30 MPG.... Unicorn or Golden Retreiver?

[banjos-n-beer]

So, there's a lot of comments on here regarding the CX5 and what people are getting for real world gas mileage. Last weekend I drove from Maine down to Virginia, and back to Maine. I figured this would be a great opportunity to see how my vehicle would fare.

Simple background info: My CX5 is a GT with AWD. I change the oil every 6k miles, and currently have ~15k miles on the odometer. Car is completely stock. I had no other passengers, but enough luggage and equipment to equal the weight of a 2nd passenger. I don't drive like a teenager, but nor do I drive like a grandmother either.

The trip was mostly interstate/highway travel, with 65 MPH being the most common speed limit. There were some areas where it was posted at 70, and a few others where it was down to 55 due to construction and/or urban environments. I averaged about 5-7 MPH over the limit all the way down and most of the way back. But for the last leg (once I hit New England) I was pushing 80 the rest of the way to get home as fast as possible. I also hit some gridlock on the trip down, mostly outside of Boston MA and Hartford CT. So that equaled about an hour's worth of urban crawl (5-15 MPH). There were some small mountain ranges I drove through as well, and I was refilling with whatever gas was right off of the highway exits. Wind was moderate, but nothing excessive, and I really didn't pay attention to its direction.

The AC was on most of the time, and I even had my driver's side window all the way down for most of the trip because the fresh air helps me stay awake, and I like to have my arm out the window when I drive.

I did not reset the computer for the trip, but kept careful records of how much fuel I purchased along the way. I also do not top the car off... when the nozzle shuts off I consider the car full.

Long story short:

1,303.4 miles travelled
42.81 gallons of gas (87 octane) purchased
30.45 actual miles per gallon measured

So the EPA figures are definitely attainable. My car tells me I average 27.5 during my regular use (~70% Highway / 30% city), so I'm already averaging above the combined 26 MPG listed on the sticker.

Oh, and after 13 hours each way (12 total hours drivering, 1 hour worth of stops), I wasn't aching in any way. I found the seats extremely comfortable and had no body fatigue what-so-ever.


cheers!

 

[jhu8]

Nice post. I'm still waiting for the opportunity to take a long trip in my cx5. But yeah, I've said it before and I'll say it again, the cx5 meets EPA estimates no problem. And, those trips aren't flat terrain either. In flat terrain, you'd probably gotten even better.

Seats, I swear it's different every time I drive lol I think they are a bit too firm though but oh well.

 

[Kaps]

Good to hear about comfortable seats. 2nd tank here and mostly in city driving... was getting 24 or less. Hopefully after it breaks in I should see a bit more.
FWD and driven responsibly - I would like to see 26ish or more that would be great.

 

[halfast3]

Last round trip from Portland to Bend & back, including ~75 miles with 2 kayaks on the roof: 32.01 mpg calculated. The 2015 average was 27.39 mpg. Works for me (thumb)

 

[KansasWaldo]

I drive a pretty even mix of city streets and interstates, and my average fuel economy bounces back and forth between 26.0 and 26.1 MPG. That's exactly what I was expecting when I purchased the car. If anything, I'm actually a little impressed since I definitely have a lead foot.

 

[Unobtanium]

So, there's a lot of comments on here regarding the CX5 and what people are getting for real world gas mileage. Last weekend I drove from Maine down to Virginia, and back to Maine. I figured this would be a great opportunity to see how my vehicle would fare.

Simple background info: My CX5 is a GT with AWD. I change the oil every 6k miles, and currently have ~15k miles on the odometer. Car is completely stock. I had no other passengers, but enough luggage and equipment to equal the weight of a 2nd passenger. I don't drive like a teenager, but nor do I drive like a grandmother either.

The trip was mostly interstate/highway travel, with 65 MPH being the most common speed limit. There were some areas where it was posted at 70, and a few others where it was down to 55 due to construction and/or urban environments. I averaged about 5-7 MPH over the limit all the way down and most of the way back. But for the last leg (once I hit New England) I was pushing 80 the rest of the way to get home as fast as possible. I also hit some gridlock on the trip down, mostly outside of Boston MA and Hartford CT. So that equaled about an hour's worth of urban crawl (5-15 MPH). There were some small mountain ranges I drove through as well, and I was refilling with whatever gas was right off of the highway exits. Wind was moderate, but nothing excessive, and I really didn't pay attention to its direction.

The AC was on most of the time, and I even had my driver's side window all the way down for most of the trip because the fresh air helps me stay awake, and I like to have my arm out the window when I drive.

