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Mazda CX-7 Real World MPG

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Comments

  • nmknmk Member Posts: 111
    It is possible that my explanation of changing tires to improve gas mileage was not too clear. Let me try again.

    Let us assume that we can find a tire of equal or better quality than the one on our vehicles that would yield a one mile per gallon increase,and that the cost of gasoline is $0.15 per mile based on the price of gas being $2.60 and average mileage is 17 mpg.

    The cost of a new set of 4 tires were to be $400.00.

    The question is, how many miles would need to be driven to pay for those tires.

    Divide .15 into 400.00 =2,667.00

    So what I am saying is that if mileage is so important and we drive 60,000 miles on a set of tires, we would then save $9,000.00 in operating costs. :blush:

    On another matter, I am in the practice of putting in 1/2 tank 93 octane and 1/2 tank 89 octane thereby saving $.10 per gallon. ;) Does anyone see something wrong with this action?

    Darth Vader Grey GT AWD w/Tech Package
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Well I'm not sure about your formula. However, assuming gas is $2.60 and tires are $400 (they are more), tire life of 60,000mi (good luck), and current mileage is 17mpg, your mileage need to go up to 17.78MPG to break even.

    Now, if you find a tire with a hard enough compound to do that, your CX-7's traction will likely suffer greatly reducing your CX-7 to a CRV. ;)
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    just putting on a lower resistance filter won't necessarily help

    Excellent example!

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • defreitasmdefreitasm Member Posts: 152
    I don't know how many miles you have on your car but my mileage seems to have gotten better with time nd I have around 3000 miles on my CX7. I took a 200 mile Highway trip the other day as I previously posted and got 21 miles to the gallon. It was a mix of Interstate with posted limits from 55-65MPH some twisty parkway driving posted speed limit 55 but I drove anywhere from 65 to 80 MPH and zoom zoomed here and there. I also spent a third of the trip on local state twisty mountain roads where the limits varied 30 -55 mph... I never drive the speed limit unless I'm stuck behind a slowpoke. I wasn't as aggressive as usual but far from conservative.

    On my normal daily commute which is a mix of highway and city/town driving I have never gotten below 16 MPG.

    Based on my results I honestly feel if I drove like the EPA does in their controlled environment I could get their numbers.
  • defreitasmdefreitasm Member Posts: 152
    It may not have made a perceived difference between filters but any air filter is still more restrictive than manifold ports.

    Speaking from experiance with motorcycles, I have seen similiar cases where the throttle body openings are small and the air has to make several turns and adding a K&N filter alone was not enough to make a real difference but the K&N was still less restrictive than a stock filter.

    To get any real performance on those bikes we had to add "air kits" and in some cases modify the intake by removing the restrictive parts.

    The problem with adding to much air as in an "air kit" is then you usually also have to open up the exhaust because the exhaust may be too restrictive. Of course modifying th exhaust, which means more noise. The other issue at least on motorcycles is that adding too much air causes a lean condition which in turn can cause too much heat and therefore engine damage. The only remedy was to add a fuel adjustment module and then dynotune to get the max results for performance. The problem with that is the emissions may not meet inspection requirements. I don't have any real world experiance with car mods these days and I'm not sure if in the car world, the car's computer compensates for the lean condition or if an add an module or rechipping is required.
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    Well, it's a good example if you drive a crapped-out 944 Turbo. :P Probably somewhere between "no change" and K&N's "dyno results" is the actual truth when it comes to modern Japanese cars...

    As far as motorcycles, the answer is that they are already engineered to MUCH higher stress levels than modern car engines. Look at the HP/liter they are getting out of 600cc sportbikes these days, and ask yourself how much cylinder porting you think you will actually be able to do there...
  • defreitasmdefreitasm Member Posts: 152
    I should have specified, I was referring to V-Twin cruiser motorcycles and not sport bikes. The mods I was talking about did not involve cylander porting but simply removing restrictive chambers and airflow tubes beween the air cleaner and throttlebody. In any event, I don't want to take this too far off topic.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    if you drive a crapped-out 944 Turbo

    Really! Who would stoop so low ...? ;)

    tidester, host
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,107
    Yep, it's nowhere near nmk's number. As I said, nmk's calculating miles driven with $400 of gas at 17 mpg, 2.60/gal. The formula he needs is (sorry, he asked for it, an unfortunate obsession of mine):

