On my way to Disney...Mileage report!

[gpzjack]

Driving From Pa to Fl this week. Car is loaded with Thule Rooftop carrier on top. After refueling i calculate 29mpg. I think that is fantastic. I was thinking mid 20's at best. This was average speeds 45-65

 

[Wuster]

Sounds like fun!

I would love to hear about your experiences reading the drive to Disney (e.g., what roads to avoid, where to stay, how do the kids handle a long drive, etc.). We're are contemplating a drive from DC to Disney early next year.

 

[coolmazda5]

(2thumbs), yeah, same questions as Wuster, sounds like fun. We are not in the mood to fly somewhere nowadays, driving allows you to take your own time and do it with your own rules...

airports + kids + luggage = ughhh

Hey, that cargo box looks familiar

 

[speed1016]

how far is that?

 

[mhrebin]

too far.lol

 

[speed1016]

lol yeah, Im complaind cause I'm moving from Tn to KS next month.

 

[meackerman]

when we drove to Disneyland (about 6 hours) we were getting 30 mpg at 70 and 28 mpg at 75. With 3 adults, 2 kids and all our luggage inside the car.

 

[CTpro5]

More pics please!!I will love to bring my 3 Year old, and family there too. Also will it be cheaper near December??

 

[gpzjack]

Arrived today in orlando...bit over 1000 miles.....did a route from philly thru the outer banks...with two ferries and down to Charleston...then 95 from there....once we started running 75 or so mileage dropped a little but still around 27. I am real happy with it. I rode my motorcycle this route in 04 and loved it...so this time we did it with the kids (2.5 and 8) and had a great time. Staying at the Polynesian ....got a great deal...$3200 for 8 days seven nights with all passes and the food plan. Sounds like alot but its a pretty good deal....Oct rocks....we do the halloween party and hit the Wine and food festival....I have been soo loaded in the past at epcot...really good time.

 

[Wuster]

So how far did you manage to make it on the first day before the kids couldn't take it anymore?

 

[mrbwa1]

Where did you get that lighthouse attachment for the roof. It would really help to locate the 5 in a parking lot!

On a serious note, our last trip came to just a smidge under 31MPG with 2 adults + baby and gear for a weekend. MUCH better than expected considering we had to traverse a pass known as "Rattlesnake Grade" in SE Washington.

To paint the picture, you start down the kill and there is one of those 25mph squiggly road sings. Underneath it says next 13 miles! then you go across the Grand Rhonde rive and up the other side for another 10 miles. I can say with certainty that the Sport Shift mode on the AT works quite well. The 5 really does shine in the twisties. Both the wife and I drove prudently (we have a baby), but not so slow as to make it dull, averaging may 25MPH through the tight stuff. The rest of the trip was about a 55-60MPH average.

Here is a "nice and easy" section. Not that I'm on the same windy road, but about 800 feet higher in elevation, yet less than a mile of road away!

I live in some of the greatest driving country... I tell ya!

 

[Wuster]

Not to mention one of the coldest.

My wife is from Spokane, and we make the trip a couple of times a year... I swear it has snowed every time I have been out there.

 

[mrbwa1]

Not to mention one of the coldest.

My wife is from Spokane, and we make the trip a couple of times a year... I swear it has snowed every time I have been out there.

Well yeah it can get a bit cold. I do enjoy having 4 seasons though! I just with a bit less snow than last yeah. Snow is OK by me in moderation, but I can't do that Lake Effect style barrage of 10-12" storms!

I do dig being so close to nowhere though. a 1 hour drive get you out into some beautiful country or to the mountains, or a river or lake.. Just pick a direction!

 

[Rocket]

Sorry I missed you in Charleston.

 

[Wuster]

Well yeah it can get a bit cold. I do enjoy having 4 seasons though! I just with a bit less snow than last yeah. Snow is OK by me in moderation, but I can't do that Lake Effect style barrage of 10-12" storms!

I do dig being so close to nowhere though. a 1 hour drive get you out into some beautiful country or to the mountains, or a river or lake.. Just pick a direction!

True, it's beautiful country out there. I have buddy in Coeur D'Alene that I go snowmobiling with when I'm out there.

 

[sunglassguyjack]

ugg....just got back....car didn't like doing 80 on the way home...lol got about 25 mpg avg at that speed. Overall car did great. Can't wait for another road trip. Disney was a little bit of a let down this year...seems i get less for my money every year. I think it will be a few years before i go again...time for new stuff. I wanna head out west. I'm doing OBX next summer for a week and probably gonna hit Idaho. I highly recommend the rack and carrier for trips. We had almost 2 weeks of close for all four of us plus my camera,laptop etc. I also found the car to be pretty comfortable on the trip although i have read alot of complaints.

 

[mrbwa1]

ugg....just got back....car didn't like doing 80 on the way home...lol got about 25 mpg avg at that speed. Overall car did great. Can't wait for another road trip. Disney was a little bit of a let down this year...seems i get less for my money every year. I think it will be a few years before i go again...time for new stuff. I wanna head out west. I'm doing OBX next summer for a week and probably gonna hit Idaho. I highly recommend the rack and carrier for trips. We had almost 2 weeks of close for all four of us plus my camera,laptop etc. I also found the car to be pretty comfortable on the trip although i have read alot of complaints.

Interesting report. The gas mileage nose-dives on the 5 above about 65MPH. I would say 25MPG with the racks and load @ 80MPH is pretty good. Where in Idaho are you thinking of heading next year? That's heading towards my neck of the woods (well the southern part is the wife's territory, we are currently more toward N. Idaho).

 

[rodslinger]

I stopped in Vandalia, IL before I finish my trip to Decatur, IL in the morning. I made it from Atlanta to Vienna, IL. About 415 miles. I got 30.4mpg on that leg. I kept it about 65 the entire run and hung out behind a few rigs on the way.

 

[Wuster]

...Disney was a little bit of a let down this year...seems i get less for my money every year...

Can I ask what aspect of Disney did you not like and which part you like? I haven't been there in ages, and I have never been there with kids. So I am curious to get a first hand perspective versus the what all the literature and stuff that Disney sent me said.

 

[sunglassguyjack]

Can I ask what aspect of Disney did you not like and which part you like? I haven't been there in ages, and I have never been there with kids. So I am curious to get a first hand perspective versus the what all the literature and stuff that Disney sent me said.

Let's see....To start we did the food plan...only good thing i can say is that we got a huge discount on it. Otherwise it was a pita.

Fastpass....makes the park worse every year. Gee lets see...get a pass to come back an hour later and still wait in line for 1/2 hr. meanwhile the regular line is now taking twice as long as it would. I think the whole thing is a joke and a ploy to get you to shop more.

We always go for halloween. Last two trips they close the park and then decorate...to get back in you must have a pass. It was really cool to be there during the day and then come back to a fully decorated park. Now they just leave out the stuff and let people stay but you have to have a pass to ride or trick or treat....really lame.

Lots of other little details too. I had a great time but just kept questioning why little things that made us happy were misssing. I may even just be burned out.