I just recently traded in my 05 SS for an 08 fully loaded LT that's automatic. Hated getting rid of it but I just had my 2nd child so it was a neccesity. Anyways, why is the fuel economy so awful with the 2.2 automatics? I filled up right when it said low fuel and I was just barely under 300 miles. I calculated and both the ECU and my calculations were correct at 25.5 MPG. I drive it very easily even focusing on not giving it too much throttle to where it will downshift yet gas milage is awful. On average the LT gets 50-75 MPG less than the SS. I had a feeling going into this deal that it would be less with the automatic and all but to me that's a significant economy loss. What gives!?

i get around 28 city and 34+ depending on speed on the highway? :confused:

i get around 28 city and 34+ depending on speed on the highway? :confused:

Is yours an automatic? How many miles do you get out of a full tank?

yea im auto. i an get around 320 it seems out of a full tank. depends where im driving but thats around the average. with 60-65mph highway.

yea im auto. i an get around 320 it seems out of a full tank. depends where im driving but thats around the average. with 60-65mph highway.

Wow, this is my first auto and I swear the last. Maybe the gas milage wouldn't have been so bad with a 5-speed auto. Well since you say 320 a tank, I think I could stretch it to maybe 320-330 since I changed right when it said low fuel so I right around normal.

Getting off subject here but under that plastic crap on the engine, the coils on the plugs stick up very high and thus I have no plug cover. Is that standard on 08s? I thought 07 was the last year they did that design.

i get 27 and thats stop and go around town;). i got 38 once on the highway goin to the beach:cssNET:

Yea, i get excellent fuel economy. Never could complain about it.
not sure. I have an 05.

i get 27 and thats stop and go around town;). i got 38 once on the highway goin to the beach:cssNET:

LOL that's gotta be an XFE Cobalt

ive gotten close to 37 on extended drives on flat highway. non-xfe cobalt too.

Maybe you guys should clean the fuel injectors or run some seafoam through it. Until I added my 2.4 manifold I was getting 45 highway and 28-30 city in my auto. With the 2.4 manifold I get about 25-26, though I'm not sure if it's because it's less efficient now or if I just like to drive fast...

If you haven't already, stick a CAI on there. With just the Fujita alone I added 2 mpg.

Edit: Of course, being nearly at sea level probably helps too.

i'm an 08 no xfe and i average between 27 and 29, i drive about 15 miles highway and 10 miles city stop and go traffic.

on my trip to florida last year i ran about 32 average.

btw the 2.2 does alot better if you drive without keeping fuel economy in your head... if you drive like a granny you'll have worse gas mileage if you drive like an idiot punching it all the time you'll have worse gas mileage if you just drive the car you'll get pretty good mpgs.

If you just recently got it, the milage will be crapy for the first 1500 miles or so. Mine went from 23 when I got it to 25 after 3, 000 miles. That was all city driving.

whole forum on fuel economy. moved.

LOL that's gotta be an XFE Cobalt


nope an 06 LS and i drive pedal to the floor alot too:lol:

wait til the motor brakes in, ours sucked at first now its got 10k on it and its getting 28 and 32

Wow. Thats terrible.

I average 28 combined in my SC, usually mid 20s in town and mid 30s on the highway..

06 2.2 auto and get about 25/city when im not throttle down all the time and about 34/highway

I do nothing but city driving. 22 mpg. When I do venture on a raod trip i get 35 mpg.

i only have 2,400 on the clock. 24mpg all city. heaavy on the gas. xtra fucking efficient

When I first got my 2.2 automatic 07 LS, it took a while for the economy gauge to get an accurate reading.

It also took a few thousand miles for the motor to break in.

The car felt lethargic and especially so on the freeway in passing until the motor broke in.
Now it is very responsive and peppy.
I notice many of the car reviews wind up with a brand new Cobalt 2.2 and I feel it is not a good basis to review the car with.

I am currently getting over 30mpg average and it floats between 30.2 and 30.8 depending if I am easy or not on the gas. I have had it go down to 28.6 for a bit, but I think it was because of the weather.

I did get a hair over 37mpg on a non-stop road trip to Vegas with the cruise set at 70mph.

Your 2.2 will start to get better MPG, but it just needs some break in time.

i get the worst fue economy... 23MPG average. 2.2 auto.

i get right around 28-30 for city and anywhere from 32-35 on the highway the past couple of days though it has been saying 35-38 on the highway cause i put my k&n typhoon in so i dont know if its right or not.also im i have a 2.2 g5

yeah those sound about right for mine

i average 24.7mpg with mostly city and occasional highway. at which time my speed is usually a steady 70

Lately, I'm averaging only 25 or so. But I am extremely heavy on the gas pedal. If I take it easy I usually average 28-30. This is probably 65% city 35% hwy mixture. On an all highway trip I have been in the high 30s doing ~70.

I haven't noticed much of an increase with my intake as I've been heavier on the gas pedal lately, but I'm sure there would be a difference there if I stay below 4k RPM's once in a while. I'm sure when my exhaust is complete and I get a tune, I will average closer to 30-32 on a normal basis of easy driving.