    $400 = money saved = $2.60/gal x (Y/17mpg - Y/18mpg)

    Where Y is the number of miles in question. Solve for Y, get 47,077 miles.
  • drivenonedrivenone Member Posts: 1
    I also am real disappointed in the mpg returned from the CX-7. I am someone who has gotten 40 mpg out of an Audi A4 Quattro (rated 28EPA hwy)& 29 mpg from an Acura MDX (EPA 23 hwy). My first week I got 25.5 Hwy from the CX-7. I thought I would get at least 28 or higher even though its only rated at 24 hwy. Since then it has gone down hill not bettering 20-21 on a 4 hour hwy drive at 60 mph.
    I just had it in to the dealer AGAIN for a check engine light. No it was not the gas cap/fuel filler neck ongoing issue. There was a problem with an actuator that was not allowing the secondary throttle plate to open as it was explained to me. They readjusted the swith and the performance has improved and on my first drive since it appears the mileage has improved. I wont know till my next fillup. I am hopeful though.
  • nmknmk Member Posts: 111
    Astonished to see that the price of 93 octane has increased by $.10 per gallon in the last three days. :mad:

    Just drove down to NYC and back on one of my favorite roads, the Taconic Parkway. Great scenery, lots of curves and hills. The CX-7 was just made for it. ;)

    It took great restraint but I wanted to check the MPG driving within the speed limits. Let me say that it was a STRAIN keeping from going over it.
    Drove auto and cruise control all the way round trip of 330 miles including local country roads.
    330 miles / 17 Gals. = 19.4 MPG.
    Not terrific! :(

    Oh yes, of course the CEL was on all the way and when I filled up the Gas Icon never went out, and is still on. :confuse:

    Darth Vader Grey GT AWD w/Tech Package
  • portly_gnomeportly_gnome Member Posts: 15
    Also, as it was explained to me, this is a known issue, and when you have them "fix" it the first time, they merely "readjust" it. If it happens again, they put you on a waiting list for the actual part, which they KNOW is too short. Supposedly it's a little pin or rod that is the wrong size in a valve actuator. They're supposed to call me when the part comes in. They expect it should be several weeks before I hear from them.

    The car prep people are told to test drive every vehicle before they put it on the lot to look for this problem because it's occuring so frequently.

    Let me know if this has an effect on your performance and/or MPG. Beware though, mine came back on within 2 days of being "fixed." (For me this was about 900 miles)
  • coolasashcoolasash Member Posts: 4
    this is still the tradeoff now. stock air intakes are built so that they fit snugly under the hood. to do this and to lessen the noise, the intake tube is bent several times. this reduces the noise but air is not optimally supplied. aftermarket cold air intakes solve this problem by employing less bends in exchange of a more noisy air intake.
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    After last week's heaviest snowfall in years (here in Minnesota), getting a solid 18 mpg on an AWD GT with all in town driving. With 6000 miles on the clock,the mpg seems to have increased by 1 or 2 mpg which can really add up over a year's driving time.
  • defreitasmdefreitasm Member Posts: 152
    You got 25.5 HWY your first week and that wasn't enough????? LOL

    Most of us would kill to get those numbers on the highway, but I can't imagine doing that unless the vehicle is babied.
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    Must have been a 2-wheel drive model driving 45 mph in a rural area deep south state with ambient temps in the 70's.
  • nmknmk Member Posts: 111
    Re: # 268
    While going downhill with a stiff tail wind.
  • defreitasmdefreitasm Member Posts: 152
    My mileage keeps getting better and better. Just recently I got 19.5mpg combo city/hwy. Previously I was only able to get 16-17mpg combo. I have been getting 21-22mpg hwy. The best part is I am not easy on the peddle. This is with the common P2006 CEL problem, which is about to be fixed.
  • 022540022540 Member Posts: 31
    We purchased our CX-7 GT with FWD last Oct. Have almost 5,000 miles on it. Today had it serviced and changed oil to Castrol Syntex synthetic.
    Our gas milage has been good. Last fall we went on two short vacations in Northern AR in the Ozarks. The first trip was in Oct. and it was warm and we averaged 25mpg over all for the whole trip. 1590 miles and used 63 gallons of gas.
    The second trip was in Dec. 2006 and it was very cold, we averaged over all 22.7mpg.

