CX-5 drivers with Manual Transmissions...what do you do to maximize MPG's in the city

I am sort of on a quest to better my MPG's in the city (my best is 34.1 according to the dash).

And since we have better control of the shift points than the auto transmission guys, what do you guys do to try and maximize it?

A couple of my ideas:

1. I try to shift at no more than about 2300 RPM's.
2. I generally do a lot of coasting trying to time lights.

Any other ideas?

What you said, plus I will often shift directly from 4th to 6th on slight downslopes or flat ground when traffic is moving unobstructed and the engine is under low demand for torque. Still, city driving with winter tires is lowering my Fuelly numbers.

The things that help you achieve optimal mpg aren't throttle/shift related. It mainly boils down to driver behavior. How close you tail? How make you brake? What time of the day you drive? What is your cruising speed on interstate?

For instance, going down a mountain safely means using engine-braking to help control your speed. You will have relatively high-rpm, but really high mpg since gravity is doing the work for you. Being in 6th means low rpms, but it's not safe on a real mountain.

From what you mention, timing lights....I think you're probably pretty much at your "optimal" mpg. If you want best possible mpg ever, you can always resort to doing some sketchy hyper mile stuff.

Btw shifting at the lowest point possible, doesn't always equal higher mpg. It could just bog your engine down and actually make your engine have to work more inefficiently to get to speed. Consider your power-curve and shift at the optimal points. I don't own a CX-5 (yet ), what are the shift points suggested by Mazda?

I think you are on the right track.
Hypermilers (e.g. with a Prius) try to engage the engine in short bursts followed with long coasting. Stopping and starting will kill your MPG, so attempting to keep constant speed will help you much. Most cars have a sweet-spot somewhere around 50~55 MPH. As you go to higher speeds, drag will drastically reduce your MPG. Many new engines shut-off fuel when the throttle is off and in gear but will idle and use fuel when in neutral, so keep it in high gear while coasting. High gear so engine braking will be minimal.
Obviously, don't carry junk you don't need and check your tire pressure. Low rolling resistance tires can save you 10~5% but with reduced traction (e.g. snow/mud). Close all windows and remove any roof attachments, spoilers, deflectors etc. Some people even fill only 50% of gas to reduce weight.
Good luck and let us know how much better you were able to get.

when you coast leave it in gear not neutral

I feel ya....one of the reasons I bought this SUV is not to worry about mpg all that much.
I actually bought this car so I can rev it, take some corners...ya know...drive an SUV kinda fast without attracting too much attention from our 5-0 friends...that said, to save mpg?
Yes, shift earlier, coast alot and minimize braking.
Overall I get ~ 30-31mpg average all calculated by hand in a fuel book (computer generally says 32.2) - I gotta join Fuelly one of these days and dump my data up there

As was mentioned earlier, driver behavior and driving conditions are very important. City driving typically has a lot of stops and starts so it is important not to accelerate too quickly as doing so will just lead to more fuel wasted if you have to brake for a stoplight or traffic. Having a manual trans lets us easily pop into whatever gear we want to be in and also pop it back into neutral when it is advantageous. There are definitely times when it makes sense to keep the car in gear and there are definitely times when it makes sense to pop the car into neutral. Anyone who says that only one way or the other isn't seeing the whole picture.

Going down a steep hill in gear makes sense if you're already at the speed you want to be at. The CX-5 uses no gas in certain situations when you are not pressing the throttle and in gear. For example, if you are in say 5th gear going up a hill then take your foot off the gas while going downhill, the engine won't use any gas while it is still in gear until your speed goes down to the point where the RPMs hit around 800 or so. If you are in neutral then just shift into gear to use engine braking going downhill, the engine will still be using gas until you blip the throttle briefly then the engine won't use any gas.

When in heavy stop and go traffic or in a parking lot or even using pulse and glide on the freeway, it can make a lot of sense to shift into neutral. Neutral allows you to lose as little speed as possible while barely using any gas. In certain situations, if you kept the trans in gear, you won't use any gas for a brief instant but you would also slow down much faster so you would be forced to press on the accelerator much more often to keep your speed. You use the most gas at low gears and high load situations (accelerating, going uphills, etc) so in many situations it makes much more sense to go into neutral rather than staying in gear.

Using the hypermiler "pulse and glide" technique in a hybrid like a prius involves using the gas engine to get to a certain speed, then gliding without the engine engaged (neutral) so you can keep your speed (as much as possible) without slowing down because of pumping losses, then using engaging the gas engine again to get up to speed again. This is more efficient than just keeping your foot on the gas lightly (even with atkinson cycle/miller cycle engines like the Prius and CX-5 have. In a Prius, the gas engine gets shut off completely when not needed but it's not an option in non-hybrids like the CX-5. The closest approximation is shifting into neutral in the CX-5. Some crazy hypermilers fabricate some sort of engine kill switch to not even use the very small amount of gas that a car uses in neutral.