Mazda5 real-world Mileage numbers

[p h a n t o m]

Really interesting thread...

2006 Mazda5 Touring - Automatic (4 speed)
Just got 18.8 MPG with a full tank, no A/C.

 

[pnambic]

Took a trip up to Indianapolis and back from Atlanta in July. Two adults, a teenager, the dog and luggage. Almost entirely highway at about 110% the speed limit. Got 31.2 mpg with the A/C on the whole way, tires properly inflated.

My wife has a heavier foot than I do, so around town driving has equated to about 22 - 24 mpg. This has been consistent for the 12 months I've owned the vehicle.

2012 Mazda5 Sport

 

[chandlerGTi]

Well over 126k now in my 2012, good average but lifetime is now 28.2. I ran a different size wheel/tire combo for the last six months which has skewed the numbers. I'm not going to figure it out since I think it may be time to move on to another car. This has been a great car and besides the trans at 52k I've had few problems besides normal wear and year.

While I said this ^ a year ago I never sold it. Mileage had been dropping so some TLC has occurred. Now at 156k and since work was done I've been back enjoining 30ish mpg again. Lifetime average is 27.9 which is still good in my book!

 

[MZ5black]

New location, new driving style... new lower mpg. On both vehicles mpg dropped so don't think there is anything fundamentally wrong with the powertrain. Now getting 23-25 mpg in busy West MI vs 25-28 mpg in semi-rural NC. Another thing is higher speed limits on the highway. Most likely more fuel being used when doing 70-80 mph vs 55-65 mph.

 

[Primergy]

Could it be season related as well?
My MPGs are dipping with the temps.

 

[MZ5black]

Could it be season related as well?
My MPGs are dipping with the temps.

Good call - that too. Between lower temps outside and winter blend of gasoline, there is probably 1 mpg lost if not more.

 

[mazdadude]

Good call - that too. Between lower temps outside and winter blend of gasoline, there is probably 1 mpg lost if not more.

Don't forget about the drop in tire pressures too! And check the pressure in the spare too while your at it... (drive2)

 

[MZ5black]

Don't forget about the drop in tire pressures too!

Yep, I was 2-3 psi lower than 35. Filled them up to about 40.

On the most recent trip -- approx. 80% highway @75 mph -- got 25.5 mpg.

 

[Fives]

Update on my 5

2007 Mazda 5 Sport

Average MPG:23.05 (↑ from 22.48)
Total Miles:21259
Total Fill Ups: 75
Miles per Day: 50.02 (↓ from 51.04)

I know I have a dirty air filter that needs changed and I have a warning light for antifreeze temps so I believe the thermostat is stuck open and needs replaced (don't think this will affect mpg though.) Now that the summer heat is gone I feel like I drive the 5 more with the family but according to miles per day we may a very slight drop.

 

[90210]

Just did a 1760 mile road trip, through AZ and down to Mexico. A/C on at times. Car fully loaded. 28.8 MPG (hand calculated, every tank).

18 inch MS3 wheels with 225/45/18 Michelins.

 

[tawrus80]

...I have a warning light for antifreeze temps so I believe the thermostat is stuck open and needs replaced (don't think this will affect mpg though.)

Low coolant temp will most definitely will affect your fuel efficiency. The ECU is set to run rich until normal operating temp is reached.

 

[Jvmarino]

I am a relatively new owner of a 2008 Mazda5 Touring, and have been a bit shocked at the horrible mileage I have been getting. Bought the car back in May, and it had about 75k miles on it. Needed to take care of some misc. issues with locks and wheel bearings, but that is about it. Car runs great. Starts easily, idles smoothly, and accelerates smoothly. The engine and auto transmission seem fine and it all runs very nice. The transmission had its fluid replaced in the last 15k miles, I have done oil change with synthetic oil, and have made sure all tires are at proper pressures.

With all that, I typically am getting 16-19 mpg in mixed use driving. This car replaced a 1991 Jeep Cherokee with over 200k miles, and that car got similar mileage up until the last few years of ownership. I can not understand how the Mazda is getting such poor mileage. While I have a bit of a heavy foot, I am not drag racing, and I drive pretty smoothly.

Filling the tank up to a consistent level is nearly impossible, and the gauge seems to have a different opinion every time I look at it. From what I have read, both of those issues are common with these cars. So I figure my mileage may vary a bit because of those issues, but I have no idea how anyone is getting mileage in the high 20's.

Jim

 

[Vasy]

With all that, I typically am getting 16-19 mpg in mixed use driving. This car replaced a 1991 Jeep Cherokee with over 200k miles, and that car got similar mileage up until the last few years of ownership. I can not understand how the Mazda is getting such poor mileage. While I have a bit of a heavy foot, I am not drag racing, and I drive pretty smoothly.

I get 19mpm more of less consistent over the last few years from basically new.
This car is not good on gas for its size, probably has to do with the old engine from ford.

 

[MZ5black]

I typically am getting 16-19 mpg in mixed use driving. This car replaced a 1991 Jeep Cherokee with over 200k miles, and that car got similar mileage up until the last few years of ownership. I can not understand how the Mazda is getting such poor mileage. While I have a bit of a heavy foot, I am not drag racing, and I drive pretty smoothly.

Filling the tank up to a consistent level is nearly impossible, and the gauge seems to have a different opinion every time I look at it. From what I have read, both of those issues are common with these cars. So I figure my mileage may vary a bit because of those issues, but I have no idea how anyone is getting mileage in the high 20's.

