Mazda5 real-world Mileage numbers

[slvrsleeper]

My commute is "mileage friendly" all highway speed, little stop and go traffic. 68.5 miles one way. I have gotten 30MPG every fill-up so far, including a trip to Ohio and back this weekend. I love this car!

 

[5phreak]

I only managed 345 miles on my last tank due to many short trips. I filled up with 14.002 gallons which netted me 24.64 MPG.

this is what i'm getting here in CT with mixed driving and about 7,500 miles on the odo

 

[cprtrainer]

Hi all,

After many months of searching, I picked up an excellent used 06 Touring AT (20K on the clock) last month & love it!

So far, we are averaging 25.5 in around town driving with many short (less than 2 miles) trips and A/C blasting. Had to christen the new ride and took a trip last weekend from Denver to Vail and back. Maintained 70-90 over the 11000' passes (underpowered? NOT!) with A/C and had 29.8 on that tank. 2 adults and a 6y/o kid on board. I'm very impressed with it's performance, especially at altitude. We'll see how it does this winter with a full load on ski trips!

 

[AIMWO4]

Beauty!

I finally put some highway mileage on the car... I got 32.7 mpg this last tank. Now back to the puttin' around.

 

[Skylab]

Here's my tank average!

(hump)

 

[pivert]

I've stretched my diesel to 38 MPG (6,25L/100km) running on the highway with auto A/C - pretty impressive i think.

 

[slvrsleeper]

Skylab....How did you get your 5 to get RED X MPG?!! JFWY. I wish Mazda would offer the diesel here in the states, I would buy one with the quickness.

 

[opus]

Just got back from a trip from SE Michigan to Hilton Head Island SC. Great drive, went through Ohio (boring!!), Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and almost all of South Carolina.

Had a high of 33.2 mpg going through Ohio and Kentucky at about 75-80mph with AC blasting.

Had a low of 29 going through the mountains of Tenn and NC also at about 75-80 mph with AC going the whole time.

Pulled a respectable 25.5mpg driving around the island and surrounding communities with six adults in the car and AC trying to make up for a heat index of 117 degrees!!! Thank God for window tint, not a single complaint about the heat while driving in the 5 even though when we were in Savannah GA they hit their record high on the day we were there.

Overall we averaged about 30 mpg for the whole trip including putting around etc... Given that I do not have a light foot, and we were fully loaded with either gear or people the whole time, and AC was always on, I couldn't be happier with these numbers .

 

[jandree22]

opus: Great numbers! It seems like the A/C on the 5 really doen't hurt mileage that bad for some reason.

Skylab: You've got a ScangaugeII! You like it? Do you have it mounted on your steering wheel column? I'd like to see more pics of your install if you happen to have any more shots. I'm planning on getting a scangauge shortly for my 5 as well

Anyone: If you guys are mileage nuts, sign up over at GasSavers.org. As you can see with my sig, you can track your mileage online and it does all sort of calculations. Snax, a fellow member here, is also over there. Great site for tips on stretching your mileage.

 

[AIMWO4]

The A/C compressor cuts out under certain load conditions. Optimal compressor operation is achieved at cruising speeds, thus reducing "drag" on the engine.

opus: Great numbers! It seems like the A/C on the 5 really doen't hurt mileage that bad for some reason.

I think people are overestimating the impact of acceleration and AC use. What makes more of an impact is peak and cruising rpm. By limiting your rpms as much as possible, you will gain far more of an improvement in economy than running with the AC off.

We usually shift up at well below 3000 rpm and easily net over 27 mpg around town. On the highway we easily see over 30 mpg with the AC on.

So far after just over 1600 miles, we are averaging nearly 28 mpg combined with mostly city driving.

 

[opus]

To follow up on my first post, I have a very heavy right foot, I went from a GTO with 350hp to the 5. I can't bring myself to keep my foot off of the accelerator, it is more of an on and off pedal for me, it is either floored or my foot is off of it. So for me to get north of 30mpg is a real testament for this vehicle. Also the higher speed, 75-80mph of our trip also made the results even more impressive.

 

[jandree22]

I went from a GTO with 350hp to the 5.

Sorry for your loss, I'll pray for you tonight.

(lol2)

 

[AIMWO4]

(flame2)

I have the same problem. I went from a modified Saab 9-5 to the Mazda5. I sure miss the turbo kick at 70 mph!

To follow up on my first post, I have a very heavy right foot, I went from a GTO with 350hp to the 5. I can't bring myself to keep my foot off of the accelerator, it is more of an on and off pedal for me, it is either floored or my foot is off of it. So for me to get north of 30mpg is a real testament for this vehicle. Also the higher speed, 75-80mph of our trip also made the results even more impressive.

 

[raspykart]

The A/C compressor cuts out under certain load conditions. Optimal compressor operation is achieved at cruising speeds, thus reducing "drag" on the engine.

Yeah it cuts out at upper rpms to keep from over-revving the AC compressor. The standalone ECU I had in my RX7 allowed me to cut it off at certain rpms. I haven't noticed any ill-effects of AC on either, we run with the auto climate on all the time.

 

[5phreak]

I'm getting 26.5 - 27.1 mpg now that the car has 7000 miles on it. wish i could get 30 mpg like some of you get. i don't drive the car hard either.

 

[AIMWO4]

Just got 27.2 MPG on a tank with 30% highway driving at about 80 MPH.

 

[doctorz]

I'm getting 26.5 - 27.1 mpg now that the car has 7000 miles on it. wish i could get 30 mpg like some of you get. i don't drive the car hard either.

If it makes you feel any better, I find it only happens on certain conditions: flat highway, gentle cruising speeds. But it's attainable.

On our summer 2500 mile road trip, we generally averaged 29 mpg, with two kids, two adults, luggage, and 75-80 mph with A/C. I managed to get up to 31 mpg at 65 mpg and the A/C off (in the Pennsylvania mountains!). City driving gets us down to the low 20s. We don't drive the car very hard.

 

[snax]

All around, we are now averaging about 27 mpg. On a recent long trip, it was about 33 mpg, but I was doing things like coasting 5 miles down a mountain pass.

 

[Bern]

It seems most of the folks from Southern California who have posted here are at that 20-23mpg range. My auto 5 with 42k miles on the odo has done about that same range for all its miles. Mixed driving with mostly AC on.

-Bern
2006 GT Strato Blue

 

[AIMWO4]

Just had a 23.44 mpg run for 308 miles of NO HIGHWAY driving. I have a 5-speed, and drive like a nut. "Lead" is not heavy enough to describe my foot.