[dartman48]

Hello to all, and thanks for allowing me in.
I joined in hope of finding some answers for my daughter. She is the new owner of a 2007 Outlook.
She had mentioned to me before, that she was not getting much in the way of fuel economy, and thought she was around 13 - 14 mpg. I had her calculate her mileage on a trip from Upland, CA to Phoenix, AZ this past weekend.
The results are pretty shocking:
All freeway, little traffic, 70 - 75 mph on cruise control.......15.5 mpg ???
I get better than that, in-town, in my '03 Powerstroke.

Anyway, I've read lots of posts, and I've got some ideas of where to start. But my guess is, it's going back to the dealer for some diagnostics and a possible reflash. Tire pressure looks good, but she may have to run closer to the max pressure.
In the '07 AWD, is the Traction Control always on, unless the driver turns it off? I don't see a button or switch, so maybe this car doesn't have TC.

Oh well, I'll hope for some improvement. At current gas prices, 15.5 is not good enough.

 

[khansen30]

Is she using the DIC for her calculations or doing it the old fashion way? If using the DIC, has she re-set it at fill up? If she hasn't then that is the problem.

If she has re-set and getting that mileage, something needs to be checked in the engine or tranny. I get 12 - 14 in the city as it is all street and little highway. I get 25 to 30 on the highway.

 

[dartman48]

The mpg calculation was manual rather than via the DIC.
The car was a Saturn "buy back" with just 3,156 miles on the clock, and it had some minor problems that had to be cared for by the dealer. All of the issues were handled, and other than the economy and Saturn's inability to provide her an Owners Manual, everything else is fine.
Does anyone know about the Traction Control system (other than what is on other posts)?
Does the AWD model have TC if there is no button or switch?
Without the Owner's Manual, it's hard to figure this out.

 

[khansen30]

I thought that all of them had the TC button and TC for that matter, located in front of the shifter on the dash, next to the lift gate button (if she has that). Does she have an XE or an XR.

If she got a buy back, who knows what the problems are. Did the dealer tell her why it was bought back, do you believe them?

The dealer should get you a manual out of another they have on the lot or contact the previous owner for it. I never take mine out of the car, so something doesn't sound right there either.

 

[KBacon]

I didn't think it was legal for the dealership to sell a vehicle that was "bought back"? Sounds like your daughter might have gotten one of the early ones that had some issues.

 

[dartman48]

I don't know all the issues with the car. However, the only items she is left with are the mpg and the owner's manual.
The Buy Back program was (or is) a guarantee by Saturn that you'll be satisfied with your car. If not, you have a limited amount of time or miles to return the vehicle "no questions asked".

The Outlook she bought is top of the line (which ever that is) and has all the bells and whistles. So, yes it has the power lift gate. I'll have to look more carefully for the TC button.

I'm thinking that maybe she's trying to accelerate harder to compensate for the "soft" feel of TC. However, it may be more of a transmission issue than a TC issue. At any rate, 15.5 mpg is unacceptable. She loves the car, but can't afford that kind of mileage.

 

[KBacon]

I'm sorry.. I wasn't aware of the Saturn Buyback program.. I thought you meant that the dealer had to buy it back because of a Lemon Law or something.

If the Outlook has leather.. then I believe it'd be an XR.. the XE has the cloth.

The traction Control button is in the bottom row of buttons on the center dash.. right in front of the shifter/cup holders... right next to the power liftgate button.

I personally have an Acadia FWD (was able to get a better deal on it vs Outlook).. and I notice that gas mileage is much better if I don't accelerate hard. This is a 5000# vehicle w/ a V6 engine. You might tell her to go to the dealer and get the May 8 transmission reflash.. that will help w/ the poor midrange acceleration issues. This vehicle takes a bit to get used to... GM tried to program the transmission computer for optimum gas mileage... but it makes the vehicle seem underpowered... sometimes it seems like you have to floor it to get it to move... But this will cause a huge drop in mpgs.

I've also found that my Acadia runs better on 89-93 octane or at least 87 from a "good" gas station (IE Shell, BP, ect) ... the power was really down a few times when the wife put some 87 from a crappy gas station to save a few $$$.
In my FWD I've gotten an average of 20-21mpg w/ combined hwy/city driving.. and as much as 30mpg on the interstate.

 

[dartman48]

Thanks KBacon, the car is an XR Touring. Also, I checked for the TC button, and it's there as described.
Is there any way, other than going to the dealer, to find out what TSBs, Campaigns, and Recalls were performed on the vehicle? Ford has an Oasis Report, and a technician can access the report to see the maintenance history. Is there anyone in this Forum with access to the GM system?
Back to the mileage issue....It's not so much the sluggish performance (although that's irritating too), it's more the 15.5 freeway mpg that is confusing. Maybe the torque converter is not locking up, and the engine is working harder to maintain speed. I guess I'll have to drive it and count the shifts.
Lastly, I've told my daughter to "demand" an owner's manual. They certainly owe her that.

 

[imgntht]

If you haven't already, I would also suggest you create a login to the Acadia Forum. Essentially they are the same cars, and I find the Acadia forum FAR more active. You may get more responses and find more related articles to your concerns there.

 

[dartman48]

Thanks, I'll give that a shot. I know that this forum is relatively new, when compared to others I belong to. However, I'd hoped for a bit more action.
Lot's of good information though. Especially when you consider that I still don't have an owner's manual.

 

[khansen30]

Thanks, I'll give that a shot. I know that this forum is relatively new, when compared to others I belong to. However, I'd hoped for a bit more action.
Lot's of good information though. Especially when you consider that I still don't have an owner's manual.

Here is another Outlook forum that I think has a lot more info and does have more activity.

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=62