That would put it closer to $30k and it wouldn't sell, probably the same reason why Ford cancelled the Grand C-MAX.
Mazda5 real-world Mileage numbers
- Thread starter perfecto
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That would put it closer to $30k and it wouldn't sell, probably the same reason why Ford cancelled the Grand C-MAX.
I am no grandma driver.
Having lived in Boston/NYC for 4.5 years, and in the treacherous highways of LA, where we all do 80-85mph, our Mazda5 keeps up surprisingly well. I drive on the carpool lane and left lanes all the time, where if you aren't doing 85, you are dead.
Does it pull like my 1199 Ducati or my sports cars? No. Does it have the torque of a Lexus LS600, no.
But it does fine on an american highway.
People are driving Prius C, Smart cars, Mazda2 on the highway and no issues.
Heck my own Lexus CT200H which is an underpowered dog compared to the Mazda5, does perfectly fine on CA highways, albeit I have it floored 80% of the time I drive it.
Its not important to me what other people are doing/driving out there. I'm speaking for myself only, and its my opinion. Like I said, it will do the job, just not to my liking. I have had many situations where I would have throttled out of them if I could have. Like when someone is trying to run you into a slower moving car by accelerating to hold you out of the passing lane, by the time you realize it, you're not making it out unless you floor it and cut it close. Another 30 hp and a willing transmission would go a long way to making this a better driving car for myself is all I'm saying.
Sure....but I think the reason it doesn't sell well now is because it's just too small, too barebones, too much of a compromise and at the end of the day...not significantly more efficient. Now I also think the Odyssey and Sienna are too big, too expensive, too inefficient. If they would put out a new Mazda5 that was larger than the current model but smaller than an Odyssey/Sienna that offered more premium features and actually got good gas mileage for $30K well-equipped? You can buy a freaking Odyssey for close to $50K!
It doesn't sell well because you can buy a Dodge Grand Caravan AVP, that's just about as stripped down as a 5 for about $24k with a ton more room. You lose a little bit of fuel economy but make up for it in terms of overall space. The Caravan is smaller than the Oddy/Sienna as well. The Ford Transit Connect fits that $30k price and inbetween size, but we will have to see how well it sells.
The Transit will not sell well because its too industrial looking. It looks like a contractor vehicle and that will doom it to rental status if anything. I would pay for an upscale 5 personally but its a tough sell in the bigger is better US market. My wish list for the 5 adds AWD, the 170hp diesel engine, power doors and liftgate, panoramic roof and a plusher interior. FWIW Mazda used to have the MPV which was well liked and could easily be brought back.
So my wife and I "powered" through switching cars with the kids and we both did our normal routine with each other's car.
Mazda3 my routine = 34MPG
Mazda5 my routine = 22MPG
Mazda3 my wife's routine = 30MPG
Mazda5 my wife's routine = 18MPG (her last tank seemed a little better - maybe the engine is breaking-in?)
22MPG still sucks in my book. My routine drive is on lazy country back roads with few stops average between 40-50mph while my wife's routine is more stop and go. IF they keep the Mazda5 they need to go Skyactiv to keep it even remotely competitive. This thing should be routinely 26+ MPH on my wife's routine and 30+ on my routine IMO.
Anyway it still seems like it's getting better so we will see.....
Mazda3 my routine = 34MPG
Mazda5 my routine = 22MPG
Mazda3 my wife's routine = 30MPG
Mazda5 my wife's routine = 18MPG (her last tank seemed a little better - maybe the engine is breaking-in?)
22MPG still sucks in my book. My routine drive is on lazy country back roads with few stops average between 40-50mph while my wife's routine is more stop and go. IF they keep the Mazda5 they need to go Skyactiv to keep it even remotely competitive. This thing should be routinely 26+ MPH on my wife's routine and 30+ on my routine IMO.
Anyway it still seems like it's getting better so we will see.....
I still don't understand why you guys (that are making this comparison) think it is OK and realistic to compare the mileage to the mz3 and complain that you don't get 30mpg in mixed driving.
