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2015 Mazda 3 Skyactive 6spd. auto 2008 Mazda Tribute S 4spd auto.
2015 Mazda 3 Skyactive 6spd. auto 2008 Mazda Tribute S 4spd auto.
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2015 Mazda 3 Skyactive 6spd. auto 2008 Mazda Tribute S 4spd auto.
thanks
bob
I had no idea what kind of oil CarMax put in it so when oil change time came around I used the 5W-20 Motorcraft semi-synthetic as recommended in the owner's manual. The mileage increased to the 15 mpg range. The next oil change I used 5W-20 Mobil1 full synthetic and sucked 5 qts. of fluid from the tranny and replaced it with Mobil1 synthetic tranny fluid. The in dash mileage computer is now in the 18 mpg range for city/suburban driving. You might want to try full synthetic oil if you are not using it now and use 5W-20 as recommended by Ford.
My wife loves this vehicle, I do not care for it. I prefer our 94 Dodge Grand Caravan.
The Caravan has what the Escape has not. A comfortable leather seat, foot room, a comfortable gas pedal angle and enough room between the gas pedal and brake pedal so I don't hit both with my size 11/4E New Balance shoes. It also does not have cheap hard plastic where I rest my elbow! I will admit that the Escape does quite well when the snow flies. The auto AWD works beautifully in the snow.and the vehicle goes where you point it without slipping or sliding. Other than that, Ford could have done better. Just my $0.02.
FredB
Suggestions: Drive by the Tachometer, try and attain 30mph at no more than 1250rpm, 45mph at 1600rpm, and 55mph at 2000rpm. Dont use cruise control on hilly areas, carefully raise the speed, and country roads use OD on any hills. Take your foot over the gas any down slopes, dont idle the car, dont warm up and no jack rabbit starts.
Keep tire pressure mfr specs, and of course find the shortest distances to where you have to go.
good luck.
bob
Fred,
I had planned to go to synthetic as you had done and see if that helps but was wondering if there were any aftermarket add-on's like headers/exaust bolt or a chip that might help but so far have not seen any for the escape. I'm thinking of replacing all the oil's in the vehicle with Red Line and see what that does but the oil is fairly expensive and harder to find so may to to Mobil synthetic instead.
I have just returned back from a Thanksgiving trip (525 miles one way) and on the way up was able to acheive 20 mpg without babying the vehicle and running 70-75 most of the way. My vehicle is a V6 automatic and I have previously tried running 65-70 on the interstate in overdrive but when I go up any hills the vehicle will downshift and the RPM's jump from about 2200 to 3000 which I assume reduces my MPG. I seem to have to only run about 63 MPH to keep the vehicle from downshifting up small grades. I'll keep expiermenting and see what works best. We like the Escape so far. We have the leather seats and electric drivers seat and padded console so it's all pretty comfortable and there seems to be plenty of space between the gas pedal and brake so no issues there for me. I think I would have liked the 4 cyl model better as I'm more into saving fuel than having the extra power but will make the best of what we have.
Terry
See you there!
I got around 14 MPG (U.S gallon) up to early May, 2008. The last tank I got 17 MPG (July 2008). Modifications done: I put 5W-20 mobil one syntetic oil and I just put last weekend a K % N air Filter and I got an "scan gauge II" recently as well.
Average around 15.5 MPG up to know with 80 % city and 20% highway driving.
Please note that temperature in the winter in Quebec city can go below minus 30 degrees Celcius January, February and March.
I love the car so far, but fuel consumption is overrated by Energy Canada (23MPG city/31 MPG highway) in Imperial galons, not U.S. gallons.
I hope the mileage improve with the K & N filter and changing my driving habits. .
The Mazda dealer told me around 5000 miles are required to break the engine.
we have Tribute 2.3 front drive auto 2006 with just over 50k miles now. For the past 6 months, I have getting a steady 29-30mpg (us), The key is careful use of the tachometer, keep your rpms as low as possible to get to your target speed. Don't be afraid to drive at 55mph even if the MAXimum speed limit is 65, No jack rabbit starts, ease off on the gas just before topping a hill, and use overdrive on level or near level grades. keep the tires properly inflated and the SUV well tuned.
I rarely top 2900 rpm.
