Wife reporting poor gas mileage on 2.5L CX-7

[KawiNinjaZX]

We have had our 2010 CX-7 2.5L for about a month now. My wife is calling it a gas guzzler. Here last car, which was a Mitsubishi Lancer 5 speed got around 34mpg, which is better than the EPA rating by 4mpg. She is driving the CX-7 mostly highway and is very easy on the car, but she is reporting about 23mpg. The trip computer says around 25.7mpg. I was disappointed, since it was rated 28 highway I was hoping for around that.

It has 47,000 miles, and the dealer replaced all the filters. It has new factory tires on it. I am going to switch to synthetic oil, but I don't know if this is normal MPG or if there is something I can do to bump it up. Does the computer need to be flashed?

 

[hornsfan10609]

You are comparing apples to oranges here, 26MPG in an SUV that size is not bad at all.

 

[KawiNinjaZX]

I get what you are saying, but its more like 23mpg, and it's supposed to get 28 highway and every car we have ever owned we get better than the EPA rating. I can accept the MPGs, but I would just like to know if it is normal or if we can do something to help it. I would like to get 26mpg.

 

[lowlevel]

We have had our 2010 CX-7 2.5L for about a month now. My wife is calling it a gas guzzler. Here last car, which was a Mitsubishi Lancer 5 speed got around 34mpg, which is better than the EPA rating by 4mpg. She is driving the CX-7 mostly highway and is very easy on the car, but she is reporting about 23mpg. The trip computer says around 25.7mpg. I was disappointed, since it was rated 28 highway I was hoping for around that.

It has 47,000 miles, and the dealer replaced all the filters. It has new factory tires on it. I am going to switch to synthetic oil, but I don't know if this is normal MPG or if there is something I can do to bump it up. Does the computer need to be flashed?

I'm finding similar... Previous car also a 5spd Mitsubishi Lancer (2008) and was getting slightly better than EPA sticker ratings. I now have a 2013 Ford Edge, and am getting ~20% worse than sticker ratings with the same driving. I'm left wondering if the testing for SUV's is different somehow or flawed.

 

[brandini]

Use name-brand gas (TopTier if possible)
Consider running 89 in hotter months
One evening before getting home, over-inflate the tires to what it says on the sidewall. Wait overnight. First thing in the morning bleed air to desired pressures, add 2psi to each corner over the door sticker.
Get an alignment and be picky about toe- set it to zero or ever so slightly negative. Too much will cause scrub... aka friction.
Don't use the AC. Read the manual as most Mazdas run the AC when floor vents or defroster are being used. Figure out which settings do not.
Teach her to be easy when accelerating and how to coast. Coasting is the single largest way to save gas in a new car as injectors will fully shut off when above a certain RPM (~1500).
Synthetic oil can help, but driveline fluids will make the largest difference. Stick with the factory specs, but aftermarket mfrs are OK if the stated spec is listed.
Remove any roof racks when empty.
Don't warm the car up in winter months for more than a few minutes. Drive like a granny until the car is blowing heat that is too hot and you turn it down. Mazdas will high idle until the O2 sensors warm up, so when it idles at 2krpm, don't drive until that drops down to less than 1500rpm.
Coast, coast, and coast some more. Seriously. A red light ahead then your foot shouldn't be on the gas pedal, that's stupid!
Oh and coast.