It's a van, even if it's a microvan.
Compare it to its actual competitors (Sienna, Odessey, etc.) and it's not best-in-class, but it's not 12mpg worse than it should be either, like you appear to be trying to claim.
Yes the engine is outdated, and yes the SkyActiv would probably bump it up to best-in-class or near-best-in-class economy, but I really think your expectations are the problem, not the vehicle.
FWIW, I have a heavy right foot (see my turbo thread if you don't believe me) and my lifetime average in this car is 23.6mpg - I think that's totally acceptable for what this vehicle is. I have every single fillup recorded, if you'd like to see the data.
It's a van, even if it's a microvan.
Compare it to its actual competitors (Sienna, Odessey, etc.) and it's not best-in-class, but it's not 12mpg worse than it should be either, like you appear to be trying to claim.
Yes the engine is outdated, and yes the SkyActiv would probably bump it up to best-in-class or near-best-in-class economy, but I really think your expectations are the problem, not the vehicle.
FWIW, I have a heavy right foot (see my turbo thread if you don't believe me) and my lifetime average in this car is 23.6mpg - I think that's totally acceptable for what this vehicle is. I have every single fillup recorded, if you'd like to see the data.
Or there is some incorrect math going on....
I have a PhD in biochemistry....if I can rock P-chem I'm pretty sure my math is sound
Assuming tank was topped off at the last fill up....miles driven since last fill up/gallons added at next fill up.
I don't think anyone is trying to directly compare a Mazda3 to Mazda5....while the Mazda5 is larger/heavier indirectly it's a better comparison since they both have 2.5L engines and it's better than trying to compare the Mazda5 to an Odyssey or a Sienna - both of which are MUCH heavier/larger with 3.5L V-6's.
If I can get mid 20's in the Mazda5 I'd be perfectly happy....not expecting Mazda3 numbers...but there is a HUGE divide at the moment......
Time to bump up tire pressure again and see if that helps.Idmd, if it helps I have learned over the years how to adjust my driving so that I get the best mileage I can without resorting to excessive or dangerous hypermiling techniques. Here is a list of some of the things I do:
Remain cognizant of how much braking you do. The more you use your brakes, the more fuel you throw away. Every time you brake you are taking the energy that was converted from the fuel to kinetic energy and converting it back to heat energy. Since you only get about 25%-30% of the energy out of the fuel to actually propel the car and the rest is wasted, its very important to not waste it.
I look ahead at traffic and let off the throttle when I see traffic is coming to a stop long before most people do.
I look ahead at lights and if it's red I let off the brake instead of charging it to the end like most people do.
I keep a comfortable distance between me and the driver in front of me so that I don't have to brake every time they do.
When I am approaching an off ramp/exit from a highway I let off the throttle 1/2-mile or less and let the car coast down to a comfortable speed and let it coast all the way through the exit ramp. This saves a lot of fuel.
I don't take off slow (actually uses more fuel) but I don't do jack rabbit starts either. Let the car accelerate as quickly as it can without revving past 3000 rpm so you can get up to speed quickly and get into the fuel saving cruise mode.
Don't drive more than 70 mph on the highway as fuel mileage drops steeply after 60 mph. Remove roof racks as these kill highway fuel mileage. I usually do 70 mph because the 5 cuts through the wind pretty good and seams better than my CX5. Consumer Reports did a test with a Sedan and found that the cross bars with nothing on them took 5 mpg off the highway mileage.
Dont drive around with lots of stuff in the car if you don't need it. The Mazda 5 is already a heavy vehicle so driving around with more weight than you need is only going to make things worse.
Keep the tires properly inflated. When you replace tires buy a tire with low rolling resistance. CR says there is as much as 3 mpg difference between the best and worst tires when it comes to rolling resistance.
Keep the engine in tune and the brakes serviced. Make sure you use the 0W-20W synthetic oil recommended by Mazda in the 2012 service manual. If you use regular 5W-30W it's going to hurt the fuel mileage.