    We had a mild winter with a few days below 30*F. My intown gas milage will flucuate between 17.2-19mpg. The lowest I have ever gotten was 16.6mpg when it was brand new.

    We also own a Honda Ridgeline RL/SR and make about 15mpg in town and around 23mpg on the hwy. It took a long time to get up to 23mpg, have almost 24,000 miles today. Use systhetic oil in the Ridgeline also.

    The CX-7 has more pick up on the low range, especially when the turbo kicks in. The only complaint that I have on the CX-7 is that it requires Premium gas 91-93 octane and that is now $2.74per gallon where we live in SW La. about 130 miles New Orleans.

    The CX-7 is truly a fun vehicle to drive. It handles like a sport car and has more pep then I really need.

    ZOOM ZOOM FROM LOUISIANA
  • nmknmk Member Posts: 111
  • nmknmk Member Posts: 111
    Highest priced 93 octane spotted today is $3.19&9/10th.
    Columbia County, NY near Albany, NY :mad:

    It would be interesting to see what the oil companies report in profits in addition to the unpaid lease fees due to the U.S. Gov't. (Read you and I)for oil found on our shores. :mad:
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    Driving the CX-7 GT AWD w/ 7,000 miles and currently receiving 18 MPG all in town. Have not taken any trips up to this point. No problems besides the intial gas cap replacement. Have found that 2 clicks will do it when screwing the cap back on.
  • astegmanastegman Member Posts: 171
    Now that we're consistently warmer here in CT, I've seen improvement in MPG - averaging almost 22 MPG in a 70/30 highway/in town mix of driving, as compared to about 16-18 during the depths of the cold weather.

    Hooray, I guess. 93 gas is going for around $3.09-$3.11 in my area.
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    AWD OR FWD...very few identify which model they are driving. The AWD seems to use up 2+ MPG in many cases.
  • astegmanastegman Member Posts: 171
    AWD OR FWD...very few identify which model they are driving.

    Oops, sorry...AWD.
  • kmr5kmr5 Member Posts: 7
    I too have seen an improvement in gas mileage since it has warmed up. I do mostly highway driving in my FWD Sport CX-7, and have gotten 23.5 - 25.0 mpg with the last three fill-ups.
  • portly_gnomeportly_gnome Member Posts: 15
    Okay, I have some happy new for a change! The third time was the charm (kinda). After the dealer fixing the actuator pin on the secondary throttle plate (I think that's what it was... pretty sure though)my MPG has gone up noticeably. I haven't had the chance to do an all hwy or all in town test, but the best I'd ever gotten before was 19mpg with all hwy miles, no hills, 60 degrees out, perfect conditions. With these same conditions, but about 75% hwy miles (running around 80mph) and 25% city (stop-start traffic medium foot) I got 22mpg. Wheee!

    It took the dealer a one trip to figure out the check engine light, one more to Macgyver the thing, then one more to get in the new parts from Mazda (known problem, popular part). But now, no check engine light and better MPG.

    So, if your mpg is bad, the check engine light is on, don't let them adjust or reposition (MacGyver) the pin, make them replace it. the length of the pin is a known issue and won't fully open/close the throttle plate. If they don't get a new pin it will just keep needing adjustment. Probably after warranty too. Get it fixed RIGHT while its still covered. *deposits 2 cents*
  • toma3toma3 Member Posts: 1
    Took CX-7 to dealer and they never heard of this fix. Could you give me more information to give dealer? What do you consider good mileage of the 7. I have front wheel drive and loaded.
  • 022540022540 Member Posts: 31
    Not real sure what "Actuator pin/throttle Plate fixed" and what they are talking about.
    Gas milage has continued to increase over the months.
    I got about 15.5mpg in town at first, now it is closer to
    17-18 mpg. in town. Last big trip, 1659 miles made 25mpg for the whole trip.
    I just had a 6,000 inspection and put synthetic oil, Castrol Syntex 5W-30W. Seems to run a little cooler, the gas pedal is very sensitive,you push...............it goes and can run up on someone in a hurry.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    My CX-7 is almost a year old. AWD, fully loaded, got it June of 06.

    My mileage had been 16-18mpg in a mix of city/highway driving.

    I just got a gas cap replaced, and I guess the program was updated. I'm not sure what they did, but it seems to shift like butter.

    After the service, my mileage has increased to maybe 18-20? On an all highway trip, I got 22.

