Im starting to regret my cx7... :(

[xavier]

Well, after countless times experiencing detonation and the annoying 60 mph hesitation/misfiring, the CX7 is leaving a pretty bad taste in my mouth. I decided to start documenting mileage and I was utterly disappointed. Now, let me say that I am usually not a mileage miser but the other two items mentioned above got me really paying attention to everything on this vehicle. The first mileage calcualtions were 205 miles on a full tank of 93 down to the gas light. So if you do the math, 205 miles for a 16 gallon tank comes to a whopping 12.8 miles per gallon!!! I didnt really notice it before as I am not the primary driver of the vehicle. I drive it occasionally and I have a slightly heavy foot but this was mostly my wife's mixed (40% city and 60% hwy) driving.

I have decided to drop it off at Mazda Monday morning and telling them not to return it until it is getting at least 16mpg, the detonation is gone, and the 60 mph hesitation/misfiring is gone. If they cant do it, I will pursue a Mazda buyback. I re-read the sticker today and it states the mileage should be 19/24. I know those are estimates but it also states that vehicle mileage range will be 16/20 - 20/24. I am no where near that. I love the vehicle but I want my moneys worth.

Wish me luck guys and gals. Hopefully Mazda can fix it or make the situation right.

 

[9Hooker]

I would say there IS a problem. I've had none of those symptoms and I get ~18 mpg in urban California driving....

Hopefully the dealership does you right...

 

[offset_98]

I'd say so too...600 miles and I've got no detonation and am getting 19.7 MPG so far.

 

[mikey1981]

I think you have a problem vehicle.

I just got back from taking a trip to North Conway NH from RI

First off let me say, my 7 has not been on a highway for over 25 mins since i bought it. All city driving more or less. i have just over 3k miles.

My gas tank would reach 1/2 way, ROUTINELY at 150 miles- and to no surprise on my trip up to NH from RI, 1/2 tank was reached at 150 miles. BUt, this was the first time my car has even actually ran longer than 40 mins straight.

My way home tonite - 1/2 tank was 205 miles. Yes, thats right, over a 50 mile increase over the way up w/same gas (Shell 93)

So im happy. I am writing a review of my driving experience as we speak . . .

 

[CXRabbit]

I would say you've got a problem. I'm not experiencing any of the "detonation" or hesitation, at least not that I notice (I'm not really sure what you mean). Car runs smooth. My mileage IS low (first two tanks of gas I've gotten about 14mpg) but I'm also still in the break-in period (just crossed 500 miles today). I do almost all city driving.

Also, the tank is not 16 gallons. It's 18.2 gallons.
The way to track it accurately isn't to fill it and drive it down to the light. You need to fill it, reset your trip odometer and drive. Next time you fill it (doesn't have to be all the way down to gas light on), look at the gas pump and see how many gallons it took. Then look at the trip odometer and see how many miles you drove. Divide miles driven by gallons consumed.

Either way, if you say you got about 205 miles on a full tank - well there's gotta be something wrong. I just filled up recently and have driven a little over 80 miles and am sitting at the 3/4 full mark.

Good luck with Mazda and keep us posted.

 

[jersey_emt]

Good luck getting your car fixed! The CX-7 really is an awesome vehicle...but like all complex pieces of machinery, all of them can't be perfect. This is the reason why you have a warranty. Just don't let them take advantage of you, you have every right to have the car fixed, and if they can't fix it, have it bought back or be given a new one. I know it can be a major pain when you have a potential lemon....good luck again.

 

[CHRIS ROSE]

I feel your pain.

Do you also notice that the tranny won't stay in 6th gear and drops to 5th for no reason? I have an issue between 50-60 mph. If I hot a bump and I move the gas pedal a mm it will shift to 5th. My mpg is 14-15.

 

[njcx7]

i don't know how any of u are getting over 16mpg, that 19/24 is BS IMO. i have averaged about 14mpg last 2 fill ups. i have about 750 miles on CX so far. i don't also see where CXrabbit said it's 18.2g tank. i drive it down to super close to totally empty, and fill it, took 16.1 first time, and 16.4 second time....
only complaint i have about the vehicle right now is the mileage, especially since i thought i was doing good by selling my acura MDX which was getting an average of 14.4mpg. i do admit i have a kinda heavy foot and recently been making good use of the M mode trans. i do about 75% city driving in NJ. as far as the other problems, i have none of those.
- what do u mean by detonation. i do notice the hesitation sometimes around 60mph w/ 6th gear...

 

[spike blue]

i did a flash last week and i have a big difference in gas and it runs way more fast i love it !! I will recomend you to do the flash !!

 

[9Hooker]

where can I find the EEPROM updates for the CX online? Does Mazda announce the new updates so everyone can bring their cars in to get reflashed or what?

