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Mazda6 Real World MPG

Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
edited May 2014 in Mazda
This topic is for Mazda6 owners to share and compare their actual MPG.

"Real World" Fuel Economy vs. EPA Estimates
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Comments

  • mikefromnjmikefromnj Member Posts: 1
    I will average about 22 MPG on combined highway/city. However, since I have been doing more highway driving to my new job I have experienced 25 MPG the last few times I filled up.
  • jahnu04jahnu04 Member Posts: 58
    I have put 6100 miles on my wagon. So far I have averaged 22 MPG. When I drive it to work, which is 70% hwy, I get 25 MPG, but when my wife drives it, which is all city driving, don't get more than 20 MPG. I started getting 25 MPG when I crossed the 5000 mile mark, but at the same time, the temp. got warmer. During peak winter the max I could get was 22 MPG. It will be interesting to see how will I average next winter.
  • ashutoshsmashutoshsm Member Posts: 1,007
    ... which engine/transmission your 6 has.
    V6 6-speed auto
    V6 5-speed auto
    V6 5-speed manual
    I4 5-speed manual
    I4 4-speed auto

    Depending on how crazily (or judiciously) I drive, my I4 manual mileage ranges from 21 (ouch!) to 34 (whee!) mpg. Regular, mostly-city driving during warm months is 26+, these days. Almost 30K flawless miles now :) Lifetime average, per my Spreadsheet, is a smidgen over 26 mpg at just over $1.89 per gallon!
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Thanks for that reminder! I forgot to include that in my initial post. :blush:
  • sadlosadlo Member Posts: 6
    I've got an 04 wagon...V6 with the 5 speed atuo. Got it on a Friday and on Monday left for a business trip that logged about 2100 miles. Over seven tanks of gas I averaged 24.3 mpg. This included highways from Ohio through the mountains in W VA and VA. About five days of mixed city driving in North Carolina and back through the mountains again. I was pretty happy with the 24. I hope it goes up a few mpg after I get some more milage on her.
  • mimazda6mimazda6 Member Posts: 9
    6s sedan with 5-speed manual. Only had it 7 weeks. 3000 miles, average mpg 23.7. Drive about half and half city and highway, highway usually 75 - 85 mph.
  • likaglovlikaglov Member Posts: 82
    2004 6s AT (5-speed). I average 19-20 MPG with 75% city driving.
  • lefthandmanlefthandman Member Posts: 47
    2004 6S, 5-speed manual, 7,400 miles. Total overall: 26.8 mpg. Best tankful: 29.5 mpg, all highway. Worst tankful: 24.3 mpg. I rarely do any "city" or "stop & go" driving. My commute route has mostly 50-65 mph limits, 12 miles, 5 stop lights. I've been pretty satisfied with the car to-date. Only major gripe: trying to launch the car smoothly from stop on an incline (imprecise electronic throttle control and touchy, vague clutch pedal).
  • jahnu04jahnu04 Member Posts: 58
    I have got a 2004 MZ6 Wagon V6 5-speed Auto with 7,600 miles on it. Past weekend I had been on a 600 mile long trip to Wisconsin dells, this was my first long trip on this car. I averaged 29.4 mpg, all highway with A/C on, three on board and baggage. I used the cruise for the most part of the driving and had set it to 70 mph.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
  • sevenseassevenseas Member Posts: 44
    Took a trip from Los Angeles, CA to the Monterey Bay area.

    Using Chevron gasoline:
    23.5 mpg mostly highway driving (heavy traffic) 20-60 mph
    23.8 mpg 90% highway (light traffic) 55-60 mph

    Using Shell gasoline:
    26.7 mpg 90% highway, 55-65 mph
    29.1 mpg all highway 60-70 mph