Don't let the engine idle for long periods of time. This surprised me on how much it hurts mileage. Just taking 7 minutes to get through a drive through can cut .5 mpg from your average.
Don't let the engine idle in the driveway to warm up the car. It's much better to give it 10-30 seconds for the oil to circulate and then drive easy until the engine warms up (light goes out). This especially hurts mileage in the winter.
My last few tanks on the way home with mixed in town driving in SC were 29.92 mpg, 28.3 mpg, 27.92 mpg, and mostly highway with some heavy traffic 31.3 mpg. First tank on the way down was 31.7 mpg. In the winter with mostly city driving I usually get between 21 mpg and 24 mpg. If. I drive my Skyactiv CX5 the way most people drive around MA I'll only get about 27-30 mpg when I usually get 31-35mpg.
Hope some of this helps.
Remain cognizant of how much braking you do. The more you use your brakes, the more fuel you throw away. Every time you brake you are taking the energy that was converted from the fuel to kinetic energy and converting it back to heat energy. Since you only get about 25%-30% of the energy out of the fuel to actually propel the car and the rest is wasted, its very important to not waste it.
I look ahead at traffic and let off the throttle when I see traffic is coming to a stop long before most people do.
I look ahead at lights and if it's red I let off the brake instead of charging it to the end like most people do.
I keep a comfortable distance between me and the driver in front of me so that I don't have to brake every time they do.
When I am approaching an off ramp/exit from a highway I let off the throttle 1/2-mile or less and let the car coast down to a comfortable speed and let it coast all the way through the exit ramp. This saves a lot of fuel.
I don't take off slow (actually uses more fuel) but I don't do jack rabbit starts either. Let the car accelerate as quickly as it can without revving past 3000 rpm so you can get up to speed quickly and get into the fuel saving cruise mode.
Don't drive more than 70 mph on the highway as fuel mileage drops steeply after 60 mph. Remove roof racks as these kill highway fuel mileage. I usually do 70 mph because the 5 cuts through the wind pretty good and seams better than my CX5. Consumer Reports did a test with a Sedan and found that the cross bars with nothing on them took 5 mpg off the highway mileage.
Dont drive around with lots of stuff in the car if you don't need it. The Mazda 5 is already a heavy vehicle so driving around with more weight than you need is only going to make things worse.
Keep the tires properly inflated. When you replace tires buy a tire with low rolling resistance. CR says there is as much as 3 mpg difference between the best and worst tires when it comes to rolling resistance.
Keep the engine in tune and the brakes serviced. Make sure you use the 0W-20W synthetic oil recommended by Mazda in the 2012 service manual. If you use regular 5W-30W it's going to hurt the fuel mileage.
Don't let the engine idle for long periods of time. This surprised me on how much it hurts mileage. Just taking 7 minutes to get through a drive through can cut .5 mpg from your average.
Don't let the engine idle in the driveway to warm up the car. It's much better to give it 10-30 seconds for the oil to circulate and then drive easy until the engine warms up (light goes out). This especially hurts mileage in the winter.
My last few tanks on the way home with mixed in town driving in SC were 29.92 mpg, 28.3 mpg, 27.92 mpg, and mostly highway with some heavy traffic 31.3 mpg. First tank on the way down was 31.7 mpg. In the winter with mostly city driving I usually get between 21 mpg and 24 mpg. If. I drive my Skyactiv CX5 the way most people drive around MA I'll only get about 27-30 mpg when I usually get 31-35mpg.
Hope some of this helps.
I have a PhD in biochemistry....if I can rock P-chem I'm pretty sure my math is sound
Assuming tank was topped off at the last fill up....miles driven since last fill up/gallons added at next fill up.
I wasn't trying to question YOUR math skills. There are many of us PhD, and MDPhD here...
My only point was, that there might be other things to consider to get such low mileage (given the driving environment you described).
Sometimes the smartest amongst us, make mistakes too