Jim

Jim,

Check out http://www.fuelly.com/car/mazda/5/2008. There is a decent representation of 2008MY 5's (60+). Better than many other MY's although fuel economy is consistent 2006-10 and even into gen 2. It looks like 24 is the average MPG figure from all 2008 owners. Perhaps it's the gas you are using or speeds/traffic or something else? I know the gauge is not very precise on these cars so I started paying less attention to it. As to my average, I am at 25.5 mpg after last five fill ups (all in December). I started using Fuelly recently too.

One thing that is pretty clear to me now is that doing 75+ mph is not going to give me the 28 mpg hwy the car is advertised with. The 28 number is probably more for 55-65 mph on straight road.

 

[90210]

600 mile road trip
26-36degree F temps
75-80mph

4 adults
2 kids
55lb luggage in car


21 cubic feet roof box
110 lb bags in roof

20.8MPg

 

[twintrbo]

I am a relatively new owner of a 2008 Mazda5 Touring, and have been a bit shocked at the horrible mileage I have been getting. Bought the car back in May, and it had about 75k miles on it. Needed to take care of some misc. issues with locks and wheel bearings, but that is about it. Car runs great. Starts easily, idles smoothly, and accelerates smoothly. The engine and auto transmission seem fine and it all runs very nice. The transmission had its fluid replaced in the last 15k miles, I have done oil change with synthetic oil, and have made sure all tires are at proper pressures.

With all that, I typically am getting 16-19 mpg in mixed use driving. This car replaced a 1991 Jeep Cherokee with over 200k miles, and that car got similar mileage up until the last few years of ownership. I can not understand how the Mazda is getting such poor mileage. While I have a bit of a heavy foot, I am not drag racing, and I drive pretty smoothly.

Filling the tank up to a consistent level is nearly impossible, and the gauge seems to have a different opinion every time I look at it. From what I have read, both of those issues are common with these cars. So I figure my mileage may vary a bit because of those issues, but I have no idea how anyone is getting mileage in the high 20's.

Jim

Sorry to tell you but its normal mileage for a decently heavy foot and urban stop and go driving. I live in NYC and my lifetime average for the car (24K mi of tracking from 12k to 36K) was just a hair under 20 mpg. It was a 2009 touring, bought new and always maintained until its untimely demise. In my opinion the issue is the lack of power, you dont seem to be giving it much throttle, but when you try to dip in a little more, you realize it doesn't have much more to give. Running the engine fairly hard drops the mileage severely. A nice steady 65 on the highway will return you upper 20's easily, kicking it up to 75 drops it a bit but going over 80 takes a big penalty and you feel the car just isn't happy. We drove down to Florida once and although it did the job, it would not be my first pick of road trip car on a long high speed drive.

City running takes the biggest penalty, my low tank using remote start and stop and go was 13 mpg! My Highest recorded tank was 27 but I know I got over 30 once before I started using the app to record them all. My biggest complaints bar none were the lack of power and economy, I could live with one as a trade off for the other but that wasn't the case. Every time we went on vacation to a more spread out area, the mileage would go way up so I understand how people average that but in reality, its your driving environment more than anything.

Finally, as far as filling the tank, I found that the light would go on prematurely on the highway for whatever reason. Around town, it would take almost 15 gallons when the light came on. On the highway it would come on and take just over 13, go figure. FWIW, you can run the car safely until the gauge needle literally touches the fuel pump icon.

 

[5zoom]

Since new I've consistently gotten mid 20's to 30mpg plus on my 08 5AT with mostly highway driving. Mine has over 170k on it and I still get the same mileage. I agree about the poor city mileage, especially with heavy AC usage(I've dropped below 20mpg before) and running over 75mph takes its toll. I installed a Scangauge when it was fairly new and that has helped me drive more efficiently. I wish Mazda had put the Skyactive powertrain in the 2012-15 cars, but it is what it is. No other people/cargo mover gets better MPG overall and at the same time has low running costs/fits in a compact spot.

 

[twintrbo]

I wish Mazda had put the Skyactive powertrain in the 2012-15 cars, but it is what it is. No other people/cargo mover gets better MPG overall and at the same time has low running costs/fits in a compact spot.

I wish they put the CX-7 2.3 Turbo in it! That would have been fantastic and I bet improved mileage as well. The standard 170 HP would have been a huge improvement as well.

Size wise, I agree, it was in a class of its own. Mileage wise, I have yet to finish a whole tank but my 2016 Pilot easily equals what the 5 returned due a light foot and cylinder deactivation, despite AWD, +600 lbs, seating for 8 and a much bigger footprint. It surprised me frankly and although the computer seems to consistently lie based on manual calculations, the 1.5 mpg "optimistic discrepancy" still gives me a good return all things considered.

 

[Silentnoise713]

The only way to compare MPGs across cars is to use yourself as the measuring stick. For example, if your previously car is EPA rated 25/35/29 and your real world avg 27MPG, use this % from EPA rating as the comparison to what you get out of the Mazda. There are many factors already stated but only you can influence this. Overall this car was not build with fuel efficiency in mind.

Ignore any overly optimistic high claims. If it is too good to be true, it is… These are likely owners who observe a one-time high avg, even if per tank, due to ideal conditional (tail wind - oppose to no wind or head wind, think running on treadmill, going downhill - a small %grade makes HUGE diff, one way trip - the return trip probably sucked but you'd never know) and do not represent the norm.

I installed a Scangauge when it was fairly new and that has helped me drive more efficiently.

I did that for about a month or so when I first got a SG2 and it was a good experience to “see” numbers correlating to how % grade, throttle, speed, engine load affected MPG. But man it was the most NOT fun and stressful driving I’ve ever done, LOL... It takes a different breed to enjoy hypermilering (even soft-core). Gave it away with the sale of my Sport. I rather enjoy my drive and accept my consequences and not worry about MPG too much.

 

[tawrus80]

Finally added a small fuelly banner to by signature.