Real Bad Gas Mileage!

[G-Papi]

G-Papi, it maybe a side-effect of e-discussion, but it sounds like you are constantly accusing Mazda about "not caring"- whether it be for fuel economy or crash worthiness (seats). Am I wrong or do you have a bone to pick?

Not a bone to pick; just an intelligent curiosity and concern, coupled with a realistic understanding of corporate mentality. Whether it be auto manufacture, or oil production, the corporate mentality (rightly) places profits as the bottom line indicator of corporate success.

I'll probably never know why the gentleman's rails that support his seats in a $30k automobile failed in a minimal impact rear-end collision, but I've got the right to want to know, and as an owner whose family rides in those same type seats, I'm legitemate in having a concern, and I believe I adequately addressed that legitemacy in the other thread.

Find a graph that shows the oil company profits for the past six years. These are dollars that, prior to being in the profit column for BP, Exxon, and the rest, were in the consumers' pockets that have been transferred. Does this transfer of dollars from consumer to producer ease the instability of the middle east? Does it solve the political problems with OPEC? Does it sweeten the taste in peoples' mouth over Chavez? (btw~ Chavez does what he feels is best for Venezuela and Chavez, much as Bush does what he feels is best fot the U.S. and Bush, we hope.) Does it reduce the likelihood of catastrophic natural events that impar oil production and/or distribution? I tend to doubt it. Would it have built several new refineries? Are they being built? (not to my knowledge) Where's the money gone? ( your guess is as good as mine.)

Mazda has made a great car in the CX-7. I'd probably buy the same type vehicle as I did, given the same circumstances. Mazda is successful in this endeavor. They're apparently selling like hotcakes (maybe better, since I haven't checked hot cake sales lately).

In these regards the oil and auto CEO's and Boards have been faithful to their callings. They've made profits for their owners. That's their job.

Now, to the question at prompted my response about whether or not Mazda cares that your and my CX-7 gets at best, low 20's in mpg.

I challenge anyone with the time to waste, to approach Mazda and ask them to find a "fix" for this mpg issue. Document the contacts you make as well as the progress you make in resolving this matter. I'd be interested to know your scientifically reached conclusion as to whether Mazda cares that the CX-7. as configured, gets the mpg that it does.

Ironically, the best you could ever hope for would be something like, "This will be addressed in our 2008, or 2009 model lineup, with a new configuration that burns less, or a lower octane fuel." - Translation = "Wait 'till next year, and buy a new one."

No bone to pick - they're just doing their job(s), whether my issues are addressed, or not. It's the corporate way.

 

[pdfh]

Gas Mileage cx-7

(enguard) Right, I should have bought a Protege, perhaps yours right!!!

That's besides the point, the point is that CX-7 is advertized by Mazda to run 18-20 miles a gallon not 13.

Either way, this is getting old, notting to see here people, lets move on to something else. nate0123 is right, suck it up and drive on.

Point blank: Enjoy your new ride!!! And don't forget to drive it like you stole it!

(first) All, I understand there was a plug problem with the first cx-7's. Dealers have a different plug that radically improves mileage. I have a new cx-7 with 961 miles. First tankful was 20 mpg w/ mixed driving. I have over 300 miles on this tankful with the gauge at 3/8's full. Good luck!

 

[jrpembe]

Mileage... not so good

Here are my first 8 readings so far (US miles/gallon):

23.0
20.3
19.4
22.6
20.9
19.5
20.6
17.0

Have to say I'm kind of disappointed with that last one. I do mostly city driving but still, anything below 20 is a disappointment in my books. Hopefully its just an anomaly. I can always tell when its going to be a bad one when I get to half a tank and haven't even hit 300km.

 

[cruzdreamer]

The range on the sticker is because of different circumstances....driver,driving conditions, weight etc......Yes, I'd hate to get that lower number and would want to figure out why, but we all knew what we were getting into. It's a turbo engine and a heavier vehicle. Luckily, I am getting and average of 20.4 mpg city and I am happy with that since I figured I'd get around 18 mpg. Hopefully one day we can have a turbo. great handling and size and get great mpg! Right now I think 20mpg is decent. my RX 8 got 12 mpg initially(I was mad), then 15 and then 17.5 mpg for over a year and than finally got 18 and then 19mpg my last 4 tanks I filled. Had the car almost 3 years. I think the AWD gets the lesser gas mileage consistently. It's rated at 18 and if you are getting 16 mpg and you drive spiritedly than 16 mpg seems about right. Enjoy but go easy too and it will get better!! Good luck!

 

[THOUGHT OUT]

Another fill up of 93 octane in the CX-7 AWD, 50-60% highway 18.05 MPG.

Another fill up of 93 octane ($2.45 keep dropping!) 30% highway 15.4 MPG.

 

[G-Papi]

Another fill up of 93 octane ($2.45 keep dropping!) 30% highway 15.4 MPG.

93 octane is about $2.22 here.

 

[motopilot]

Another fill up of 93 octane ($2.45 keep dropping!) 30% highway 15.4 MPG.

We only have 1002 miles on ours (and 2 months old) but we are getting 21mpg on each tank so far with about 60% highway driving. I find that in the city driving you just have to be easy with the turbo and not get too heavy footed. Even though we do not have a lot of miles on her yet, we love the car!

 

[G-Papi]

Another fill up of 93 octane ($2.45 keep dropping!) 30% highway 15.4 MPG.

You'll do far better with an increased highway mileage percentage. When it's all said and done, you'll average out around 20 mpg.