My Saturn SC1 auto got way better gas mileage, but it was a 1.9L SOHC w/ 100hp to the crank and I had intake and exhaust done on it (also the car only weighed 2300-2400lbs, but I averaged 35mpg when I took it easy and 28 if I beat on it all day long. I think the only highway trip I did with it netted me somewhere around 43 mpg.

lol i think mine says 21.2 right now

When I'm crusing from Virginia to Michigan at 55mph i avraged between 38.8 and 42.6 mpg (fluxuates because of the up hill/down hill route i take through the mountains of PA and stuff... (i would stop for gas each time i hit 1/4 tank) stopped once in Wash. DC for 3/4 tank fill up... stopped once just inside the Ohio-PA boarder for a 3/4 tank fill up and then stopped one last time just south of Detroit for another 3/4 tank fill up (would arrive at my parents house with 1/2 tank left). so 2 tanks to go 886 miles... thats about 443 miles per tank. 886 divide by 2 tanks = 443 per tank. hope that helps you out...

But its a different story when im not traveling at the same speed the whole way... i.e. digging into the boost on my LS

I get around 30mpg avg for city and highway, mostly city.
2.2 auto

My wifes car gets around 30 city and 32 highway... its an 09 1LT 2.2 auto sedan with around 13k miles.

Would getting it tuned for better gas mileage be worth it? Or should i just leave it stock. I was thinking about getting a CAI for it also.

If you're getting an intake, you might as well get a free flowing exhaust. Then the tune would be worth it...that's what I'm doing. Injen intake, LSJ cat-back and ZZP mid-length header/dp. Then Trifecta tune.

It's either all or none for the best economy. An intake alone will net you a small gain. A tune alone may net you a small gain...add them together and you'll get the best performance and fuel economy gains. It's up to you whether you think $250 plus shipping is worth the extra couple MPG's. If the car is driven a lot or is in all city driving it may be more worthwhile than a car that doesn't get driven much.

If you're getting an intake, you might as well get a free flowing exhaust. Then the tune would be worth it...that's what I'm doing. Injen intake, LSJ cat-back and ZZP mid-length header/dp. Then Trifecta tune.

It's either all or none for the best economy. An intake alone will net you a small gain. A tune alone may net you a small gain...add them together and you'll get the best performance and fuel economy gains. It's up to you whether you think $250 plus shipping is worth the extra couple MPG's. If the car is driven a lot or is in all city driving it may be more worthwhile than a car that doesn't get driven much.


The car is driven at least 40 to 50 miles a day... maybe a little less sometimes so im guessing it would be worth it.

Its my wifes car so she doesn't want a exhaust system (even though i can get a quiet one :( ). So ill look at the Injen intake and go to the guy that tunes my truck to see about getting a good tune for it.

Thanks for the help man!

shit u all are lucky

im average around 24-26 on the highway at speeds 70-77

in the city, like speeds around 40 kinda suck, once i hit 45 and it shifts, i get mid 30s, sometimes ever 40s on the instant

The car is driven at least 40 to 50 miles a day... maybe a little less sometimes so im guessing it would be worth it.

Its my wifes car so she doesn't want a exhaust system (even though i can get a quiet one :( ). So ill look at the Injen intake and go to the guy that tunes my truck to see about getting a good tune for it.

Thanks for the help man!

Even just getting a straight LSJ exhaust would be good for flow and still would be quiet enough as it's a stock exhaust system from the SS/SC. I have the cat-back(got it for $45 locally), but will be going aftermarket for header and DP.

Look at the K&N intake as well. I recommend both Injen and K&N.

Even just getting a straight LSJ exhaust would be good for flow and still would be quiet enough as it's a stock exhaust system from the SS/SC. I have the cat-back(got it for $45 locally), but will be going aftermarket for header and DP.

Look at the K&N intake as well. I recommend both Injen and K&N.

Thanks man I didn't know that LSJ meant the exhaust off of a factory ss/sc. Ill def. Look into that. Ill look at the K&N also.

I recently got a K&N intake and a 2.5" catback and my city mileage went up by 5 mpg............ until i started using the air conditioner every day now im only at 24 mpg.

I just checked mine for that last three days back and forth to work its 1/3 country roads, 1/3 freeway, and 1/3 city. Filled tank and put in 10.2 gallons and odometer mileage was 365 =35.7mpg not to shabby I thought. I have 2.2l auto in my G5.

i average 24.7mpg with mostly city and occasional highway. at which time my speed is usually a steady 70

just an update since my last post.

well i started driving like a normal human being and got it up to 27.3 mpg on the DIC over the last weekend which consisted of 300 highway miles and it has since went down to 26.6. still not too shabby.

just an update since my last post.

well i started driving like a normal human being and got it up to 27.3 mpg on the DIC over the last weekend which consisted of 300 highway miles and it has since went down to 26.6. still not too shabby.
Hmm, my normal human driving on the highway is 30s.

Im an 05 auto and the car tells me im getting 17.6 MPG lol. I dont really care that I have bad MPG because im 17 and I know I have a lead foot lol. Any way I can try to improve this lol?

36 MPG on highway,around town stop and go at every light with ac on blast sucks though.

09 2.2l auto gets about 17-20 city (lots of hills where i live) and average of almost 40 mpg highway

I average with my auto 35mpg city and highway combined.