- I dont really warm up my engine.. (Just started doing it after reading this post)
I read every contribution in this thread to find a post where someone recommended warming the engine up before driving off. But no one did. While you WILL get higher mpg with a warm engine, you will be getting zero mpg while idling in Park. Therefore, the most efficient strategy is to drive off gently after starting the car.
- I used to get the 28mpg when i drove very conservatively, it became hard to maintain
Yes. By clicking your fuelly signature I can see you carefully tracked your mileage for the first 8000 miles from the time you took delivery. Your over all average mileage was 28.4 mpg until you stopped tracking on October 2, 2012. That is respectable efficiency for AWD with auto tranny in a vehicle that is not exactly an econobox. It is normal for winter mileage to drop for those who live in northern climates so I'm not surprised that it was difficult to maintain those numbers as winter weather set in.
- THe dealer told me to put the full face of my foot on the pedal and not press hard and this improves milage, I tried that for a while, while keeping the current mpg on check, seemed to help, but my ankle started hurting.
You may need to adjust the position of your heel on the floor. Pressing lightly on the accelerator should not cause ankle pain. By placing your heel in a different location you can drastically alter the angle of the ankle.
And, yes, keeping your winter tire pressures up can really help reduce rolling resistance, especially on a car like the CX-5 which does not have little economy tires. And, yes, with AWD it really can help to make sure all tires are identical in pressure (as much as is possible). I've been running 37 psi (stone cold) with favorable results, both with mpg and cornering performance. Do not drive a couple of miles to the air pump and assume they are still cold. This will result in running pressures a couple of lbs. lower than intended which
will affect fuel economy.
I'm really pleased with the fuel economy I've been getting with my AWD CX-5, it get's much, much better economy than my front wheel drive Volvo sedan even though the Volvo is much more aerodynamic and weighs within 300lbs. of the same weight. Of course, at speeds above 80 mph the Volvo gets better mpg, the little SUV really can push some serious air at higher speeds so, if you have the option to limit top cruising speed, that is one of the best ways to get better economy. The shape of the SUV body is not the best choice for lots of high speed driving (although Mazda designers did a good job with the aerodynamics given the dimensions they were designing to). In city driving the CX-5 does particularly well, especially in areas where the traffic flows pretty smoothly. The idle fuel consumption is quite low compared to most vehicles.
I predict that if you pay attention to your driving style, tire pressures and top speeds, you will better your already respectable 28.4 mpg average when warmer weather comes around this spring.