# Nissan Pathfinder MPG...



## 0deuce0 (Dec 29, 2007)

Just got a 08 pathfinder and would love to know what others are recording for their average MPG. I was hoping for a little better MPG when I bought the car... but ...


- V6
- Cheap Octane
- 50% highway
- 50% city / traffic

17.2


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## metro273 (Sep 16, 2005)

Your MPG will improve when the engine gets broken in some more!


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## damiankee (Mar 31, 2008)

*With Premium grade*

I've been to Calgary from Edmonton last weekend with 2007 pathfinder SE 30K mileage. I drove with extra caution to save fuel, so I tried to keep 100~110 km/hr. I ended up have 23.5 mpg when I got home. 2 months ago, I've been to Banff and ended up having 17 mpg because I drove at 130 km/hr and passed a lot. In conclusion, driving practice makes huge difference with this pathy model, I think. So try to keep RPM less than 2 and you'll find huge difference. Hope it helps.
I also have a question about engine noise. I found my pathy made quite bit of noise when accelerating, especially at arount 35~40 mph with 2 rpm. I could hear the worst noise with rear windows open. Did anybody experience this? Any solution? Thanks in advance for your help.


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## boogyman (Jan 24, 2005)

It also depends on whether it's 4wd or not. We average around 17mpg with a 50/50 split. we have 45k and still the original tires. The tires still have plenty of meat on them, but I'll probably be getting something to replace them in the fall.


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## flosja (Jan 25, 2008)

my 08 s model 4x4 gets about 22 on the highway and 15-18 in city


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## TIPSTERHARLEY (May 5, 2008)

I have a 2007 Pathfinder LE 4x4. I installed a Nismo Cold Air Intake and a Gibson catback exhaust. Horse power went way up, torque went up, gas mileage is 27mpg at 70 mph. I also install a ScanGaugeII.


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## gbierlein (Feb 21, 2007)

flosja said:


> my 08 s model 4x4 gets about 22 on the highway and 15-18 in city


You're just about right for the 4X4. You can get a little more on the highway by using your cruise control and keeping it at or below 75.

If you're getting 22 hwy on 87 octane then you're in pretty good shape.

91 octane and a full synthetic motor oil will get you an extra 1 or 2 mpg.


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## flosja (Jan 25, 2008)

yea, actually Ive only used 91 octane since I purchased it back in January 08..I always use the cruise control on highways and interstates and even accelerate/deccelerate in and out of traffic with the cruise control as much as possible...at around 80-85 mph. I recently took a trip to Texas from Oklahoma and averaged about 24mpg...and that was using the valero filling stations. I was astonished. Also, I recently took a trip to Illinois from Oklahoma and averaged about 22.5...with no valero stations. I think their gas may be better than others...Im not sure what the oil is, I do alot of business right by the Nissan dealership I bought this from and for my convenience I have them change my oil for me. So, whatever they use is whats in it and Im not sure what kind that is. What Ive noticed though is if when you accelerate from a dead stop, you keep the rpm's under or at 2500 you conserve a whole lot more gas than if you exceed 2500. I had to train myself to just creep out of a dead stop. I was used to a Ford Fusion before the Pathfinder lol.


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## shooter32 (Oct 22, 2008)

TIPSTERHARLEY said:


> I have a 2007 Pathfinder LE 4x4. I installed a Nismo Cold Air Intake and a Gibson catback exhaust. Horse power went way up, torque went up, gas mileage is 27mpg at 70 mph. I also install a ScanGaugeII.


Do you really get up to 27MPG?!


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## NPath (Dec 12, 2004)

damiankee said:


> I've been to Calgary from Edmonton last weekend with 2007 pathfinder SE 30K mileage. I drove with extra caution to save fuel, so I tried to keep 100~110 km/hr. I ended up have 23.5 mpg when I got home. 2 months ago, I've been to Banff and ended up having 17 mpg because I drove at 130 km/hr and passed a lot. In conclusion, driving practice makes huge difference with this pathy model, I think. So try to keep RPM less than 2 and you'll find huge difference. Hope it helps.
> I also have a question about engine noise. I found my pathy made quite bit of noise when accelerating, especially at arount 35~40 mph with 2 rpm. I could hear the worst noise with rear windows open. Did anybody experience this? Any solution? Thanks in advance for your help.


