Mazda5 real-world Mileage numbers
- Thread starter perfecto
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phunky.buddha
Booga Booga?
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- DFW TX
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- No mo MZ5 want MX5
Wow. Speed/headwind? The only time I've gotten that kind of mileage is staying at a steady 60mph... which isn't possible in Texas.
phunky.buddha
Booga Booga?
- :
- DFW TX
- :
- No mo MZ5 want MX5
Not bad! I guess since our speed limits are 75-80 around here now, I won't see 30mpg again. Oh well.
rodslinger
Member
2010 Sport, 5AT - Had a bad week I guess. Almost all city driving and in a hurry everywhere I went. I got 16.8mpg on that tank. Ouch!!!
Well, it's not a popular opinion around here, but experience with dozens of other cars and then our '09 5 tells me that there is quite a bit of variation in where the gas level is when the pumps stops. I don't top off. I stop when the pump stops.
I believe that in cases like yours, with mileages computing to be around 17 mpg, and those computing to be around 32+ mpg, are invalid results and are worthy of being thrown out. I pay more attention now to how much gas it takes to fill the tank when the needle is at a certain spot on the gauge. Sadly, this appears to be much more scientific than simply reading the pumped quantity. Now, I can tell whether the computed mpg will be high or low based on how much it takes to fill at a certain level on the gauge. More evidence that my hunch is correct.
Oh, and I forgot to relay some gathered data from a recent drive. I drove from Lexington, KY to Crossville, TN, which is a 4 hour drive up and down mountains. In one direction I got 31 mpg and the other I got 25 mpg. The good mileage came from going to the destination at a higher elevation, which makes no sense. Cruise speeds were 72 MPH both ways without stopping each time, with Shell 87 in both tanks. That's too much variation for it to not be the tank level.
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I am with you on the tank level, the last half of the tank on my 2010 5 goes much quicker than the first half. On my 2012 3 I notice the same thing. I recently took a road trip in the 3 and wanted to test my theory. I topped my tank off until gas starting coming out. I then drove it until it was at half of a tank. I stop and filled the tank up and topped it off the same way I did the first time. When I calculated my mpg's I had 49 mpg's highway. I then drove until the gas light came on at empty and then filled up again. When I calculated the mpg's for the whole tank instead of half, I got 45 mpg's highway. That was a 4 mpg swing from the first half of the tank to the last half of the tank.
Huh?
All I am trying to say is that the fuel gauge isn't accurate. The first half of the tank last longer than the last half of the tank, according to the fuel gauge. I know people who will calculate their mpg's by computing what they got on the first half of their tank, instead of their entire tank. This method skews the mpg's. Basically my point is that there has to be a consistent method for calculating mpg's. Regardless of if you top off or stop when the pump clicks, calculating your mpg's across the full tank, instead of half the tank or 3/4's of the tank will yield the most accurate results. Just keep your methods consistent, if you top off, top off every time. if you let the pump click and stop, do that every time. It is true that the more time you spend driving the 5, the better you know how many gallons you have at a certain spot on the fuel gauge. We know that the 5 has a 15.9 gallon tank, and that the gas light comes on when you have around 3 gallons left, so calculating from there makes it a little easier.
The gauge is accurate. It's other factors affecting the level at which the tank is "filled", or when the pump shuts off, that's the problem.
The fuel mapping is only part of an Eco function. The transmission, steering, and other factors are also modified.
rodslinger
Member
No. It was an accurate calculation. Lots of city driving, lot of idling and a lot of pedal to the floor....
The gauge is accurate if you run the car down to below where it says E, driving on fumes when you fill it up, but if you fill it up when the empty light comes on the gauge isn't accurate to the dashboard. The 5's read E when the empty light comes on when you have around 3 gallons left. Which means that from F to half of a tank, the gauge reads around 8 gallons, from the half of a tank line to the E line when the light comes on is about 5 gallons. That is why when I get gas right when the light comes on, I always end up topping of at around 13 gallons. That is accurate considering that the 5 has a 15.9 gallon tank. So yes the gauge is accurate to the actual tank size, but not to the read out on the dashboard. This is also true in my 2012 3. The digital read out of estimated mileage, which i don't have on the 5, is another confirmation that the gauge is off from the dashboard, because it too gets more mileage over the first part of the tank.
rapscallion5
Member
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- 07 M6 09 M5
Bought a 09 MZ5 Sport about 3 weeks ago.
So far have gotten about 25mpg mixed city/hwy driving.
The first tank which was all city driving was 19.6mpg and that's with 3 kids and 2 adults in the car.
Considering that we traded an 08 Pathfinder 4x4 for the MZ5, we are extremely happy that our wallets are fatter after leaving the pumps.
So far have gotten about 25mpg mixed city/hwy driving.
The first tank which was all city driving was 19.6mpg and that's with 3 kids and 2 adults in the car.
Considering that we traded an 08 Pathfinder 4x4 for the MZ5, we are extremely happy that our wallets are fatter after leaving the pumps.
I average 18-21mpg, 2012 Mazda5 with 5-speed auto. I drive about 50% city/50% highway. Asking this question in these forums is like expecting your local politician not to tell a lie. LOL Almost everyone on here embellishes their numbers to "look good." I have rarely seen real numbers. (hahaspit)
I expect that most people are honest about their fuel economy numbers, we're not trying to sell our cars, we are owners.
This is my Fuelly for my 07 Mazda 5 GT with 5 speed manual which I owned from Apr 2009 to Aug 2012:
http://www.fuelly.com/driver/dkazzed/5
This is my Fuelly for my 07 Mazda 5 GT with 5 speed manual which I owned from Apr 2009 to Aug 2012:
http://www.fuelly.com/driver/dkazzed/5
- Lifetime average 9.5L/100km (24.9 MPG).
- Typical city tank 10.0 to 10.5L/100km (22-23 MPG).
- Best tank 6.7L/100km (35.0 MPG), this was average 90km/h (55mph) on a wet/icy mountain highway. I thought the fuel pump cut off early so I attempt to put more gas in, and a bit of excess came out. 6.7L/100km includes the lost gas.
- Typical highway tank 7 to 8L/100km (29-34 MPG).
People have a tendency to live out a fantasy online, many people are unhappy or unpopular in real life, so they get sucked into the online thing and if they can look cool online they will do it, even if it means lying about stuff, including something as trivial as MPG numbers (see articles on Manti Te'o). Then again, I don't usually believe what people tell me to begin with, I just usually nod my head in agreement, and I go find out the truth for myself later if I want. I don't believe everything I read or hear. Point being, I have seen some MPG numbers I know are fudged. No one is out to sell their car, your right, but everyone always wants to sell you their BS. So with that.... I'm getting 50MPG city now in my Mazda5!!