    hmmm, never considered possibility of different gas formulations affecting mpg, any thoughts? :confuse:
  • fitguyfitguy Member Posts: 220
    Have a 2004 6S, V6 Auto 5 spd. Averages 22 mpg mixed driving, best so far on 90% hwy is 25 mpg. Just passed 10K miles with 0 problems. (the sticky brake dust is really a pain, though). I still don't think this car is fully loosened up yet; hope to see 26 + hwy someday! :)
  • nedc2nedc2 Member Posts: 192
    Are you buying/using the different brands in the same season, similar weather conditions, same area, altitude, etc.? Weather can have serious effects on mileage, and in many areas of the country, higher levels of methanol are added to gasoline formulations in the winter especially. Methanol has a lower energy content than gasoline, so combined with cold tempeeratures mileage can drop by as much as 20%. Altitude can make a difference too if you were purchasing gas formulated for mountain areas, often lower octane ratings, are used. I'm not familiar with gas formulations in the southern Cal area but I don't think excessive cold is the culprit there;) Here in Michigan it's a different story.
  • sevenseassevenseas Member Posts: 44
    I would say driving, road and weather conditions were similar, purchased during a 4 day trip for the Fourth of July week. It must be the Shell formulation that improved mpg. I have a Chevron credit card but am considering switching to Shell due to the difference between 23 mpg (Chevron) and 26-29 mpg (Shell). I plan on taking a survey of Shell gas stations in my local area to see if it is worth changing services. :shades:
  • gussguss Member Posts: 1,167
    I have a 2004 wagon and so far I have been averaging 23mpg on mixed suburban type driving. I only had one all highway, and with 2 bikes on the roof I averaged 25.

    I'm happy with that , coming from a V-8 Durango as my previous vehicle the 6 seems like an econobox.
  • tzoomertzoomer Member Posts: 18
    2004 Mazda6 Wagon, V6, 5-sp AT, 5500 miles in Midwest, relaxed driver.

    Best: 26.9 mpg (rural highways 40-75 mph) @ 2000 miles.
    Worst:18.3 mpg (short city trips) @ 4700 miles.
    Average mpg = 21.8 (mostly town).

    Summer versus winter driving has little effect (21.4 ±3.2 summer, 22.2 ±3.4 winter !) compared to city (less than 22) vs. highway (>23) .

    These are with AT in Auto, since the Manual flappers are a big disappointment to me (engine brain still decides exactly when to make the shift, which throws my timing off).

    Terrific handling, right-sized car :D with a woeful throttle response. :cry:
  • ericzoomericzoom Member Posts: 213
    All local in FL with A/C running all the time about 20 - 21 mpg. V6 ATX.
  • bdr05sprtwagonbdr05sprtwagon Member Posts: 2
    257 miles 11.8 gallons=21.7 mpg, car has 450 miles on it.
  • pats1pats1 Member Posts: 36
    I have an 05 Mazda 6s V-6 with 6 speed auto, 2500 miles. Been getting 24.5 - 26.5 MPG so far.
  • christanchristan Member Posts: 10
    For my first tank of gas in my new 6i, 4-cylinder, the gas warning light came on with 2 gallons of gas remaining.

    Nearly all of the 16 gallons used were on the highway.

    Average mileage: 30.5, just below the 31 highway mpg advertised for this model. I'm hoping the city driving gets me at least 24 mpg, as also advertised.
  • tminchewtminchew Member Posts: 5
    2006
    3.0 Liter V6
    6-speed automatic

    Very first fill up, averaged 26.92 mpg with mostly highway driving. :P
  • christanchristan Member Posts: 10
    Second tank, mostly city driving, for my 2006 Mazda 6, with 4 cylinders: 24.65 mpg.
  • sebascatsebascat Member Posts: 1
    My car, purchased 1/6/05, is driven primarily short distances, and gets 16-17 MPG. My best mileage was from Angel Fire, NM, back to Denver the April after I had bought the car: 28 MPG. About 80 % of this was on I-25, where the speed limit is mostly 75, and I set my cruise on 82. It is stupid to speed on Interstates because that is where most speed trapts are in Colorado.
    It is rated at 20/27 with the 6 spd AT. If you read Consumer Reports you will read that City mileage figures from the EPA are inflated about 30 %.

    I think that a lot of people round up their mileage just to impress. I use a calculator. :) I guess if my city driving included freeways where traffic is moving well my MPG could improve to 20 in the City, but I am retired, love cars, and have been in ill health the last year, so haven't really put many miles on it.
  • cheesehead6cheesehead6 Member Posts: 68
    I use my '04 6i MTX for commuting 80 mpday; sometimes down rural roads, sometimes down the interstate, depending on the season and weather. Used this way, this thing gets 29-31 mpg; let's say 30 average. Like many others, my commuting costs have risen since the price of fuel skyrocketed. I was happy with the mileage in '04. Now I'm delighted.

