7000 miles and I'm already car shopping.

[CHRIS ROSE]

I'm to the point where I'm so disappointed in this car's mpg that I'm already contemplating trading in my first "new" car. I know that I bought a car with a turbo, I knew it needed premium gas to work properly but damn. With the mpg that I'm getting some would think I own a viper but I don't have that kind of hp. It has made it so that there is no more fun factor for me driving this car.

My main focus is now a decent looking car that has atleast 30mpg. Does mazda make anything that fits those categories?

Any ideas on what cars do fit those categories?

 

[GhostMercury]

find an MSP thats in good condition..i get really good mpg and we're turbocharged

 

[Kooldino]

What kind of mpg are you getting in the cx-7?

 

[CHRIS ROSE]

this highest i have gotten from a tank is 290 and the lowest is 230 which is about 14-18 mpg being generous.

I don't want a manual but good suggestion on the msp.

 

[motopilot]

this highest i have gotten from a tank is 290 and the lowest is 230 which is about 14-18 mpg being generous.

I don't want a manual but good suggestion on the msp.

Wow! We have not filled up with less than 360 miles on the tank and I think that was our first or second tank. Right now the OD has 370 and the reserve light has not come on yet. Our worst tank was something like 20.4 mpg. We knew about the MPG thing when we bought, even though we do mostly highway. I am still happy with the decision.

 

[singlemalt_18]

Keep the Big Picture in mind!

Your situation has me thinking along two paths:

1. There is a BIG difference between 14 and 18 mpg for this vehicle. I have the GT AWD with ~4,000 miles, and the WORST mileage I've measured is about 17.75. That is city, and aggressive throttle-merging. (I can't resist that urge to part my hair in the CX-7!) I have had as high as 21+ on the highway, and it could be a little better if I'd keep it around 80 mph. If you have accurately measured the 14 mpg, it must be something with your cars' set-up, or you have two lead feet... I'm inclined to think you should be talking to your dealer. Hell, I could get 16 mpg on my full size Bronco if I didn't run the AC.

2. Assuming you can get closer to 18 mpg, don't let the "nickels & dimes" keep you looking at the larger financial picture. At $2.40/gal for 91 oct averaging 18 mpg, the CX-7 is costing you about 13.5 cents a mile to operate. At $2.15/gal for 87 oct averaging 24 mpg, another car would cost 9 cents a mile - a difference of 4.5 cents per mile. At 20,000 miles a year, thats a savings of only $900, or $75/month. If you take a depreciation hit of only $4,500 on your CX-7 to get another car that achieves closer to the mileage estimated above - IT WILL TAKE YOU 5 YEARS TO BREAK EVEN !!!!

Just a few alternative thoughts...

I love mine!

 

[CXRabbit]

2. Assuming you can get closer to 18 mpg, don't let the "nickels & dimes" keep you looking at the larger financial picture. At $2.40/gal for 91 oct averaging 18 mpg, the CX-7 is costing you about 13.5 cents a mile to operate. At $2.15/gal for 87 oct averaging 24 mpg, another car would cost 9 cents a mile - a difference of 4.5 cents per mile. At 20,000 miles a year, thats a savings of only $900, or $75/month. If you take a depreciation hit of only $4,500 on your CX-7 to get another car that achieves closer to the mileage estimated above - IT WILL TAKE YOU 5 YEARS TO BREAK EVEN !!!!

This is a GREAT point.
Go to fueleconomy.gov and do a comparison.
I was driving a Toyota Matrix, and even comparing that to a car like the 4WD Dodge Durango (which averages around 16 mpg) the cost increase per week is about $20. I'm guessing I'll see an increase in about $12-$15 per week overall going to the CX-7 (pick it up tonight!)

To me, to have the safety, comfort and enjoyability-factor for an additional $12-$15 per week is worth it. Most of us can make up that kind of difference in our budget very easily.

 

[Byrnie]

Your situation has me thinking along two paths:

1. There is a BIG difference between 14 and 18 mpg for this vehicle. I have the GT AWD with ~4,000 miles, and the WORST mileage I've measured is about 17.75. That is city, and aggressive throttle-merging. (I can't resist that urge to part my hair in the CX-7!) I have had as high as 21+ on the highway, and it could be a little better if I'd keep it around 80 mph. If you have accurately measured the 14 mpg, it must be something with your cars' set-up, or you have two lead feet... I'm inclined to think you should be talking to your dealer. Hell, I could get 16 mpg on my full size Bronco if I didn't run the AC.

2. Assuming you can get closer to 18 mpg, don't let the "nickels & dimes" keep you looking at the larger financial picture. At $2.40/gal for 91 oct averaging 18 mpg, the CX-7 is costing you about 13.5 cents a mile to operate. At $2.15/gal for 87 oct averaging 24 mpg, another car would cost 9 cents a mile - a difference of 4.5 cents per mile. At 20,000 miles a year, thats a savings of only $900, or $75/month. If you take a depreciation hit of only $4,500 on your CX-7 to get another car that achieves closer to the mileage estimated above - IT WILL TAKE YOU 5 YEARS TO BREAK EVEN !!!!

Just a few alternative thoughts...

I love mine!

lol damn dude, that's awesome... I think you might have too much time on your hands hah j/k. That is great information.

 

[mikey1981]

Why would u buy a 4,000lb car, with a turbo engine w/244hp, knowing full well that it requires premium and think u werent gonna be putting alotta gas in. U shouldnt have bought this car. What were you expecting? Lets say you were avg 20mpg right now, would that even be good?

