Mpg And Rpm's At 70Mph With The Auto/manual

[Multics]

Hi all,

I'm looking into buying an IS200 soon, very nice low mileage car with all the extra's (nav, leather seats etc).

I commute once a week from Leeds to west London (400 miles round trip).

Should I get an auto or manual? The commute is all M1 except ten roundabouts, five red lights and a stop a Leicester Forest services!

I know the manual is a 6 speed box and the auto has 4 gears.

Which one is the most economical on the motorway?

Cruising at 70mph on a flat surface, what kind of mpg and rpm figures should I see with the manual / auto box?

Many thanks in advance.

[north]

welcome to the horror of the IS200 the manual is more economical if not driven hard... at motorways you'll be looking at about 28 to 29 miles a gallon... the auto will do 26 to 27 miles a gallon on the same speed...

keep it at 63 miles an hour and get more mileage out of it as that seems to be most economical speed for the 1jzge engine.

best to achieve this is to get an IS with cruise control... (a lot don't have it)

[Multics]

Thanks. Why "welcome to the horror of is200"?!

I suppose the 6th gear on the manual has a longer ratio than the 4th on the auto so that would explain the better mpg at 70mph.

I thought the is200 came with the 1g-fe engine and the is300 with the 2jz-ge... I dont understand your last comment regarding the 1jz-ge.

[ColinBarber]

it's not just the gear ratio that makes the auto less economical. The manual is lighter and is a more energy efficient drivetrain.

Correct, the IS200 has the 1G-FE engine.

[is200 Newbie]

Hi Stavros

I have an Auto 04 LE model - with cruise control - I used to do a 120 mile round trip 3 times a week down the M56 with no stops.

Cruise set at 70 and i would have enough left in the tank at the end of the week to do another 50-60 miles i reckon (1/4 of a tank left) On a 350 mile trip to Scotland i got the same with 1/4 tank left so i think its pretty consistent that you should get around 400 to the tank.

A lot depends though on how the car has been treated in the past - i have looked after mine, had it 3 years and it's just under 100k with no fault apart from the caliper issue which is an easy fix. This is my first auto and after driving manuals for 20 years i think i would stick with an auto box. I dont think they are as quick in acceleration as manuals when in the drive mode but when using 1,2,3 gears it will fly from a stop start but red line is reached very quick if pressing hard in these gears. I tend to find my auto needs to warm up first if you want a good bit of acceleration while in the drive mode. But all in all - very happy to put it in Drive / set the cruise and let the car do the driving.

Cruise control is very easy to use also.

[noby76]

Hi Stavros on a long trip to and from birmingham most weekends which is about 85 miles each way I average 33.8mpg in my 3.0litre IS which is shown from my Garmin Satnav. that will equate to exactly 508 miles to the tank. which is diesel car or 1.6 litre petrol car territory from a 3 litre automatic... might be the fact that i prefer to use higher octane fuel than regular. this shows big engined cars could be fuel efficient ounce they get up to cruising speed say 67-70mph... at those speeds a big engine car is hardly stressing. mine sits at 2500rpm at 70mph which is just 1000rpm above a mordern diesel car doing that same speed. Mpg wise there is no much difference between the 2.0litre auto and 3.0litre auto IS so if you want an auto go for the big bro(3.0) which will have 5 gear ratios and mo' motor(power) under the bonnet if you want it!! driving a manual car in London can be a mission with having to clutch down every couple of meters so if you will be doing more London driving get the auto 'Less stress on your left foot' also if power is your thing IS300 performs better than the 200 with no huge sacrifice to fuel, road tax or insurance as they are pretty much the same for both engines!! thats why i went 300...

[north]

Thanks. Why "welcome to the horror of is200"?!

I suppose the 6th gear on the manual has a longer ratio than the 4th on the auto so that would explain the better mpg at 70mph.

I thought the is200 came with the 1g-fe engine and the is300 with the 2jz-ge... I dont understand your last comment regarding the 1jz-ge.

Sorry you are right about the engine code... ( what was i thinking) anyways the gear ratio on the manual and the automatic workout roughly the same... the extra weight of the auto gearbox is the killer on the car... also the 1g-fe engine isn't economical compared to the 2jz-ge that is in the is300 that has more power a (1000 cc more displacement) and gives better MPG then the 1g-fe... the thing with the IS300 is they are rare in sedan form so if you don't like the sports back model you'll be looking a longtime for a IS300 sedan as the owners rarely sell them.

I called it the horror of the IS200 because of the thirsty engine... also the manual eggs you on to drive it fast... as it's a close ratio box... meaning that if you have to go up hill you have to be in the right gear otherwise the engine will be working way to hard to get there... I'm quite sure that IS300 owners don't have this problem as they have more power + only the automatic gearbox and for that matter is200 owners with autobox will not have this problem either.

For the rest the IS200 manual is a very nice car with that engine and really the same as it's direct rival the BMW 320 series that has the same engine displacement but the IS200 has better MPG then the BMW and a better spec from the start too (+ looks way better then direct rival BMW 320 e36 )

[fjcfarrar]

IS 200 auto is a bit thirstier than the manual. The IS200 Auto box is good but a relatively ancient, not very efficient design and is not particularly well integrated with the ECU. Both respond to driving in a way that respects the characteristics of the silky-smooth 6-cylinder engine. If you do not drive like an Olympic sprinter, the difference between the two is not huge - but mpg is unlikely to often exceed the lowish 30's.

If you fancy an auto, and can afford it; you should consider the IS250. Despite its 2.5 litre engine it is more economical that the IS200 and actually more economical than the IS250 Manual to the extent that it is in a lower emissions & road-tax category. Like the IS200, the IS250 Auto is a 6, but in a Vee and is also smooth, durable and reliable. Earlier ones (2004/5 on) should be available at fairly reasonable prices. If you go this route, aim for those with the multi-media (MM) pack for better sound plus a few extra toys.

[jfatboy]

i dunno where the petrol guzzling comes from i get 40 mpg on my motorway trips easily, when i am heavy footed though it chews fuel....but its not hard to be fuel concious in them.

[GME]

I do 37mpg on 77mph with my auto whether on cruise control or not. Sometimes 40mpg when on flat surface.

Now that I replaced my airfilter for a K&N filter it improved by another 2-3mpg's. So I am doing more 40's on 77mph+.