I have a 2002 SE-SC X, and I am only getting ~260 miles to the tank on a good day. Most of the time it is less than that.

Is this normal? Should I be concerned? I have had it since new and it has just over 20,000 miles on it so the engine must be worked in.

I have a K&N Air Filter, but everything else is stock. What could be causeing such bad milage?

I drive mostly highway miles...like 60km @60mph each trip.

Help?

I get about the same. About 14-15mpg. Not good, but nothing I can do about it.

I've gotten as much as 320 miles before re-filling fuel. Very...VERY easy on the throttle. Slooooow...Starts from stop. Do not go over 3,000 RPM and mostly below 2,500. I've gotten up to 23MPG Hwy driving exclusively and as bad as 13 MPG running it hard...ie:Jack Rabbit starts etc...

4WD, I have no idea or care about the MPG as I typcially do 4WD very slow...Maybe 20 MPH max.

Put synthetic oil in your engine yet? It will help the MPG and your engine will last much longer with optimum performance along the way.

Count your blessings, I get 200 miles per tank before the light comes on then i get about another 35-45 miles after that if i am lucky.

Sorry to say, your mpg results are not unusual. Along with the conserative driving style already mentioned, try this. Inflate your tires to 32 +/-2 psi. Reduce rolling resistance. The X is an aerodynamic barn door. Stick your arm out the window at 60mph to get some idea. So try a few tank fulls with the air dam, basket and cross bars removed. Costs you nothing and just takes a few minutes. Reducing aerodynamic drag has to help, just don't know if the change makes a measurable difference.

dave and xtoy - nothing ventured, nothing gained

I think I've gotten better than 260 twice. One time I got less than 160 (9.8 MPG all highway). So, in some respects you are lucky. I keep hoping that maybe Nissan will take all these considerations to heart and develop a future Xterra that consistently gets 25 MPG on the highway and still has the "rock-crawling" low range. I don't know why that's so hard...

I have had the 03 SE/SC 4x4 for about 1 1/2 months. I've been monitoring each tank. The lowest I got was 210 on first tank. I attribute that to me lead footing to much with the SC. Once I settled down it has steadily been climbing each tank so far. I filled up yesterday at 267. Prior tank was 255. I haven't done any modifications yet. I intend to wait until the first oil change and switching to Mobile 1. I'll monitor it after that and see what I get. My other xterra didn't get much better. It was an 01 4x2 best I ever got out of it was 312. Average was 280. I drive pretty much exclusively highway miles during the week. I'll post the difference after the first oil change with Mobil 1 and then after the K&N air filter goes in.

That is exactly what I get with a 50/50 mix of highway/city driving. Not the best in the world...that's for sure!!

I get about 260-270 city when the light comes on. I live 280 miles from Dover AFB in the mountains of northcentral PA. I can get back here and still put on about another 70-80 miles. I use Mobil 1 synthetic. When I travel highway, I use 89 octane. City I use 87 octane. Scott

Im a lead foot and I get 230, usually go in and put 17 gallons in after the light comes on

How high are you? In thinner air at altitude the engine computer will reduce the fuel flow to maintain the proper fuel/air ratio. You lose power, but gain mileage. I hit 27mpg on a tank on the way home from GOX last year, but look at that as atypical.

if you're concerned, why'd you wait 20,000 miles to ask about it? just wondering why you suddenly noticed it.
that's actually pretty understandable since you have the s/c. i have a non-sc v6 and i get about 300 to the tank. i've never filled more than 17~ gallons though so i can't really give an accurate number.

30 ft above sea level here at dover. When I go home, about 2200 feet.

As many times as we have discussed MPG here, we might as well one more time. After all, the Xterra was purchased to drive, and mpg is a big part of the driving experience.

On my first Xterra, a 4wd auto XE, I rarely ever got 17 mpg. On the highway, I could count on a little better. But in town, well, in town it wasn't pretty. Around 15. Still better than a lot of these looming barges being driven around here.

I am on second Xterra, and it is slightly better. I am seeing around 16 in town, with some heavier speed driving, but still gingerly accelerating at red lights. It ain't a sports car. On the open road, I have been impressed. This 2002 XE 4x2 is averaging nearly 20 mpg, and I consider that to be exceptional. Oh, one more tip about highway driving: Forget the cruise control. It has always killed my MPG on the interstate. If I just drive the thing with my foot, which is more fun anyway, I get much better gas mileage.