    I'm an extremely aggressive driver, and I don't use the manual shift, so I expect I could get another 1-2 out of it if my driving style were different.

    James
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    AWD GT ...19.5 MPG last tank strictly stop and go driving, 9500 miles total. Use synthetic blend type (not full syn) oil 5w-20 (from dealer) changed every 3750 miles. Tires at 33 psi. Premium grade fuel.
  • mike8183mike8183 Member Posts: 4
    Just drove my CX7 AWD cross country from Baltimore, MD to LA, California, with AC on the entire drive, MPG was 22.
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    CX-7 AWD, 19.8 mpg all urban driving last fill-up.
  • ridrridr Member Posts: 6
    CX-7 AWD
    - 23 mpg Boston - Toronto :)
    - 17 mpg driving through Boston (only town traffic) :(
  • walterquintwalterquint Member Posts: 89
    You know, I just came from the Acura RDX mpg board. Those owners are getting similar mileage to the CX-7. (Both vehicles have turbo fours.) No one is quite breaking 25mpg, ever.

    However, in contrast to many CX-7 owners, the Acura owners are very PLEASED with their mileage. I find this rather odd, because the Acura is based on the Honda CRV, a 4cyl mini-ute tuned for economy. You'd think the Acura owners would want their ute to more closely mirror the CRV's economy.

    On the other hand, perhaps no Acura owner wants to admit that their SUV has such pedestrian underpinnings. Perhaps the lower mpg is a badge of honor for them....
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 33,736
    According to Honda, the RDX is on a unique platform (ie, NOT shared with the CRV). And why would someone expect similar mileage from a lighter naturally aspirated vehicle than in a heavy luxury turbo vehicle??

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • hutchensgdhutchensgd Member Posts: 6
    Last weekend I drove my CX-7 from Tupelo Mississippi to New Orleans essentially on cruise control the entire way and got just slightly less than 26 mpg. When I made speed adjustments I generally used the cruise controls to make these changes.

    My average mileage with mainly city driving is about 22 mpg.

    The odometer is just about 2000 miles.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    And if you'd take the Trace on the Tupelo-Jackson leg, you'd probably up the average a mile or two.

    Please set up your CarSpace page so we can talk Elvis and Saltillo. I spent a bit of time in Lee County years ago. :shades:
  • stingray66stingray66 Member Posts: 7
    Currently own a "very thirsty" 2006 Liberty Ltd. Very dissatisfied and thinking of trading to a CX-7. Concerned about the need for premium fuel? Is this really necessary and will it run okay on "good" regular without issues and compromise to the mpg?? What has been the reliability of this engine?
  • bdymentbdyment Member Posts: 573
    This is a turbo engine and as such requires premium fuel. I don't know offhand any turbos that run correctly on regular.
  • 022540022540 Member Posts: 31
    We have owned our CX-7 since last Oct. 2006. The last two long
    trips taken were in Oct. and Dec. 2006.
    Gas milage was over 24mpg overall for the two trips.

    Did have synthetic oil put in in Dec. Castrol Syntex 5W-30W.
    Our in town milage in a very congested med. size city has been
    running 17.25 - 18.0 mpg. I did try a tank with 89 octane and my gas milage dropped to 15.8mpg.
    Premium 92-93 octane use Shell mostly prices have come down
    from $3.29 per gallon to $3.15 per gallon.
    The performance is so much better with Premium gas.

    The Turbo charged engine has been used in other models , Mazda speed 6. The CX-7 has been detuned to 244 HP, 258lbs
    of tourque.
  • rbmotoxrbmotox Member Posts: 6
    The dealership we purchased our CX7 from fills every car they sell with regular fuel. I'll bet most dealerships do the same. After running the tank down half way I filled it with plus grade. We drove 140 miles in heavy (Oregon) rain at 69 mph and averaged a solid 23 mpg. I'll try premium and see what affect it has. So far I haven't noticed any pinging even while running regular. I did however notice it ran better on plus. So I am expecting even better results from premium.
    I'll change the original oil at 2000 miles. Then I'll run a synthetic blend like Syntec for 3000. After that I'm going to use ELF full synthetic. I've used it for a year or so in my Chevy SS V-8 pickup with great results. I picked up 1.5 mpg (freeway) by changing to ELF. Also it's formulated to run 15K per change. I run it 7K and it comes out as clean or cleaner than standard oils at 3500 miles. :)
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    I'm impressed by your mileage gains, but the color of the oil really isn't telling you much. (I'm assuming you weren't referring to "clean" as in lab results - if so, I apologize.)

