while the AT gets 32-34, so this is pretty typical...

01-27-2010, 01:37 PM	#1
frankencar Drives: 2010 Yaris S Join Date: May 2009 Location: sherwood, oregon Posts: 10	2007 AT Yaris Disappoints me Okay... So I bought a used 2007 Yaris, AT, superbasic (no power anything). My wife and I share it, and though we're both conservative drivers - her a bit more than me - we're getting only 28-32mpg, typically getting 30 mpg on a tank. Now at first, I was okay with this because that's exactly what the EPA rating was, and for essentially an economy car it worked pretty well for our needs. However, after seeing these forums...I know there's a difference with the MT, and some hypermilers out there, but I've even seen some much higher claims for the AT. Which leads me to believe that either I've got a lemon, or there are lots of people out there who are calculating their mpg wrong The one thing that concerns me is where the AT shifts. I haven't paid attention to it in awhile because I like my loud music in the car, but it seems to shift into fourth around 45mph, so when on the freeway going 55-65, the engine sounds like it's running at an unhealthy rpm. Is that normal? It seriously sounds like it needs an OD to me...but honestly I know nothing about gas cars. Electric is my thing. Please help! I'd love to solve this before my roadtrip in April.

01-27-2010, 01:49 PM	#2
WeeYari View User's Garage Drives: 06 Polar White 5dr, 13 Soul 4u Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Georgetown, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,740	You're getting pretty much the norm for an AT, cold weather, winter formula gas. The claims of higher mpg are basically exceptions, and not the norm. At 55-65 mph, your engine will be spinning at around 2800 - 3000 rpm. This again is normal for small displacement engines. You have nothing here to worry about/fix before your roadtrip. __________________

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01-27-2010, 03:05 PM	#3
eht13 Drives: . Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: . Posts: 363	I'm pretty sure that my AT sedan is at 3K or so RPM when cruising at 80MPH.

01-27-2010, 05:33 PM	#5
frankencar Drives: 2010 Yaris S Join Date: May 2009 Location: sherwood, oregon Posts: 10	Well as I said, I've had the car for awhile now and in no weather have I had more than 31mpg.

01-27-2010, 05:51 PM	#6
MadMax Drives: 2008 Yaris Liftback (Sprocket) Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas! Posts: 2,799	I've tracked my gas mileage in my 08 Yaris LB (with an auto) since getting it in November 2008, and it always decreases during the winter. Driving easy, I only get ~33 MPG during the winter, whereas I am closer to 37-38 MPG during the summer. Secondly, are you sure you're not knocking the shift lever out of OD and into 3rd gear? It happens if you're not careful. I drive at 60 MPH on most of my commute and the car doesn't sound like it is stressing; but we are only talking a 1.5L 4-cylinder engine and a subcompact that isn't as sound-proofed as a bigger, luxury car. I usually crank up the radio as well, so I don't notice it either; but I have checked just to see how the engine is running at highway speeds (not having a tach stinks) and it appears fine to me. Also, what kind of tires/rims are you running? I have aftermarket 17" rims and wider tires, which takes a bite out of my mileage. Friends with stock Yarii get better mileage... Cheers! M2

01-27-2010, 05:52 PM	#7
chew246214 Drives: 2009 yaris sedan base Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: 02809 Posts: 74	Yep winter gas in the north east and dedicated snow tires.. mileage fell on it's face.... was doing well over 40 mpg matter of fact 44.6 average sedan a/t with regular tires and non winter gas.. now down to low to mid 30's... either way better then 12 in my truck i figure

01-27-2010, 05:55 PM	#8
MadMax Drives: 2008 Yaris Liftback (Sprocket) Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas! Posts: 2,799	Winter gas is not limited to the northeast, we've got it down here in southcentral Texas...

01-27-2010, 05:56 PM	#9
kargoboy Drives: '07 Yaris Sedan/'03 Protege Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 260	To the OP, where are you doing most of your driving? And for the record, a lot of people don't know how to calculate their MPG correctly. Even on this forum. E-Present company excluded I am sure.

01-27-2010, 06:40 PM	#10
frankencar Drives: 2010 Yaris S Join Date: May 2009 Location: sherwood, oregon Posts: 10	Most of the driving is freeway, I'd say 70/30. Actually I have never heard of "winter gas..." there's literally a different gas pumped in winter?! I'm using all-season tires, stock size. I'm pretty sure I'm not knocking the shifter out of D, as I don't even get close to touching it. To my ear it still sounds like it's stressing, but like I said, not too experienced with cars/mechanical stuff.

01-27-2010, 06:53 PM	#11
frankencar Drives: 2010 Yaris S Join Date: May 2009 Location: sherwood, oregon Posts: 10	Next chance I get, I'll take some video at high speed so maybe someone can give me an answer based on their experience.

01-27-2010, 06:56 PM	#12
RETRO Drives: 2008 Yaris Hatchback Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Alabama Posts: 64	you have 2 different drivers driving the car it will be hard to get a good mpg due to differnt driving habits..I get 38 mpg in my car when my wife drives it she gets 34 mpg..Winter gas is less quality than summer gas and you'll get about 2-3 mpg less than summer gas. In Alabama we have the crappy winter gas

01-27-2010, 07:30 PM	#13
Altitude Drives: '08 LB MT Bayou Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,671	Lots of hills in your area? Those high mpg numbers are definitely the exception as most of the drivers reporting them use hypermiling techniques. I average about 32mpg with mixed driving but always short trips and lots of hills.

01-27-2010, 10:52 PM	#18
bear4 Drives: 2007 yaris Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Pensacola, FL Posts: 37	Well, we have 2 Echos - same engine as Yaris. One Echo is AT and the other one is a manual. The manual gets at least 42MPG even in the winter while the AT gets 32-34, so this is pretty typical...