Even if this is true (I'm not saying it isn't but usually manufacturers recommend using cruise to average out the high and low fuel use for better mileage - go figure), it's hard to do when you are treking 12 to 14 hours per day. Especially across South Dakota! :p

I've gotten about the same with mine. I've tried driving "nicer" and it didn't make that much of a difference, but I like the idea of removing the basket and air dam. Thanks!

GT

i have never put more than 16.02 gallons in the X when i got it from the dealer it was on empty so i filled it up (disapointed that they didnt do that) and the other day the light came on and i put 16 in it, what is the fuel capasity of the X??

19.4 Gallons, and I'd be pissed if I purchased a new ride and the dealer didn't even have the courtesy to fill it up after dropping that kind of cash in their store.

I was just as happy they didn't after reading how they almost always just fill it up with regular gas (I have the SC). $20 wasn't that big of a deal to make sure they didn't screw it up...

If that is the case (and I am not saying that it isn't) , then the X is like the only vehicle that will give you worse gas mileage with a constant speed!! The only way I could see this being true if if you run your vehicle at a higher speed when you are on cruise then when you are maually regulating the speed. The other way that this could be true (which I think this is what it is) is that the damn cruise control is so FUCKED up on the X!!! It pisses me off, and I know this has been covered. I brought mine back to the dealer like 10 days after I had it and I told them about how jacked up it was (downshifting and never shifting back up ect...). They told me nothing was wrong. I am going to go back in after I saw that service bulletin that backs up my claim that it is jacked up!! This is the first Nissan I have owned/driven a lot (out of 5) that has a horrible cruise.

I get about 300 miles to the tank, about 320 or so on the highway. It's a 2000 2wd XE, I keep my engine oil, air filter & fuel filters fresh and am running splitfire sparkplugs.

260 is definitely on the money. most of the time I get about that much per tank

Constant speed does not equal constant RPMs.

Ditch the K&N. Mine made my mileage suck. I took it out and mileage returned to normal. A few others here have experienced the same thing. Plus, the K&N seems to let more crap get into the intake than the stock paper filter (according to some of the pictures I have seen here on XOC).

I've usually avoided gas mileage threads, but after carefully logging my mileage over the last couple of months in a spreadsheet, I thought I'd share some interesting factoids.

First of all, I have a 2000 4x2 with a 5 speed and generally drive pretty moderately. My local driving is mostly rural, meaning few stops, 35 to 55 mph speeds in general, etc. In other words, nearly ideal local driving conditions as far as MPG's go.

Before we took a recent whirlwind vacation trip of 2300 miles, my X was driven all locally and was averaging 18.23 MPG. Highest tank was 19.5, lowest was 17.0.

Our trip panned out as the following, with interesting side notes. First of all, we traveled with four adults (well, two adults and two "full-size" teenagers). The rear luggage area was full and we used a large vinyl luggage bag on the roof with five suitcases and pillows in it.

Tank 1 - 16.6 MPG - Lots of local stop and go errands in preparation for trip, then a couple hundred miles of relatively flat interstate driving at 70 - 75 mph. (My wife didn't pack the luggage bag very aerodynamically.)

Tank 2 - 17.4 MPG - All highway travel. Long stop-and-go traffic backup in north Georgia, remainder 65 - 70 mph somewhat flat interstate, except for mountains in north Tenn.

Tank 3 - 18.0 MPG - About 80% local driving without all the luggage and luggage bag.

Tank 4 - 19.0 MPG - About 70% local driving, the rest relatively flat interstate at 65 mph, with all luggage aboard.

Tank 5 - 17.9 MPG - All interstate, all luggage, generally around 65 mph, very mountainous (West Virginia and western Virginia).

Tank 6 - 18.7 MPG - About 40% local driving, the rest was downhill out of the mountains of western Virginia to the coast, typically 65 mph.

Tank 7 - 19.1 MPG - All local driving without luggage (Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, the beach, etc.)

Tank 8 - 18.8 MPG - All interstate, around 65 mph, all luggage and passengers, relatively flat down the east coast of VA and NC.

Tank 9 - 17.7 MPG - More interstate travel, same conditions, warmer weather means more A/C.

Tank 10 - 18.4 MPG - More interstate travel, same conditions, back home. Some 70 mph travel.

FWIW.