    Most new oil will get "dirty-looking" within days of use, and the coloration is more from cylinder blow-by and results of the combustion process rather than the oil degrading.

    So, you have to wonder, if it is a given that your engine makes "soot" and your oil comes out clean, without that soot in it - where did the soot go?

    At any rate, I totally agree with the notion of using full-synthetic in a turbo engine if you've purchased the car and plan to keep it a while. I've got two turbos in my garage now, and the older of them has been on Mobil 1 for 90K miles. I'd expect to find clean innards - relatively speaking, anyway - if I ever broke into the engine (knock on wood). ;)
  • rbmotoxrbmotox Member Posts: 6
    Carlitos92
    It's true that the only "real" test is to send the used oil to a lab. Often the discoloration can be carbon, ash, aluminum oxidation, and a number of other things. My feeling is that if the oil looks cleaner and still "feels" oily compared to other oils I've used then that's a good thing.
    I have friends who own an oil distribution business. I've been lucky enough to attend some of their meetings with various manufacturers. It's true they ALL can tell you the virtues of their product and why it's better than the rest. What's interesting is they all agree that modern oils, especially synthetics, should be run from 10 to 15K before changing. I haven't been able to wrap my mind around that interval yet. That's why I opted to run the oil in my truck for 7K. I'll do the same in my CX7 and post my opinion. I'm curious to see if my mileage increases just by changing to ELF synthetic like my truck did. For now though my CX-7 is NEW and sure is COOL! :shades:
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    CX-7 AWD ---last fill received about 20 mpg all city driving w/ extensive air conditioning usage.
  • rex10rex10 Member Posts: 24
    Not to rain on everyone's parade, but I have yet to get over 22MPG on any trip, 100% highway or not (AWD model). The lowest has been ~16MPG in city driving and average is around 18. This is certainly dissappointing and something I would recommend new buyers keep in mind. Many larger vehicles do better than this.
    I am not an aggressive driver, although I probably do drive somewhat faster in this car than any other vehicle I have owned. Driving style doesn't seem to affect the poor mileage any. I did a test on a partial tank where I tried to keep the RPM's down when starting off at stoplights etc (tried to keep RPM's around 2k or less - really conservative driving). I got 15.8 MPG on that test (100% city).
    I'm wondering if I'm missing the latest PCM flash and if that would improve the mileage. I did have the CEL light, but that was for the gas cap and hasn't come on since it was fixed in December, so I don't suspect a bad throttle plate thingy. Overall the mileage seems to be off by about 2MPG consistently based on EPA ratings and what others are reporting here.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I don't think I've linked What Really Saves Gas? And How Much? in here before. In addition to those tips, check the rest of the Fuel Economy Articles.

    Maybe more air in the tires or less weight in the trunk or a new air filter will get you another mpg or two?
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    It's a well known fact that EPA estimates on the window stickers were totally off-base, based on rosy predictions on laboratory conditions. Your re-world results are pretty much expected and are consistent with every one else's experiences. PCM reflash will have little affect on MPG.

    I average about 300 miles to a tank full. I don't measure or worry about MPG, as that wasn't a consideration or concern when I bought the CX-7. I simply "zoom-zoom" wherever I go and enjoy the car.

    IMHO, fretting about MPG for the CX-7 is only going to put more gray hair on your head. ;)

    Vince.
  • outbackeddyoutbackeddy Member Posts: 7
    Just recorded my first fuel consumption measurement. 344.4 miles divided by 16.218 gallons of 91 octane Citgo equaled 21.24 MPG. Urban stop & go interspersed with some 1/2 mile 40 mph stretches. Typical shift are at ~ 2,500 rpm except when having fun merging at 4-5,000 rpm. As usual my fuel mileage compares very favorably with the EPA estimates as it has done on my last three vehicles. Ed
  • fonefixerfonefixer Member Posts: 247
    AWD GT--Last fuel stop netted about 19 mpg all urban with heavy air conditioning use. Achieving "as advertised" on the window sticker at 18 city driving.

    MPG Posters: Let us know if you are equipped with AWD for comparison.
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