I was not particularly pleased with the mileage I got on my last tank (24.3 mpg). I know it was due to my lead foot and a lot of stop and go city driving for most of the tank. As I started thinking about ways to improve my mileage without absolutely taking all the fun out of driving, I thought it would be fun to start a thread where people share their best tips. So far I have been avoiding fast starts and have been coasting to lights, but I would love some other ideas. Maybe we can even make a game out of seeing who can get the best mileage on a single tank.
Tips for getting the best MPG
- Thread starter sdpadsfan
- Start date
Accelerate slower, this is where most mpg is lost.
Look 2-3 cars ahead to anticipate traffic and dont tailgate. Every time you hit the brake you are wasting gas.
I get 34mpg with no problems and i still drive rather aggressively but just anticipate traffic to avoid braking.
Look 2-3 cars ahead to anticipate traffic and dont tailgate. Every time you hit the brake you are wasting gas.
I get 34mpg with no problems and i still drive rather aggressively but just anticipate traffic to avoid braking.
From the moment I turn on the car till I shut it off I am always coasting. I even coast going uphill 
j/k obviously I had to adjust my driving habits to keep RPM's lower on acceleration. I try not to break 2000, this is pretty much it, of course gaining enough speed to get up hilly parts of the road and just coast all the way down.
j/k obviously I had to adjust my driving habits to keep RPM's lower on acceleration. I try not to break 2000, this is pretty much it, of course gaining enough speed to get up hilly parts of the road and just coast all the way down.mobius120487
The Stig
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- 2013 Mazda CX-5 Touring AWD
Just got calculated 30 in my Awd, stop and go and driving 55
Have a MT
I am currently running a test with the MT CX-5. Since this tank is all city (averaging a very slow 24 mpg), I figured I would try to maximize the gas mileage. Currently I have burned about 3/4 of the tank.
As it is, the meter currently reads an average of 32.1 mpg (I find my gauge about 4% optimistic). I find that for the MT CX-5 you have to accelerate very slowly and get the car in 6th gear as soon as you can. I am having to shift to 6th gear between 30 to 35 mph to reach those figures (the acceleration capability is horrible in 6th gear at that speed).
I am currently running a test with the MT CX-5. Since this tank is all city (averaging a very slow 24 mpg), I figured I would try to maximize the gas mileage. Currently I have burned about 3/4 of the tank.
As it is, the meter currently reads an average of 32.1 mpg (I find my gauge about 4% optimistic). I find that for the MT CX-5 you have to accelerate very slowly and get the car in 6th gear as soon as you can. I am having to shift to 6th gear between 30 to 35 mph to reach those figures (the acceleration capability is horrible in 6th gear at that speed).
I have luck on moderate hills on the highway or interstate, just using the cruise control to "bump" up when going down hill, then "bump" down when climbing a hill to keep the MPG within reason. I have a personal best (via the avg MPG) of 42.3 MPG for a 21 mile trip to work, with at 40% freeway, 10% stop and go, and the best of it, a 50% 50MPH road section with minimal hills. The anticipation of traffic and knowing the route helps the most, and this is only for the 40+ mile round trip to work, stopping else where on the way home for normal running around drops it to 33-34 MPG on the instrument cluster. Tank to tank, It has been about 31MPG for normal driving, very satisfied
Small differnce (awd vs fwd is only 1-2 mpg difference) compared to driving technique, speeds, traffic conditions, terrain.
War Eagle Mazda
Member
- :
- Mazda CX-5 Touring
I get 28-29 all the time, and 100% of my driving is city/urban. I drive somewhat aggressively, but when I'm not actually in a rush, I just cruise everywhere....coast alot, coast into lights, use the handling...these things handle well, so when I turn onto a hwy or pkwy from one rd, I just take the turn a little faster and keep speed going into the new road. Been working wonders for my Gas Mileage...also, and I don't know how to fix beyond just trying different stations, but I have one station in town that gave me 26 then 24 MPG....switched stations, back up to 34 MPG on a long trip, and back to 28-29 around town. AC ALWAYS on...it's hot as hell here.
mobius120487
The Stig
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- 2013 Mazda CX-5 Touring AWD
using A/c on setting 1, not much unneccesary weight.....total 50 lbs extra crap in my car....towing lines and such
I hate when certain v6/v8 truck owners are behind me tailgating like I'm riding too slow. I'll do 48 in a 40mph zone which isn't really slow but at any rate they'll accelerate past me then come to a complete stop at the next light where I end up right behind them or beside them in another lane. Time differential is like 5-7 seconds lol. To avoid road rage I see it like this. For every 1 mile lenght city block they drive, I'll happily take 2.5 to 3 city blocks in gas mileage that I'd get.
Keep your momentum up and use the brakes as little as safely possible. Time the lights so you get them green and do not charge a red light. Coast as much as possible (this is hard to do and requires some concentration). Keep the highway speeds to no more than 65 MPH and use cruise control. Coast to the off ramps or on ramps and use the CX5 cornering capabilities to your advantage without braking if safely possible. Accelerate as quickly as you possibly can without letting the revs go much past 2500 RPM. The trick is to give it the most gas pedal travel without letting the revs go past that magic 2500 RPM. Keep the tires properly inflated. Don't worry about being the first one at the light or the first one off the line, it makes almost no difference. The guys with the sticks have a major advantage over the automatics because they can Pulse and Glide almost everywhere.
My last four average takes calculating MPG by dividing the miles driven by the gallons put in were 35.3, 35.5, 31.7, and 35.9 mpg. The 31.7 is what happens when I don't apply the above techniques as much and travel above 70 mph on the highway. :'(
My last four average takes calculating MPG by dividing the miles driven by the gallons put in were 35.3, 35.5, 31.7, and 35.9 mpg. The 31.7 is what happens when I don't apply the above techniques as much and travel above 70 mph on the highway. :'(
on highways or in city traffic where that is a stretch of road without too many cars, learn how to go to the most fuel efficient speed and very lightly just hold your foot on the gas to keep at that ideal speed, today in mixed driving (60% highway 40% city) my cx-5 was averaging 7.2L/100km (32.7 US MPG)
I like how the real time mpg lets me know what impact everything I do has on the mpg. I have already started changing some of my habits.
LOL so true, and yet because of it, I also find myself occasionally taking a longer route home just to try and get that MPG figure higher... cuz ya know, 29.9 is just not acceptable lol!
mazdachris
Member
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- Mazda CX5
This car is awesome city. 2wd w-auto. I average 6.7 to 7.3 l-kms. Better than my 07 Mazda 3. And way more trunk. I drive like its a game. I hate spending money on gas, but I am Canadian,what do you expect at 1.32 a liter. I love filling in the US. Lol. Trick is simple. Leave room and give yourself time to get there. All other comments so far are dead on as well. I don't even idle if I am in a car wash and can shut her down. I want to change my plate to NOGZZLR. If its not taking by some hummer already. (thought)