With my 06 SE, I'm getting, right now, what the brochure says, 15.7L/100km.


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## MattyDK23 (Nov 30, 2007)

TIPSTERHARLEY said:


> I have a 2007 Pathfinder LE 4x4. I installed a Nismo Cold Air Intake and a Gibson catback exhaust. Horse power went way up, torque went up, gas mileage is 27mpg at 70 mph. I also install a ScanGaugeII.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tough cookie to sell... he *is* from Canada, maybe he was using UK/Canadian gallons, which would put that mileage at 22.5MPG in US units.

If that's the case, I've gotten similar highway mileage in my '03, so it's not impossible.


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## gbierlein (Feb 21, 2007)

MattyDK23 said:


> Tough cookie to sell... he *is* from Canada, maybe he was using UK/Canadian gallons, which would put that mileage at 22.5MPG in US units.
> 
> If that's the case, I've gotten similar highway mileage in my '03, so it's not impossible.


Definitely not impossible. I have no mods except a K&N air filter plus I run 91 octane with a full synthetic oil. If I keep the revs under 2000 which puts me at or just under 75 I can swing between 26 and 27 mpg according to the computer.

After emptying a tank on a recent trip with the cruise set to 70 with two stops resulting in the engine being turned off then on and getting back up to speed I checked my mileage the old fashioned way by doing the math myself and I managed 25.8mpg. I figure I would have done even better without the stops. I'm going to make the wife hold it on our next trip to see how we do.

I'd say with a decent exhaust and the cold air intake he could have easily pulled 27mpg. Especially with the 2wd version. He could program the ECU to take away some of the oomph and probably get around 30mpg. Passing may not be as fun but your wallet would appreciate it.


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## bigd2010 (Sep 20, 2008)

I have a KN drop in filter, full syn oil and use either 89 or 91 octane. I stay between 20-24mpg depending on if its city or highway


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## bigd2010 (Sep 20, 2008)

I also drive a 2008 pathy 4x2 S model


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## Almatti (Jan 7, 2009)

My 2001 PF has NEVER seen 20 MPG highway on any road or at any speed with tail winds or going "downhill'. Best I've seen feathering the throttle maybe 18.5. MPG sucks on this truck. Maybe it's gotten better in the later year models, but I can't believe 22-27!! MPG, no way.


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## laxman0324 (Oct 1, 2007)

I got 19 in my 01 5 speed with about 50 miles of that tank in the city...with the 50/50 mix I am usually in the 17-18 range. I am confident that when I go on a long highway trip, if I keep it around 60 I could easily get over 20...I did install manual locking hubs btw.


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## roadfish (Mar 8, 2009)

*I agree 2001 is terrible on gas*

Almatti -- You are correct sir, best I've seen on my 2001 with a K&N performance air filter & Royal Purple full synthetic oil (6.50/qt) is around 19-20 on a cruising trip not exceeding 65 mph. 

It does run pretty good and I haven't had to do much other than tires, brakes and shocks. I've got 137,000 on it and still running strong. My kids are goinfg to drive it in 2 years, then i get my pick-up truck.


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## HanKB (Mar 9, 2009)

2006 Pathfinder LE 4x4. On regular gas, I've averaging about 18mpg. My driving is a mix of highway and city which I'd describe as "Hill Country Suburban."


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## gbierlein (Feb 21, 2007)

HanKB said:


> 2006 Pathfinder LE 4x4. On regular gas, I've averaging about 18mpg. My driving is a mix of highway and city which I'd describe as "Hill Country Suburban."


That's about right. I get about 18mpg for city driving. 19mpg if I do any hypermiling.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

2003 SE 4x4, AT tires.
best ever was 20 mpg around Yellowstone NP
19.5 highway at 70 - 75
18.5 if a bit higher.
14 - 15 in horrible traffic around Dallas.


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## Sappah (Nov 19, 2009)

i have a 2005 pathy and i drove it from san diego to phoenix with cruise control around 80mph. It read 29 miles to the gallon. And a 17.5 in the city. Mine is a 2x4 with 82343 miles on it.


