Mazda5 real-world Mileage numbers

[mpvue]

new jersey...

something must be wrong there if they have a law saying you cannot pump your own gas.

i dont watch the jersey shore for a reason.

lol

(this post was not meant to offend anyone... except people from new jersey... who fit the stereotype)

I live in PA, but buy gas in NJ because their fuel taxes are so much lower; you can save 20 to 30 cents/gal!
and yes, they DO have a law in NJ that you cannot pump your own gas!
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=110510

 

[Rockin03mp5]

funny their tax would be so low, when they have laws like that.

 

[mpvue]

funny their tax would be so low, when they have laws like that.

it's the only thing cheap in NJ, cost of living is ridiculous.

 

[flcruising]

Even if you havent experienced any mechanical issues, its still considered a non eco friendly move and there is no guarantee it wont cause problems in the future. Nothing is broken, until it breaks, you know! To each his own of course, I hope nothing does go wrong for you.

220k and no problems at all. The engine is most non eco friendly when it's cold. I warm mine up for a few minutes even in the middle of summer.

that has got to be THE most in depth analysis of the 'science' of putting gas in your car. seriously, dude, get a hobby.

I was simply telling you what I've observed firsthand. I'm not so quick to believe what I read, especially from the gov't. If this were the case with the 5, then why would they have installed the charcoal canister below the tank? <- THAT is most curious to me.

 

[twintrbo]

I warm mine up for a few minutes even in the middle of summer.

A few minutes ? How interesting.....
http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/2007/April/06.html
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html
http://autorepair.about.com/b/2008/12/01/warm-your-toes-warm-up-pie-but-dont-warm-up-your-engine.htm

Something tells me you wont believe any of these people either though......

 

[mpvue]

if I don't have to get ice off the windows, I only wait long enough to adjust the heat and tune in my radio station. I have full heat by the time I get on the hwy, about a mile from my house.
some mexicans that live across the street from me, they're all OCD about warming the cars up in the winter. they'll come out, start up the cars, go back in the house and let them idle a good 20 minutes or so before they leave!

 

[flcruising]

FYI - This is not as critical in the Mz5 as the engine is all aluminum (pistons too?). I don't do this for oil or heat purposes but something most don't even think about.

Different metals heat up and expand at differing rates. My dd has an iron block and aluminum heads. If I didn't care about replacing my head gasket (still original) I would completely disregard letting it warm. But I'm convince that it's lasted 220k with no hint of coolant loss or oil burning because of the simple habit of letting the engine warm. There's no way you can convince me that idling an engine for <5 minutes is worse than shutting it off and restarting. Not only the starter, but the ignition switch and so many other relays/solenoids are affected.

Are you one to turn off your computer when you step away for a drink? Probably not. Material expansion effects more than you even think about.

 

[SuperJETT]

If I didn't care about replacing my head gasket (still original) I would completely disregard letting it warm. But I'm convince that it's lasted 220k with no hint of coolant loss or oil burning because of the simple habit of letting the engine warm. There's no way you can convince me that idling an engine for <5 minutes is worse than shutting it off and restarting.

Purely anecdotal info.

My 2000 Accord has 190k miles with zero coolant loss or oil burning, and I don't warm it up other than just driving normally for the first minute or two.

 

[flcruising]

^Well, there you go^

I won't stop doing it though.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

i dont warm mine up either.

i find the car warms up just as fast if you get in and drive.

i just dont stomp on the gas till it is up to temp.

 

[DKaz]

30 seconds, more than enough time for all that parts to be fully and properly lubricated, then drive nice and easy until the temp gauge reaches the lowest marking, the engine is then warm enough from that point forward to push it.

 

[twintrbo]

I will say that this engine takes longer to warm up than any other car I've owned. I replaced my 17 year old Maxima with the 5, and the Maxima warmed up way faster. I really dont mind since I live for cold weather but for my wife and the kids its something that bothers them.

 

[Zoom Bus]

I'm right there in that 22/23 mile per gallon range. 2010 5 auto

 

[Sounbwoy]

So far after four fill ups, my best number is 27.3 mpg and my worst is 25.1mpg. Has anyone tried to see how far they can go after the low fuel light comes on? I "pushed" a little further, but it still only took 13.4 gallons to fill it up. I know about driving for extended periods with the light on and I don't make a habit of it, but I like to see how far I can go. I track my fuel consumption on: https://www.fueleconomy.gov

 

[SuperJETT]

So, for **real world** mileage, not high numbers off a special trip, our normal mpg (we track with acar on my wife's Droid2) runs between 19 and 22mpg. Her driving is carpooling 5 kids to school 8 miles, then 8 miles to work, rinse and repeat with errands thrown in. She almost never sees highways here in Louisville and most of the roads are 35 or 45mph suburban streets with stop lights. It's a 2008 auto.

Our 2001 Chrysler van with a 3.3 V-6 ran around 15mpg for the same driving but would hit over 23 on highway trips, so I'd assume the 5 will get upper 20's on a highway trip though we really haven't taken one in it since we got it in October.

I figure we're saving around $60/month compared to the van during the school year.

 

[twintrbo]

Sounbwoy, I filled it with ~14.2 gallons once, so it has plenty left once the light is on. It would be misleading to tell you how many miles I drove though, ymmv of course. I think when the light comes on it takes about 13 gallons from that point. If the tank is 15.9 gallons you can figure you have 2 gallons, at best, in reserve. Pushing more than 40 miles would be a bad idea IMO. My motorcycle has a feature that turns on a trip mileage function when it needs fuel so you know how far youve gone since the light came on. Way cool since there is no fuel gauge and sometimes you are too busy riding to know when it came on!

Superjett, lets hear it for real world vs. EPA estimates! I'm tired of people quoting EPA as if its reality when comparing vehicles. Can anyone really believe that the new Odyssey can match the 5 on the highway MPG? Thats what I thought

 

[flcruising]

twinturbo - The problem with most Odyssey folk, is they depend on the trip computer to tell them their mpg. It doesn't seem to me that much less than us, pretty close actually, but the datapoints need some expansion.

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=139250

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f21f116

 

[twintrbo]

The only way to truly compare is to drive a set loop like the magazines do and use the same driver as well. There is too much variance between areas and driving style etc.... Even on our forum we have variances of almost 10 mpg average depending on usage. I dont think I've managed to even get the city MPG number as an average for the tank yet other than one road trip. Yet others get 26 mpg regularly. Your mileage may vary.........

 

[flcruising]

That's precisely what this is for - http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml

 

[twintrbo]

That's precisely what this is for - http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml

Yes but it still doesn't tell the whole story. What if your car is more efficient at a higher speed due to aerodynamics and gearing than the speed the EPA tests at? Or vice versa? Some peoples commute is like running an EPA loop, I know my driving environment is defintely not. I still would have expected more out of the 5 but then I have to wonder what it would be like with another vehicle. My brother in law was getting about 13mpg on his 2010 odyssey touring in similar driving to what I do. I usually get about 17-18 which sucks but its still around 50% more than he got!