I did not reset the computer for the trip, but kept careful records of how much fuel I purchased along the way. I also do not top the car off... when the nozzle shuts off I consider the car full.

Long story short:

1,303.4 miles travelled
42.81 gallons of gas (87 octane) purchased
30.45 actual miles per gallon measured

So the EPA figures are definitely attainable. My car tells me I average 27.5 during my regular use (~70% Highway / 30% city), so I'm already averaging above the combined 26 MPG listed on the sticker.

Oh, and after 13 hours each way (12 total hours drivering, 1 hour worth of stops), I wasn't aching in any way. I found the seats extremely comfortable and had no body fatigue what-so-ever.


cheers!

At 65mph, you should hit your 30mpg. The vehicle does wonderfully at these lower speeds, except if you do shorter trips. I have come to the conclusion that the warm-up cycle is absolutely hawg rich.

 

[SayNoToPistons]

With 44k miles on the clock, I can still easily average 35+ MPG highway at constant 55 MPH limit for a 60 mile round trip. That is without traffic. For s**** and giggles, my highest MPG for the same route is some where around 39 MPG, but that required heavy concentration which is more stress than I would prefer.

During a 140 mile trip to upstate NY with average speeds of 75-80 MPH with plenty steep grade changes, I was only able to obtain about 29 MPG.

Throttle and brake control are prime factors for gas mileage. It really amazing how far powertrain and drivetrains have come the past decade.

 

[yrwei52]

With 44k miles on the clock, I can still easily average 35+ MPG highway at constant 55 MPH limit for a 60 mile round trip. That is without traffic. For s**** and giggles, my highest MPG for the same route is some where around 39 MPG, but that required heavy concentration which is more stress than I would prefer.

I really envy you guys can get such a good gas mileage even on an AWD! Our CX-5 AWD could only get 28 MPG during our 800 mile trip to Houston and Austin last December. Even at constant 55 mph the instant MPG readout can hardly reach 30 mpg unless we go downhill. And I also noticed the gas mileage has been dropping from 26.2 when new to 25.1 mpg in recent fill-ups for wife's daily drive to work.

 

[dabombcra]

I have a 2014 CX 5 AWD. I live in Utah and the speed limit is 70. I put a Kn&n filter in lyrics car, use 89 octane fuel and get 32 mpg. I do about 70% highway and 30% city driving.

Sent from my Verizon Note 4 using TapTalk

 

[Mr.Gadget]

With the FWD (2016) model I routinely get mid-30's if I stay 70 or under. I commute about 52 highway miles per day.

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[MTPDX]

We drive to/from Portland to Pendleton Oregon quite often. This is I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge and back. About 210 miles each way of interstate driving averaging about 70 mph. Our 16 GT AWD has never attained over 27.5 mpg. Other road trips to central Oregon, north central Washington and so forth have similar results. I drive all over Portland for work daily and in about 14 months have just over 20,000 miles. I average around 23-24 mpg overall. With my experience, it's hard to believe people get 30+mpg with the AWD version.

 

[jusuchin]

With our 2016.5 AWD Touring we recently took about 90 miles each way trip on the interstate (180 miles roughly round trip) and averaging just over 30 mpg, with going between 68-73 (70mph speed limit).

 

[rwcos]

My CX5 gt awd with 5k on it gets about 24.5 in a mix of short city and highway driving according to dash computer reading . Just did a run to OBX , mostly if not all highway driving at 60-65 mph , reading said 25.4 . I really didnt buy this to be gas saver but that number is disappointing . My wife drives it most of the time and she is no speed demon . Should I be happy with my numbers ?? I love the car so I can deal with it .

 

[davesxx01]

30 mpg is easy for me now, as long as I stay below 2500 rpm on the highway.

 

[dabombcra]

We drive to/from Portland to Pendleton Oregon quite often. This is I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge and back. About 210 miles each way of interstate driving averaging about 70 mph. Our 16 GT AWD has never attained over 27.5 mpg. Other road trips to central Oregon, north central Washington and so forth have similar results. I drive all over Portland for work daily and in about 14 months have just over 20,000 miles. I average around 23-24 mpg overall. With my experience, it's hard to believe people get 30+mpg with the AWD version.

