I just bought a demo terrain fwd 4cyl. and I am not surprised that the fuel economy is not as good as advertised. I also have a Malibu that has the exact same engine. I bought a scan gauge II and plan on doing some testing to see how to maximize the fuel economy on the terrain. I do not trust the cars fuel economy figures. I do know that on the Malibu, if I put the shifter in manual and force the transmission to stay in 6th gear most of the time this has given me solid 30mpg+ on the highway in while using cruise control at 60mph. Today, I used this technique with the terrain and was able to get 27MPG half city and freeway driving. That would give me almost 500miles per tank. Not too bad for a heavy truck that is not as streamlined as a Malibu. You also waste fuel at idle, so if I am parked for more than 5mins, I shut the car down.
Now, when my wife drives the truck, the car drinks gas due to the crazed manner in which she drives.
I am also going to purchase a K and N air filter, play with the tire pressure, and switch to Mobil one full synthetic motor oil.
It is ashame that we cannot get Chevy cruze like fuel economy out of these cars. The engines are basically the same.
Now, when my wife drives the truck, the car drinks gas due to the crazed manner in which she drives.
I am also going to purchase a K and N air filter, play with the tire pressure, and switch to Mobil one full synthetic motor oil.
It is ashame that we cannot get Chevy cruze like fuel economy out of these cars. The engines are basically the same.
