VERY Dissappointed with the Celica.... Options

[Badkarma]

well, i bought the celica with hopes of getting Much better gas mileage than my other car. 1999 mustang 3.8 v6 5 spd. so i filled it up last week, set the trip, and today the trip meter hit 280 miles and i was due for a fill up. well, it took 14.4 gallons. it comes out to about 19.5 miles per gallon. my mustang gets 21 average! i've gotten up to 30!. this really was quite a let down. i still love the celica but is everyone getting such horrible mpg?
maintainance is kept up. runs great. plugs, wires, filters. only thing i can think of is it needs of an alignment. what else could be the problem?

thanks, sorry for knocking the celi's.


Erich

[shaunrichard]

Okay, there are a couple of things to consider. First, as many others have said, is driving style. Of course, I lean pretty heavily on the gas pedal and I average 25-26 for my everyday city/highway combination in my GT. You mentioned having maintenance done. Does that include the O2 sensors that others have mentioned, but also the fuel filter? Also, tire pressure is a factor as was mentioned as well. You did not say what type of transmission you have, but I'm going to assume it's a 5-speed. Further, the type of fuel you use can make a difference. The 5sfe requires only regular unleaded (old farts like me recognize this as the oxymoron that it is) and despite what many may tell you, going to premium gas will not help and sometimes can hurt the performance of the engine if it's not specified as the fuel of choice. But the biggest thing to consider right now is that you based your fuel consumption/economy on one tank. Keep your mileage and measure your fill-ups for five tankfuls and then see what the average is. Especially with this being a car that's new to you, neither of you are used to each other; allow some time for your own personal break-in period.