    Sure glad we didn't buy that SUV my wife thought we needed at that time! She's happy with the 6 too. Says she's never experienced such comfortable seats on long vacation road trips. And loves the mpg.
  • mobile1phmobile1ph Member Posts: 6
    I have a 2005 Mazda 6i sedan 4cyl automatic that i bought used from a toyota dealer. The car was a rental car, It has 14,700 miles. My problem is im getting bad gas mileage. Below 20 miles in the city and below 27 on the highway. Is there something wrong with the car? Is there something I can do to improve this? I did not notice any leaks (like fuel). I would appreciate any help I can get.

    Thank you very much.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    2005 Mazda 6i sedan 4cyl automatic ... a rental ... 14,700 miles ... Below 20 miles in the city and below 27 on the highway.

    According to Consumer Reports the Mazda6i should be getting 24/31 so your vehicle appears off by about 20%. I would bring it into a Mazda dealership for a diagnosis to see what they find. They may be able to fix the problem under warranty. Unfortunately, rentals can be subject to abuse.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    No, 24/31 is the EPA rating for the 2006 model.

    The 2005 is rated 23/28 by EPA (city/hwy):
    http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2005_Mazda_6.shtml

    The CR test that I could find was in 2003 and measured 16/33/23 (city/hwy/mixed).

    When I had a 2005 as a loaner, I noticed it ran at pretty high RPM at freeway speeds, so not surprised by the low hwy mileage. The 2006 model (which has 5 speed ATX) runs at much lower rpm and gets better mileage ratings.
  • isseyvooisseyvoo Member Posts: 121
    In April I bought an '06 6i hatch with the manual tranmission. With the exception of one trip to Philly (during which I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour with the A/C on and still got my best mileage to date, it's all been puttering around town or relatively short stretches on 2-lane state roads. To date: 28.5, 26.2, 27.9, 28.9, 27.2, 26.7, 30.8 and 26.0. don't know whether to consider that good, bad or indifferent, but at least it's pretty consistent!
  • jimesqjimesq Member Posts: 7
    2006 Mazdaspeed 6. I have owned it for just over a month now and on 5 tanks of gas I am averaging 22 mpg in mostly city driving(between 60/40 and 70/30 city/highway). Worst is 21mpg, best is 24 mpg (highway trip)
  • waygrabowwaygrabow Member Posts: 214
    Just filled the tank on my new Mazdaspeed 6 for the second time. First tank was 26 1/3 mpg; second tank was almost 27 mpg. I received two speeding tickets last year, so I am driving rather cautiously now. Also, I drive very little in stop & go traffic.
  • waygrabowwaygrabow Member Posts: 214
    Last three fillups of gas have shown 28.0, 28.8 and 27.9 mpg. Mainly highway driving.
  • jesscurtin70jesscurtin70 Member Posts: 3
    04 6s 5 spd auto, 32K miles. Rarely do I break 20 MPG with my mixed city/hwy driving. I thought it would have improved after the initial break-in, but never did. Additionally, this is WITH an installed K&N air filter. On trips, I've managed to get more like 25 MPG, but those aren't typical. I love this car, though!!!
  • zzzooomzzzooom Member Posts: 17
    For my 2004 6s Hatchback, MTX, 43K miles, my normal mileage for a weekly commute of 13 miles each way (2 lane hwy, 2 stop lights)+ short 3-4 mile excursions around town averages 24-25 MPG. Highway mileage for trips up to DC running 65-80 has been 28-29 MPG.

    Today I test drove a 6s with the 6 speed automatic and was amazed at how much less the engine RPMs were at 60 MPH (about 2000 RPMS vice 2500 RPMS for my MTX). That should translate into much better mileage for the auto, unless the engine is loaded too much with the lower numerical gear rating. Any 6 speed auto owners getting 30+ MPG on the hwy?
  • isseyvooisseyvoo Member Posts: 121
    In the 5 tankfuls it took to drive from NY to IL and back for X-mas in my '06 6i 5 sp., we got 30.1, 30.6, 30.3 31.6 and 29.7, driving pretty steady between 70-75 mph. Rainy weather out, nice weather back didn't seem to make any difference. Still have yet to make it all the way to the 32 EPA highway estimate. Now have 6500 mi. on car.
  • zzzooomzzzooom Member Posts: 17
    What equipment do you have? Sunroof, etc?

    Also, how many people were in the car on the trip and how much luggage?