I enjoy the car, and in the land of $4.25 us gas, the SUV goes a long way for a moderate amount of money.
good luck.
bob
since you replaced the air filter, we can rule that out. how did the original filter look when you replaced it?
i would check the tire pressures and bump them up a couple of pounds(or whatever) over the number on the door sticker. if the ride is too harsh for you, knock it down a bit.
on a street with a slight slope(not a hill!), i would put the windows down and coast a bit in neutral. do you hear any noises that sound like something could be binding or dragging?
i might take off the roof cross bars if you have them, but i don't think they make much difference in primarily city driving, and be careful you don't scratch the roof if you do.
check the odometer over a long run 20-40 miles if you have a chance.
none of these things will result in a big upswing in mileage, but they might help a bit.
let us know how things go as time goes on.
my wife has an '04 with part time 4x4, which has averaged i tick over 19 us mpg over 60k.
I havn't been able to break through 32mpg yet, may have to remove roof crossbeams, drive w/o spare tire, since I drive very carefully. The regular 30mpg has been very good overall when you consider the total cost of ownership for this tribute. Just oil changes & filters so far with 53k total miles. A great wagon with plenty of room to load, and drives well.
Are there any other add on's that can increase the mileage? K&N filter..etc.
We're moving back to CT (from PA) and will likely pick up a used ('05-ish) Escape. We would like the AWD model, just in case we need it for some snow storms, but haven't decided whether to go with the 4 cyl or 6 cyl. If there really is such a significant difference in gas mileage, I'm thinking that the 4 cyl would be the better choice. That said, I'm also a little concerned that the 4 cyl could feel underpowered, and there's a possibility that I might someday want to use it to pull a small sailboat, so I don't know if the 4 cyl would be capable of towing anything.
Advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I am using 5-20 Mobil1 full synthetic in the engine and have about 50% Mobil1 synthetic tranny fluid in the automatic.
You might want to check the Nov. 08 issue of Consumer reports. They have a report on SUV and P/U tires. They also cover rolling resistance and its effect on MPG. Just my $0.02.
FredB
My not so long gone 2007 Sante Fe with the 2.7 got slightly less, same driving conditions.
My current 2008 CRV gets around 24 with similar driving. However it accelerates as well as both of them, all had and have auto trans.
However nothing beat getting bad mileage like the Jeep liberty that I use to have.
We live at 6800 feet in thinner air and it's hilly so I don't expect anything at or above average around town. I don't hyper mile but I'm thinking more along those lines and in general as per being a less conspicuois consumer.
Did hit 24+ a few times (rated @ 23 HGY in 2004).
I-80 is a long road. On the flats, could maybe hit 25, depending on load and weather conditions.
trip to and from the mountains the 09 beat the 08 by 2.8mpg
interesting- so some checking showed the 09 had more HP/TQ
so I purchased the Ultra Gauge- 4 weeks now- at 60mph without cruise I regularly average 31.7mpg- in town driving for mileage I average 24.6mpg- I can get 35.8mpg at 57mph if there's no wind and only slight rises in the road-
The Ultra Gauge or the Scan Gauge 2 is your best bet to help you to understand where your engine runs best and you are getting the best mileage as you adapt your driving based on the reading
I can also tell you the mileage goes down quick if I drive over 65-
I don't mind cruising along and all other vehicles scream past- I just smile
I took a few pictures of my dash/Ultra Gauge on a recent long trip- can post it if this is unbelievable
there are ways to drive your vehicle to beat the EPA estimates
many do it quite regularly- without falling for the scam gas saving gimmics
I use Trop Artic 5W20 synthetic blend- I'd be very concerned with putting anything but MercronV in your auto transmission
there is a forum where MPG is the focus- I learned alot there
just recently found this forum and wanted to say hi- seems like a great place
a vacuum gauge is pretty good- "old school"
I had a 2007 Honda Civic- my sister had a Prius
on a dare- I beat her mileage
not being in a hurry and knowing how to drive for ultimate mileage is key
there used to be schools/classes that teach
we have 30+ mile winds out here- it wouldn't be fair to state mpg going with the wind
Not too shabby! I'm getting about 27 on my Hybrid 2008 AWD on the road, but that is at 80 MPH. I'd say your MPG is about right for that truck setup .. and yours cost considerably less than mine!
09 Limited 2.5
Glad I could be of service. That was August of 2011 during a trip to New Mexico. Obviously, the 80 was only on the Interstate portions... sure is nice to have those higher speeds in NM and AZ.
I rarely get it that fast here on the LA freeways.
Actually, that is about what I've gotten on my last three cars. My 2003 CR-V had a similar engine, so that isn't surprising. But my 2006 Freestyle had a 3.0 V6, and it returned about the same (maybe a half MPG less).
2003 Mazda Tribute LX AWD, 120,000, 3.0 V6..... 20-23 highway. 13-14 city if I drive like my Grandmother