If you avg 18 sometimes, thats what the window sticker says, and u kno u should always expect a little less than the window sticker, you should not be surprised or as shocked as you are

Good luck finding a 30mpg vehicle that isnt an economy car, or one that drives like it

 

[CXRabbit]

Good luck finding a 30mpg vehicle that isnt an economy car, or one that drives like it

Exactly the problem I ran into, which is why I gave up looking. You sacrifice a lot of features and riding experience in the fuel-efficient cars (unless you're willing to get into an expensive hybrid, which nullifies all the money you save on gas).

 

[Madame X]

I can't calculate my mileage in my CX-7 yet as I'm still on my first tank, but I have over 200 miles on this tank so far and it barely hit the half way mark. I know that the second half always seems to go faster than the first (why the heck is that?) but I have been thinking I'm getting better-than-expected mileage so far.

My Jeep Liberty only got 17-18 with my normal driving, and I think I'm gonna beat that in the CX-7. The best I EVER got in my Jeep on a long car trip was about 20.5.

I agree that you're going to sacrifice a lot of performance to gain even 15-20% improvement in gas mileage.

But then, I'm too old to drive a boring econobox. (lol2)

 

[xavier]

All I needed was the smart key and autolock to negate the low gas mileage. Of course the turbo doesnt hurt either

 

[CHRIS ROSE]

if my car was getting 20 mpg at all times I would be happy but when I'm usually getting 15.5 mpg, that is complete bs. I don't need anyone to tell me that I should have known what I was getting myself into. I know all about all types of forced induction. My fast mazda can easily get 20-25 mpg when I'm beating the hell out of it with nitrous or forced air and 30 mpg when I'm nice to it. I'll repeat what I said before, with the mpg that I'm getting I could be leasing a viper for the same cost and have alot more "zoom zoom"

 

[Captain KRM P5]

if my car was getting 20 mpg at all times I would be happy but when I'm usually getting 15.5 mpg, that is complete bs. I don't need anyone to tell me that I should have known what I was getting myself into. I know all about all types of forced induction. My fast mazda can easily get 20-25 mpg when I'm beating the hell out of it with nitrous or forced air and 30 mpg when I'm nice to it. I'll repeat what I said before, with the mpg that I'm getting I could be leasing a viper for the same cost and have alot more "zoom zoom"

have you taken it to a dealer to see if there is an issue? could be a faulty emissions system part, loose gas cap, improper plug gap, etc etc etc and the new equipment at the mazda dealer might be able to find something before you trade it off.

 

[singlemalt_18]

have you taken it to a dealer to see if there is an issue? could be a faulty emissions system part, loose gas cap, improper plug gap, etc etc etc and the new equipment at the mazda dealer might be able to find something before you trade it off.

Exactly! My wife & I have Subaru Legacy GT AWD day-beaters; we could not figure out why her car CONSISTANTLY got 60-70 miles LESS on a tankfull of gas...

It turned out to be an alignment issue with one of the front wheels... and it was NOT something that created a pull that was obvious to detect while driving.

The fact is this Chris, most of everyone here seems to be AVERAGING 20% better fuel economy - thats the difference between 15 to 18 mpg. And I don't know that ANYONE is achieving "20 mpg at all times" - that's just an unrealistic expectation.

 

[cruzdreamer]

Check with your dealer....have it looked at before you do anything. It's a great vehicle for the money and you won't get much on the trade.....it's really not worth losing that kind of money on it. I am getting 20.5 mpg average in the city...not been on the highway much at all with it but I expect to get at least 24 mpg minimum. Not bad for a good size vehicle with a turbo engine. I drive average. Look at Singelmalts comments and think it out. Good luck and hope you take it to the dealer to figure it out!

 

[CHRIS ROSE]

I will be taking it in soon for the 7500 mile maintenence and will definately ask what is wrong. It is very annoying to fill up my tank every 5 days for $35-$40.
I have the updated gas cap and supposedly have the park to reverse clunk service bulletin fix done, though I still hear it.

 

[azcat]

I will be taking it in soon for the 7500 mile maintenence and will definately ask what is wrong. It is very annoying to fill up my tank every 5 days for $35-$40.
I have the updated gas cap and supposedly have the park to reverse clunk service bulletin fix done, though I still hear it.

I just paid $5k to get rid of a 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe that I hated, mainly because I didn't like the color. We can tell you all kinds of rational reasons why it is economically stupid to get rid of your CX-7, but the fact is, if you're not happy about the gas mileage and the fact that it takes premium, you'll never be happy with it. Sell it.

Oh, and don't even consider an '07 Miata--the non-turbo, vvt engine takes premium. (omg)

 

[Platonium]

More and more cars are taking exclusively premium in order the get good EPA m.p.g. numbers out of them. The automakers are using smaller displacement engines with higher compression ratios or turbos or in our case both to achieve higher volumetric efficiency and power. Perhaps the day will come when most new cars will be in need of the higher octane gas and the price will come down as it becomes the volume product over the lesser grades. Who knows. One thing is for certain the average cost over time against the cost of derpreciation and the layout to get a new vehicle makes Chris' numbers not make sense.

 

[TheJohnny]

IF you trade it in like someone else said look for an MSP. When I had mine I was getting 27 mpg average with freeway and city driving. The car looks awesome and you will have plenty of fun with it. Best of luck with finding your issue.