Just got a 2016.5 CX-5 - Tips, Tricks and MPG

[Irenicus]

Hey guys,

Just picked up a 2016.5 (or so I think) CX-5. It is a GS trim and has an 05/15 date stamp on the door, sunroof, Navigation (no GPS chip) and touch screen display and all my research says it's a 2016.5. The carfax and VIN only show 2016 for this year and I believe they will not actually list 2016.5.

At any rate I'm stoked on this car but I'm looking for some basic tips to help with the gas consumption and some other tricks and tips I might be able to find here. I know the 2.5L AWD models are a bit thirsty but I feel like since I've owned it it's really chugging gas more than the advertised MPG. I'm a super light footed driver and I'm getting like 12-13L/100km or 19MPG for mainly city driving. The air filter is mint and this thing has had regular maintenance done it's whole life and done recently before I bought it. I know it's not a vehicle you're going to save tons of money on gas with but just trying to get a good start with my new baby. Advertised MPG is 24 city and 30 highway for 2016 AWD models. I'm super light on the gas and not getting close.

Cheers!

 

[skid00skid0]

While driving at 45 mph, on a straight, level, windless highway, reset a tripmeter. After a minute or so, you should see somewhere around 45 MPG.

Put tires at 34 PSI, look for abnormal tire wear (misalignment), touch each wheel hub to see if a brake is dragging.

Is idle smooth? If it's vibraty, you might have a misfire.

Accelerate as gently as possible. If you 'have to' keep up to other dragracing drivers, your mileage will plummet. Coast down to stopsigns/lights. Keep your speed down.

I've managed ~32 MPG on a cold-start, 3 mile trip. (Once. I normally get 28 MPG on that trip, IF I drive as described).

 

[yrwei52]

Hey guys,

Just picked up a 2016.5 (or so I think) CX-5. It is a GS trim and has an 05/15 date stamp on the door, sunroof, Navigation (no GPS chip) and touch screen display and all my research says it's a 2016.5. The carfax and VIN only show 2016 for this year and I believe they will not actually list 2016.5.

At any rate I'm stoked on this car but I'm looking for some basic tips to help with the gas consumption and some other tricks and tips I might be able to find here. I know the 2.5L AWD models are a bit thirsty but I feel like since I've owned it it's really chugging gas more than the advertised MPG. I'm a super light footed driver and I'm getting like 12-13L/100km or 19MPG for mainly city driving. The air filter is mint and this thing has had regular maintenance done it's whole life and done recently before I bought it. I know it's not a vehicle you're going to save tons of money on gas with but just trying to get a good start with my new baby. Advertised MPG is 24 city and 30 highway for 2016 AWD models. I'm super light on the gas and not getting close.

Cheers!

View attachment 333133

If your CX-5’s build date is 05/15, you have a 2016 CX-5. 2016.5 CX-5 is started on 02/16 build date.

Your 19 mpg in city for a 2.5L AWD definitely isn’t good. My 2016 CX-5 GT AWD for city driving can constantly get ~24 mpg which is close to the EPA rating of 24. But my 2016 CX-5 2.5L AWD is really struggling to get EPA 30 mpg on the highway unless I drive under 65 mph on the posted 70 ~ 75 speed limit zone.

You can try to add some tire pressure above the recommended pressure. I use 39 psi cold on my 225/55R19 tires even though the recommended pressure is 36.

Not much other simple things you can do to improve your MPG unless you have obvious problems somewhere. IMO the MPG is inherited from factory. Some have better MPG than EPA ratings from factory but others may not. Not much the owners can do.

 

[sm1ke]

The thread below was recently created by @Lazy2.5. I think it would help with getting the most fuel economy out of your new CX-5. Hopefully the other posters can post their helpful tips there as well.

L

Thread 'Maximizing Safety and Efficiency: Hypermiling'

Dec 7, 2024

@sm1ke

Efficient driving goes hand-in-hand with safe driving. One of the key principles I've learned over the years is to maintain a steady speed, even it feels slow or dips below the speed limit. By resisting the urge to rush and focusing on consistent speeds, I have avoided countless accidents while observing significantly better fuel economy over EPA estimates. Here's how I have put this principle into practice, further refining my technique along the way:

1. Terrain Awareness & Momentum Management:

• Downhill: Use the downhill momentum to your advantage...

