Gas mileage question

[omfgitztea]

hey guys, just picked up an 08 MS3 (new the mazda world altogether) and on the first tank of gas i pulled out about 300 miles on her. I filled up again and at a lil under the quarter tank level i've only got about 60 miles out of her. i figure about 200 miles by the time its empty which gives me about 13 mpg?

What are you guys on average getting? (note i dont push my car at all still breaking her in)

 

[CTGrey02]

Beat the car like it owes ya money if thats how your going to be driving it once it's broken in. Long trips I've gotten into the low 30's for mileage. Typically I average about 25 or so though. I drive with it in 6th gear most of the time, even on back roads.

 

[newmazdaowner]

wow i thought they got better mileage than that cause my msp got about 35-36 mpg on the way down to tampa florida

 

[Jays07MS3]

Welcome to the community! Ouch, 13mpg? That seems way off.

Take a look here. I've been keeping track of my mileage for about 2 months now and am averaging about 23 mpg with a mix of city + highway (majority highway though)

 

[fourthmeal]

I'm on the low side of everyone here regarding this, I average a consistent 18-19 mpg. Given all the street driving I do vs. highway, and the constant dipping into boost, I consider it fair.

On another note, I'm FLOORED by how well my tires are wearing. I am one to turn off my DSC/TCS button as I start the car up (read up on this technique if you are not familiar), so I tend to spin the tires at times, depending on the situation. Given that slight abuse, I'm at more then half usable tread despite 11K on the tires with just one rotation (done at home.) Compared to every single other sports car I've owned, this is AMAZING.

 

[assman]

I get about 21 myself. Its s**** but hey its worth it.

 

[Speed3girl]

Yeah I get about 21 MPG myself. And about 290 miles in a full tank.

 

[aaronc7]

about 24 mpg, comes out to right around 300 miles a tank

 

[Mocoso]

About 21 here with mixed city/hwy - I would say if yer at 13 there is something wrong or your an extremely heavy foot... if you arent beating it I would have dealer check into it... you did check the tire pressure right

Im starting to think the gas station you took it to screwed ya over or your gauge is out of whack... let us know what you end up with once your refill it and have an actual gallon and range count

 

[Hirudin]

I got mine used, I drove it about 1000 miles over a day and a half (doing 80 mph for the most part). I got just under 28 mpg for that trip. I gassed up when I got back in my neighborhood (with questionable gas), my first fill-up from driving in my home city gave me ~18 mpg.

 

[dichiee]

I was getting 14-15 when I got mine. Even in long drive LA to SF it was 15 something. My gas mileage was worst than my friends Armada during our trip hehe. After I got the recalls done I'm averaging 21-22 now. Ask the dealer maybe they need to do something. BTW congrats on the 08!

 

[6262MS3]

My gas mileage has been getting steadily better as I put more km's on it. With the turbo though it will vary alot depending on how you drive it. On average with mostly city driving and a bit of highway I get 22-24 mpg. If I drive like a hooligan for most of a tank it drops to 19 mpg. I haven't done a road trip yet but I think it would get high 20's to low 30's all highway. Boost has an inverted relation to the wallet.

 

[robsSpeed3]

Hey all,

My first tank on Sport MS3 was 19, second 21, but on second I got more highway miles. I am following the recomedation of breaking it in at various engine rpm's so i am gentle but I go up to 6k at times.

Speaking of which, when you say "I am off or on Boost" at what RPM does it really start? Opinions are welcome but does anyone really know at what RPM is the engine starting to use boost?

Since I am new to turbo I alwyas thought that shifting conventional engine at peak tourque (or driving in about that range) would be most efficient as far as gas milage (not that I ever did), is the turbo different?

Any elightment to this noob would be welcomed.

 

[pirdo]

After first 600 miles hard break in, I drove around at < 2.2k rpm and got ~30 mpgs. After seeing pos cars passing me by like my car was walking, I started driving around 3k rpm on average, and would get out 260-280 miles each fill up.

Needing to buy gas more quickly, but at least the car is more fun to drive.

 

[Derek88]

I just calculated 27.2 mpg (329 miles on a tank) but 200 of that was highway and the other 129 was twisty mountain roads where I was almost constantly in boost. Around town, I almost always get ~25 while driving spiritedly. I have the intake if that makes a difference (as some say).

 

[fourthmeal]

Hey all,

My first tank on Sport MS3 was 19, second 21, but on second I got more highway miles. I am following the recomedation of breaking it in at various engine rpm's so i am gentle but I go up to 6k at times.

Speaking of which, when you say "I am off or on Boost" at what RPM does it really start? Opinions are welcome but does anyone really know at what RPM is the engine starting to use boost?

Since I am new to turbo I alwyas thought that shifting conventional engine at peak tourque (or driving in about that range) would be most efficient as far as gas milage (not that I ever did), is the turbo different?

Any elightment to this noob would be welcomed.

The easy answer to this is to stay out of boost. Boost can occur only when you are throttling it, so a turbo car stays most fuel efficient when you keep the throttle angles very light, and also have a very low load on the engine. It is vastly different from a normally aspirated car in this manner, because a N/A car would be best with high throttle angles and short shifting. With a turbo car, this will just make the fuel disappear quicker.

If you grab a boost gauge, you can tell when you're starting to enter boost, which would be the best way to figure out a smooth, efficient driving style.

 

[Conso]

im getting 27 mpg combined city/hwy...just dont gun it everywhere, now i do hav my moments when i drive where i just can control myself but u know..

 

[Sierra117]

Yeah, I would get much better miliage if I didn't find some time to go WOT in mid third and all the way through fourth at least once a week.

I know, I'll call up Schiester and Swindle, LLC., and sue Mazda for my gas miliage! Remeber folks, Schiester and Swindle, we'll sue anyone! And if you ever get any criminal charges, call up my boy Jaques Schite, Esq., Attny At Law. We know Jaques Schite!