I track my mileage weekly when I fill up. The kn&n filter made the difference for my 2014 awd

Sent from my Verizon Note 4 using TapTalk

 

[Unobtanium]

My CX5 gt awd with 5k on it gets about 24.5 in a mix of short city and highway driving according to dash computer reading . Just did a run to OBX , mostly if not all highway driving at 60-65 mph , reading said 25.4 . I really didnt buy this to be gas saver but that number is disappointing . My wife drives it most of the time and she is no speed demon . Should I be happy with my numbers ?? I love the car so I can deal with it .

Similar to what I get. I, too, am let down, but it's still good. Just not what I was "promised". Oh, well, the alternatives in the same price-bracket aren't as good, IMO, all-around.

 

[craigo]

My CX5 gt awd with 5k on it gets about 24.5 in a mix of short city and highway driving according to dash computer reading . Just did a run to OBX , mostly if not all highway driving at 60-65 mph , reading said 25.4 . I really didnt buy this to be gas saver but that number is disappointing . My wife drives it most of the time and she is no speed demon . Should I be happy with my numbers ?? I love the car so I can deal with it .

Reset the computer once you're on the highway of the trip by holding the Info button. This will give you a more accurate picture of that drive.

 

[RandomCX5]

2016.5 awd. I get about 26 mpg daily driving to work. I drive about 50 miles a day mostly highway, but always filled with rush hour traffic.

Just took a 1500 mile trip that ran through Connecticut, Mass, New Hampshire, and Maine. Driving 90% highway the first 500 miles, I got about 27 mpg. With speeds about 55 - 75, driving like a grandma most of the time. The next 500 was driving on local roads and got about 26 mpg.

The last 500 was terrible. I averaged about 24.5 mpg. But this was going up and down hills on the highway going 70 - 80 mph and was driving a little aggressive. The car really hates driving above 75mph and eats gas.

I was driving with another person, about 100 lbs of luggage, and a hitch bike rack with 2 bikes.

I wish the highway mpg was better, but it is what it is. And I'm still really happy with the car overall.

 

[OldTimingMan]

This looks like a good place for my first post, after all how much trouble can you get in talking about gas mileage? Picked up a 2016 GT about 30 days ago w/490 miles on the clock (no additional charge for the break in) and have been logging miles and talking notes. I parked a 2012 VW Golf TDI (evil polluter model) for this and am very impressed so far. The first tank from the dealer was so-so as I jumped all over the gas pedal. I figured might as well make sure its really broken in and oil tight. Lots of sport mode and full throttle blasts out of town=22.7 mpg. Most of the time and since the first tank I just grandpa around rural Colorado. I live in the country and work a little in town and spend a fair amount of this time of the year running up and down the mountains to the national park to take a few pics of the elk and the colors. I don't city and highway so i guess you could call it town and country? The last 4 tanks (87 octane)= 30.7, measured the old fashioned way. I'm happy with that. I'm not sure what to expect on the interstate @ 75+ but as it doesn't happen often it really not an issue but I would think it would get at least the same? All things considered it does well for a 4 cylinder powered suv that gassed and assed (mine) has to be close to 2 tons. Now if I could just figure out how to change radio channels in less that 3 moves.....fwiw

....mac

 

[PaulZooms]

This looks like a good place for my first post, after all how much trouble can you get in talking about gas mileage? Picked up a 2016 GT about 30 days ago w/490 miles on the clock (no additional charge for the break in) and have been logging miles and talking notes. I parked a 2012 VW Golf TDI (evil polluter model) for this and am very impressed so far. The first tank from the dealer was so-so as I jumped all over the gas pedal. I figured might as well make sure its really broken in and oil tight. Lots of sport mode and full throttle blasts out of town=22.7 mpg. Most of the time and since the first tank I just grandpa around rural Colorado. I live in the country and work a little in town and spend a fair amount of this time of the year running up and down the mountains to the national park to take a few pics of the elk and the colors. I don't city and highway so i guess you could call it town and country? The last 4 tanks (87 octane)= 30.7, measured the old fashioned way. I'm happy with that. I'm not sure what to expect on the interstate @ 75+ but as it doesn't happen often it really not an issue but I would think it would get at least the same? All things considered it does well for a 4 cylinder powered suv that gassed and assed (mine) has to be close to 2 tons. Now if I could just figure out how to change radio channels in less that 3 moves.....fwiw

....mac

Got 28.9 as per trip computer for a round trip Red Rocks -> Longmont CO today via 2 lane in rush hour. Still breaking in, so easy on the throttle. Dropped to 28.0 on Freeway return @ 75/65. Not bad even if an MPG high vs measured.