Hypermiling a CVT?
 

I currently have a Kia Forte 5 hatchback. EPA ratings are 25 city / 28 combined / 34 hwy. I have a suburban commute and the combined rating is a close fit to the type of driving I do.

I currently average 32-33 mpg in combined driving in the winter months and 37-38 mpg in summer due to hypermiling techniques. That's anywhere from a 35% boost over the combined EPA ratings in spring through fall. I don't get the same increase if it's strictly highway miles, as I can typically get 39-40 mpg, ~15% more than ratings, even in spring/fall.

I've given thought to my next vehicle and one that caught my eye was the Honda Civic hatchback. It's rated 31 city / 40 highway, which looks like I'd get a solid fuel economy boost over my current vehicle if I hypermiled it, but...

...the Honda Civic hatchback is a CVT. One thing I've heard about these types of transmissions is that coasting doesn't really give you those gas-free miles.

Coasting is a big reason--perhaps the biggest reason--I'm able to get the sizable bump in fuel economy. My concern is that I'd get a CVT and not be able to deviate much from the EPA ratings, though still paying the premium to have the technology vs. an automatic.

So for those that have CVT's, how much over the EPA ratings can you get, and what hypermiling techniques do you have to use to get an appreciable (>20%) boost over the EPA ratings?

--ISV

2018 CRV EX-L
 

We drive a 2018 CRV EX-L mostly in short trips (under 15 miles) and average around 29 mpg (sticker is 28 city; 34 highway; 30 combined). The only time we got the 34 highway was on long interstate runs and then it was 34.6 mpg (Texas at 75-80 speed limit). The car readout runs from 1.0 to 3.0 mpg higher than calculation. I coast in neutral when approaching a stop sign or a red light. I don't know what it's doing to the CVT (metal push belt) with all that shifting to neutral and back to drive, but I'll know in the next year or so. Only have 28k miles because of the lockdown. Realize that I only do half the mileage...spouse (ol' lead foot) drives the other half.

I drive 2018 Civic sedan with a CVT. I hypermile it from time to time. I'm living in the middle of stuffed european city, that's why I can't avoid stop and go traffic. My average mpg is 37.7 mpg, but I drove only 18,000 miles with the car. Still I'm a slow driver most of the time, and I can't save a lot of gas in stop and go traffic and it's dangerous to drive that slow on the Autobahn. When you're mostly commuting on the highway your overall mpg will be a lot better than mine. The best I got was 55 mpg on a 100 miles trip.

I would say it doesn't need any gas while coasting. And also the gauge says "zero gas" when I coast.

By the way the manual transmission is a bit more fuel efficient, but I think you know that already and want to have an automatic transmission like myself. :)

Oh and the Civic sedan is a bit more fuel efficient than the hatchback due to less weight, the better CW value and the narrower tires.

CVT Coasting
 

I'm living close to the mountains, so here is a lot of coasting. This is a photo from today, I always let it in D when going downhill. The bar shows the instant fuel consumption:

https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1615656145

(photo made by passenger)

I didn't really have a chance to try hypermiling with a CVT, yet its more unpredictable shifting seems harder to overcome.

Here is a picture of my last mileage, each on a complete gas tank:

https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1615834637

A photo from another Civic 1.5 driver with a CVT. He is mostly driving on highways:

https://ecomodder.com/forum/attachme...1&d=1616184839

https://www.fuelly.com/car/kia/forte...rfuelly/959830


Only the last 2 fillups are wonky because second to last was only 95+ percent full.

I just drive smoothly and wouldn't say I am necessarily hypermiling.

I once again hypermiled my CVT car and was able to get 900 kilometers (560 Miles) with one fill. That's an overall fuel consumption of 4.78 l/100 km which is 49.2 mpg.

I think that's not too bad for a non hybrid vehicle 1.5 liter turbo engine with 180 horsepower and an automatic transmission.

Of course it's not bad, but I'm sure it would be harder to achieve with another type of automatic transmission, considering the CVT allows the engine to keep a more constant RPM for better efficiency. Direct injection enabling a leaner AFR compared to what a port-injection turbocharged engine would require in order to prevent knock is also advantageous when it comes to fuel-efficiency.