• Lazy2.5
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Lounge

• 

 

[GFrosty]

2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD here.

With nearly all lower-speed city driving and a lot of stops/starts, I average about 21.8mpg or thereabouts. And I occasionally use the "Sport" mode switch, to handle steeper on-ramps to the highway or to get up to speed on some of the somewhat-blind side street entrances onto main roads.

If I mix it up without about half highway and half city, it's somewhere in the 25-26mpg range.

If it's strictly highway for long distances, only stopping when it's down to a quarter tank left, I can approach 30-31mpg.

Haven't yet cleaned the MAF sensor and throttle body. I regularly change the engine air filter. Gas is typically 87 or 89 octane. While I tend to get up to speed from traffic controls fairly briskly, I'm otherwise rather light on the throttle.

I can add a couple mpg if I'm deliberately gingerly on the throttle and use cruise control on highway jaunts. I figure it's not unreasonable fuel economy, given the way I drive.

I'm guessing this is a bit low, but it's not completely out of whack. If I were driving gingerly but still got 19mpg with city driving, I'd definitely consider going through the throttle body and MAF cleaning, and possibly the valve cleaning if the vehicle had north of 100Kmi on it.

 

[Irenicus]

Interesting. I called the dealership service guy and he said it’s definitely unusual to get only 19mpg in the city. He recommended getting it looked at but I’m really not sure what they would even look at or recommend fixing...I’ll ask about the throttle body and the valves (no idea what I’m talking about)

I’ll try to add 4psi in the tires and run a few more tanks through it

 

[Mazdiod2]

What kind of mileage did you get (on your typical driving routes) with your previous vehicle?

Most people can get 28-30mpg cruising on the highway at a constant speed. Have you tried that?

 

[Irenicus]

What kind of mileage did you get (on your typical driving routes) with your previous vehicle?

Most people can get 28-30mpg cruising on the highway at a constant speed. Have you tried that?

I think the main issue is the city driving. I'm around 17-19 MPG on the last tank and it's about 85-90% city driving. I understand idling and red lights will kill the fuel economy but it still feels like something must be wrong considering how light I'm driving it.

 

[Irenicus]

Just calculated a tank

22% highway
78% city

12.3L/100km or 19.12MPG.

Can only assume something is wrong here, this is way below normal right?

 

[Mazdiod2]

The MPG ratings all car manufacturers supply are the 'high range' -- what you get under good conditions. They can't brag about how bad the MPG is under bad conditions.

 

[Lazy2.5]

The MPG ratings all car manufacturers supply are the 'high range' -- what you get under good conditions. They can't brag about how bad the MPG is under bad conditions.

I don't recall getting worse than MPG estimates, either about the same or better. Sometimes even significantly better. An old Golf I had years ago was rated for 28mpg highway. I got 40-45.

 

[GFrosty]

I don't recall getting worse than MPG estimates, either about the same or better. Sometimes even significantly better.

On nearly every vehicle I've owned for the past 40yrs, "certain conditions" always resulted in less than the optimistic, posted MPG estimates. One car frequently exceeded it, but it was a '60s vintage Toyota and ran significantly smoother and more efficiently than expected. (My one vehicle without much "tolerance stacking," I suppose.)

So, experiences vary. 19+ mpg isn't all that off from what most people seem to report for city-heavy or city-only driving. Lots of stop-and-start, shorter trips and idling doesn't do fuel economy any favors.

My own ~21.5 to 21.8mpg with mostly-city driving involves a bit of brisk launching from traffic signals, though not always. Also involves a few hills. And trips tend to be in the 5-10mi range, sometimes longer. But if I'm any heavier on the throttle or hit more hills than usual, I can dip down into the low 20s or even a tick under. Mixed hwy/city fuel economy goes higher at generally significantly higher than the posted max speeds (due to traffic flow), in my case, as would be expected. Hwy-only trips are very-high-20s, and approach 30mpg or a bit more under the right conditions. I'm sure if highway trips were made at the posted speed limits then fuel economy results would go up measurably. The 2016.5 claims from Mazda were 24-30mpg.

 

[GFrosty]

Just calculated a tank

22% highway
78% city

12.3L/100km or 19.12MPG.

