2017 fuel economy

I've been following Subaru owner forums for a while and remember the Impreza MPG thread. This car was rated 27/30/36 but many complained they barely get 26~27 combined. Some even got really bad 21 MPG. This thread was started at 2012 and is still going strong ...
People were complaining that they can't get to 36 no matter what they do.
At least there, Fuelly data supported these claims, people were only getting ~27.5 on average, well below the 30 combined.
In 2015 Subaru raised efficiency by 1/1/1 MPG and it really reflected in Fuelly as well, still 37 or even 36 is elusive for many.
Can't compare the two, as all scooby's are AWD and have the same final drive ratio, among the same model (unless we are talking STI models, etc.)
 
No roof rack and it's winter time in Texas so definitely no open windows and no AC. Even the load was the same as it's our annual family trip, unless some family members gained too much weight during holiday season without knowing... :)

Before the road trip I was skeptical about poor highway gas mileage reported by Unobtanium during his Texas trip as I was a true believer of the fuel efficiency technology brought by Mazda SkyActiv. But after my personal experience during our own road trip, in addition to many others had experienced in this forum, I now believe my expection is too high and the EPA highway estimated for an AWD CX-5 is "exaggerated"!

I do understand YMMV and it's just our CX-5 and some others unfortunately have an "out-of-spec" SkyActiv-G engine which is not as efficient as others! It's like Mazda rotary engines in the RX-7/8, some could get 17~18 mpg but others could only get 12!

The buy-back occurred because RX8's were not putting out near the power Mazda claimed. I didn't know they also were failing to hit EPA ratings, but that makes sense.

Also, yes, I have no roof-rack, either (Comp R Special Edition! lolz). Further, I make sure my tires are inflated correctly. The only room for error, here, is that I am running Cross Contact LX20 Eco tires, but every mpg comparison test I have seen places them about middle of the pack for eco tires, with a spread of something like 2mpg from best tire to worst, and the Geolander or whatever OEM is, is NOT #1.
 
Anything like roof luggage or driving with open windows or ?

Slicktop.
Travel very light/no luggage to speak of. Really, maybe 80# at the very very very most. Typically drive alone. I weigh 195#.
Tires inflated correctly.
No SES/CEL lights
New air filter (OEM)
Always do a fresh oil-change before any major road trips
Windows almost always stay up, and A/C on. A study I read shows that after about 55mph, the parasitic loss on the driveline from the compressor is less than the added drag of lowered windows
No sunroof/moonroof

Now my Jeep had a sunroof, roof-rack, and was shaped like a brick. It also had a lot rougher underside with skidplates for everything, etc. The literal WORST I EVER managed was something like 15mpg on the highway. That was driving 60-70 through a hellacious storn, lots of water on the road, and nasty gusting wind. Typically, it averaged 18-19 on road trips. All calculated by hand, at the pump. It was rated at 19 highway. I drove it the same as my CX-5...almost. I was more aggressive in it. It had a HEMI that sounded amazing when you floored it, and well...lolz.

Combined rating on that thing was 15, and I managed a typical 13.5-14.5, and that's romping on that thing like CRAZY! Abusing the auto-start to warm it up for almost a half-hour every day, etc. etc. etc. Now when I minded my manners, I got around 16-16.5mpg on my daily commute in it.

The worst I ever saw on the highway in non-typical circumstances was towing a U-Haul. I think I managed in the 14's. 5 below rated.

By comparison, my CX-5 is rated at 26 combined, and I typically see 23ish, sometimes 22.5, sometimes 23.5. On the highway, it's rated at 30. I see 28ish on a GREAT! day. The worst was 21-23, as I recall, for a 2-300 mile trip. Towing nothing. It must have just been windy that day.

My sports cars? They all performed insanely well. 26.2mpg from my 2011 Z06 (the only time I hand-figured it) on a short round trip. 27ish from my 370Z (Really, Nissan? 150bhp less, same weight, and less drag, and you give me 1mpg more!? Oh, well, it's rated at about that, lol). 27.5mpg from my 2001 WS.6 MN6 car. 25mpg from my 1995 Trans Am A4 car. My Mustang GT doesn't count because it was too modded to compare to anything. My 2002 G20 averaged about 31mpg headed cross country from Louisiana to Bowling Green,KY and back.

No, the literal ONLY disappointment in my vehicular stable for MPG is my CX-5.

The only thing I can think that accounts for it is Mazda gaming the EPA cycle with their tuning.
 
The buy-back occurred because RX8's were not putting out near the power Mazda claimed. I didn't know they also were failing to hit EPA ratings, but that makes sense.
In addition to this 2003 RX-8 buy-back, Mazda was also offered buy-back to its 1999 Miata for the same reason - overstated horsepower.

