2011 Acadia AWD Gas Milage

I just recently bought a 2011 Acadia AWD STL1 with 10,000 miles on it. I do a lot of highway driving for work as I am in sales. This vehicle is suppose to get 23 MPG on the highway. The best I am getting is 18. I just drove 300 miles today, about 290 on the highway, with no passengers and no real cargo, and I averaged 18.1 MPG. I also read a lot of complaints online about poor gas mileage on this vehicle.

Now, maybe 23 would be under "best conditions possible," but I should get at least 21-22 on the hwy, not only 18. Anyone else experience this and more importantly, know why this may be?

Thanks.
Michael

As you can see there is not much action in this forum, I would try doing a Google search for " poor Acadia fuel mileage" to get a broader view of the issue.

Malski1972,

Thanks for posting – I can understand how important getting maximum fuel economy is.

I see that you were driving without heavy cargo and without passengers. A few other things to perhaps look into for increased fuel economy:
-tire inflation
-air filter
-proper oil viscosity
-spark plugs

I hope this is helpful for you,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

Thanks Sarah for your reply. My tires are properly inflated, the oil was changed by the GMC dealer right before I took possession of it, and it is too new to check the spark plugs (only 11, 500 miles). In the last 15 years, I have driven over 450,000 miles in several different types of vehicles, in different conditions, and never have I experience gas mileage so far below what the car manufacture states. Can you please look into it and see if there is something else, besides the most basic and obvious things, that may be causing this?

Thanks for your help,
Michael

Thanks Sarah for your reply. My tires are properly inflated, the oil was changed by the GMC dealer right before I took possession of it, and it is too new to check the spark plugs (only 11, 500 miles). In the last 15 years, I have driven over 450,000 miles in several different types of vehicles, in different conditions, and never have I experience gas mileage so far below what the car manufacture states. Can you please look into it and see if there is something else, besides the most basic and obvious things, that may be causing this?

Thanks for your help,
Michael

I'd be more than happy to look into any open recalls on your vehicle if you were willing to private message me the last 8 digits of your VIN. Also, I can assist in working with a dealership towards a diagnosis (would also need name, contact information, and involved dealership for this in a private message).

Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

Hi Michael,
My wife and I purchased a New 2011 Acadia SLT-1 AWD back in December 2010. Drove it off the lot with only 252 miles on the odometer. The literature all said 23 mpg, (22 for the AWD), but in our first long highway trips over the holidays we were only getting about 18-19mpg. Some friends were telling me the mpg's might increase after the engine was broken-in. Well, almost a year later and about 7K on the odometer, but we're still getting only 18-19mpg with highway driving. If we knew the mileage was so low, we would have bought something else.

My guess is that GM knows about the problem, but is unwilling to admit it and revise the mileage rating, because that would affect their corporate fuel economy rating, and drive customer's to their competitors. The chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave, and Saturn Outlook probably all have the same issue, so you could try checking out those forums as well.

Hi Michael,
My wife and I purchased a New 2011 Acadia SLT-1 AWD back in December 2010. Drove it off the lot with only 252 miles on the odometer. The literature all said 23 mpg, (22 for the AWD), but in our first long highway trips over the holidays we were only getting about 18-19mpg. Some friends were telling me the mpg's might increase after the engine was broken-in. Well, almost a year later and about 7K on the odometer, but we're still getting only 18-19mpg with highway driving. If we knew the mileage was so low, we would have bought something else.

My guess is that GM knows about the problem, but is unwilling to admit it and revise the mileage rating, because that would affect their corporate fuel economy rating, and drive customer's to their competitors. The chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave, and Saturn Outlook probably all have the same issue, so you could try checking out those forums as well.

I know this is old, but GM doesn't set the mileage ratings, the gov't does.

I know this is old, but GM doesn't set the mileage ratings, the gov't does.

This is correct, cobra1.

Just to add to the forum discussion, I'd like to provide more information on how these figures are arrived at:
The fuel economy estimates are based on results of tests required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These tests are used to certify that vehicles meet the federal emissions and fuel economy standards. Manufacturers test pre-production prototypes of the new vehicle models and submit the test results to EPA. EPA re-tests about 10% of vehicle models to confirm the manufacturer's results. The vehicles are driven by a professional driver under controlled laboratory conditions, on an instrument similar to a treadmill. These procedures ensure that each vehicle is tested under identical conditions; therefore, the results can be compared with confidence.

The EPA's fuel economy estimates are designed to allow consumers to comparison shop. Your fuel economy will almost certainly vary from EPA's fuel economy rating. This is based on a number of factors, such as weather, road conditions, your driving and maintenance habits, and your use of air conditioning. For more information on how your fuel economy can vary, or tips to improve your fuel economy, please visit Your MPG Will Still Vary (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/why_differ.shtml) and Gas Mileage Tips (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml) on www.fueleconomy.gov (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/).

Sarah
GM Customer Service


As a side note - cobra1, I noticed you're located in Harrisonburg! My grandparents moved into the VMRC two years ago from Woodstock (my grandmother even went to James Madison). It's a beautiful city!

Hi
Just purchased a 2012 Acadia SLT-1. After 2200 miles we are getting......18 SPOT 0. exactly as you. I got upset when it dipped to 17.9 for a couple weeks. But now we're back up to 18.
On the window sticker below where it shows the 24/17 MPG there is an average for combined driving. It says 19. I was expecting that and since my drive is 75% highway @ roughly 70 mph i was expecting 20.
Good thing it's a lease.