Wind & speed make a huge difference in such a vehicle. Based on my city MPG, I was tickled to get over 19 on the highway (still being broke in).

 

So we took our other road trip, and even though there was a snow storm and we bucked a head wind for almost 70 miles, we still averaged about 19-20 highway over the entire way there. When the wind was calm on our return trip, it was about 20-22 dependiong on how flat the road was. Again, this is just according to the overhead, so take it with a grain. Good enough mileage for me though. Not many SUV's out there that do better then that, and none that I know of can do it and still offer the capability the Aspen/Durango does.

In the city, real stop and go stuff, we've been averaging a solid 15 so far. I'm happy with that too. OUr Liberty we used to have got closer to 19 city, so we lost some there, but we are in a much bigger vehicle now, so that is expected. The Honda Pilot we almost bought had an epa rated 16 city, 22 highway, and 18 combined. That is within about 1 mpg of what we are getting in the Aspen, and i'm doing it with a 5.7 Hemi that makes the Honda v6 look like a Briggs and Stratton. Plus, the Aspen is more roomy in the 3rd row and holds more in the rear with the 3rd row folded. The Aspen is so much more capable in so many ways over the Pilot too (offroad, towing, etc...). I'm definetly glad we went with the Aspen instead of the Pilot.

 

X10. Pilot = Minivan.
Ridgeline = minivan with bed.

I'm guessing you still have the stock Goodyear SRAs? According to CRs tire test a year or two ago, they have the lowest rolling resistance. Even though I have 2wd, I will probably never make the mileage you are making due to my AT tires. Hopefully mine will loosen up with time, and I will switch to synthetic next oil change.

 

If you have the time and inclination, I'd like to hear calculated mileage as well. I only get to 20 when I go 68 over a long distance and the MDS does its thing the entire time.

It would be great if these calcs are correct, but even your city numbers are wildly optimistic compared to what the rest of us get. Mine gets 13 and change in the City, and I also have a 2008 w/full-time 4wd. If you had a 2wd this would be more reasonable, but the 4wd has additional losses.

 

Ya, i've been menaning to try to get a manual calculation. Problem is, I don't hardly ever drive it, it's the wifes. So i'll see what I can get, and get back to you guys.

 

As long as you reset the display at every fill, it should be accurate per tank. I always go by the display. It's the most accurate IMO. There are too many other variables when calculating manually. I can believe you can obtain 23 at any given time. But it would be difficult to believe you could average that for a whole tank.

 

No i'm not saying i'm averaging 23 for the whole tank. What I said was under certain conditions, I saw 23-24 on the overhead for many miles (i.e. over 100 miles). The conditions warranted this type of mileage though. In town, the reading is all over the place, but when I calculated manually a tank that was all city, it was just over 15 mpg. Anyway, my whole point is that i'm happy with the mpg's i'm getting.

 

The Lie-O-Meter always reads a little higher than my actual mpg's when I hand calculate. I' usually 1 mpg lower when I hand calculate. That electronic Lie-O-Meter is not accurate, especially when it comes down to how many miles I have left on a tank of gas! It gets close but not dead on!

 

I have a 2007 Aspen Limited with the 5.7L Hemi and love it. I tow a 5x8 trailer with a H.D. Road King or a John Deere UATV with no problems...don't even know there is anything back there! I usually head to the mountains, about a 90 mile ride one way. I sometimes load the trailer with firewood, probably overloaded, and I know it is back there but the Aspen still doesn't feel sluggish. I have an Airaid C.A.I. and a Magnaflow Cat-Back exhaust, (original style), on it and it performs well!

BTW, Magnaflow redisigned their Cat-back for this SUV a year or so ago adding a resonator. After a few hundred miles with my Aspen, the exhaust got considerably louder. I don't mind but passengers always comment on it. The new design is supposed to keep it quiter.

 

I have a 2009 Aspen and Iove it! I have the 4.7...great mileage and almost no maintenance required. We had a 5.7 Hemi and it was noisier and not as good on mileage. Traded it back to the dealer for the 4.7 and never looked back. They only made them 2007-2009 so they're hard to find, but if you can find one, it'll be worth the hunt!