Can only assume something is wrong here, this is way below normal right?

Not "way" below, IMO, but it could be if you are indeed on mostly-flat roads, mostly gingerly on the throttle, don't briskly launch from any traffic-controlled intersections, and don't idle much. A heavy mix of short trips, too, doesn't help.

 

[skid00skid0]

Can only assume something is wrong here, this is way below normal right?

There is NO 'normal'. If you drive poorly, you'll get s..t mileage. Drive 45 mph (on cruise control!) on a windless, straight road. Reset your trip MPG, drive for a couple miles, and report back your mileage.

 

[Moonlighter]

I would be disappointed to be averaging anything above 10L/100kms as an average with a mix of around town and say a weekly 50-80km trip at 80-100km/hr.

If its over 12 then maybe you’re a bit too lead footed, the stop/start traffic is really bad, lots of short trips dominating, or tyre pressures are too low (I run 38psi min). Using the right oil is also important. Use the recommended grade full syn for your area as per owners manual and do not overfill - 2.5L as per spec is correct will put it nicely midway between the lines on the dipstick.

Our new 2024 CX5 Akera AWD 2.5 NA has averaged 9.4 since new. I use Trip A as the long term average and it never gets reset, and Trip B as the trip per tank. Its just hit 5000kms so still running in really. The long term ave is gradually improving.

 

[Mazdiod2]

There is NO 'normal'. If you drive poorly, you'll get s..t mileage. Drive 45 mph (on cruise control!) on a windless, straight road. Reset your trip MPG, drive for a couple miles, and report back your mileage.

If you suspect something is wrong, and you have no warning lights or codes, you might check the tires and brakes. After a drive check the hubs and tires for excessive heat, which might mean low air pressure or a possible sticking brake caliper.

 

[minnesotaart]

C'mon guys, y'all can do better than what's been posted so far. Everyone is focusing on the driver instead of the vehicle. What was "regular" maintenance? All we know so far is the air filter is clean. How many miles/kms are on the vehicle? Were the plugs changed? Were the COPs changed? Was the MAF sensor cleaned? It's a 2016 - notorious for a dragging rear brake - has anybody looked at the pads? What about disconnecting the battery and having the transmission relearn his driving style? Maybe the previous owner did 90% highway driving? There are no dash lights on, but has anyone checked for trouble codes that don't set off a light? Let's give him answers that help!

 

[7eregrine]

Just want to comment on the confusion about 16.5 - the changes were so ridiculously minor on the .5 it truly surprises me that Mazda chose to differentiate it.
It was just a few items that were moved to STANDARD instead of OPTIONS.
Example a 2016.5 Sport is different from a 2016: because it had a backup camera standard.
The Touring is the same....but got heated seats as standard. The GT...got Navigation as Standard.

 

[SBMongoos]

Just want to comment on the confusion about 16.5 - the changes were so ridiculously minor on the .5 it truly surprises me that Mazda chose to differentiate it.
It was just a few items that were moved to STANDARD instead of OPTIONS.
Example a 2016.5 Sport is different from a 2016: because it had a backup camera standard.
The Touring is the same....but got heated seats as standard. The GT...got Navigation as Standard.

I think the rims are different as well. I think some TSBs were solved also.
2016.5 GT Rims:

 

[Irenicus]

Just to confirm it is a 2016 not a 2016.5 based on the date.

The car has 86,000km on it and had regular maintenance done. Not sure if the spark plugs were ever changed - as far as I know they due every 120k. Haven't cleaned the MAF sensor but it's on my list. I filled the tires to 37psi.

The more I read the more I think it's not terribly abnormal. The city driving here is horrendously bad, lots of weird uphills and a s*** load of red lights/idling. It's maybe as worse as it can get, plus a lot of stops and starts putting around town. The highway driving MPG I think is right on the money. That being said I really don't think I can possibly drive any lighter/smarter for fuel consumption.

It was just serviced at the dealership prior to me buying it. My list so far consists of

- new air filter
- new spark plugs (not sure if it's worth it at 86k)
- MAF sensor cleaning (to do still)
- PCV valve (not sure about this, buddy recommended)
- Fuel stabilizer or seafoam in gas (no clue about this either)
- 37-38psi (just filled it to this)