    I am torn between getting another 6 but cant decide whether a 6 sp auto or 5 so manual.
  • avelectroavelectro Member Posts: 9
    I am impressed with almost all aspects of my 2006 6s Grand Sport but the fuel economy is the most surprising.
    For my daily commute it is consistently going 29 to 30 miles for each gallon of the cheapest fuel I can find.
    My commute is about 65% highway, has more than 20 traffic lights and posted limits are 45 or 65 mph. I typically accelerate from a stop slower than most traffic and drive about 10% over the speed limit. Fairly conservative driving overall although I do speed up for corners :D

    I also feel the 6 speed auto is responsible for the great mpg numbers: it drops into 6th somewhere between 40 and 45 mph. I've never done an extended highway-only trip with this car, but I expect I'll see something in the mid 30s.
  • isseyvooisseyvoo Member Posts: 121
    Mine is the hatchback 6i - it came in a "sport" configuration w/ spoiler, 16 in tires on alloys, fog lights, and the other things included in that package. No sunroof or other options. This trip was 2 people with a full trunk and a few presents and such thrown on the back seat. The RPMs on the highway are between 3,250 and 3,500, which I find a bit high compared to other cars I've owned and is probably responsible for the so-so mileage. I wish there was an overdrive 6th gear or that 5th were at least a bit taller.
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    I am torn between getting another 6 but cant decide whether a 6 sp auto or 5 so manual.

    At least wait until the '08 redesign, with the rumored 3.5L V6 with 6-speed manual... :)
  • lefthandmanlefthandman Member Posts: 47
    I purchased a new 2004 M6S 5-door (hatch), 3.0 liter V-6 with the 5-speed manual transmission in December of 2004. I use a small spiral notebook to keep track of each fill-up (mileage, gallons, cost) along with all maintenance (oil/filter changes, air filter, tire rotations etc). I drive pretty conservatively (few jack rabbit starts), usually within 5-10 mph of posted speed limit and I don't rev the engine too high unless accelerating onto the highway or merging into traffic.

    In calendar year 2005 I put 15,048 miles on the car and used 523 gallons of fuel, which resulted in an average of 28.8 mpg.

    In calendar year 2006 I put 15,468 miles on the car and used 561 gallons of fuel, which resulted in an average of 27.6 mpg.

    The 24-month average over both years (2005 and 2006) was 28.2 mpg, not bad for the 3.0 liter V-6 engine. I'm not all that surprised at the drop in mileage from 2005 to 2006. My commuting pattern has changed (more stop-go), and we've had a much more severe winter this year here in Colorado. I also used the a/c a lot more in the summer of 2006 than I did the previous year.

    Maintenance-wise, I've been very pleased with the car with the exception of the clutch (chatter, vague engagement), which was repaired (clutch plate replaced) under warranty last year. The only other major criticism I have is with the performance of the throttle body fuel injection system and the throttle (seems to have a mind of its own at times), which I'm betting is mostly noticable to those M6 drivers with the V-6 and a manual transmission.

    Happy New Year, and happy driving - zoom, zoom! :D
  • ttaylor22ttaylor22 Member Posts: 5
    I own a 2003 Mazda 6s, automatic and every option that was available at the time. I never had a problem with gas mileage, I would get about 28MPG highway and 25MPG city, which was fine. I moved cross country to California from Massachusetts and got great numbers (as much as 28 MPG) with a car completely full of my belongings.

    However, after living here for over a year, this past summer my car began giving me terrible mileage. It went from 24 to 21 to 18 and now I get 13-14 and 16MPG if I'm lucky. The drastic dropoff took less then a month. I used to go 200+ miles before the tank was at the halfway mark, now it gets there at about 110 or so. I've brought it to the dealer several times and they run all sorts of tests and find nothing wrong with it. The car feels just like it always has, nothing is hindering it's performance and nothing has changed. I bought new tires at the end of the summer and expected better results but I get the same. And yes, they're blown up to the correct amount.