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## bluemonstertruck (Dec 31, 2009)

*9.2 MPG Every Tank*

My 2007 Pathfinder with only 16,000 miles, will get 9.2 MPG city.
This is a stock V-6 4.0 eng. with zero mods. 
I don't carry any weight in the vehicle, no spare (was stolen from Nissan dealer lot overnight for service of a shorted fuel float sending unit replacement), max tire psi, and drive easy. 
Highway MPG is about 10 MPG. Fuel up on regular, and the computer will show no higher than DTE (Distance to Empty) of 207 miles or a few less. 
Aside from that, runs good!


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## pathfounder (Nov 16, 2009)

bluemonstertruck said:


> My 2007 Pathfinder with only 16,000 miles, will get 9.2 MPG city.
> This is a stock V-6 4.0 eng. with zero mods.
> I don't carry any weight in the vehicle, no spare (was stolen from Nissan dealer lot overnight for service of a shorted fuel float sending unit replacement), max tire psi, and drive easy.
> Highway MPG is about 10 MPG. Fuel up on regular, and the computer will show no higher than DTE (Distance to Empty) of 207 miles or a few less.
> Aside from that, runs good!


I am getting 9mpg city and 9mpg highway. I have a problem with the knock sensor (P0325) so the computer cuts a lot of timing. I basically have to floor it to get it to move, and because of the the trans shifts at 4000rpm basically all the time.

This is in a '97 with 270,000km (168k miles).


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## bluemonstertruck (Dec 31, 2009)

*9.2 MPG City or Highway, 10 MPG at best*

Just a quick update. The dealer checked out the computer codes, and stated everything was normal, nothing out of range. Dealer couldn't explain why I have such poor MPG. 
New DTE is about 196 miles when I fill it up. 
They did say quite a few people complain about this.
Any suggestions?


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## SwedishSam (Mar 1, 2010)

My 2008 V-6 at gets 16mpg in town and 20-25mpg depending how I drive on the freeway at 60mph I can get 27mpg. New to the forums loving my Pathfinder. Has anyone else heard of resetting your ecu so it can relearn your driving habits? Seems interesting.


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## Sp0oner (Nov 30, 2009)

I'm in the UK and I've got a 2005 SVE and get 32mpg combined, good old diesel!


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## 2005 4x4 Pathfinder (Nov 2, 2009)

I have a 2005 Pathy SE with 84k and I get about 9mpg city, which is all I do no hwy.

There are no error codes, and I admit I'm a tad lead footed.

Still, the mileage sucks and I can tell the throttle is limited.


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## 2005 4x4 Pathfinder (Nov 2, 2009)

Follow up:

Since doing all the electric work on my Pathy, and redoing all the power connections, and dremmelling better ground paths, I took it to the car wash tonight.

I wanted to wash off the greasy film at the bottom since I still had the skid plate off etc.

After the wash of the body and engine compartment, it seemed like a good idea to hit the interstate for a drive to dry everything off well.

I noticed my MPG was increasing, so I kept on driving to see how far it would go up.

After about 30 miles, the MPG had gone up to 31 as I exited to drive the regular streets to my home. I had to stop at several lights and go up a decent incline but the MPG didnt go down, and I exited the vehicle with *31mpg*.

I don't know what to attribute it to, maybe the new clean and increased ground surface from the battery cable connections, maybe something got reset from the battery post being off . . . I dunno, I just hope it continues to be better than it has been.


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## pathfounder (Nov 16, 2009)

If you are using the fuel economy readout, you are not getting accurate readings.

The only real way to measure mileage is to drive starting with a full tank, record the distance traveled with the trip meter, fill back up again, count the fuel used and do the math. The instantaneous figures shown on the dash aren't usable.

Modern EFI cuts fuel completely when the driver takes their foot of off the gas pedal, so if the vehicle is still rolling it's technically getting infinite mileage, which on most cars shows up as "99mpg". No one is really getting 99mpg.