 

[JayHovah]

If you drive spiritedly then it's to be expected. Hey both my 5 and 3 are normally aspirated engines and they also guzzle gas when I drive spiritedly (highway or city). I've seen my 3 and 5 drop to 20mpg in mixed driving, but have also seen them get 30+ when I drive at 65 on the hwy.

These fuel economy discussions are getting old. Listen, you got an SUV with a turbocharged engine that makes a lot of low-end torque. What do you expect? I'll say it again, if you want a car that is consistently fuel efficient then get a Honda that makes all it's power at 6 million RPM. There's a reason why Honda's are more fuel efficient, it's because most people don't rev the hell out of them. They stay in the low RPM region that does not create a lot of power and therfore does not consume much gas.

Well to put it another way I also own a 350Z which I drive more then spiritedly and am averaging 21-22mpg on the same route to work. So go figure. They also both have a 6th gear for highway cruising. I think part of the questioning of these facts is that some people are getting such widely different numbers. When driving the Z at the track I average 8-10mpg. Driving the CX-7 a little faster then is needed shouldn't cause this much variation in mileage. The CX-7 is not that heavy but yes I do realize its a turbo AWD vehicle. Just my 2 cents...

 

[mikey1981]

All i know is this

If you use the AC more frequently rather than less frequently
If you accelerate more moderately than conservetively
If you hammer the accelerator on the highway

you will burn more gas. driving conservatively saves mpg - if you want to drive liek a grandmother you should have bought a different car. The CX has a mission, that should have been apparent when you bought a car with a turbo that squirts something like 15psi and 268 torgue. If you think its burning more gas, well, IT IS!

You do not buy this car and then expect CRV-like mpg ratings. Its not possible and i think its being unfair

 

[xavier]

All i know is this

If you use the AC more frequently rather than less frequently
If you accelerate more moderately than conservetively
If you hammer the accelerator on the highway

you will burn more gas. driving conservatively saves mpg - if you want to drive liek a grandmother you should have bought a different car. The CX has a mission, that should have been apparent when you bought a car with a turbo that squirts something like 15psi and 268 torgue. If you think its burning more gas, well, IT IS!

You do not buy this car and then expect CRV-like mpg ratings. Its not possible and i think its being unfair

I agree with you to an extent. I purchased the cx7 with the mindset of "I want a sporty car with ample power, good handling, quiet cabin, nice features, and enough room for the family". The cx7 delivers in all categories. I dont know what gas mileage I am getting nor do I really care. All I care about is the drive and I must say that drive is satisfying.

On the other hand, Mazda printed something like 18 city and 24 hwy mpg (someone keep me honest). If they print/advertise those numbers I feel they better be close or spot on the mark as they developed the vehicle and had ample time to test it to achieve what they felt are fair real-world numbers.

In conclusion, I would have still purchased if it said 14 city and 19 hwy... I was sold on the drive!

 

[mikey1981]

I really and truly think 18/24 is accurate, if you are driving as conservatively as possible. Those ratings have been reached by almost everyone. The lower 14's 15's i would like tothink lends itself towards driving style & AC use. I filled up tonite but i emptied my tank much quicker driving it really hard the last 3 days. The engine does react pretty harshly to hard driving/MPG. Quick accell spurts and hard highway merges really make the gas evaporate

 

[CX7nCali]

I drive 70-80 percent highway, and after 4 tanks, they all averaged 18 mpg from 17.7 to 18.2 and this sucks!

 

[Mazda3]

I get 17-18 MPG consistently with 90% city driving and a heavy foot. I got only 16 on the last tank, but that was because we had 2 blizzards last week.

 

[Otto]

The EPA estimates on the window sticker are just that - estimates. They are obtained, I would assume, using some standardized test and are more useful in comparing between vehicles, rather than absolute guide to mpg.

I was a bit disappointed at first but really, if your want a 2-ton vehicle (in my case with AWD) that moves at least reasonably swiftly, it's gonna get 15-18mpg in the city no matter what the sticker says. One solution would be a diesel engine, but that option is just not available in the U.S. so it's a moot point for now. Petrol engines, be it a 4-cyl with turbo or a large displacement V6/V8, are fun but you gotta pay to play

I got over 23mpg on an all-highway trip, fully loaded with 4 people + luggage. I usually get ~16-16.5 mpg in mostly city driving. FWIW - over time, I think these figures will improve as the engine breaks in. Just don't expect miracles and try not to floor it every chance you get. Must resist the turbo temptation

 

[1Sleepy93]

Must resist the turbo temptation

Resistance is futile! (drive2)

 

[xavier]

Resistance is futile! (drive2)

So true. That may be the reason I dont get to drive the cx7 nearly as much as I want too. My right foot is just too heavy!

 

[Renesis8]

Cant really compare a Turbo motor to a NA one in terms of gas mileage. Off boost, yes, it'll get decent mileage, but the turbo spools early, at 2500rpm, so you REALLY have to drive slow. When it hits peak boost at 15psi, it gets double the air a normal 2.3L would, not to mention the rpms would be pretty high. so when ur on full boost all the time, please expect really bad mileage. And the CX-7 is near 4000pounds. Its a SUV, not a sports car that weights 3000lbs.

 

[mixmasterlove]

I just did the math on a 1/4 tank and I am getting like 9-10 miles per gallon (AWD model), should I go to the dealer for a update OR flash ???

 

[sephiroth]

I just did the math on a 1/4 tank and I am getting like 9-10 miles per gallon (AWD model), should I go to the dealer for a update OR flash ???

deduct 2-3 gallons from your total fuel capacity. That's usualy the amount that's remaining in the tank even though the needle rests on E. For example, even though I have a 13.2gallon tank, when I hit the 1/2 mark I've only used about 5.6gallons.