    Does anyone have any idea why this would be happening? I'm at 48,000 miles and my warranty is almost up. I'm so worried that as soon as it ends the dealer will then 'find' the source and charge me a ton to fix it..
  • sephirothaurasephirothaura Member Posts: 5
    It's funny... I'm having a similar problem with my 2004 wagon, and just bought mine last week. My car hit the half-tank mark at about 120 miles, going close to E with about 235 miles on it. I have done a lot of research on my wagon, and it may be a bad inhibitor switch, or I may need a new transmission. I bought the wagon with a little over 44k on the clock, and it was certified, so I have a good amout of warranty coverage left. I am going to find out what the problem is, because it the same time I noticed the gas mileage drop-off, I noticed that the transmission started to shift gears more roughly than usual. Will keep you posted and let you know what happens...
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Welcome to CarSpace! :) Do let us know what you find out.
  • ttaylor22ttaylor22 Member Posts: 5
    Wow, thanks for that info, definitely keep me posted. Glad to see I'm not the only one with this problem. I actually have noticed a problem with switching gears (it's basically always done it though). Sometimes when I'm stopped at a light, when I hit the gas to go the engine will rev, the rpm's will shoot up but I'll barely move, then all of a sudden it's like it kicks in gear and jolts me forward. Right around when my gas mileage began to suffer that was happening a lot, but then it went back to just doing it occasionally. I brought it to the dealer and told them about it, they test drove it for 10 minutes and said nothing was wrong.. They also did a diagnostic check on the whole car and nothing came up. Frustrating..
  • sephirothaurasephirothaura Member Posts: 5
    Well, I go in for service tomorrow. Thankfully, I am getting much better gas mileage even now, but I am still going to get the car checked out. What I'm noticing now is that my check engine light is now on, and the car now has a bit of a grinding noise to it. I am going to ride in the car with my service dept. tomorrow and make sure that they see and hear the problems. Your problem, though, may be related to the kind of gas that you're putting in the car, especially since CA has tons of unnecessary additives that actually make some cars perform worse (you moved from MA, right?). Well, if you have taken your car to one specific dealer, take it to another Mazda dealer and have them look at it. That would be the best advice that I can give you...

    P.S. Vast improvement: was at 1/2 tank with my wagon, and had about 195 miles on the trip computer. Never really notice just how many miles you drive until you really wring this thing out. I mean, 195 miles... in less than a week????? I drive too much!!!!
  • sephirothaurasephirothaura Member Posts: 5
    New information... the gas mileage hit is most likely from your catalytic converter. They did the diagnostic the right way on my car (I had the jr. shop foreman look at it), and it was shown that I need a new c.c. It will be a while (part is ordered) since the catalytic converter is on nat'l back order. Then we'll see what happens. In the meantime, have them check the c.c. to make sure everything is going okay.
  • ttaylor22ttaylor22 Member Posts: 5
    Hmm, sounds good. Thanks for the input, I'll see when I can get my car to the shop. After reading about it, it makes absolute sense. I'm not going to say that's my problem as well but I am about 95% sure that's what's causing the gas problems and the engine problems. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. Living back home my father was basically a mechanic and would fix everyones car in the family, but now living 3000 miles from home he can't diagnose things over the phone and sadly his skills weren't passed down to me.. At least not the advanced skills.
  • sephirothaurasephirothaura Member Posts: 5
    Well, hopefully things will get a little bit better as i have put fresh oil and a new filter on. The catalytic converter is still the problem, I think, and thankfully that should be in sometime btw. Wed. and Fri. Will keep everyone posted, because the dealership where I bought the car from not only had too little motor oil in the car, but the oil that was in there had been in there for a while (it was black, and was gas-saturated). Will keep posted...
  • scottnjscottnj Member Posts: 6
    I recently put Thule racks on my 06 6s with the snowboard attachment. I also got the fairing but that doesn't really seem to help. My MPG average dropped from 23-24 to 18-19 which seems a little high to me, everything I read says that the most a roof rack will decrease performance is 5-10% but this is nearly 20%. Anyone have any feedback of mileage with the racks on/off? I haven't taken them off yet to see if it goes back cause they were such a pain to put on. But I'm losing nearly 100 miles to a tank cause of them and that's pretty significant $ w/ the cost of gas
  • sephirothaurasephirothaura Member Posts: 5
    NEW INFORMATION... The gas mileage drop is definitely from your catalytic converter. Get that done as soon as you humanly can, because this will injure your gas mileage even further and kill your performance. If you've noticed a lag in power, or you're pushing the gas pedal down and not going anywhere, THERE IS YOUR PROOF!!! The cat. is covered for 8 years/80,000 miles, but get it done as quickly as possible.
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