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## TW_Pathy_97 (Oct 25, 2009)

yea show me a pathfinder that gets 30 mpg for real and I'll but it... lmao


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## 2005 4x4 Pathfinder (Nov 2, 2009)

Well of course I'm going to watch it from a tank for the real total MPG. Still, I've never seen anything on the MPG indicator except something like " 9 " which is abysmal.


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## 2005 4x4 Pathfinder (Nov 2, 2009)

Well the mpg was short lived 

I topped off the tank and pushed the reset for trip\mph\mpg and started over.

It lost the love, whatever was the cause, it immediately went back to the horrible numbers.

I looked at that space over and over to confirm I was looking at mpg, and even pushed the button to cycle through.

:thumbdwn:


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## pathfounder (Nov 16, 2009)

I doubt that it had ever improved.


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## TW_Pathy_97 (Oct 25, 2009)

9 mpg.... you need to get that checked out !


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## 2005 4x4 Pathfinder (Nov 2, 2009)

Yeah I would like to have it looked at, but I dunno what they would actually do about anything. My first guess would be to tell me to drive easier, the second would be to sell me a "tune up" with new spark plugs and wires. I know the air filter is clean.

One thing that is noteworthy, me thinkests, is that no matter what grade gas I put in, the emissions smells kinda like methane or some other sticky fume. I guess at 84k the sparks plugs could be somewhat fouled.

Unfortunately I only work 2 miles from home and it's all stop and go, no hwy miles.


.


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## TW_Pathy_97 (Oct 25, 2009)

yea that drive could kill your mpg.... do you ever reset it for other drives ?

Also you need to do EZ accelling and smooth riding if you want to drive in the city.


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## TW_Pathy_97 (Oct 25, 2009)

then you should figure out what's up with the Fuel .... and yea checking the plugs is never a bad idea.


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## 2005 4x4 Pathfinder (Nov 2, 2009)

I know there's a "spark plug opinion" thread somewhere on the forums, and I priced the std plugs before, finding a set of wires for a 2005 wasnt as easy.

I guess that's my next weekend project to do and see if anything improves before I sell my body to have a shop look at it.

Thx for the heads up!


.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

2005 4x4 Pathfinder said:


> Y
> 
> Unfortunately I only work 2 miles from home and it's all stop and go, no hwy miles.
> 
> ...


Well that's the problem, mine takes 2 miles to warm up and I am in Texas where it doesn't get very cold out even in winter.

Yes you prob did get better readings when the engine was warm after you washed it !!!

If there is anything at all you can do I would suggest checking the thermostats and temp sensors, maybe blocking off the radiator 1/2 or 2/3 not completely.

don't forget to remove if you go on a long (10 mile or over) trip !!!

check your Oil for water and gas !!!! if it doesn't get hot you can get condensation of gas and water !!!! 
This will cause corrosion of bearings and premature wear !!!


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## bog (Feb 18, 2008)

Hi, live in Canada but drive a US 2008 Pathfinder S. I get 21mpg @ 90kms/hr with cruise on. If I remove cruise and rise above 100kms she starts drinking very heavy. My 98 pathfinder seem to have got better however you must realize if you want better MPG buy a car...lol


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## 2005 4x4 Pathfinder (Nov 2, 2009)

I changed the spark plugs today. And added a new air filter that's supposed to be more breathable.

Somewhere, in a forum, there's a thread, about what a total ^%$#@! it is.

It's all that and a bag of chips. In order to get to the front plug on the passengers side, you need to lift up the air intake manifold assembly. I'm sure that someone somewhere has some magic tool that will help them get the coil out of the way in that space but I'm telling you, it's not pretty.

I got all 6 changed and the one's I pulled out looked more than ready to be changed, they look very dark and worn.

I skipped on replacing with the oem platinums and opted for the dual plats instead. After the engine idled a while and warmed up, I took it for a spin down the street to the drive through and back, and it does seem a tad more peppy and responsive.


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## T_E (Aug 11, 2010)

*Mileage*

My 2008 SE V8 can get up to 23 (per computer) when cruising at 55 or less, but typically on the freeway (70-80 mph) I get about 19. City is horrible, closer to 14. 

My 2003 LE got slightly worse mileage.


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