Sudden MPG increase?

[mazdadude]

I have a 2016 AWD GT so whatever MPG improvement Mazda claims to have made are not having any impact.

@Mazdadude. My HWY driving is 65mph, never flooring it, no bumper to bumper traffic. I have never seen my instant MPG above 30mpg in these conditions on the flat and as soon as I hit the smallest inclination, the instant MPG goes down in the high 10s.
I live on top of a 35% hill, say 1/2 mile from a flat road. Going up the hill from the red light at the bottom, the instant MPG is 7mpg all the way to the top, pretty much the same as what my Landcruiser measured! Very disappointing for a 2.5l engine.

The CX5 AWD 2.5 is rated at 24city/30hwy. In the PDF's of the actual EPA test on the 2.5 AWD, I remember it maxing out at just over 31mpg hwy, and getting as little as 18mpg city. I do not remember it ever saying if it was a sport or touring with 17"wheels, or a GT with 19"s.

I do not think you will ever be able to get the CX-5 2.5 AWD over 30mpg at speeds of 65mph.

The same motor in the similar weight Mazda6 has a 28/40mpg hwy rating, a 2cty/7hwy increase over a FWD cx-5. The dramatic increase in hwy between the two models, I believe shows off the Drag Coefficient difference between the CX-5 and 6.

Can you try 55mph and see what your instant mpg is? Perhaps even try a sample at 75mph if you have an area where you can do it safely.

Here is a good article the explains some of the intricacies of the prescribed testing process. I did not know that auto manufacturers did the tests, and the 18 people in the EPA do not test every car, rather they only do samples of particular cars, or those which have had numerous complaints.

http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/heres-why-real-world-mpg-doesnt-match-epa-ratings.html

 

[Unobtanium]

The CX5 AWD 2.5 is rated at 24city/30hwy. In the PDF's of the actual EPA test on the 2.5 AWD, I remember it maxing out at just over 31mpg hwy, and getting as little as 18mpg city. I do not remember it ever saying if it was a sport or touring with 17"wheels, or a GT with 19"s.

I do not think you will ever be able to get the CX-5 2.5 AWD over 30mpg at speeds of 65mph.

The same motor in the similar weight Mazda6 has a 28/40mpg hwy rating, a 2cty/7hwy increase over a FWD cx-5. The dramatic increase in hwy between the two models, I believe shows off the Drag Coefficient difference between the CX-5 and 6.

Can you try 55mph and see what your instant mpg is? Perhaps even try a sample at 75mph if you have an area where you can do it safely.

Here is a good article the explains some of the intricacies of the prescribed testing process. I did not know that auto manufacturers did the tests, and the 18 people in the EPA do not test every car, rather they only do samples of particular cars, or those which have had numerous complaints.

http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/heres-why-real-world-mpg-doesnt-match-epa-ratings.html

Speed plays a HUGE role! My Grand Jeep Cherokee would hit 22-23mpg (it's EPA rating is 18, I believe) if you were loafing at around 50mph. I know, because one time I got into an area of new highway that had just been completed (I49S), and there were NO gas stations, and I had planned poorly. I did everything I could to get to one (and succeeded). I bet doing the same, you could easily break 30mpg in the CX5 2.5 AWD, it's just not practical for real-world all the time driving.

 

[jhu8]

EPA ratings cannot be taken that seriously. Jsut go to fulley and you'll see real life examples. The Cx5 is still right up there with the cr-v and averaging better than the rouge and we all know the cx5 is definitely faster and handles worlds better than the top mpg cr-v. I honestly don't know what's to be upset about. I get 30 mpg doing 65-70 easily. And I average 28 with about 50/50 driving. People who are getting subpar mpg are probably the same ones who speed up to a red light. My fiance is horrible at that.

 

[timberstx]

I ended up in Galveston yesterday. On my way back to Houston I reset the average mpg as soon as I got off the island. When I took the exit at Westpark and 59 in Houston, my average was 45.3 mpg. It is about 60 miles. I drove with the windows (most of the way) up and A/C off ( it was a bit warm ). I drove mostly 60 - 65 mph. Hit some traffic that brought me to a stop on the highways but not too much. I am very happy with my milage. Every Mazda I have owned has exceeded the estimate. Before my reset I average about 29 - 30 mpg of mixed driving.

 

[Unobtanium]

I ended up in Galveston yesterday. On my way back to Houston I reset the average mpg as soon as I got off the island. When I took the exit at Westpark and 59 in Houston, my average was 45.3 mpg. It is about 60 miles. I drove with the windows (most of the way) up and A/C off ( it was a bit warm ). I drove mostly 60 - 65 mph. Hit some traffic that brought me to a stop on the highways but not too much. I am very happy with my milage. Every Mazda I have owned has exceeded the estimate. Before my reset I average about 29 - 30 mpg of mixed driving.

That is an amazing drive for fuel economy. My WS.6 Trans Am got over the EPA rating on that trip nailing 80 with the AC on and stereo blasting. I used to live in McAllen, and drove to NW LA as a kid quite often (family)

 

[V8toilet]

I found this http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/cx-5/2...AID=10364102&mktid=cj260233&mktcat=affiliates