 

[mikey1981]

You guys complaining about gas mileage and driving experience really need to give the truck a chance to break in. You guys are talking about wanting excellent MPG with like 500-1000 miles on ur car. U need to break it in first - my car still has a little burn smell today and i have 3k miles on it.

Just give it a chance, expecting PERFECT numbers right outta the box is unfair.

 

[njcx7]

what the hell is a flash or reflash...?

 

[CXRabbit]

I agree mikey... I certainly wasn't complaining. I KNOW I'm in the break-in period

As for fuel capacity... it's in the manual. I checked before I posted and it's 18.2 US Gallons. Don't remember what page, but you'll find where it's listed in the index under Fuel. Just because you run it down to what you think is empty, unless you actually run out of gas there is always SOMETHING in the tank, even when the light comes on. This is supposed to help PREVENT you from running out.

If you want to accurately track your MPG, do it the way I said.

 

[jmhumr]

Wow, if you're getting 12 MPG, something is off. I don't think I could get my mileage down that low even if I gunned it from every stop. Good luck!

 

[9Hooker]

what the hell is a flash or reflash...?

It's kinda like this (Mazda is the only manufacturer that often/actively does this):

You get a computer (car) with a set of drivers for the different hardware you have (video card, sound card, new printer, etc). When those manufacturers devise some more betterer way to make those things work, they send out updates... windows update ring a bell...

Same thing for your car. All the fuel, timing, boost, and shift maps are updated every so often after finding better ways of doing business... Why Mazda goes to market with "beta" drivers is beyond me... no one else seems to do it as much as Mazda from what I hear.

 

[xavier]

I would say you've got a problem. I'm not experiencing any of the "detonation" or hesitation, at least not that I notice (I'm not really sure what you mean). Car runs smooth. My mileage IS low (first two tanks of gas I've gotten about 14mpg) but I'm also still in the break-in period (just crossed 500 miles today). I do almost all city driving.

Also, the tank is not 16 gallons. It's 18.2 gallons.
The way to track it accurately isn't to fill it and drive it down to the light. You need to fill it, reset your trip odometer and drive. Next time you fill it (doesn't have to be all the way down to gas light on), look at the gas pump and see how many gallons it took. Then look at the trip odometer and see how many miles you drove. Divide miles driven by gallons consumed.

Either way, if you say you got about 205 miles on a full tank - well there's gotta be something wrong. I just filled up recently and have driven a little over 80 miles and am sitting at the 3/4 full mark.

Good luck with Mazda and keep us posted.

Thats exactly what I did to calculate the mileage. I reset the trip on a full fill and then recorded the number of gallons that it took to refill from the gas light being on. Divide the total number of miles driven by how many gallons it took to fill and viola! 12.8 mpg. Ive been having a rotten egg smell lately which I am assuming is the cat. I also have alot of soot on my bumpers above my exhaust pipes.

Something is definitly wrong with my cx7 and I do have the flash.

 

[simonxda]

Just got my car last friday and half tank at 150miles mostly on urban. Guess it can go 300 for a full tank. And if I do mixed highway, I think it can have another 10-20miles.. But only the RPM gauge reaches 1.9K it would jump to 2.2K and down to 1.8K. Have anyone encounter this? But the ride are smooth even with the RPM up and down..

 

[hectik1]

With a good mix of city/highway driving mine regularly sees 20+ MPG.

 

[MITZA]

Am I the only person who fills it up when its low, I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't log there mileage. I have none of the problems above no tranny issues,no detonation. Be patient with the dealer not over demanding. Contact Mazda direct. Lemon law is through the state you live in you should of got a lemon law book when you bough the car as its state specific Its not a walk through the park to achieve it either. But I'm not sure on the comment make "my car 16 mpg or better" will not be fun for someone at the dealer they might put a 70 yr old lot dude in and log it . I feel your concerns though. Best of Luck

Before I got the Cx-7 I drove a 06 Galant GTS they let me drive it over the weekend the sticker said it got 19 mpg the fuel computer said I was getting 13 mpg feathering the gas pedal that was in a 3.8 v6 I could not achieve anything higher in that car all weekend I tried.

 

[cruzdreamer]

I would not be happy either....sounds like there is a problem with your vehicle. I have over 4000 miles and get a consistent 19-20.5 average mpg city...I am not a lead foot but I have fun with it from time to time. I get 18.8 if I use the remote start a lot. Sounds like my RX 8....though break in time for a rotary is 24,000 miles!!! (pretty darn long!) I had 12-13 mpg for the first few months( I was mad too) and then it jumped to 16 then 17 for a long time until the last few months before I sold it it was getting 19( almost 3 years later)! That is a rotary engine though and it's expected. It was rated at 19 mpg too! Mazda should do something....they usually do! Sorry you have a bum CX 7!! Good luck to you!