Can someone answer this for me:

I bought a '09 3.5L 6cyl Accord in 2010 from a Honda dealership. It was the manager car they use for test drives and presumably keep in tip top shape.
It had barely 3000 miles on it and I bought it. The gas mileage is OK on the highway but local driving (city) is terrible, like 10-11 mpg!

I have brought it back to the dealer 3 times to complain about it but they always say "NO PROBLEM FOUND". I am 78 years old and drive pretty sedately and slow. I don't 'race' or go much over the speed limit!!
MY QUESTION: What is the usual city mileage 3.5L 6 cyl '09 Accord owners should get?? From 2010 til now, I've been getting 10-11 city mpg with regular gas (87 octane) and that can't be right.

 

From what I am seeing it should get 19mpg city. So 10-11 is a ways from that where I would say something is wrong.

What kinda mileage does it get on the highway?

Does the car get a lot of idle time like when its warming up?

There are a ton of things that effect gas mileage so it can be hard to pinpoint why a car gets bad mpg, especially when there isnt anything blatantly wrong mechanically with the car. The thing that stinks is a lot of times people just throw parts at a car with bad mpg trying to improve it with parts like new plugs, fuel filter, air filter etc but it doesn't always improve it.

 

Thanks live2rice!! What do others say they get?? I know Honda says 19 mpg, and my car has been 'checked out ' by Honda dealership mechanics more than once, and no problems discovered, so.......what's the reason?? Any ideas? a malfunctioning selective cylinder activation maybe..?
My highway is like 31-33 mpg, and I always warm it up in cold weather ( I live in NY City) for a couple of minutes, say 5 minutes max, then drive slow the first mile or so.
Sometimes going down the street at a slow speed, say 15-20 mph, I take my foot off the gas and feel a slow down, like a slight drag, as if I was in a gear lower than I should be, ya know? Only notice it going down the block and at those slow speeds, and only once in a while, but it might be a clue, like a tranny malfunction or...something.
The three times I gave it back to the Honda dealership where I bought it they say it checked out "PERFECT!!"
And other than the lousy city mileage, it IS a great car, smooth, fast, pretty, and fun to drive, fully loaded, leather, sunroof, CD and XM Satellite etc., great car!

What do others with '09 3.5L 6 cyl Accords get for city mileage ??? I'd love to know...!!

 

Does anyone out there have a '09 6 cyl 3.5L Accord?? What is your city mileage?? Mine is a terrible 10-11 mpg !! My highway mileage is fine: like 33 mpg, but my beef is the city mileage.

What city mileage do you guys get?? Honda mechanics have checked my car and assure me all is well, but no answer for why my city mileage sucks so bad!!
Any thoughts? Ideas? And keep in mind I'm 78 yrs old, so I am NOT drag racing!!
And what kind of mileage do other guys with a 3.5L Accord get? '08? '09?
Any honest owners out there?? Please answer me!!!!!

 

on fuelly.com(a site where users report their gas mileage and can track it over time) the lowest reported gas mileage was 17.4mpg but the average was 20-21mpg.

 

Thanks again live2rice.

I posted my question in General Tech too. I'd like to know what other forum members say about their city mileage problems with similar Accords like mine; 2009 3.5L 6 cyl with the selective cylinder feature. I'm guessing I can't be the only guy with this experience.... or am I..? Maybe there is a glitch in my computer gas-air mix at city driving speeds, or in the tranny...or the selective cylinder feature...or somewhere...!

 

Hello New Member..Welcome.

 

When was the last time a tune up was performed?

 

Has the city mileage dropped? Or has the mileage deteriorated to 10 - 11 MPG recently? Ambient temperature makes a big difference. That mileage may not be out of the question in very cold (<10°F) temps coupled with short trips (the engine never getting warm) and stop & go driving.

 

reply to Roader and go-part:
Thanks for replying to my question. The car was a demo, for test drives at the dealership. It's an '09 3.5L 6cyl Accord I bought in 2010 with about 3000mi on the clock.
As a demo car dealers use to hopefully convince a prospective buyer to actually BUY a Honda Accord, the car was kept in top shape.
But from the day I bought it in 2010 til today, Feb 2013, my city mileage has always been 10-11 mpg!! I drive to Atlantic City from my home in Queens, NY City, and I get like 31-33 mpg on the highway. But when I go out local, like shopping, doctors appts., or whatever, I get a steady 10-11 mpg.
Its a great car, fully loaded, fast, smooth etc., but although I've taken it back to the dealership where I purchased it 3 times in the first few months after I bought it, no improvement and the mechanics there say "NO PROBLEMS FOUND!!"
I'm 78 years old, I don't 'race'!! I drive smoothly and easily, not jack rabbit or 'stop and go', not brake-gas-brake-gas.
My son and grandson sometimes use the car and their mileage is no different, no better either!
Going down the block like 15 or 20 mph then taking my foot of the gas, I sometimes feel a drag, a slow down, as if I was in a gear 'too low', if you know what I mean.
That makes me think of a tranny glitch, or a 'selective cylinder activation system' glitch or something in the computer 'instructions' is off, like gas/air mix at local speeds, but not highway speeds as my highway mileage is fine.
So I'm stumped, and Honda says my car is "FINE", so......??

What do other owners of 09 3.5L Accords get in city mileage I wonder??
Thanks again Roader and go part!!
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Charlie '09 2009 3.5L Accord