Terrible Mileage- 2007 Cobalt 2.2 Auto

[solman98]

I would say you have something wrong someplace. My mother has a 06 with the 2.2 auto and she see's upper 20's in town and almost mid 30's highway with each tank.

My HHR with the 2.2 5speed gets mid 20's city and right at 30 highway on each tank. Lowest I have ever gotten was about 22 city.

Oh and to the comment about using the instant on MPG reading, the 07 does not have that. It became standard on the 08 I believe.

[Will123w]

Yes unfortunately no instant read-out

[psece]

Let your car warm up and drive it for a mile or two. Then park the car but leave the engine running. Get out and smell the exhaust. If it has a gas smell then have the dealer do an emissions check because you have a bad sensor.

PS Make sure it is a safe place to get out of a running car. Don't want the car to get stolen as you are smelling fumes ;-)

[FenwickHockey65]

That's odd. I have noticed that my MPG has been dropping slightly in my '07 Malibu, from 32mpg to around 29 now. Not complaining, but I'd love to get back above 30.
Fast acceleration from stop will cause extreme drops in fuel economy. Try driving on cruise control on the highways as well, that may increase your MPG a bit.

[Will123w]

Originally Posted by psece

Let your car warm up and drive it for a mile or two. Then park the car but leave the engine running. Get out and smell the exhaust. If it has a gas smell then have the dealer do an emissions check because you have a bad sensor.

PS Make sure it is a safe place to get out of a running car. Don't want the car to get stolen as you are smelling fumes ;-)

Thanks I'll try that tomorrow, well if gap insurance covers theft I may do it downtown :P

[01sunfire01]

i used to get 27 city all day long with my G5 with the 2.4 and a 5 speed. then the **** cold weather came and it went to low 25s. on the road trip i took over the summer 13 hours to get there all threw the MTs in upstate new york with 5 ppl in the car AC on maxx and the trunk full and about 75-80mph we got 32-34 check your air filter it might be dirty are the tires filled to the right PSI is there alot of crap in the trunk? i no this might sound stupid do you polish and wax it and keep the paint clean?

[WishIhadatruck]

That seems like pretty poor mileage to me. I can better than that with my '01 GP with the 3.8L and I'm not overly happy with my mileage. If I'm being careful with my wagon I can get 18 in town once it is warmed up.

[01IntrigueGX]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

That's odd. I have noticed that my MPG has been dropping slightly in my '07 Malibu, from 32mpg to around 29 now. Not complaining, but I'd love to get back above 30.
Fast acceleration from stop will cause extreme drops in fuel economy. Try driving on cruise control on the highways as well, that may increase your MPG a bit.

I think that may be due to your location (Ohio) and the fact that it is mid-winter. The winter blended fuels emit lower fuel economy ratings due to their chemical compositions.

In my 2006 2.2 four-speed, I average about 24.5 in the city while I accelerate harshly. In the summer, and if I do not let the tachometer fly above 3000, I obtain about 28 miles per gallon in the city. On the highway going 80 miles per hour, I average about 33-34.

The problem you are experiencing may be attributable to the aforementioned "winter" production fuels.

[Ed753]

Originally Posted by psece

Let your car warm up and drive it for a mile or two. Then park the car but leave the engine running. Get out and smell the exhaust. If it has a gas smell then have the dealer do an emissions check because you have a bad sensor.

Yeah, I heard about this, GM has a TSB on this service procedure: SCBOAS (Start Car Bend Over And Smell) #00-08-69-010A

I say it’s a combination of driving habits, cold weather, winter fuel, and a not overly efficient engine.

My buddy is getting less with his L4 G6 than he got with his V6 G6, he is a 90% Highway driver.

[RoGuE]

Originally Posted by Will123w

The city mileage is atrocious, right around 15 or so. The avg. mileage according to the computer over the last couple thousand miles is 20.3 mpg.

Now we didn't get a bigger car because of mileage and I'm very unimpressed with it so far. It doesnt fall close enough to the 22/31 ratings for me to be happy, and I'm tired of getting around 200 miles to a fill up.

I have a 2007 Malibu with the 2.2l as well. I get around 22-24 city this winter. And I am pretty aggressive on this engine as well.

[MechEng]

I to have a 2007 2.2L Cobalt Auto.

Cold weather more so than winter gas will make your car get less efficient.

I also do 70% city and 30% hwy. I have a heavy foot.

I average 10.0L/100km or 23.5mpg this winter.

But in the summer I have got 6.4L/100km or 36.7mpg in hwy driving.

I figured this would be a good refrence for you.

[USA1Fan]

Pretty much agree with what everyone else is saying. Especially the parts about winter and its effect on fuel economy. Make sure the tires are at the right pressure (I actually run at least 2 pounds over, keeping an eye on the wear to make sure they're wearing evenly). This must be done after the car has been sitting for several hours (cold pressure). Between the effect that cold air has in lowering tire pressures, the winter blend of gas dropping most vehicles' economy by roughly 10% (or ~3mpg for a 30mpg normal highway vehicle), and the fact that the car takes longer to warm up, you can expect to see economy take a decent drop through the winter.

This could especially be true where you're at, at this time of year. I lived in Chicago before we were restationed here in western NC. The 03 Trailblazer we owned never got over 17 mpg there (suburban streets, mild highway), and routinely averaged between 13.1 and 16.5 most of the time, on the lower end during the winter. Once we moved here (winters with temps normally above freezing most days), I saw an increase, ending up with 17-22 being normal, between more highway (less stop'n'go) and warmer overall temperatures.

[Minnesota Nice]

My Si averages 22-24 with winter blend (10% ethenol, eff you Minnesota) in city driving.

Lately I've noticed my economy dropping a little bit. It's definitely due to the colder weather. The car must have to work that much harder.

May I suggest taking your economy readings by hand? Fill your tank up 100%, reset your trip meter, drive til the gas light comes on, fill to the top, and then divide how many gallons you put in by how many miles are on the trip meter.

Those computers aren't always very accurate.

[hrcslam]

My 04 Ion did this to me before (I only got about 16 mpg's). I was in Texas and my drive to work was about 6 miles long and the speed limits were 65 mph in stop and go streets. The short trip plus the high speed limits with about 5 stops in the trip meant high way acceloration over and over agian on a cold engine. It equals really bad gas mileage. Is your wife commute similar?

[CadiEldo67]

Well, I would have to agree with you that it is a bit strange, i've gone 200 miles in the Canyon this week, and I still have a bit more than a 1/4 of a tank left. My Grand Prix's lowest mpg was 18, with a high of 24.