Yeah I did keep my tire pressure at 38 psi, 2 more than factory spec, hopefully getting better gas mileage for the road trip.
 
In addition to this 2003 RX-8 buy-back
I think that the published numbers were the JDM numbers, which were reduced somewhat after getting US certification, only that Mazda failed to modify the numbers down before selling few thousands.
The reduction in output was not very significant except that this was a sports car, so people do care if it is a bit less powerful.
Mazda offered to buy back these vehicles, for anyone not happy with the situation.
 
Can't compare the two, as all scooby's are AWD and have the same final drive ratio, among the same model (unless we are talking STI models, etc.)

So what? Some Subaru owners can't even get EPA city on their combined cycle. This is what some people complain about here...
 
I think that the published numbers were the JDM numbers, which were reduced somewhat after getting US certification, only that Mazda failed to modify the numbers down before selling few thousands.
The reduction in output was not very significant except that this was a sports car, so people do care if it is a bit less powerful.
Mazda offered to buy back these vehicles, for anyone not happy with the situation.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-09-03-carbuyback_x.htm
It was around 10hp
People on this forum...a family CUV forum...go NUTTY over that kind of power....

Further, this is a pattern for Mazda. IF they would overstate their sports car by 5%, I bet they would over-state fuel economy...
 
So do the hand calculations match the dash display of MPG?

With my vehicle, sometimes they are 1 to 2 mpg low with relation to what the dash said (That is to say, the dash was low). With previous vehicles, they either matched, or were 1mpg low. My Jeep, 370Z, and Z06 were the only vehicles with on-board systems for such. The others were all hand calculated.
 
Is there any way to reset the average MPG readout on our 2014? The readout is showing 25.x right now, but the calculations from my phone app for the last 2 tanks show 23.6 and 24.2, almost all city driving. I'm not sure if that 25.x is more long term, like from before we bought the vehicle or something.
 
What road in NW AR has 85 speed limit?

I do a lot of driving in Texas. In fact, that is where my last few road trips have been, down to San Antonio. Most of the roads are 75mph, and the tollway outside of Austin is 85.

South LA, where I also go, is 85mph, as well, IIRC.
 
From personal experience the 2017 figures are more what I see in my MY16 M6. I get about 30 combined and never could get to 40 mpg consistently in the freeway. Best I could do (min 5 miles distance) is achieve about 37 mpg. As much as the CX-5 gets affected by cross winds the Mazda6 cuts through incoming as well as cross winds with ease.
 
Further, this is a pattern for Mazda.

You mean, publish JDM fuel efficiency numbers in the US (not possible, EPA procedure is not optional and not the same as the Japaneses process) and then offer to buy back?
I thought you said they did not lie. This would be lying.
 
You mean, publish JDM fuel efficiency numbers in the US (not possible, EPA procedure is not optional and not the same as the Japaneses process) and then offer to buy back?
I thought you said they did not lie. This would be lying.

Over-rating things.
 
Not sure if anyone covered this..

"EPA is responsible for providing the fuel economy data that is used on the fuel economy label (or window sticker) on all new cars and light trucks. In addition, the data is used by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to publish the annual Fuel Economy Guide, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to administer the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect Gas Guzzler taxes. The test data is derived from vehicle testing done at EPAs National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and by vehicle manufacturers who submit their own test data to EPA."

So the process involves comparing the EPA testing of the vehicles and they then compare it to the Manufacturers own test data...
This method exposed Kia when their test data was significantly different from the EPA's which raised a flag and we know what happened (voluntary reimbursement towards owners purchase of fuel, I know I had one a Sorento)..
So when the comparison is done the EPA's system seems to work...

The challenge here is that we are dealing with a US Government bureaucracy that has a limited budget and a limited number of resources to do the testing...
There is no way in heck that they can keep up with all of the Makes and Models and engine/powertrains that are announced and released every year around the world....NO WAY!..
Some estimates are as little as 20-25% of new models get tested by the EPA every year....the rest of them get window stickers based upon the Manufacturers test data...
Does anyone know what the actual percentage of cars/suvs/trucks/vans/buses get tested every year is?

So following this very real scenario, it's not surprising that some EPA estimates are over the actual results when the vehicles hit the road...

The close analogy I can compare it to is the Bayer pesticides that are linked to CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) for Honeybees...Bayer came out with a systemic pesticide that the plants and flowers pick up and pass on to the honeybees..it affects their neural system so they fall off and cannot find their way back to the hive..
The issue with the pesticide is that due to budget constraints the EPA had to rely on Bayer's test data....with the real world results saying otherwise...
 
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